As president of the Treasury Board, Alcock was responsible for overseeing the Canadian civil service and the spending details of government agencies. He also played a leading role in coordinating the Martin government's response to the federal sponsorship scandal, in which some public monies were misappropriated by bureaucrats and advertising agents in Quebec with ties to the Liberal Party. Alcock announced a new appointment process for crown corporation executives in 2004, and the following year he issued a new policy of management control for government agencies. He argued that these reforms would prevent similar scandals from occurring in the future. One of his more notable initiatives was the establishment of a chief audit executive for each government department and agency.