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Introduction

DCC is a Crown corporation, accountable to the Canadian Federal Government through the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. Created in 1951, we have one client - the Department of National Defence (DND). Our accumulated experience gives us an unparalleled "corporate memory" of DND infrastructure needs, and over the years, we've made working with DND easier and easier. Over time, we've grown beyond construction to provide a host of other value-added services, including project, environmental services and operational support services. As such, we updated that relationship with DND through a new memorandum of understanding in 2001.

Board of Directors

As a Crown corporation, we have a board of directors, which has been appointed by the Governor-in-Council on the Minister's recommendation. This board includes people from both the private and public sectors, who bring to the board their experience in engineering, construction, law and public policy. The make up of the Board is guided by a Board profile [pdf] which outlines the variety of skills which help in its deliberations.

The Board of Directors mandate is entrenched in Part X of the Financial Administration Act (FAA). More detailed activities of the Board are outlined in its Charter. [pdf]

The Board of Directors maintains two committees to assist it in its deliberations:

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee for Defence Construction (1951) Limited is mandated by the Board of Directors to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the Corporation's:

  • Annual financial statements and reporting of financial information;
  • Internal controls systems; Financial accounting principles and policies;
  • Internal and external audit processes;
  • Compliance programs as mandated by the Financial Administration Act; and
  • Standards of ethics, integrity and behaviour.

Current members of the Audit Committee are Ms. Kris Matthews (chair), Ms. Shirley McClellan and Mr. Marc Ouellet. Click to view the Audit Committee Charter. [pdf]

Governance and Human Resources Committee

The Governance Committee was reconstituted into the Governance and Human Resources Committee in March of 2010 and the roles and responsibilities of the Nominating Committee were subsumed by this Committee. This Committee is to assist the Board in:

  • Developing DCC’s approach to corporate governance;
  • Ensuring that DCC’s core human resources policies are sound and appropriate for the Corporation;
  • Participating in the nomination and appointment process for Order in Council appointments;
  • Keeping the Board Competency Profile up to date.

Current members of the Governance and Human Resources Committee are: Chair: Mr. William Pentney; Members: Mr. Robert Presser and James S. Paul (ex officio). Click to view the Governance and Human Resources Committee Committee Charter. [pdf]

Annual Public Meeting

For a summary of proceedings of the Public Annual Meeting held last May 27, 2010, click here . [pdf]

CEO Selection

The President and CEO is appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. To assist the Minister in the selection process, the Board has prepared and regularly reviews a series of selection criteria. Click to view the current version of the CEO selection criteria. [pdf]

Internal and External Audit

Audits are used by DCC to help ensure the continuing efficiency and effectiveness of our operations and to ensure Canadians that they are receiving the best value for their tax dollars utilized by the Corporation. To help accomplish this, four types of audits are used in Defence Construction Canada:

  • Compliance Reviews are used throughout the corporation to ensure that employees and business units are undertaking operational and administrative activities in accordance with published standards and normal industry practice.
  • Internal Audits examine specific operational and administrative activities and, where required, recommended improvements are made. To maintain complete transparency and objectivity in these audits, internal audits are conducted by a third party auditor who report directly to the Audit Committee.
  • External audits examine the corporation’s financial accounts at year end. By law, these audits are conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. The auditors report is made to the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors and the results are published in the Corporation’s annual report.
  • Special Examinations are also conducted by law by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. These Special Examinations are periodic detailed reviews of operational or administrative areas that may pose a particular risk to the Corporation. The requirement to undertake a special examination every five years is outlined in Part X of the FAA. The most recent special examination was completed in 2008. [pdf]

Occasionally, the Corporation may participate in other audits undertaken by the Office of the Auditor General or our client, the Department of National Defence.

In all cases, the Corporation aims to make all information in its possession available to the auditors.

For compliance reviews, DCC managers report on the corrective actions taken to address observations made. The President and CEO provides a regular management update to the Audit Committee on the actions taken to respond to recommendations and observations outlined in internal audits, external audits and special examinations.

Meeting Obligations to Canadians

Canadians have set a high bar for what they expect from their public institutions. DCC has responded to policy priorities that Canadians have set through their members of Parliament.

Here are some of the ways we contribute to federal policy objectives.

  • We exercise fiscal responsibility in awarding and managing publicly funded contracts.
  • We encourage employment equity and a work environment that supports the human rights of our people and their right to function in either official language.
  • We support privacy and access to information rules.
  • We provide broad access to federal business opportunities.
  • We encourage competition for tenders.
  • We support and encourage business opportunities with Aboriginal enterprises.
  • We incorporate the requirements of national and international trade agreements into our procurement practices.

Meeting Environmental Objectives

Just as DND has made sustainable development a priority, so have we. DCC is committed to the principles of sound environmental stewardship, including those related to sustainable development and to the practice of due diligence. Our Environmental Management Framework [pdf] outlines our corporate strategic direction and long-term objectives when it comes to addressing the environmental aspects our activities.

