An established model is being revitalized.
In 1989, during Brian Mulroney’s administration, the government embarked on an initiative to foster innovation and enhance efficiency under economic pressures. This resulted in the establishment of numerous special operating agencies (SOAs) such as Passport Canada and the Translation Bureau. However, in the following three decades, the government’s enthusiasm for this model waned, with only a few SOAs being created.
That is changing now.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is reviving this decades-old concept to bolster Canada’s economy amid the tariff conflict initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump. Three new special operating agencies—Build Canada Homes, the Defence Investment Agency, and the Major Projects Office—have been tasked with allocating funds and driving projects forward.
The government asserts that SOAs offer increased flexibility and faster decision-making processes.
Until recently, there were only around a dozen SOAs, mostly focusing on specialized areas like measurement, heritage, or translation, with the Canadian Coast Guard being an exception. These agencies operate within federal departments and report to ministers and deputy ministers.
However, the operational specifics of Carney’s new agencies remain somewhat veiled.
While they must adhere to similar regulations as the hosting government departments, they also enjoy certain exemptions and have outlined performance targets in their framework agreements and business plans.
Original Guidance Advocates Public Disclosure of Documents
An archived Treasury Board website from the late 1990s, a period when several SOAs were established, emphasizes the significance of framework agreements in ensuring agency accountability.
According to the archived site, “The framework document and the business plan are central to SOA accountability. On one hand, the framework document outlines the agency’s mission and relationships, while the business plan serves as a detailed performance agreement between the department and SOA management, renewed annually.”
It further states that framework documents are typically considered public and can be accessed by any Canadian upon request.
Despite recent efforts by CBC News to obtain the framework documents for the three new agencies formed under Carney’s government, this has proven unsuccessful.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the launch of Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency that the government says will build affordable housing at scale.
Treasury Board officials clarified that the SOA website contains outdated information as it was archived in 2012. Requests for the framework agreements were redirected to the respective agencies’ hosting departments.
Public Services and Procurement Canada, housing the Defence Investment Agency, acknowledged the existence of its framework agreement and business plan, approved by the Treasury Board, but deemed them confidential.
The Privy Council, which houses the Major Projects Office, is yet to release the agency’s framework agreement and business plan.