Corporate Services

Mandate:

The Corporate Services Group is responsible for providing internal services that enable employees and managers to deliver on their responsibilities, while playing a stewardship role and continuously strengthening control frameworks to ensure that relevant legislation, policies, and directives are implemented and enforced.

Ryan Pilgrim

Ryan Pilgrim

Assistant Deputy Minister Corporate Services

Bio

Ryan Pilgrim - Chief Financial Officer, and Assistant Deputy Minister Corporate Services

Ryan Pilgrim

Ryan Pilgrim became Transport Canada’s Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services in June 2019.

Ryan has extensive experience in accounting, budget management and financial policy development. He began his professional career as an accountant with Ernst and Young, where he worked both in Toronto and France. Ryan joined the Federal Public Service in 2002, where he held various positions in Finance and IM/IT at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). He subsequently moved to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), where held the position of Director General, Budget and Cost Management. Ryan has also worked at the Office of the Comptroller General within the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), where he developed a wide variety of financial policies and led the talent management of financial personnel across the Government of Canada. In 2018, he joined Transport Canada as the Director General, Financial Planning and Resource Management.

Ryan graduated from Queen’s Commerce with a specialization in Finance and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA-CA).

Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister: Ryan Pilgrim

Number of Employees:  853 employees (555 in the NCR and 298 in the regions)

Directorates:

  • Financial Operations and Administrative Services (including Physical Security, Materiel, Contracting, and Accommodations); 
  • Financial Planning and Resource Management;  
  • Human Resources; 
  • OurTC;  
  • Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP); 
  • Corporate Planning and Reporting; and, 
  • Cost Recovery/Service Fee Modernization Initiative; 

Overview:

Financial Operations and Administrative Services

The team is responsible for a broad range of services and activities related to financial operations, including:

  • Maintaining sound financial systems and developing financial policies and related guidance;
  • Providing advice and training on accounting matters, ensuring integrity of the financial control framework, and preparing Financial Statements and Public Accounts reporting to Parliament;
  • Providing services to programs in the areas of expenditure and revenue accounting, including reviewing and approving payments to suppliers and reimbursing employees for travel claims;
  • Supporting all aspects of procurement, including requirement definition, tendering, evaluation, and negotiations, as well as materiel management; and
  • Providing physical security and building management services, including the planning and design of office accommodations and building access controls.

Financial Planning and Resource Planning

The team is responsible for a broad range of services and activities related to financial management, including:

  • Financial Planning activities, such as providing advice, guidance, and a challenge function on:
    • Costing and financials related to Budget proposals, Treasury Board submissions and Memoranda to Cabinet (MCs);
    • Internal management of budgets and forecasts for both current and future years
  • Resource Management activities, such as providing advice and financial performance reporting to senior management and ensuring the Department's financial stability and integrity through:
    • Timely budget allocations, including transactions between organizations and allotments;
    • Overseeing and managing financial pressures, financial risk and carry-forward plans;
    • Financial forecasting, analysis, and reporting; and
    • Preparation of estimates documents and other central agency and parliamentary reports, including briefing materials.
    • Capital investment planning and performance, including monitoring project implementation and performance results on a quarterly basis and oversight of the project Gating approvals (i.e. Project Management Framework)

Human Resources Directorate

The Human Resources Directorate (HRD) provides a full range of client-focused and inclusive
HR programs and services to all current and retired TC employees (approximately 6,500). In addition, HRD leads people management planning and forecasting, policy development and advice, identifies and addresses emerging workforce and workplace trends and issues, provides data analytics and reporting, and continuously innovates and evolves client services and business processes to meet the evolving expectations of senior leadership and the department. HRD provides timely and meaningful TC responses to address central-agency led initiatives, and also supports incident management for the TC workforce (e.g., harassment, violence, refusals to work, no pay, etc.).

OurTC

The OurTC team is responsible for the development of TC’s Flexible Work Model. Following successful implementation in 2022, the role of the team has transitioned from implementation to oversight for continuous improvement in our hybrid context. Responsibilities encompass monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on the effectiveness of TC’s hybrid environment to ensure TC remains responsive, effective, and inclusive.

Access to Information and Privacy

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) office administers the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act on behalf of the head of the Department. Main responsibilities include the coordination and preparation of responses to ATIP requests, ensuring programs meet legislative requirements to ensure privacy, addressing complaints filed with the Information and Privacy Commissioners and cooperating during formal investigations, investigating privacy breaches, and liaising with central agencies and the Department of Justice on sensitive matters. The team also provides internal advice on the application of the Privacy Act and the principles governing the Access to Information Act (audit and investigation reports, production of papers for Parliament, proactive publication, etc.).

Corporate Planning and Reporting

Corporate Planning and Reporting (CP&R) leads the integration of departmental planning and reporting functions on behalf of the Department. The directorate provides leadership, advice, analysis, frameworks and tools to support integrated planning and reporting, including risk management and performance management initiatives. It also prepares several key departmental reports, including the:

  • Departmental Plan (formerly known as the Report on Plans and Priorities);
  • Departmental Results Report (formerly known as the Departmental Performance Report); and
  • Management Accountability Framework.

Cost Recovery/Service Fee Modernization Initiative

This is a multi-year project which aims to generate additional revenues (new or incremental) from TC’s programs, and increase the amount of program delivery costs paid by clients.

The initiative will contribute to TC’s financial sustainability, as it presents opportunities to:

  • Streamline fee structures and fees, making them easier to understand for clients
  • Offer improved service delivery experiences for clients, with simplified and modernized processes 
  • Harmonize with other departmental initiatives (i.e., regulatory modernization)
  • Establish a Center of Expertise for all matters related to setting fees at TC