In 2019–20, CAS supported seven main organizational priorities. The following summarizes performance for the fiscal year against these priorities.
Foster the building of a modern CRMS that will enable the digitization and electronic management of court business.
CAS was accorded in-year funding of $54 million over five years beginning in 2019–20 and $6.7 million ongoing to procure, implement and maintain a new CRMS. A new CRMS will provide an integrated, user-centric and adaptable solution to deliver electronic services and conduct court business in a digital environment. It is central to facilitating access to justice and enabling the Courts and CAS to delivering the electronic services Canadians expect. Important progress was made. However, CAS had to extend the project definition phase to the middle of 2021 to allow more time for critical planning activities. Following the completion of the project definition phase, CAS will proceed with the implementation of the new CRMS solution.
Develop and implement tools to manage and use digital information in support of the operations of the Courts.
CAS moved forward with its transition to a digital environment with several projects undertaken in 2019–20 to enhance its IT infrastructure to accommodate increased electronic services delivery. Many of these are also required to prepare for the implementation of the new CRMS. Initiatives pursued included expanding network bandwidth at regional offices, deploying switches to the regions, replacing outdated computers and laptops, and updates to digital audio recording systems. Advancements were also made with efforts to build new e-courtrooms in Ottawa, Toronto, Montréal and Québec City to increase the Courts’ capacity to accommodate e-trials. However, completion of these initiatives was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Projects to implement e-filing and e-scheduling also moved ahead in 2019–20, and a pilot project to install Wi-Fi in select areas of CAS’s national headquarters was launched. It is anticipated that Wi-Fi will be further expanded over the coming years to other court facilities. As well, a pilot project was conducted to test the feasibility of deploying digital screens to communicate pertinent information.
Ensure the translation model allows for timely and high-quality translation to support effective service delivery.
With funding received in Budget 2019, CAS increased its capacity to translate the Courts' decisions within establish timeframes to meet the requirements of the Official Languages Act, supporting access to justice for Canadians in both official languages. With the additional funding, the backlog of decisions to be translated was addressed and turnaround times to translate decisions were significantly reduced. CAS will continue to monitor its ability to translate and post decisions within legislated timeframes given current volumes and available resources.
Conduct a comprehensive Threat and Risk Assessment (TRA), and implement actions to address recommendations and newly identified emerging risks.
A comprehensive national TRA of the federal courts system was completed in 2019–20. The TRA identified emerging threats and potential risks to the Courts and CAS. It also assessed the effectiveness and continued adequacy of security measures implemented since the last national TRA in 2013. Findings from the TRA will guide CAS in adjusting its proactive stance to deliver the security level required for the judiciary, employees, and court users to operate within a safe and secure environment.
CAS’s security program was realigned during 2019–20 to be consistent with the renewed objectives of the revised Policy on Government Security, which came into effect on July 1, 2019. To conform to the Policy’s new structure, CAS security services underwent a re-organization to align operations with the various policy functions. Furthermore, work was undertaken to update CAS’s Security Policy Framework to incorporate new requirements of the Policy on Government Security. CAS continued in 2019–20 to use its standardized methodology and approach to establishing security measures for high-risk hearings and events. Moreover, efforts were maintained to build strong relationships between CAS and the security community within the Government of Canada, and other external parties that strategically position the organization within various high-level committees that enhance security-related initiatives. Finally, several software and hardware improvements were made to strengthen IT security.
Ensure that CAS’s space envelope meets operational requirements of the Courts and CAS and provides a safe and accessible environment for members of the Courts, employees and court users.
To ensure its facilities meet the current and evolving needs of the Courts, CAS completed its latest iteration of the National Accommodation Strategic Plan (NASP) in 2019–20. Based on the most recent analysis of the Courts and CAS’s accommodations requirements, the NASP outlines a strategic approach to guide decisions related to the special purpose accommodations required by the Courts and CAS and to support their long-term needs over the next ten years. It will encourage the delivery of CAS’s facilities program in a more efficient and cost effective manner, in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). In parallel, the National Judicial Fit-up Standards were finalized. Integrated into the NASP, these provide a set of common standards to be applied in the planning, programming, design, construction and retrofit of future judicial facilities. Planning for the construction of a new federal courthouse in Montréal progressed last fiscal year with CAS and PSPC collaborating on the development of the functional program. CAS was also involved over the course of the fiscal year in collaborating on the temporary relocation of the Supreme Court of Canada to the West Memorial Building as part of the Supreme Court rehabilitation project and worked with partners to assess the future possibility of relocating the headquarters of the Courts and CAS in Ottawa to a Crown-owned building. Additionally, facilities projects for 2019–20 were completed as planned.
Foster an open and collaborative work environment supported by transparent external and internal communications.
Several initiatives were undertaken over the course of 2019–20 to enhance internal communications to foster an open and collaborative work environment. With the view to increasing the use of modern technology, a new and more interactive format was used at CAS’s annual national town hall to engage employees in dialogue. Through an app, employees could ask questions to the Chief Administrator and other senior managers in real-time and vote on topics to be addressed as part of the discussion. Based on positive employee feedback, it was decided to adopt this approach for future national town halls. The Chief Administrator also held an “Ask me Anything” session where employees had the opportunity to directly interact with the Chief Administrator and ask a variety of questions on the topics of their choosing.
Ensure a competent, innovative and agile workforce within a safe and healthy workplace.
A new HR strategic plan was developed in 2019–20 to ensure CAS has an innovative, agile workforce to meet the evolving requirements of the Courts within a safe and healthy workplace. The strategic plan will also assist CAS in recruiting and retaining employees with the skill sets necessary to meet the demands of the future as the organization transitions to a digital environment. To support employees’ progress with their career development, CAS launched the My CAS Career portal on its Intranet. This portal serves as a comprehensive resource for employees to access information for every step of their career path. It contains tools and resources related to the onboarding of new employees, for professional development to acquire new knowledge and skills, and to facilitate employees’ off boarding as they transition to a new workplace or retirement.
Express staffing services were also implemented in 2019–20. Under this service model, many common staffing actions were automated through an on-line self-serve system. This simplified the hiring process for managers and eliminated the need for paper-based forms. Significant progress towards completing CAS’s succession plan and work description review was made in 2019–20. The modernization of the operational training model for the registries also advanced over the fiscal year. As part of ongoing efforts to improve workplace wellness and build a positive work environment, a triennial strategic plan for a respectful workplace was developed and implemented. Concurrently, an integrated strategy on mental health, civility and respect, and values and ethics was established.