Departmental Plan 2020-21

 

The original version was signed by

The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada


ISSN 2292-4930

Table of contents

From the Registrar

Plans at a glance

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks

Internal Services: planned results

Spending and human resources

Corporate information

Supporting information on the program inventory

Supplementary information tables

Federal tax expenditures

Organizational contact information

Appendix: definitions


From the Registrar

Picture of Roger Bilodeau, Registrar

I am pleased to present the 2020-21 Departmental Plan for the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada (‘ORSCC’).

Our 2020-21 Departmental Plan provides information on what we do and the results which we are aiming to achieve during the 2020-21 fiscal year, as well as providing transparency on how financial resources will be spent. We also describe in our report our programs and services for Canadians, our priorities for 2020-21, and how our work will help us attain our organizational priorities.

The judges of the Supreme Court of Canada (‘Court’) are supported by the ORSCC, being an integral component of the Court. As defined by its Core Responsibility statement, i.e. “The Administration of Canada’s final court appeal”, the ORSCC provides services and support for Canada’s final court of appeal to process, hear and decide cases. It also supports communications and outreach to various stakeholders.

The core work of the ORSCC continues to be the processing and management of all cases brought to the Court.  The environment and context in which the Court manages and decides cases is continuously evolving, which in turn produces new risks and challenges.

In 2020-21, the ORSCC will continue to place a high priority on pursuing its work towards the adaptation of its business processes to an electronic environment, with a view to continuously improving electronic access to the Court’s case files and information, both for internal use by the Court as well as by the public and litigants.

Other ongoing initiatives include further enhancements to the Court’s overall security services which aim to balance the safety of all participants in the judicial process, as well as the basic principles of fairness, access and openness which underpin the administration of justice. As well, in order to meet the pressures relating to the aging Court building and operational facilities, significant time and resources have been (and will continue to be) dedicated to planning for a building rehabilitation initiative of the Supreme Court of Canada Building. Finally, raising public and stakeholders’ awareness of the Court and increasing the information available to the public remains a priority for the ORSCC. As such, efforts will continue to be dedicated to ensure effective communications and outreach activities in support of the Court’s evolving role and the increased public interest in the Court’s work.

I wish to conclude by thanking the entire staff of the Court for their continuing hard work and enthusiasm in serving the Court and Canadians with unfailing professionalism and a dedicated sense of purpose.

 

Roger Bilodeau, Q.C.


Plans at a glance

In support of the achievement of the ORSCC’s planned results for 2020-21, the following are its current key priorities:

Business Transformation

An ongoing priority of the ORSCC is its business transformation initiative. Its goal is to ensure that the necessary business processes and technologies are in place – or being planned – to enable the electronic processing of cases, thereby allowing parties to access case file documents, data and information online (based on their entitlements), as well as providing the public with better access to Court information online, enabling litigants to file documents electronically through the development of a secure portal, and protecting and preserving archival and historical information in electronic format.

In support of this priority, the following key initiatives were undertaken by the ORSCC and will continue in 2020-21. These include:

  • further integration of the case management and document management systems to enable enhanced efficiencies in case processing
  • finalizing the renewal of the application architecture of critical enterprise systems to be in a better position to achieve transformational objectives and improve interoperability; and
  • beginning the design phase for the electronic filing portal.

As such, business processes will be optimized and based on new technology, duplication of effort and process redundancies will have been eliminated, and operational efficiencies will benefit the SCC judges and staff, as well as the Canadian public.

Communications and Outreach

Increasing public and stakeholders’ awareness of the Court and increasing the information available to the public is a priority for the ORSCC. As such, the ORSCC will continue to dedicate resources aimed at ensuring that its communications and outreach strategies remain effective and continue to meet the evolving needs of Canadians. Various initiatives will be continued in 2020-21, including “Cases in Brief”, i.e. plain language summaries of the Court’s decisions and the “Year in Review”, an annual document describing the Court’s activities during the preceding year.  The ORSCC will also build on the success of the Court’s visit to Winnipeg in September 2019 and will consider the possibility of holding similar events in the future. Based on available resources, it will also examine further methods of communicating with Canadians, including the increased use of social media platforms, the use of videos for major announcements and for explaining how the Court works, and the continued modernization of its website.

