2017-2018 Departmental Results Report
Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
Original signed by
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Caroline Maynard
Information Commissioner of Canada
ISSN 2561-2697
Table of contents
Information Commissioner’s message
I am pleased to present the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada’s 2017–18 Departmental Results Report. Because I was appointed Information Commissioner on March 1, 2018, just as this reporting year was coming to an end, this report focuses on the work of my predecessor.
It was a year of solid achievements, in which, as this report shows, the office met the priorities set out for the year. In particular, the investigation team closed 4 percent more complaints than planned, and thus continued to effectively protect the information rights conferred by the Access to Information Act. My office also secured $2.9 million in additional temporary funding in Budget 2018 to reduce the number of complaints in the inventory.
This is a welcome development. Indeed, my first priority over the first few months of my mandate has been to begin to address the inventory of complaints, while investigating new complaints as they arrive. This work will build on ongoing improvements to the investigations process and the introduction of the online complaint form in December 2017.
2017–18 also saw my office working with institutions on collaborative strategies to resolve complaints. Looking ahead, this cooperation will continue, and I will also share guidance with institutions to help them meet their obligations under the Act and with the public to ensure complainants understand my office’s approach in investigations.
The passage of Bill C-58, which contains numerous amendments to the Access to Information Act, will help further my efforts to ensure openness and transparency by allowing me to publish orders and recommendations stemming from investigations. An important focus for my office in 2017–18 was preparing to implement the provisions of the Bill. This work will continue in 2018–19, and my office will take the required steps to secure the announced permanent resources linked to Bill C-58, which are essential to being able to operationalize the amendments.
None of the accomplishments of 2017–18 would have been possible without the contributions of the excellent team in my office. One of the most rewarding aspects of my first months on the job has been to get to know them and hear their ideas on how to improve operations and better safeguard access rights.
Canadians deserve timely access to information. Together, my team and I will work in cooperation with institutions to achieve real results for requesters.
Results at a glance
2017–18 results highlights
- Resolved 4 percent more complaints than planned
- Secured an increase in temporary funding of $2.9 million for 2018–19 under Budget 2018
The OIC had a successful year in 2017–18, surpassing by 4 percent its target of resolving 1,900 complaints.
The OIC’s total actual spending for 2017–18 was $13,628,638.
The OIC employed 83 actual full-time equivalents for 2017–18, 10 fewer than anticipated. This was due to employee turnover, long-term leaves and retirements.
The OIC hired 17 consultants with temporary funding re-profiled from 2016–17 to bolster its investigative capacity and reduce its inventory of complaints.
Promote Canadians’ access to information rights
The Information Commissioner continued to provide Parliament with advice on the proposed amendments to the Access to Information Act contained in Bill C-58. The OIC prepared an action plan for operationalizing the changes once the Bill becomes law.
Ensure sound governance
The OIC maintained strict controls over its finances and lapsed only $126,349 in 2017–18, less than 1 percent of Main Estimates. The Audit and Evaluation Committee met quarterly during the year and approved a new risk-based audit and evaluation plan, audit and evaluation committee charter and internal audit charter. The OIC retained the services of the external members of the committee for 2018–19. OIC officials continued to work on resolving problems associated with the Phoenix pay system and put additional controls in place to monitor the salary budget.
Foster an exceptional workplace
2017–18 Public Service Employee Survey highlights
- 82 percent of OIC employees like their job
- 84 percent of employees have support to balance work and life
- 89 percent believe the OIC does a good job of raising awareness of mental health
The OIC continued to focus on having a safe and healthy workplace. Overall, the results of the 2017–18 Public Service Employee Survey are an improvement over previous years’ and give the OIC direction for continuing to enhance the workplace culture.
For more information on the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the "Results: what we achieved" section of this report.
Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
Raison d’être
The Information Commissioner of Canada reports directly to the House of Commons and the Senate. The Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada ensures that the rights conferred by the Access to Information Act are respected, which ultimately enhances transparency and accountability across the federal government.
Mandate and role
The OIC is an independent public body created in 1983 under the Access to Information Act. The primary responsibility of the organization is to conduct efficient, fair and confidential investigations into complaints about federal institutions’ handling of access to information requests. The OIC strives to maximize compliance with the Act, while fostering disclosure of public sector information using the full range of tools, activities and powers at the Information Commissioner’s disposal.
The OIC uses a variety of dispute resolution approaches to resolve complaints. In doing so, the OIC gives complainants, heads of institutions and all third parties affected by complaints a reasonable opportunity to make representations. The OIC encourages institutions to disclose information and to respect Canadians’ rights to receive information, in the name of transparency and accountability. It brings cases to the Federal Court to ensure the Act is properly applied and interpreted.
