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Public Administration Act

The Public Administration Act (R.S.Q., Chapter A-6.01) defines respect for the principle of transparency. It obliges each government department and agency that provides direct services to citizens to publicly declare the level and quality of the services it offers. The Québec Ombudsman often refers to this Act when investigating cases.

Below is a link to excerpts of this Act. The entire version can be read on the Publications of Quebec website (Reproduction authorized by Les Publications du Québec. The Québec Ombudsman assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of any reproduction derived from the legal materials on this site. The legal materials on this site have been prepared for convenience of reference only and have no official sanction. For all purposes of interpreting and applying the law, users should consult the Revised Statutes of Québec as amended by statutes published in the Gazette officielle du Québec).

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R.S.Q., chapter A-6

Public administration act

Chapter 1
Object and application

Results-based management.

1. This Act affirms the priority given by the Administration, in developing and implementing the rules of public administration, to the quality of the services provided to the public; thus, it establishes a results-based management framework centred on transparency.

Accountability.

This Act reaffirms the role played by parliamentarians with respect to government action and their contribution to the improvement of the services provided to the public by enhancing the accountability of the Administration to the National Assembly.

2000, c. 8, s. 1.

Object.

2. The government management framework shall focus more specifically on

1) responsiveness, in making management decisions, to the expectations expressed by the public in light of available resources;

2) the achievement of results in relation to stated objectives;

3) greater flexibility, through the adaptation of management rules to the particular situations of departments and bodies;

4) recognition of the role of deputy ministers and chief executive officers in implementing controls in relation to results-based management;

5) accountability reporting based on performance in achieving results;

6) optimum use of the resources of the Administration;

7) giving the National Assembly access to relevant information on the activities of the Administration.

2000, c. 8, s. 2.

Composition of the Administration.

3. For the purposes of this Act, the Administration comprises

1) the departments of the Government;

2) all budget-funded bodies, namely all bodies all or part of the expenditures of which are provided for in the estimates tabled in the National Assembly otherwise than under a transferred appropriation;

3° all bodies whose personnel is appointed in accordance with the Public Service Act ( chapter F-3.1.1);

4) all bodies a majority of the members or directors of which are appointed by the Government or by a minister and at least half of the expenditures of which are borne directly or indirectly by the consolidated revenue fund.

Body.

A person appointed or designated by the Government or by a minister, together with the personnel directed by that person, is considered to be a body in the exercise of the functions assigned to the person by law, the Government or the Minister.

2000, c. 8, s. 3.

Applicability.

4. The National Assembly, any person appointed or designated by the National Assembly to exercise functions under the authority of the National Assembly, the personnel directed by that person and the Commission de la représentation are subject to the provisions of this Act only to the extent provided by law.

Applicability.

The same applies to the courts of justice within the meaning of the Courts of Justice Act ( chapter T-16), or bodies whose membership is wholly comprised of judges of the Court of Québec, the Conseil de la magistrature or the committee on the remuneration of the judges of the Court of Québec and the municipal courts.

2000, c. 8, s. 4.

Chapter II
General responsibilities

Division I
Application

Application.

5. This chapter applies to the departments and budget-funded bodies of the Administration.

Application.

It  also applies to any other body of the Administration that is designated  for that purpose by the minister responsible and only to the extent  determined by that minister. Notice of the designation must be  published in the Gazette officielle du Québec.

Restriction.

However, only sections 6, 7 and 8, subparagraphs 1 to 5 of the first paragraph of section 9, section 11, the first paragraph and subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the second paragraph of section 24 and section 29 are applicable to bodies whose members are appointed by the National Assembly and to administrative bodies exercising adjudicative functions and, in the case of the latter bodies, only as concerns management objectives for service accessibility, the effectiveness and efficiency of their decision-making process and the results achieved. The report required under section 24 shall be incorporated into the annual report of those bodies.

2000, c. 8, s. 5.

Division II
Service statement

Déclaration de services.

6. Un ministère ou un organisme qui fournit directement des services aux citoyens rend publique une déclaration contenant ses objectifs quant au niveau des services offerts et quant à la qualité de ses services.

Contenu.

La déclaration porte notamment sur la diligence avec laquelle les services devraient être rendus et fournit une information claire sur leur nature et leur accessibilité.

Services.

Les services aux citoyens comprennent, pour l'application de la présente loi, les services offerts à la population et aux entreprises.

2000, c. 8, s. 6.

Devoirs.

7. Un ministère ou un organisme qui fournit directement des services aux citoyens doit:

1° s'assurer de connaître les attentes des citoyens;

2° simplifier le plus possible les règles et les procédures qui régissent la prestation de services;

3° développer chez ses employés le souci de dispenser des services de qualité et les associer à l'atteinte des résultats fixés par le ministère ou l'organisme.

Information aux usagers.

Le ministère ou l'organisme qui l'estime approprié sensibilise les usagers sur le coût des services qu'ils utilisent.

2000, c. 8, s. 7.

Imputabilité.

29. Un sous-ministre ou une personne exerçant les pouvoirs que la Loi sur la fonction publique ( chapitre F-3.1.1) attribue à un sous-ministre et un dirigeant d'un organisme de l'Administration gouvernementale même si l'organisme n'a pas été désigné en vertu du deuxième alinéa de l'article 5 sont, conformément à la loi, notamment en regard de l'autorité et des pouvoirs du ministre de qui chacun d'eux relève, imputables devant l'Assemblée nationale de leur gestion administrative.

Audition en commission parlementaire.

La commission parlementaire compétente de l'Assemblée nationale doit entendre au moins une fois par année le ministre, si celui-ci le juge opportun, et, selon le cas, le sous-ministre ou le dirigeant d'organisme afin de discuter de leur gestion administrative.

Objet.

La commission parlementaire peut notamment discuter:

1° de la déclaration de services aux citoyens, des résultats obtenus par rapport aux aspects administratifs du plan stratégique ou du plan annuel de gestion des dépenses;

2° des résultats obtenus par rapport aux objectifs d'un programme d'accès à l'égalité ou d'un plan d'embauche pour les personnes handicapées, applicable dans le ministère ou l'organisme, et par rapport aux objectifs d'embauche, déterminés par le Conseil du trésor, à l'égard des diverses composantes de la société québécoise;

3° de toute autre matière de nature administrative relevant de ce ministère ou organisme et signalée dans un rapport du vérificateur général ou du Protecteur du citoyen.

2000, c. 8, s. 29.