Security and facilities management

Due to the sensitive nature of the Court’s business and its high level profile as the court of last resort in Canada’s judicial branch of government, it is essential to continue enhancing the Court’s security profile which has many components, such as physical security, information technology security and business continuity planning. Ongoing security enhancements include:

  • the continued update of the security policy framework and operations in line with actual and emerging trends;
  • an effective relationship with the RCMP; and
  • the continuation of physical and IT security investments.

As the ORSCC prepares for a building rehabilitation initiative for the Supreme Court of Canada Building, resources will continue to be dedicated so as to ensure that pressures related to the aging Court building and operational facilities are managed effectively. In collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada, work is continuing on planning all aspects of the building rehabilitation.

For more information on the ORSCC’s plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks” section of this report.


Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks

This section contains detailed information on the department’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.

The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal

Description

Provide services and support for Canada’s final court of appeal to process, hear and decide cases.  Support communications and outreach to stakeholders.

Planning highlights

In support of its Core Responsibility, the focus of the ORSCC’s work continues to be the processing and management of all cases brought to the Court. The Court has a consistent record of meeting its objectives in processing cases without delay, providing effective access to Court services and case management, including reference information, and providing reliable courtroom services. At the same time, the ORSCC strives continuously to maintain stakeholder satisfaction and high standards of service quality. 

To meet the challenges of continuing to provide excellent services and case management to the Court and parties in an environment of escalating costs and added pressures such as physical and IT security, the focus on business transformation will continue. In the upcoming year, the Business Transformation initiative will continue to direct resources to the renewal of the application architecture to better support enhancements to the electronic processing of cases, implementation of digital recordkeeping, workflow enhancements and the development of policies and new software applications, along with operational guidelines to support efficient Court processes and to further clarify internal business processes. Particular emphasis will also be placed on the appeal and application for leave to appeal processes to optimize the procedures for opening files and the delivery of documents to judges.

Workload projections for 2020
Category Projected workload
Leave applications filed 520
Leave applications submitted to the Court 520
Appeals as of right filed 15
Appeals heard 45
Judgments 50

As the public’s interest in the Court’s cases increases and as a result of the growing visibility of the SCC judges in Canada and abroad, the ORSCC must also support the Court by ensuring effective communication strategies and maintaining its outreach activities. The ORSCC will continue to update the Court’s website to facilitate access to Court information and its proceedings. It will build on the success of “Cases in Brief”, plain language summaries of Court cases that allow Canadians to better understand the decisions that affect their lives. As well, the “Year in Review”, an annual document that was initiated in 2019, which describes the Court’s activities in the preceding year, will continue.  Based on available resources, it will also examine further methods of communications and outreach, such as the increased use of social media, holding future Court hearings outside Ottawa and offering more effective and frequent print and web publications. 

Efforts will also be dedicated to enhancing the Court’s overall security posture which encompasses both physical and IT security. Investments continue to be made to ensure that security vulnerabilities are addressed. These enhanced measures will ultimately ensure that cases can proceed without any disruptions, that legal information is safeguarded and that the well-being of all parties involved is protected.

Finally, as part of the long term planning of the building rehabilitation, efforts will also be dedicated to ensuring that resources are in place to manage the pressures related to the aging building facilities.

Experimentation

As a small organization with limited resources (both financial and human), the ORSCC has not planned for any experimentation.

Key risks

The ORSCC, like any other department, is faced with risks. These are regularly assessed and involve primarily IT and physical security, as well as aging legacy systems:

  • IT Security (cyber threats): unintentional or unauthorized access, use, manipulation, interruption or destruction (via electronic means) of electronic information held by the Court and the electronic and physical infrastructure used to process, communicate and/or store that information.  Risk to the security and confidentiality of judicial information and data.

    Mitigation strategies:
    • IT security action plans;
    • IT security awareness plans/staff awareness;
    • periodic vulnerabilities assessment and penetration testing;
    • regular IT threat and risk assessments;
    • key investments in security software and systems;
    • sensitive information is clearly identified, classified and stored.  

  • Security: persons, building, information, infrastructure: threats to the safety of judges, staff or visitors, and to the security of the building, information and infrastructure. Balancing security measures required for the protection of judges, staff and visitors with the principle of an open court.

    Mitigation strategies:
    • security governance structure;
    • security action plan
    • security risk register;
    • policies and procedures updated regularly;
    • security audits/threat and risk assessments;
    • Business Continuity Plan;
    • staff awareness;
    • effective relationship with the RCMP;
    • enhanced physical security measures.

