Questions and Answers

What is Alternative Service Delivery (ASD)?

Alternative service delivery is a form of partnership or arrangement made by an organization with another party to deliver services and programs.

Why does the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) use ASD arrangements?

Where appropriate, the CFIA uses ASD arrangements to achieve resource efficiencies and improve program delivery.

Why is the CFIA developing an ASD Policy?

The CFIA is developing an ASD policy to encourage a coordinated and consistent approach for establishing and overseeing ASD arrangements for agency programs and services.

The ASD policy will identify the analysis and steps that must be completed prior to establishing an ASD arrangement and the monitoring measures that should be in place.

What impact will the policy have on the timeliness of the development and approval of ASD arrangements?

It is anticipated that the planned ASD policy will improve the efficiency of developing ASD arrangements. The policy will provide clear guidance and a common starting point for those establishing ASD arrangements.

Will this policy lead to more ASD arrangements being created in the future?

The CFIA has a number of ASD arrangements already in place and expects to create others in the future, as appropriate. The intent of the planned ASD policy is neither to encourage nor discourage the creation of more ASD arrangements, but rather to provide clear internal guidance to ensure that all CFIA ASD arrangements undergo consistent and rigourous analysis and are subject to appropriate monitoring.

Will the policy be consistent with the Red Tape Reduction initiative?

The Government of Canada is committed to reducing the red tape burden on Canadian businesses. The planned ASD policy is expected to support the recommendations of the Red Tape Reduction Commission.

Is ASD essentially the same as cost recovery?

ASD and cost recovery involve distinctly different approaches to delivering services.

ASD entails the partnership or arrangement between an organization and another party, either within government or the private sector, to deliver a program or service.

Cost recovery is the process of recouping some or all of the cost for a particular service. In the case of the CFIA, the Agency intends to recover some or all of the cost for services where there is a direct benefit beyond those enjoyed by the public. The CFIA's policy on cost recovery is available on the website.

Why is the CFIA conducting consultations with respect the ASD policy?

The CFIA is consulting with stakeholders to ensure that stakeholder perspectives are considered when developing the policy.

What is the process for the ASD consultation?

The CFIA is conducting an initial consultation to seek broad input on key policy elements, including the guiding principles for developing ASD arrangements; and, the scope of application of ASD arrangements to CFIA programs and services. The views and concerns of the participants will be considered when drafting the policy. Once a draft policy has been developed, the CFIA will consult a second time to seek feedback before the policy is finalized.

How is the CFIA making sure that the consultation process is open and transparent?

The consultation will be posted to the CFIA's external website and will remain open for 60 days beginning April 25, 2012.

Who can I contact for more information about the consultation?

For further information on this initiative, please send your inquiries to asd-dmps@inspection.gc.ca or call toll-free 1-800-442-2342.