The OIC also supports the Information Commissioner in her advisory role to Parliament and parliamentary committees on all matters pertaining to access to information. The OIC actively participates in activities and initiatives that promote the importance of the right to information in Canada, such as Right to Know Week and ongoing dialogue with Canadians, Parliament and federal institutions.
The Information Commissioner is responsible for implementing legislative changes to the Act that affect her work and that of the OIC, such as those contained in Bill C-58.
For more general information about the OIC, see the “Supplementary information” section of this report. For information on the mandate letter commitments that relate to the activities of the OIC, see the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and the President of the Treasury Board.
Operating context and key risks
Operating context
The Information Commissioner is an Agent of Parliament appointed under the Access to Information Act. The Information Commissioner ensures that access to information rights are understood and respected, and is the first level of independent review of government decisions relating to requests for access to public sector information at the federal level. The Act requires the Information Commissioner to investigate all the complaints she receives. The Information Commissioner is supported in her work by the OIC.
The past year was one of significant change for the OIC, with the term of former Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault coming to an end. Caroline Maynard was appointed as the new Information Commissioner on March 1, 2018, for a term of seven years.
A significant factor shaping the OIC’s operating context was the government’s tabling in Parliament in June 2017 of Bill C-58, which, among other things, contains a number of amendments to the Access to Information Act. The OIC has been focused on preparing for the implementation of the amendments in the coming year. This includes securing the human and financial resources necessary to implement those changes.
Another influence on the OIC’s operating context has been the steady increase in the number of access to information requests the Government of Canada has received in recent years (67 percent from 2012–13 to 2016–17).
Text Version
| Number of requests | |
|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 55,145 |
| 2013–14 | 60,105 |
| 2014–15 | 68,193 |
| 2015–16 | 75,387 |
| 2016–17 | 91,880 |
Text Version
| Number of complaints | ||||||
| 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Received | 1,596 | 2,081 | 1,749 | 2,047 | 2,079 | 2,598 |
| Resolved | 1,621 | 1,788 | 1,596 | 1,281 | 2,245 | 1,974 |
| Inventory | 1,798 | 2,091 | 2,244 | 3,010 | 2,844 | 3,489 |
At the same time, the number of complaints the OIC receives has been on a general upward trend (2,598 new complaints in 2017–18 compared to 1,596 in 2012–13, an overall increase of 63 percent). In addition, the complaint volume for any given year has been unpredictable. Due largely to a well-documented lack of resources, the OIC has been, even with ongoing improvements to the investigative process, unable to keep up with the complaint volume. As a result, the inventory has grown by 94 percent since 2012–13.
Key risks
| Risks | Mitigating strategy and effectiveness | Link to the OIC’s program | Link to government-wide or OIC priorities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information rights will be further eroded as a result of an upward trend in workload and limited capacity to respond to it |
The OIC used all of the strategies above to ensure the proper application of the Act, as measured by the number of complaints resolved as a result of OIC investigations. |
Compliance with access to information obligations
Internal services |
|
| Demographic factors, the mobility of access to information subject-matter experts within the public service, and an increasing workload will lead to instability in the workforce |
Together, these activities helped maintain stability in the workforce by addressing the factors that are within the OIC’s control. |
Compliance with access to information obligations
Internal services |
The risks included in the table above mirror those set out in the OIC’s 2017–18 Departmental Plan. The OIC was able to re-profile $1.8 million from 2016–17 to 2017–18. With these funds, the OIC hired more temporary resources to resolve additional complaints. The OIC also secured $2.9 million of additional temporary funding for 2018–19 to reduce the size of the inventory with the help of temporary resources. This is a fit-gap measure until Bill C-58 becomes law and the OIC receives the government’s announced increase in its permanent resources.
As an Agent of Parliament with fewer than 100 FTEs, the OIC faces the perpetual risk of having an insufficient number of employees with the breadth and depth of experience necessary to complete activities or address competing priorities. Further, the loss of qualified employees to larger organizations with more opportunities for advancement could affect the OIC’s ability to deliver its mandate. The OIC will continue to foster an exceptional workplace to further improve employee engagement, with a focus on the well-being of employees, including mental health and harassment prevention.
The OIC continues to monitor trends in access to information both domestically and abroad in order to integrate best practices to improve overall effectiveness.
Please refer to the 2017–2020 Risk-based Audit and Evaluation Plan completed in October 2017 for further details on the risks facing the OIC.