  • Aging legacy IT systems and applications:  failure of aging legacy systems and applications, such as the Case Management System (CMS), as evidenced by system downtime or failure, flexibility of systems to handle new requirements or integrate with newer products, lack of ability of Court staff to address technical issues and to interface systems and data, and systems becoming obsolete and unmanageable if the Court waits too long to redesign and port to a new platform.

    Mitigation strategies:
    • threat and risk assessments;
    • back-up operations and tools kept up-to-date;
    • in-house expertise available to support CMS and operational systems;
    • identification of key significant upgrades in the Investment Plan (capital replacement), and provision of sufficient funding to meet requirements;
    • business continuity planning and disaster recovery plans;
    • ongoing maintenance of systems and equipment/systematic checks.

Despite being stable over time, the ORSCC does have ongoing risks which require constant vigilance, as identified above. In response to these risks, the ORSCC is continuing to implement enhanced security measures at the Court – both physical and IT security. These investments enable the ORSCC to increase its security posture and to properly address security vulnerabilities.

The failure of aging legacy IT systems remains a key risk for the ORSCC. The ORSCC dedicates resources (both human and financial) to maintain its asset base and ensures that the core assets which support the Court Administration program are replenished. Investment planning is key in planning for these infrastructure investments. Progress is achieved by ensuring that resources are allocated to maintaining these systems (back-up operations, updated tools and ongoing monitoring systems). As well, regular threat and risk assessments are conducted and business continuity plans are being developed.

 

Planned results for the administration of Canada’s final court of appeal
Departmental Results Departmental
Result
Indicators
Target Date to achieve target 2016–17
Actual results
2017–18
Actual results
2018–19
Actual  results
Judges and parties are supported through effective court services and case management Average number of weeks between the filing of an application for leave to appeal and the date when it is submitted to the Court for decision 12 weeks March 31, 2021
Frequency:
Annually
10 weeks 13 weeks 18 weeks
Average number of weeks between date when leave to appeal is granted and the hearing of the appeal 35 weeks March 31, 2021
Frequency:
Annually
34 weeks 32 weeks 27 weeks
Percent of parties that were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the services of the Registry Branch of the Office of the Registrar 95% March 31, 2021
Frequency:
Annually
100% 94% 96%
Public and stakeholders’ awareness of the Court is increased through effective communication and outreach Annual percentage increase in the number of unique visitors to Court web information 5% increase per year March 31, 2021
Frequency:
Annually
30% 32% -7%
Annual percentage increase in the number of social media followers 5% increase per year March 31, 2021
Frequency:
Annually
102% 28% 84%
Percent of visitors that were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the Tour Program 95% March 31, 2021
Frequency:
Annually
99% 99% 98%

 

Planned budgetary financial resources for the administration of Canada’s final court of appeal
2020–21 budgetary spending
(as indicated in Main Estimates)
2020–21
planned spending
2021–22
planned spending
2022–23
planned spending
26,618,769 27,098,945 27,129,349 27,377,898

 

Planned human resources for the administration of Canada’s final court of appeal
2020–21
planned full-time equivalents
2021–22
planned full-time equivalents
2022–23
planned full-time equivalents
158 158 158

Financial, human resources and performance information for the ORSCC program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.


Internal Services: planned results

Description

Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the Federal Government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refer to the activities and resources of ten distinct services that support program delivery in the ORSCC, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. These services are: Acquisition Management Services; Communications Services; Financial Management Services; Human Resources Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Legal Services; Materiel Management Services; Management and Oversight Services;  and Real Property Management Services.

Planning highlights

Internal services support the Court by providing timely and responsive services that are effective and efficient as per established service standards.  Some key initiatives planned for 2020-21 are:

