Print this page Marie-José Bourassa and guests will discuss the very rich experience of implementing a first in the federal public service: the establishment of close to 50 audit committees whose role is to advise the Deputy Heads on matters of internal controls, risk management and governance processes in their organization. Participants in the discussion will be Nola Buhr, Arthur Wakabayashi and Jon Singleton who are all members of departmental audit committees, as well as a departmental chief audit executive. Chris Moore from KPMG will discuss the current challenges and issues organizations are facing with their current financial systems and the important of having a financial system architecture in place to help guide future investments and decisions. Chris will also discuss the recent trends in the software industry and the impact of the financial systems. Chris will conclude the presentation with KPMG's thoughts on financial systems leading practices and how organizations can move forward and improve their investment in technology. This session discusses the tensions that managers face when dealing with any of these three concepts. Fostering innovation will invariably increase risk. Focusing on accountability typically constrains innovation. And trying to reduce risk because it is seen as a danger usually limits opportunity. These tensions are unlikely to be resolved. Public service executives and financial managers will have to cope with them as a normal part of their working life. Doing this well is one of the important qualities of leadership and management in the public sector. This presentation considers the idea of departmental boards of management as mechanisms to improve both public management and public accountability as necessary complements to central management agencies and departmental ministers. The key features of such boards would include statutory authority for the governance of management in respect to the management of resources and administrative operations; independence from executive-management by way of majority of independent members; chaired by an independent member; and, appointed in such a way to be independent from the government of the day. In the days of Mad Men and Glengarry Glen Ross it wasn't WHAT you knew, it was WHO you knew. Then, along came the Internet and we could turn to it for much of our answers and connections. Now we can ask our connections in LinkedIn. Does the old saying, "It's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know" still apply? Has networking and how we network changed? Government has traditionally had the responsibility for delivering regulation and determining the public interest. Over the past 25 years in Saskatchewan there has been a shift in the regulation of financial services from government having the sole responsibility to bodies such as commissions and professional or industry associations. In 2009 the government adopted a new approach by designating the Saskatchewan Financial Services Commission as a special operating agency, which is midway on a continuum between government regulation and industry regulation. This presentation will examine the evolution of financial services regulation and how the public interest is served through the various forms of regulation. Few of us can work or live in total isolation. People are generally part of the equation. Regardless of how brilliant we might be, if we: no one will stick around long enough to notice our high IQs. Our emotional intelligence helps us to be aware of, make sense of, and make use of our emotional competencies in order to better manager our relationship with ourselves and others. At the end of this workshop, participants will:
Monday, June 1, 2009
Dan Zbacnik, CMA, CPA, MBA, FCMA
KPMG, Advisory Services, Partner - National Lead, Financial Management Advisory
Topic: Making the Public Sector Finance Function More Strategic
Dan Zbacnik's Presentation 
Marie Josee Bourassa, Executive Director, Internal Audit Sector, Office of the Comptroller General of Canada
Armchair Discussion - The Transition to Decentralized Independent Audit Committees in the Federal Public Service
Russ Hantho
Director, Power Growth
TransCanada Corporation
Topic: Public/Private Partnerships
Russ Hantho's Presentation 
Pat Youzwa
President and CEO, SaskPower
Topic: Environmental and Sustainability Impacts
Pat Youzwa's Presentation
Chris Moore, CA, Senior Manager, Operations Improvement
Financial Systems
Leading Practices and Current Trends with Technology
Chris Moore's Presentation
Neil Yeates
Associate Deputy Minister, Indian and Northern Affairs
Topic: Toward a New Federal Framework for Aboriginal Economic Development
Neil Yeate's Presentation
Dale Schattenkirk, CHRP, Lean Sigma Black Belt Quality Initiatives Consultant, Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region
Application of Excellence Programs: Exposing Public Sector Opportunity Using Lean Six Sigma Methodology
The current increasing demands placed on staff without adding resources is creating a strain on many public sector jobs. By applying this proven methodology, sustainable long-term gains can be achieved for the client/customers and staff satisfaction increased. Real life,localexamplesin health care, education (SIAST), consulting firms, IT departments, and regulatory agencies will be presented.
Otto Brodtrick, Ph.D., Centre of Public Management
Accountability, Risk and Innovation: An uneasy Triad
Plenary Address: What should be the future role of financial officers in the public service?
Panelists:
Dr. Otto Brodtrick, PhD, Centre of Public Management
Dr. Rocky Dwyer, PhD, CMA, National Defence
Bernie Geiger, Director, Financial Management Policy Renewal, Office of the Comptroller General of Canada
Rocky Dwyer's Presentation
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Peter Aucoin, CM, Ph.D., FRSC, Eric Dennis Memorial Professor of Government and Professor of Public Administration, Dalhousie University
Improving the Governance of Public Management with Independent Boards of Management
Marty Klyne, Publisher, Regina Leader Post
Networking for Success: Climate Change…From Mad Men to Facebook
Joy Keenan
Senior Technical Manager, International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board
Topic: International Trends in Public Sector Accounting: The IPSASB Perspective
Joy Keenan's Presentation
Jim Hall, Superintendent of Insurance, Saskatchewan Financial Services Commission
Topic: The Evolution of Regulatory Oversight in the Public Interest
Jim Hall's Presentation
Laurie Rose, Human Resources Program Manager, Office of the Auditor General of Canada
Topic: Emotional Intelligence at Work