Results: what we achieved
Program
Compliance with access to information obligations
Description
The Access to Information Act is the statutory authority for the oversight activities of the Information Commissioner, which are: to investigate complaints from requestors; to review the performance of government institutions; to report the results of investigations/reviews and recommendations to complainants, government institutions, and Parliament; to pursue judicial enforcement; and to provide advice to Parliament on access to information matters. The Office of the Information Commissioner supports the Commissioner in carrying out these activities.
Results
The OIC continued to strive to protect the rights the Act confers by ensuring that federal institutions comply with their obligations under that law. The OIC did this by investigating complaints about federal institutions’ handling of access to information requests, and by pursuing unresolved matters and questions of interpretation before the courts.
In 2017–18, the OIC continued to carry out efficient, fair and confidential investigations into complaints, with the goals of ensuring the proper application of the Act and resolving complaints more quickly—all to enhance openness and transparency.
The OIC was able to keep its median turnaround times for resolving complaints well within its established targets, despite challenging circumstances. For example, without permanent funding, the OIC could not retain the services of the investigators it hired temporarily in 2016–17. This, combined with the 25-percent increase in new complaints in 2017–18, resulted in a larger inventory. Having to rely on temporary funding year after year makes it impossible for the OIC to undertake long-term planning to reduce the inventory.
As part of her role to give advice about access to information matters, the Information Commissioner provided Parliament throughout the year with her views on the proposed amendments to the Access to Information Act contained in Bill C-58. The OIC also prepared an action plan for operationalizing the changes once the Bill becomes law. A conference hosted by the Information Commissioner, “Access to Information: A Fundamental Human Right” capped a week of well-attended events during Right to Know Week in September 2017.
Results achieved
| Expected results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2017–18 Actual results | 2016–17 Actual results | 2015–16 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Canadians receive timely resolution of complaints about how federal institutions process access to information requests |
Median turnaround time for administrative cases* | 90 days | March 31, 2018 | 39 days | 36 days | 48 days |
| Median turnaround time for refusal cases* | 9 months (270 days) |
March 31, 2018 | 203 days | 70 days | 163 days | |
|
Institutions meet their obligations under the Access to Information Act and adopt measures to address institutional and systemic issues affecting access to information |
Percentage of recommendations from investigations of complaints that are adopted | 95 percent | March 31, 2018 | 99 percent | 99 percent | 99 percent |
| Percentage of recommendations from systemic investigations that are adopted | 80 percent | March 31, 2018 | The President of the Treasury Board accepted all recommendations from the one systemic investigation completed in 2017–18. | There were no systemic investigations completed in 2016–17. | Parks Canada accepted all recommendations resulting from the one systemic investigation completed in 2015–16. |
*From date of assignment to an investigator.
Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
| 2017–18 Main Estimates |
2017–18 Planned spending |
2017–18 Total authorities available for use |
2017–18 Actual spending (authorities used) |
2017–18 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,619,753 | 8,619,753 | 10,598,700 | 9,906,179 | 1,286,426 |
Human resources (full-time equivalents)
| 2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents |
2017–18 Actual full-time equivalents |
2017–18 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | 61 | 10 |
Internal Services
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 refers to the activities and resources of the service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. The service categories are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Materiel Services; and Acquisition Services.
Results
In 2017–18, the OIC addressed all recommendations from its 2016 information management and information technology audit. These measures are helping to ensure the OIC will continue to effectively protect all of its information holdings, in particular the sensitive information belonging to other organizations that the OIC gathers during its investigations.
The Audit and Evaluation Committee met quarterly during the year and approved a new risk-based audit and evaluation plan, audit and evaluation committee charter and internal audit charter. The OIC retained the services of the external members of the committee for 2018–19.
The OIC’s Workplace Mental Health Committee put on training activities for employees, hosted guest experts in the field of mental health and ran a successful awareness campaign during Mental Health Week.
The OIC launched its new online complaint form in December 2017 to make it easier for Canadians to file complaints.
OIC officials continued to work on resolving problems associated with the Phoenix pay system and put additional controls in place to monitor the salary budget.
Finally, the OIC began planning how it would collect statistics from complainants in order to meet Status of Women Canada’s guidelines for gender-based analysis+ (GBA+). The OIC is currently reviewing how best to collect disaggregated data about the use of the OIC’s services by the groups GBA+ identifies, as well as data on the subject matter of complaints as it relates to those groups. The OIC would then compare the data to its overall results to determine whether the program contains any barriers to access, however unintentional. Several options have been developed for management review and implementation of the preferred choice.
Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
| 2017–18 Main Estimates |
2017–18 Planned spending |
2017–18 Total authorities available for use |
2017–18 Actual spending (authorities used) |
2017–18 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,574,732 | 2,574,732 | 3,165,845 | 3,722,459 | 1,147,727 |
Human resources (full-time equivalents)
| 2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents |
2017–18 Actual full-time equivalents |
2017–18 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 22 | 0 |
Analysis of trends in spending and human resources
Actual expenditures
Budgetary performance summary for Program and Internal Services (dollars)
| Program and Internal Services | 2017–18 Main Estimates |
2017–18 Planned spending |
2018–19 Planned spending |
2019–20 Planned spending |
2017–18 Total authorities available for use | 2017–18 Actual spending (authorities used) |
2016–17 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2015–16 Actual spending (authorities used) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance with access to information obligations | 8,619,753 | 8,619,753 | 8,619,753 | 8,619,753 | 10,598,700 | 9,906,179 | 9,459,683 | 8,482,910 |
| Subtotal | 8,619,753 | 8,619,753 | 8,619,753 | 8,619,753 | 10,598,700 | 9,906,179 | 9,459,683 | 8,482,910 |
| Internal Services | 2,574,732 | 2,574,732 | 2,574,732 | 2,574,732 | 3,165,845 | 3,722,459 | 3,463,577 | 2,355,337 |
| Total | 11,194,485 | 11,194,485 | 11,194,485 | 11,194,485 | 13,764,545 | 13,628,638 | 12,923,260 | 10,838,247 |
Spending trend
Text Version
| Sunset Programs | Statutory | Voted | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | 0 | 1,106 | 9,732 | 10,838 |
| 2016–17 | 2,690 | 1,105 | 9,129 | 12,924 |
| 2017–18 | 441 | 1,121 | 12,067 | 13,629 |
| 2018–19 | 2,880 | 1,248 | 9,947 | 14,075 |
| 2019–20 | 0 | 1,248 | 9,947 | 11,195 |
| 2020–21 | 0 | 1,248 | 9,947 | 11,195 |
Note: The OIC received the $2.88 million in temporary funding for 2018–19 after its 2017–18 Departmental Plan was published. Consequently, the figures in this graph (from the Departmental Plan) and the chart above do not match for 2018–19.
The above figure illustrates the OIC’s spending each year from 2015–16 to 2020–21. The OIC spent $13.6 million in 2017–18 to carry out its program and meet its strategic outcome. The vast majority of the OIC’s spending (80 percent) is for salaries and associated employee costs. The Information Commissioner is committed to ensuring that the OIC uses its financial resources in the most strategic and responsible manner to continue to improve service delivery and ensure that investigations and other activities aimed at enhancing government openness and transparency have the most impact.
The OIC received $3,432,858 in temporary funding in 2016–17 in order to reduce the number of complaints in the inventory. The OIC spent $2,991,741 of this funding in 2016–17. The remaining $441,117 was re-profiled to 2017–18 and spent during that year. The OIC has received $2,880,000 in temporary funding for 2018–19, also to be used for inventory reduction. These amounts are listed as Sunset Programs in the spending graph above in order to distinguish temporary funds from the OIC’s regular annual funding and to better reflect the figures published in the 2017–18 Departmental Plan.
The spending graph does not include the additional amounts ($5.1 million over five years and $1.7 million ongoing) the President of the Treasury Board mentioned in June 2017, on the occasion of the tabling of Bill C-58. Should additional permanent funds be forthcoming, the OIC would look to increase the number of FTEs in the program in order to deliver on the amendments proposed in Bill C-58. By augmenting its investigative capacity, the OIC would be better equipped to ensure that information rights of Canadians are respected.
Actual human resources
Human resources summary for Program and Internal Services (full-time equivalents)
| Program and Internal Services | 2017–18 Actual full-time equivalents |
2016–17 Actual full-time equivalents |
2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents |
2017–18 Actual full-time equivalents |
2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents | 2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance with access to information obligations | 61 | 61 | 71 | 61 | 71 | 71 |
| Subtotal | 61 | 61 | 71 | 61 | 71 | 71 |
| Internal Services | 19 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Total | 80 | 83 | 93 | 83 | 93 | 93 |
Expenditures by vote
For information on the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada’s organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2017–2018.
Government of Canada spending and activities
Information on the alignment of the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada’s spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in the GC InfoBase.
Financial statements and financial statements highlights
Financial statements
The OIC’s audited financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018, are available on the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada’s website.