  • Continued improvements to various security and IT security initiatives, including policies, operating procedures and practices, equipment upgrades, as well as training and awareness.
  • Ongoing efforts aimed at improving and strengthening key internal controls within the organization.
  • An increased focus of Human Resources (HR) efforts on knowledge transfer/succession planning and employee retention, more specifically to better identify essential positions and opportunities to streamline services.
  • An increased presence of the Court on select social media applications, as well as updating the Court’s website and increasing its outreach activities.
  • Information Technology activities as a partner and enabler in supporting the Business Transformation initiative.  Priorities for 2020-21 include:
    • Continuing current efforts aimed at upgrading key legacy business applications, as well as IT infrastructure and Courtroom AV components.
    • Striving for greater interoperability between new and older systems and the focus on getting the most out of the investments made in technologies over the last few years.
    • Continuing to enhance the Court’s IT Security posture.
  • Information Management activities in support of the information management needs of the organization.  Priorities for 2020-21 include:
    • Continuing the implementation of GCDOCS across the organization to better manage the Court’s administrative information and closed case files, and to enhance the operational processing of case files. 
    • Enhancing the capacity of information management employees to support business units, modernize processes, and maximize the use of implemented technologies.
    • Maturing lifecycle management processes, performing regular file disposition activities, and revitalizing the IM awareness program.
  • The Library Branch services in regard of the organization’s law book collection and its reference and research services in support of the Court’s work. Key initiatives for 2020-21 include:
    • Continuing the integration of a digital library and optimizing the use of available technologies.
    • Ongoing efforts to align library plans with SCC Building rehabilitation requirements.

 

Planned budgetary financial resources for Internal Services
2020–21 budgetary spending
(as indicated in Main Estimates)
2020–21
planned spending
2021–22
planned spending
2022–23
planned spending
11,342,617 11,305,847 11,383,614 11,401,585

 

Planned human resources for Internal Services
2020–21
planned full-time equivalents
2021–22
planned full-time equivalents
2022–23
planned full-time equivalents
74 74 74

Spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three consecutive fiscal years, and compares planned spending for the upcoming year with the current and previous years’ actual spending.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2017–18 to 2022–23

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory) spending over time.

Departmental spending trend graph

Description of image

Spending Trend: This graph illustrates the spending trend for actual spending from 2017-18 and 2018-19, forecast spending for 2019-20, and planned spending from 2020-21 to 2022-23. Financial figures are presented in dollars and broken down by statutory and voted items.

Actual Spending indicates the amounts the Department spent: In 2017-18, $10,735,385 for statutory items and $26,681,784 for voted items, totalling $37,417,169; and in 2018-19, $11,172,621 for statutory items and $26,575,604 for voted items, totalling $37,748,225.

Forecast Spending indicates the amount the Department is forecasting to spend in 2019-20: $11,142,542 for statutory items and $26,754,396 for voted items, totalling of $37,896,938.

Planned Spending indicates the amounts the Department is planning to spend: In 2020-21, $11,522,475 for statutory items and $26,882,317 for voted items, totalling $38,404,792; in 2021‑22, $11,981,913 for statutory items and $26,531,050 for voted items, totalling of $38,512,963; and in 2022-23, $12,205,722 for statutory items and $26,573,761 for voted items, totalling $38,779,483.

 

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned spending for the ORSCC’s core responsibility and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

Core Responsibilities and Internal Services 2017–18
Expenditures
2018–19
Expenditures
2019–20
Forecast spending
2020-21
Main Estimates
The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal 25,444,363 26,635,816 26,845,331 26,618,769
Internal Services 11,972,806 11,112,409 11,051,607 11,342,617
Total 37,417,169 37,748,225 37,896,938 37,961,386

 

Core Responsibilities and Internal Services 2020-21
Planned spending
2021–22
Planned spending
2022–23
Planned spending
The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal 27,098,945 27,129,349 27,377,898
Internal Services 11,305,847 11,383,614 11,401,585
Total 38,404,792 38,512,963 38,779,483

 

The ORSCC’s spending remains fairly stable. Starting in fiscal year 2018-19, the ORSCC received new funding for “Supporting Canada’s Courts System”.

Planned human resources

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) for the core responsibility in the ORSCC’s departmental results framework and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

 

Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services
Core Responsibilities and Internal Services 2017–18
Actual full-time equivalents
2018–19
Actual full-time equivalents
2019–20
Forecast full-time equivalents
2020–21
 Planned full-time equivalents
2021–22
 Planned full-time equivalents
2022–23
 Planned full‑time equivalents
The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal 141 149 159 158 158 158
Internal Services 67 69 72 74 74 74
Total 208 218 231 232 232 232

Estimates by vote

Information on the ORSCC’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2020–21 Main Estimates.

Condensed future-oriented statement of operations

The condensed future‑oriented statement of operations provides an overview of the ORSCC’s operations for 2019–20 to 2020–21.

