Task Force on Community Investments
Terms of Reference

Mandate:

To examine federal policies and practices relating to the use of transfer payments and to funding of horizontal initiatives, and develop recommendations that will enable and support federal investments in communities.

Objectives:

• New approaches to ensure that the Treasury Board Transfer Payment Policy is used to its full extent by federal departments so as to achieve consistency with the Code of Good Practice on Funding for the Government of Canada and the voluntary sector; and
  
  
• New policy directions to enable and support investments in multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral and local initiatives, with appropriate accountability by departments.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Consistent, results-oriented federal funding practices, through better understanding and fuller use by federal organizations of the scope of the Treasury Board Transfer Payment Policy; and
  
  
• A seamless approach to supporting investments in communities, resulting from policy recommendations on new funding and reporting approaches that facilitate cross-departmental expenditure and accountability.

Task Force Responsibilities:

• To conduct research and gather information on departmental funding practices, instruments and concerns;
  
  
• To identify the flexibilities available under the Transfer Payment Policy and other financial management policies and reporting requirements of the Treasury Board;
  
  
• To explore with the Office of the Auditor-General of Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat horizontal accountability mechanisms and possible new results-based approaches;
  
  
• To look at practices in other jurisdictions which address community issues through local approaches, in terms of their relevance to the Canadian situation; and
  
  
• To develop recommendations to the Task Force Steering Committee on:
  
  • approaches to broaden the range of instruments available to federal organizations for horizontal work in support of community-based investments; and
    
    
  • how to continue the work over the longer term.

Timelines and Milestones:

The Task Force was initiated in March 2005 and will complete its work by March 2007. Over this period, the work will proceed in two phases:

• Phase 1: Review existing funding practices and mechanisms (notably the application of the Transfer Payment Policy), identify how they are being used and recommend improvements.
  
  
• Phase II: Explore and recommend new policy directions for funding tools to facilitate community investments and placed-based initiatives while ensuring accountability.