HUMA Committee Report

LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendation 1

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada engage in meaningful consultations with both large and small organizations and that it develop a comprehensive communication strategy regarding all elements of the Specialization and Concentration Initiative.

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada fully inform all organizations that provide Employment Assistance Services about the November 2004 directives pertaining to this initiative. As required by law, Employment Assistance Services are available to all unemployed individuals, irrespective of their current or past relationship with the Employment Insurance program.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada adhere to the Code of Good Practice on Policy Dialogue and Code of Good Practice on Funding, both of which build on the accord signed in December 2001 between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector.

Recommendation 4

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada provide the public with current and accessible information on projects being funded and the organizations delivering these funds.

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada suspend its call-for-proposals process until it has engaged in meaningful consultation with community organizations in order to determine an appropriate amount of time for organizations to prepare and submit their applications. Although Human Resources and Skills Development Canada now provides 30 days to prepare and submit a proposal, the Department must consult organizations on this matter and consider their input before a decision is made on a new time period. If necessary, funding extensions should be granted to existing program providers until a more acceptable timeframe for responding to a call for proposals is established.  

Recommendation 6

The Committee recommends that when the call-for-proposals process resumes, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada take the necessary steps to stagger the opening dates for a call for proposals, and that the Department avoid announcing a call for proposals during the summer months, when organizations are least prepared to respond.

Recommendation 7

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, in consultation with third-party delivery organizations, develop standardized, user-friendly forms and computer software to assist organizations that apply for project funding under the call-for-proposals process, and to facilitate the reporting of financial requirements and program results. This recommendation is consistent with the Code of Good Practice on Funding, which builds on the accord signed in December 2001 between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector.

Recommendation 8

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada work with organizations in small communities to build the required capacity to deliver employment interventions that are needed in the community. In so doing, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada should provide special support to organizations that develop innovative approaches to address local employment and skills development needs.

Recommendation 9

The Committee recommends that when an organization is not successful in renewing an existing contribution agreement or obtaining a new agreement, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada shall provide full and comprehensive reasons to the applicant within 14 days.

Recommendation 10

The Committee recommends that the call-for-proposals process be restricted to individual projects valued at $500,000 and more.

Recommendation 11

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada provide all applicants participating in the call-for-proposals process with a detailed outline of the selection criteria and associated maximum scores used to rank proposals.  This should include a rationale of the weighting of scores.

Recommendation 12

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada engage in meaningful consultations with organizations that deliver contribution programs on behalf of the Department in order to review and re-evaluate the selection criteria used to rank applicants participating in the call-for-proposals process. Selection criteria should recognize and attribute value to organizations that can demonstrate an ability to provide high-quality, results-oriented programming. Where applicable, the capacity to serve special-needs clients should also be recognized and scored. Further to Recommendation 5, the call-for-proposals process should be suspended until the selection criteria review is completed and the revised selection criteria are in place. During this period, organizations with active contribution agreements negotiated under the old system should have their funding extended.

Recommendation 13

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada develop, in conjunction with input from voluntary and other private sector organizations, speed-of-delivery targets that require the Department to respond to applicants following a call for proposals and to negotiate contribution agreements with successful applicants within a given period of time. These targets must be mutually agreed to by all parties and be shorter than the combined timeframe currently followed by the Department. The Department’s performance in this regard should be reported annually in Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s Performance Report.

Recommendation 14

The Committee recommends that, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, organizations be subject to no more than one audit in a 12-month period.

Recommendation 15

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada adopt a more risk-based approach to auditing contribution agreements, especially in terms of those agreements involving funding below the $500,000 threshold. 

Recommendation 16

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada move quickly to a three-year funding agreement with the project sponsors, subject to continued good performance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement signed with the Department.

Recommendation 17

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada be given the authority to extend,  for an additional three years, multi-year contribution agreements without proceeding to a call for proposals in circumstances where service providers have met all the terms and conditions of the agreement, including all performance targets.

Recommendation 18

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada establish meaningful results-based accountability measures and an evaluation framework for programs delivered under Employment Benefits and Support Measures. Results-based accountability measures must be developed in partnership with the organizations that deliver contribution projects, and these measures must become an important part of the Department’s accountability framework. Every five years, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada should conduct a summative evaluation of Employment Benefits and Support Measures.

Recommendation 19

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada provide project sponsors with assistance, including training and funding, to collect the data required to measure and report meaningful program results attributed to Departmental program spending.

Recommendation 20

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada ensure that its employees receive the required support to provide a stable, high-quality, consistent service to third-party project sponsors. Staffing needs and skills should be one of the key priorities underlying improvements to the administration, management and accountability of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada contribution programs.