The amounts for forecast and planned results in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The amounts for forecast and planned spending presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future‑oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on the Supreme Court of Canada’s website.

 

Condensed future‑oriented statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2021 (dollars)
Financial information 2019–20
forecast results
2020–21
planned results
Difference
(2020–21 planned results minus
2019–20 forecast results)
Total expenses 45,704,607 45,777,192 72,585
Total revenues 101 10,203 10,102
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers 45,704,506 45,766,989 62,483

The ORSCC’s spending remains fairly stable.


Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head: Roger Bilodeau, Q.C.

Ministerial portfolio: Justice

Enabling instruments:
Supreme Court Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. S-26)
Judges Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. J-1)

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1875

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on the Supreme Court of Canada’s website.

Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on the Supreme Court of Canada’s website.

Reporting framework

The ORSCC’s approved departmental results framework and program inventory for 2020–21 are as follows.

Departmental Results Framework (DRF) and Program Inventory Table

Description of image

This table illustrates the Departmental Results Framework (DRF) and Program Inventory of the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada (“ORSCC”) for 2020-21. The DRF indicates the organization’s Core Responsibility, Departmental Results, Departmental Results Indicators, and supporting Program Inventory. The DRF also includes the standardized Government of Canada’s Internal Services element, at the Core Responsibility level of the DRF.

The ORSCC has one Core Responsibility – The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal. As well Internal Services, the groups of related activities and resources of the 10 distinct services that support Program delivery in the ORSCC are linked at the Core Responsibility level of the DRF.

The DRF is comprised of two Departmental Results: 1) Judges and parties are supported through effective court services and case management; and 2) Public and stakeholders’ awareness of the Court is increased through effective communication and outreach.

The Departmental Results Indicators that apply to the first Departmental Result – Judges and parties are supported through effective court services and case management are: a) the average number of weeks between the filing of an application for leave to appeal and the date when it is  submitted to the Court for decision; b) the average number of weeks between date when leave to appeal is granted and the hearing of the appeal; and c) the percent of parties that were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the services of the Registry Branch of the Office of the Registrar.

The Departmental Results Indicators that apply to the second Departmental Result - Public and stakeholders’ awareness of the Court is increased through effective communication and outreach are: a) the annual percentage increase in the number of unique visitors to Court web information; b) the annual percentage increase in the number of social media followers; and c) the percent of visitors that were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the Tour Program.

The ORSCC is supported by two programs: 1) Court Administration; and 2) Administration of the Judges Act for the Judges of the Supreme Court of Canada.


Supporting information on the program inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to the ORSCC’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.


Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on the Supreme Court of Canada’s website.


Federal tax expenditures

The ORSCC’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures that relate to its planned results for 2020–21.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance, and the Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government‑wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis. The tax measures presented in this report are solely the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.


Organizational contact information

Mailing address

Supreme Court of Canada Building
301 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0J1

General Enquiries
Telephone: 1-888-551-1185
Fax: (613) 996-3063
Email: reception@scc-csc.ca

Roger Bilodeau, Q.C. - Registrar
Telephone: (613) 996-9277
Email: reception@scc-csc.ca

David Power - Deputy Registrar
Telephone: (613) 996-7521
Email: reception@scc-csc.ca

Barbara Kincaid - General Counsel and Director General, Court Operations Sector
Telephone: (613) 996-7721
Email: law-droit@scc-csc.ca

Catherine Laforce - Director General and Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Services Sector
Telephone: (613) 947-0682
Email: Catherine.Laforce@scc-csc.ca

Michel Gallant - Executive Director, Judicial Support and Protocol Services Sector
Telephone: (613) 996-4841
Email: Michel.Gallant@scc-csc.ca


Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
A report on the plans and expected performance of a department over a 3‑year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité ministérielle)
A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Departmental priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

experimentation (expérimentation)
The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare, the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works and what doesn’t. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

full‑time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person‑year charge against a departmental budget. Full‑time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])
An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2020–21 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2015 Speech from the Throne, namely: Growth for the Middle Class; Open and Transparent Government; A Clean Environment and a Strong Economy; Diversity is Canada’s Strength; and Security and Opportunity.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non‑budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)
The process of communicating evidence‑based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision-making, accountability and transparency.

plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)
Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
Identifies all of the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)
An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

strategic outcome (résultat stratégique)
A long-term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization’s mandate, vision and core functions.

target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.

 

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