Financial statements highlights
Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2018 (dollars)
| Financial information | 2017–18 Planned results |
2017–18 Actual results |
2016–17 Actual results |
Difference (2017–18 Actual results minus 2017–18 Planned results) |
Difference (2017–18 Actual results minus 2016–17 Actual results) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 13,163,039 | 14,799,104 | 14,682,962 | 1,636,065 | 116,142 |
| Total revenues | 0 | 0 | 1,153 | 0 | (1,153) |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 13,163,039 | 14,799,104 | 14,681,809 | 1,636,065 | 117,295 |
The actual net cost of operations in 2017–18 was higher than planned due to the OIC’s securing temporary additional funding after that year’s figures were published.
Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of March 31, 2018 (dollars)
| Financial Information | 2017–18 | 2016–17 | Difference (2017–18 minus 2016–17) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total net liabilities | 2,807,327 | 2,754,654 | 52,673 |
| Total net financial assets | 2,335,181 | 2,072,275 | 262,906 |
| Net debt | 472,146 | 682,405 | (210,259) |
| Total non-financial assets | 2,215,452 | 2,008,577 | 206,875 |
| Net financial position | 1,743,306 | 1,326,173 | (417,133) |
The variances of the total net financial assets and the net debt are attributed to an increase in the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) as a result of differences at year-end between when a transaction affects the OIC’s authorities and when it is processed through the CRF. This amount varies from year to year. The variances are also attributable to a decrease in accounts receivable and advances related to the Employee Benefits Plan contributions receivable at year-end because of higher salary expenses than in 2016–17.
The total increase in non-financial assets is also due to the ongoing fit-up of new space to accommodate the additional staff that will likely be necessary due to the amendments to the Act contained in Bill C-58.
Supplementary information
Corporate information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister: Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Institutional head: Caroline Maynard, Information Commissioner of Canada
Ministerial portfolio: Department of Justice Canada
Enabling instrument: Access to Infomation Act (R.S.C., 1985. C-1)
Year of incorporation/commencement: 1983
Other: For administrative purposes, the Minister of Justice is responsible for submitting the organization’s Departmental Plan and Departmental Results Report.
Reporting framework
The OIC Strategic Outcome and Program Alignment Architecture of record for 2017–18 are shown below.
1. Strategic Outcome: Rights under the Access to Information Act are safeguarded.
1.1 Program: Compliance with access to information obligations
Internal Services
Text Version
This hierarchal chart shows the strategic outcome of the Office of the Information Commissioner as: Rights under the Access to Information Act are safeguarded. Linked below is the single program at the Office of the Information Commissioner that is the: Compliance with access to information obligations. Internal services is in a separate box parallel to the Program without further description.
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada’s website :
- Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
- Evaluations
- Internal audits
Federal tax expenditures
The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs. The tax measures presented in this report are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.
Organizational contact information
Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau QC K1A 1H3
Tel. (toll free): 1 800 267-0441
Fax: 819-994-1768
Email: general@ci-oic.gc.ca
Website: www.ci-oic.gc.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 an appropriated department over a three-year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.
Departmental Result (résultat ministériel)
A Departmental Result represents the change or changes that the department seeks to influence. A Departmental Result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
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 Framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
Consists of the department’s Core Responsibilities, Departmental Results and Departmental Result Indicators.
Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on an appropriated department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
evaluation (évaluation)
In the Government of Canada, the systematic and neutral collection and analysis of evidence to judge merit, worth or value. Evaluation informs decision making, improvements, innovation and accountability. Evaluations typically focus on programs, policies and priorities and examine questions related to relevance, effectiveness and efficiency. Depending on user needs, however, evaluations can also examine other units, themes and issues, including alternatives to existing interventions. Evaluations generally employ social science research methods.
experimentation (expérimentation)
Activities that seek to explore, test and compare the effects and impacts of policies, interventions and approaches, to inform evidence-based decision-making, by learning what works and what does not.
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 approach used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people may experience policies, programs and initiatives. The “plus” in GBA+ acknowledges that the gender-based analysis goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences. We all have multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who we are; GBA+ considers many other identity factors, such as race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability. Examples of GBA+ processes include using data disaggregated by sex, gender and other intersecting identity factors in performance analysis, and identifying any impacts of the program on diverse groups of people, with a view to adjusting these initiatives to make them more inclusive.
government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2017–18 Departmental Results Report, 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 where two or more departments 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 that receive Treasury Board approval by February 1. Therefore, planned spending may include amounts incremental to planned expenditures 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.
priority (priorité)
A plan or project that an organization has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired Strategic Outcome(s) or Departmental Results.
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.
sunset program (programme temporisé)
A time-limited program that does not have an ongoing funding and policy authority. When the program is set to expire, a decision must be made whether to continue the program. In the case of a renewal, the decision specifies the scope, funding level and duration.
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.