Executive Offices
The Portfolio is here to support you and ensure a successful and seamless transition.
The deputy ministers (DMs) are your key interlocutors, providing non-partisan advice to help implement the Government's agenda.
The Department will work closely with your office to provide support on a wide range of policy, corporate, and operational issues, including:
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Providing briefings and responding to requests for information;
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Providing communications support;
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Coordinating support on Cabinet, parliamentary, Governor-in-Council, and ministerial appointments and correspondence; and
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Providing support on day-to-day operations and general administrative and budgetary information.
Please note that while you and your staff are responsible for discussing possible conflicts of interest and disclosing them to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, the DMs, supported by their Chief of Staff and the Corporate Secretary, are responsible for putting measures in place to ensure appropriate delegations of authority and to prevent potential or perceived conflicts of interest that could arise in the execution of your mandate.
Supporting the DMs in providing you and your staff with corporate services and support are the following individuals and their teams:
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Chief of Staff, Deputy Minister's Office;
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Departmental Liaison; and
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Corporate Secretary
Deputy Minister's Office
Chief of Staff
The DM's Chief of Staff acts as a liaison between DMs and your office, working closely with your Chief of Staff and the Department to ensure ongoing communications and oversight of key files.
The Chief of Staff manages the operations of the DM's Office, including the requesting, tracking, and distributing of materials for information, discussion, and approval to you and your office.
Departmental Liaison
The Departmental Liaison is the primary contact between your office and the Department and provides integrated and coordinated timely advice on behalf of the Department and in response to requests from your office, including:
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Coordinating requests for information, briefing materials, and staff briefings for your office;
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Managing and tracking documents entering your office, including the distribution and processing of decision dockets and ministerial correspondence; and
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Communicating ministerial decisions and requests for information from exempt staff back to the department.
Corporate Secretariat
The Corporate Secretary is the main point of contact for your Chief of Staff on budget and human resources and provides a range of corporate services and support to assist you and your office in delivering on your mandate. Further, the Corporate Secretary and their office will assist you and your team with day-to-day office requirements on administrative issues (i.e., finance and human resources, facilities and assets, IT and information management).
Cabinet affairs
Manages the Memoranda to Cabinet process for the Transport Canada portfolio and all related briefing materials; provides advice and updates on Cabinet committee agendas and coordinates/produces briefing material in support of committees for both Transport Canada-led items and items led by other governmental departments.
Parliamentary affairs
Coordinates committee appearances, parliamentary returns, late shows and Opposition Day speeches, and the tabling of reports from the Department and Portfolio; provides advice on the drafting of Parliamentary Strategies for Memoranda to Cabinet; provides support for legislation and legislative processes; and provides general information on matters related to Parliament.
Executive correspondence
Manages and tracks incoming and outgoing ministerial correspondence relevant to the Minister's mandate, including invitations and meeting requests; coordinates proposed draft responses for ministerial review and signature; and provides professional editing and translation services for ministerial correspondence and documents as required.
Protocol and reception services
Manages the Executive Complex and related ministerial boardrooms, which include capabilities for hybrid meetings, interpretation, braille, and other accessibility features; provides hospitality and reception services for ministerial and/or departmental events as required; provides advice, support, and recommendations on all aspects of conference and meeting planning, protocol, and official visits (i.e., coordinating access and welcoming of delegations, following government protocol on gifts for official hospitality).
Finance
Manages resources for exempt staff and for operating their offices, including budgets, salaries, assets, expenditures, and providing monthly reports; prepares forecasting estimates for operational requirements; reviews and audits travel and hospitality claims; ensures that proper signing authorities are in place; and provides advice and guidance on all financial matters, including contracting and acquisition regulations if required.
Human resources
Disseminates information to all new exempt staff detailing compensation, leave, and benefits and any required forms and supplementary documents to complete their onboarding process and provides ongoing support to the Chief of Staff and exempt staff for all HR-related issues.
Facilities, IT assets & IM
Ensures the Minister and exempt staff have 24-hour access to the building at 330 Sparks Street; provides workspaces, mobile devices, laptops, and office equipment consistent with the departmental standard in place; ensures that you have full network access and access to MS Teams to hold online meetings (in addition to hybrid meetings from the office); during regular business hours, supports ministerial staff with a dedicated team of departmental IT specialists for informatics support; and supports the Minister’s office in information and records management for Cabinet documents, government records, ministerial records, and personal and political records.
Security
Arranges security briefings for the minister and their staff by the Privy Council Office and/or the department's Chief Security Officer; informs all ministerial staff of applicable security requirements; and provides the Minister and Chief of Staff with secure phones, mobiles, and videoconferencing capabilities.
The Privy Council Office will provide e-tablets for Cabinet business assigned to identified exempt staff.
Proactive Disclosure and Access to Information and Privacy
Processes requests and proactive disclosure requirements for the Department, administers the Privacy Impact Assessment Policy, provides training and advice to the Department, and provides notifications of impending requests and proactive disclosures and related sensitivities.