# Treasury Board Secretariat (Ontario)

The Treasury Board Secretariat is the ministry of the Government of Ontario that is charged with supporting the work of the Treasury Board/Management Board of Cabinet, a joint sub-committee of cabinet that manages the fiscal plan of the government. This includes reviewing and controlling all government spending, approving labour agreements and workforce planning, management of the provincial contingency fund, and overseeing the procedures and directives that guide the operation of the Ontario Public Service.
In 2022, the mandate of the ministry expanded to include the overseeing of Supply Ontario and Emergency Management Ontario.
The current president of the Treasury Board is Caroline Mulroney.

## History

The Treasury Board was originally established in 1886 as a committee of the Cabinet of Ontario. Prior to 1950, the board met infrequently and had no permanent staff. Its primary role during this period was to review and approve Special Warrants and Treasury Board Orders to meet shortfalls in departmental estimates.
The development of the government in the wake of the depression and war, however, quickly overwhelmed the ability of the existing system to deal with demands on government revenues. A private firm of auditors, Woods, Gordon and Company, recommended a complete revision of the functions of the Treasury Board to deal with the new situation. The Financial Administration Act of 1954, formalized the board's role as the committee of the cabinet on all matters relating to finance, revenues, estimates, expenditures and any other matter concerning general administrative policy of the government. The board was also given the power to call witnesses and compel the production of documents from the public service relating to financial administration and to make regulations relating to the administration of public money and the efficient administration of the public service.
Although the Treasury Board possessed a secretary as early as 1956, a permanent Treasury Board Secretariat was not established until 1962. Initially, the secretariat only has two broad functions: to support the Treasury Board as a committee of cabinet, and to provide management and budgetary advisory to ministries and agencies of government. Throughout 1960s, it assumed other government-wide management functions such as records management and the development of automated information systems within the public service.
In 1971, the Treasury Board was renamed the Management Board of Cabinet with expanded responsibilities for the management of the public service, and the secretariat was renamed the Management Board Secretariat. Over time, the functions of the Management Board Secretariat expanded to include coordination and providing corporate administrative and resources management services for the government, in areas that included information and information technology, human resources, procurement, accommodation, assets management, and administrative support, as well as the management of record retention.
In 1991, a new Treasury Board was established within the Ministry of Treasury and Economics to assume the financial management functions of the Management Board of Cabinet and the Management Board Secretariat. However, in 1995, this board was dissolved. Its fiscal planning and controllership functions were transferred to the Fiscal and Financial Policy Division of the Ministry of Finance, while responsibility for the estimates and expenditure process were returned to Management Board.
Also in 1991, the staff and responsibilities of the Human Resources Secretariat were absorbed by the Management Board Secretariat.
In early 1993, the Management Board Secretariat absorbed the existing Ministry of Government Services. In 2000, the Archives of Ontario was transferred from the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation.
In 2005, the Management Board Secretariat ceased to exist, and most of its corporate management functions were reverted to a newly re-established Ministry of Government Services, while responsibilities for the provincial estimates and expenditure monitoring were transferred to the Ministry of Finance.
In 2014, the Treasury Board and a corresponding Treasury Board Secretariat were re-established. Treasury Board and Management Board, while legislatively two separate cabinet committees, became a joint sub-committee of cabinet.

## Board chairs and presidents

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Political party (Ministry) | Note |
| Chair of the Treasury Board | Chair of the Treasury Board | Chair of the Treasury Board | | |
| James Allan | December 15, 1961 | November 24, 1966 | PC (Robarts) | While Treasurer |
| Charles MacNaughton | November 24, 1966 | March 1, 1971 | While Treasurer |
| Darcy McKeough | March 1, 1971 | April 7, 1972 | PC (Davis) | While Treasurer |
| Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet | Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet | Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet | Between 1972 and 2005, the Chair headed a corresponding ministry. |
| Charles MacNaughton | February 2, 1972 | September 28, 1972 | |
| Eric Winkler | September 28, 1972 | October 7, 1975 | |
| James Auld | October 7, 1975 | August 18, 1978 | While Minister of Government Services (June 23, 1977 – September 21, 1977) |
| George McCague | August 18, 1978 | February 8, 1985 | |
| Bette Stephenson | February 8, 1985 | May 17, 1985 | PC (Miller) | While Deputy Premier (April 8, 1985 – June 26, 1985) |
| George Ashe | May 17, 1985 | June 26, 1985 | |
| Elinor Caplan | June 26, 1985 | June 16, 1986 | Liberal (Peterson) | While Minister of Government Services |
| Robert Nixon | June 17, 1986 | September 29, 1987 | Interim Chair, while Treasurer |
| Murray Elston | September 29, 1987 | October 1, 1990 | Concurrently Minister of Financial Institutions (August 16, 1988 – October 1, 1990) |
| Frances Lankin | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 | NDP (Rae) | While Minister of Government Services (October 1, 1990 – April 22, 1991) and Minister of Health (April 22, 1991 – February 3, 1993) |
| Tony Silipo | July 31, 1991 | September 23, 1992 | NDP (Rae) | While Minister of Education (October 15, 1991 – February 3, 1993) |
| Dave Cooke | September 23, 1992 | February 3, 1993 | NDP (Rae) | While Minister of Municipal Affairs (July 31, 1991 – February 3, 1993) |
| Brian Charlton | February 3, 1993 | June 26, 1995 | NDP (Rae) | In 1993, most of the functions performed by the Ministry of Government Services were transferred to the Secretariat of the Management Board of Cabinet. |
| David Johnson | June 26, 1995 | October 10, 1997 | PC (Harris) | |
| Chris Hodgson | October 10, 1997 | February 8, 2001 | PC (Harris) | Concurrently Minister of Northern Development and Mines (October 10, 1997 – June 17, 1999) |
| David Tsubouchi | February 8, 2001 | April 15, 2002 | PC (Harris) | |
| David Tsubouchi | April 15, 2002 | October 22, 2003 | PC (Eves) | |
| Gerry Phillips | October 22, 2003 | June 29, 2005 | Liberal (McGuinty) | |
| Greg Sorbara | June 29, 2005 | October 11, 2005 | While Minister of Finance. Between 2005 and 2014, the chair presides over the board as a committee of cabinet but did not head a corresponding ministry. |
| Dwight Duncan | October 11, 2005 | May 23, 2006 | Interim, while interim Minister of Finance |
| Greg Sorbara | May 23, 2006 | October 30, 2007 | While Minister of Finance |
| Dwight Duncan | October 30, 2007 | February 11, 2013 | While Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance |
| Harinder Takhar | February 11, 2013 | May 8, 2013 | Liberal (Wynne) | While Minister of Government Services |
| Charles Sousa | May 8, 2013 | June 24, 2014 | While Minister of Finance |
| President of the Treasury Board | President of the Treasury Board | President of the Treasury Board | Since 2014, the President headed a corresponding ministry. |
| Deb Matthews | June 24, 2014 | June 13, 2016 | While Deputy Premier |
| Liz Sandals | June 13, 2016 | January 17, 2018 | |
| Eleanor McMahon | January 17, 2018 | June 26, 2018 | |
| Peter Bethlenfalvy | June 29, 2018 | June 18, 2021 | PC (Ford) |
| Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria | June 18, 2021 | September 4, 2023 |
| Caroline Mulroney | September 4, 2023 | Present |