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Treasury Board Secretariat (Ontario)

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Treasury Board Secretariat
Ministry overview
Formed1962 (first established)
2014 (re-established)
JurisdictionGovernment of Ontario
Headquarters99 Wellesley Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Minister responsible
Deputy Minister responsible
  • Deborah Richardson

The Treasury Board Secretariat is the ministry of the Government of Ontario that is charged with supporting the work of the Treasury Board/Management Board of Cabinet, a joint sub-committee of cabinet that manages the fiscal plan of the government including controlling all government spending, approving labour agreements and workforce planning, manage the provincial contingency fund and oversee the procedures and directives that guide the operation of the Ontario Public Service.

In 2022, the mandate of the ministry expanded to include the overseeing of Supply Ontario and Emergency Management Ontario.

The current president of the Treasury Board is Caroline Mulroney.

History

The Treasury Board was originally established in 1886 as a committee of the Cabinet of Ontario. Prior to 1950, the board met infrequently and had no permanent staff. Its primary role during this period was to review and approve Special Warrants and Treasury Board Orders to meet shortfalls in departmental estimates.

The development of the government in the wake of the depression and war, however, quickly overwhelmed the ability of the existing system to deal with demands on government revenues. A private firm of auditors, Woods, Gordon and Company, recommended a complete revision of the functions of the Treasury Board to deal with the new situation. The Financial Administration Act of 1954, formalized the board's role as the committee of the cabinet on all matters relating to finance, revenues, estimates, expenditures and any other matter concerning general administrative policy of the government. The board was also given the power to call witnesses and compel the production of documents from the public service relating to financial administration and to make regulations relating to the administration of public money and the efficient administration of the public service.

Although the Treasury Board possessed a secretary as early as 1956, a permanent Treasury Board Secretariat was not established until 1962. Initially, the secretariat only has two broad functions: to support the Treasury Board as a committee of cabinet, and to provide management and budgetary advisory to ministries and agencies of government. Throughout 1960s, it assumed other government-wide management functions such as records management and the development of automated information systems within the public service.

In 1971, the Treasury Board was renamed the Management Board of Cabinet with expanded responsibilities for the management of the public service, and the secretariat was renamed the Management Board Secretariat. Over time, the functions of the Management Board Secretariat expanded to include coordination and providing corporate administrative and resources management services for the government, in areas that included information and information technology, human resources, procurement, accommodation, assets management, and administrative support, as well as the management of record retention.

In 1991, a new Treasury Board was established within the Ministry of Treasury and Economics to assume the financial management functions of the Management Board of Cabinet and the Management Board Secretariat. However, in 1995, this board was dissolved. Its fiscal planning and controllership functions were transferred to the Fiscal and Financial Policy Division of the Ministry of Finance, while responsibility for the estimates and expenditure process were returned to Management Board.

Also in 1991, the staff and responsibilities of the Human Resources Secretariat were absorbed by the Management Board Secretariat.

In early 1993, the Management Board Secretariat absorbed the existing Ministry of Government Services. In 2000, the Archives of Ontario was transferred from the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation.

In 2005, the Management Board Secretariat ceased to exist, and most of its corporate management functions were reverted to a newly re-established Ministry of Government Services, while responsibilities for the provincial estimates and expenditure monitoring were transferred to the Ministry of Finance.

In 2014, the Treasury Board and a corresponding Treasury Board Secretariat were re-established. Treasury Board and Management Board, while legislatively two separate cabinet committees, became a joint sub-committee of cabinet.

Board chairs and presidents

Name Term of office Political party
(Ministry)
Note
Chair of the Treasury Board
James Allan December 15, 1961 November 24, 1966 PC
(Robarts)
While Treasurer
Charles MacNaughton November 24, 1966 March 1, 1971 While Treasurer
Darcy McKeough March 1, 1971 April 7, 1972 PC
(Davis)
While Treasurer
Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet Between 1972 and 2005, the Chair headed a corresponding ministry.
Charles MacNaughton February 2, 1972 September 28, 1972
Eric Winkler September 28, 1972 October 7, 1975
James Auld October 7, 1975 August 18, 1978 While Minister of Government Services (June 23, 1977 – September 21, 1977)
George McCague August 18, 1978 February 8, 1985
Bette Stephenson February 8, 1985 May 17, 1985 PC
(Miller)
While Deputy Premier (April 8, 1985 – June 26, 1985)
George Ashe May 17, 1985 June 26, 1985
Elinor Caplan June 26, 1985 June 16, 1986 Liberal
(Peterson)
While Minister of Government Services
Robert Nixon June 17, 1986 September 29, 1987 Interim Chair, while Treasurer
Murray Elston September 29, 1987 October 1, 1990 Concurrently Minister of Financial Institutions (August 16, 1988 – October 1, 1990)
Frances Lankin October 1, 1990 July 31, 1991 NDP
(Rae)
While Minister of Government Services (October 1, 1990 – April 22, 1991) and Minister of Health (April 22, 1991 – February 3, 1993)
Tony Silipo July 31, 1991 September 23, 1992 While Minister of Education (October 15, 1991 – February 3, 1993)
Dave Cooke September 23, 1992 February 3, 1993 While Minister of Municipal Affairs (July 31, 1991 – February 3, 1993)
Brian Charlton February 3, 1993 June 26, 1995
David Johnson June 26, 1995 October 10, 1997 PC
(Harris)
Chris Hodgson October 10, 1997 February 8, 2001 Concurrently Minister of Northern Development and Mines (October 10, 1997 – June 17, 1999)
David Tsubouchi February 8, 2001 April 15, 2002
April 15, 2002 October 22, 2003 PC
(Eves)
Gerry Phillips October 22, 2003 June 29, 2005 Liberal
(McGuinty)
Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet Between 2005 and 2014, the chair presides over the board as a committee of cabinet but did not head a corresponding ministry.
Greg Sorbara June 29, 2005 October 11, 2005 While Minister of Finance
Dwight Duncan October 11, 2005 May 23, 2006 Interim, while interim Minister of Finance
Greg Sorbara May 23, 2006 October 30, 2007 While Minister of Finance
Dwight Duncan October 30, 2007 February 11, 2013 While Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance
Harinder Takhar February 11, 2013 May 8, 2013 Liberal
(Wynne)
While Minister of Government Services
Charles Sousa May 8, 2013 June 24, 2014 While Minister of Finance
President of the Treasury Board Since 2014, the President headed a corresponding ministry.
Deb Matthews June 24, 2014 June 13, 2016 While Deputy Premier
Liz Sandals June 13, 2016 January 17, 2018
Eleanor McMahon January 17, 2018 June 26, 2018
Peter Bethlenfalvy June 29, 2018 Present PC
(Ford)
Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria June 18, 2021 Present MPP for Brampton South

References