Corporate Social Responsibility

As a federal Crown corporation, DCC strives to demonstrate the importance of ethics and accountability while maintaining the confidence of its stakeholders throughout all of its business operations. DCC is committed to the following tenets:

  • Diversity of Workforce
  • Encouraging Competition
  • Environmental and Safety Responsibilities
  • Maintaining a Safe Work Environment
  • Official Languages
  • Transparency
  • Values and Ethics
  • Employment equity

Diversity of Workforce

DCC acknowledges that its chief asset is people and that corporate successes are built on employee abilities and commitment. One of DCC’s strengths is its dedicated workforce of professionals. The team consists of a mix of engineers, engineering technicians and technologists, environmental scientists and experienced tradespeople. Other specialists in finance, human resources, information technology, communications and administration support these employees. DCC is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity.

Encouraging Competition

DCC plays an important role in the implementation of government policy in areas relating directly to the Government of Canada’s contracting requirements. For example, in its business operations, DCC provides broad access to business opportunities and encourages competition. This is demonstrated by the Corporation’s use of MERX, Canada’s official public sector electronic tendering service. With a target of having 99% of all contracts being publicly tendered, as opposed to being sole sourced, DCC contributes to a level playing field for Canadian businesses. Knowing that protecting the interests of Canadians remains paramount, DCC demonstrate fiscal responsibility in the award and management of publicly funded contracts.

Environmental and Safety Responsibilities

The DCC Board of Directors and management group are committed to the principles of sound environmental stewardship, to the practice of due diligence and, as a public institution, to meeting the expectations of Canadians.

DCC’s Environmental Management Framework outlines the strategic direction and long-term objectives of the environmental aspects of DCC’s activities. DCC has integrated environmental procedures into day-to-day operational and administrative processes.

Maintaining a Safe Work Environment

The management of employee occupational health and safety remains a concern of the Board, Senior Management and the Environmental, Safety and Health Committee. DCC continues to invest in safety-related communications and training activities.

Employees have developed an increasing awareness of health and safety issues and the Committee and the National Safety Coordinator remain highly committed to maintaining DCC’s excellent record as a safe workplace.

Official Languages

DCC supports federal policy objectives in regard to the Official Languages Act and strives to offer bilingual services in all office locations where required, and receives few complaints under the Official Languages Act. When received, they are resolved quickly.

Transparency

Transparency of operations is integral to DCC’s business strategy, and the Corporation complies with the letter and the spirit of both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

The Corporation tables a number of yearly reports either in Parliament (through the Minister of Public Works and Government Services), or to other government agencies after each fiscal year end. These submissions are made in order to partially fulfill the Board’s responsibilities respecting governance of the Corporation and in accordance the Financial Administration Act, the Alternative Fuels Act, the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the Public Servant Disclosure Protection Act.

Values and Ethics

In 2004, DCC drafted a new corporate wide values based code to replace a former conflict of interest code. The Code has been recently updated to comply with new requirements outlined in the Federal Accountability Act. Click to view the most recent version (June 2007) of the DCC Code of Business Conduct . [pdf]

The aim of this Code is to reaffirm the ethics, values and expected standard of conduct for employees of the Corporation. Ultimately, DCC is an organization that is responsible to the people of Canada. Because employees award and manage contracts involving hundreds of millions of dollars, management has intentionally set the bar for ethical standards very high. By complying with appropriate standards of conduct in business activities, employees reinforce the Corporation’s reputation, image and success. Adherence to the code, which applies to all continuing and term employees of the Corporation, is a condition of employment. The Code requires that employees sign a document certifying that they have read and understand the code and that they are obliged to review the code once a year. A thorough review of the Code of Business Conduct is a key component of the Corporation’s on-line values and ethics training package which is mandatory for all employees. New employees complete this training package as part of their initial orientation.

In addition to the Code of Business Conduct, senior DCC managers (Directors and Vice-Presidents) are subject to an additional post-employment code [pdf] which limits their business transactions with the Corporation for a defined period of time after their employment with DCC ceases.

As Order in Council appointees, the President and CEO, and members of the Board of Directors, are subject to legislation and guidelines issued by the Government of Canada as a condition of employment:

The President and CEO and members of the Board of Directors must provide an annual declaration that they are in compliance with the Conflict of Interest Act.

Employment Equity

DCC provides a working environment that promotes respect and regard for the rights and dignity of all employees, including fair and equitable treatment in compensation.

All positions within DCC are established through an assessment of the value of each position in comparison with all jobs performed within the company. This assessment is based on a composite of skill, effort, responsibility and the conditions under which each position must be performed. The value of the position remains constant unless the nature of the job itself changes. The assessment is unrelated to the qualifications, personal attributes or gender of the incumbent.