Departmental Plan 2017–2018

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Table of Contents

Chief Administrator’s Message

Plans at a glance

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

• Raison d’être
• Mandate and role

Operating context: conditions affecting our work

Key risks: things that could affect our ability to achieve our plans and results

Planned results: what we want to achieve this year and beyond

• Program 1.1: Judicial Services
• Program 1.2: Registry Services
• Internal Services

Spending and Human Resources

• Planned spending
• Planned Human Resources
• Estimates by vote
• Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations

Supplementary Information

• Corporate information
• Supporting Information on Lower-Level Programs
• Supplementary Information Tables
• Organizational contact information

Appendix A: Definitions

Endnotes

Chief Administrator’s Message

I am pleased to present the 2017–18 Departmental Plan of the Courts Administration Service (CAS). This report outlines what we will focus on over the next fiscal year and the results we aim to achieve in support of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada.

In the year ahead, CAS will continue to work to advance an ambitious agenda to maintain the delivery of effective services and enhance the tools and resources at its disposal, while fostering a healthy, supportive and respectful workplace. This includes continuing the implementation of the physical and IT security measures essential to the safe and secure operation of the courts; upgrading the IT infrastructure to safeguard the efficiency of the federal court system; strengthening the management of information and records to support program and service delivery; adopting modern and effective communication strategies to facilitate information sharing and engage employees; and relocating the Québec City office to ensure a continued presence in the region.

A particular focus will be placed on securing adequate funding to implement a modern Courts and Registry Management System (CRMS) to support the effective and efficient functioning of the courts. We will also focus on securing the resources necessary to increase CAS’s capacity to translate court decisions, and improve access to justice in both official languages.

In addition, we will build on the positive momentum that has been achieved over the past year to realize the Blueprint 2020 vision, by advancing the innovative ideas presented at the CAS “Dragons’ Den”. This initiative will continue to serve as an opportunity to engage employees and help foster innovation across the organization.

With the continued dedication of our employees and the invaluable collaboration of the Chief Justices and the members of the courts, I am confident that we will successfully advance our priorities in the year ahead.

I invite you to read this report to learn more about CAS’s plans and priorities for 2017–18.

Daniel Gosselin, FCPA, FCA
Chief Administrator

Plans at a glance

For more information on the Courts Administration Service’s (CAS) plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Planned results” section of this report.

In 2017–18, CAS’s strategic outcome is supported by six main organizational priorities:

1. Courts and Registry Management System: Provide an enabling, modern and fully integrated information technology (IT) environment supportive of the requirements of a modern Courts and Registry Management System (CRMS).
   
   The implementation of a new CRMS within three years is critical to address the risk of failure of current legacy systems, potential IT security threats and interruption of court operations. Current legacy systems offer limited functionality and necessitate inefficient workarounds and time consuming paper-based processes. In addition, an assessment of the risks associated with the continued operations of these systems identified important issues to be addressed. As such, CAS will continue to seek funding for the new CRMS, which would be implemented in two phases with modules developed and released iteratively over a three-year period.
   
   The new CRMS would facilitate electronic filing of court documents and automate processes driven by court rules and procedures. It would also facilitate more efficient scheduling of hearings and courtrooms, electronic generation of correspondence to litigants and legal professionals, and timely publication of court decisions. Court records including filed and scanned documents, digital audio and video recordings of hearings, records of proceedings, notices and decisions would be managed more efficiently and be more readily accessible. The ensuing significant decrease of paper-based processes would represent savings for litigants, including other departments, and support more efficient court operations and the reduction of the environmental footprint. This system would also significantly improve the efficacy of compiling and reporting performance measures, statistics and business analytics needed for the efficient functioning of the courts.
   
   
2. Security: Implement sound approaches to enhance physical and IT security for members of the courts, their users and employees.
   
   In 2017–18, CAS will continue to implement its comprehensive security programs for members of the courts, court users and CAS employees and related multi-year plan to enhance the physical security of its facilities. Sustained efforts to enhance security controls and response capability, harmonize security service standards across Canada, and introduce effective and efficient security technologies will remain a top priority for the organization.
   
   Ongoing review of security measures, awareness and preparedness (including emergency security plans), as well as collaboration with the law enforcement community, central agencies and other strategic partners to advance organizational interests, will continue to be given priority.
   
   
3. Translation: Implement a new translation service model to support the effective delivery of service.
   
   CAS has constitutional and quasi-constitutional obligations in providing translation of decisions rendered by the courts. According to both the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Official Languages Act (OLA), there are specific constitutional imperatives placed on the courts and on CAS to provide equal access to justice by ensuring that decisions of the courts are available in both official languages.
   
   CAS is taking all reasonable measures available to it to meet its legal obligations to have the translation decisions posted on the courts’ websites “at the earliest possible time” in accordance with Part III, Administration of Justice, of the OLA. However, competing priorities for limited resources inevitably result in delays between the posting of decisions and their corresponding translations. In 2017–18, CAS will continue to take necessary steps to secure adequate funding to implement a new translation service model that will significantly decrease the delays for translation of decisions and improve access to justice in both official languages.
   
   
4. Information Management: Adopt and implement the required systems, tools and practices for the effective management, sharing and use of information and records to support program and service delivery.
   
   As with the prior year, CAS will continue to ensure proper alignment of information management with modern principles, practices and standards. In order to improve its overall operations, CAS needs to adopt and implement a document management system which will act as a central repository to create, store and manage information resources of business value. The system will support program and service delivery; inform decision-making; ensure accountability, transparency and collaboration; and facilitate access to information and records. In addition, system generated reports will help CAS develop evidence-based performance indicators and demonstrate results to the public and decision makers while supporting openness, transparency and access to justice. In 2017–18, CAS will invest in acquiring and pilot testing a document management system to help streamline and automate document processing and convert files into electronic format.
   
   
5. Human Resources: Foster and implement a sustainable human resources model that will attract, develop, engage and retain a pool of diverse talent.
   
   Succession Planning – CAS has identified the need to develop a pool of talent to staff positions that are critical to the organization’s ongoing operations and long-term goals. In 2017–18, CAS will continue to develop and implement its succession plan to address projected gaps in specific skills needed to support its core business objectives. The plan includes a combination of formal training, coaching and developmental assignments. Its objectives are to recruit and retain employees, and help them acquire the skills and competencies required to compete for positions when they become available.
   
   Learning and Development – Investments in learning, operational training and employee development will also continue to be a priority for CAS in 2017–18. Learning initiatives will continue to focus on augmenting competencies, skills and knowledge that are unique to CAS. Investing in employees’ training will help foster a work environment that is conducive to enhanced work performance; attract and retain top talent; and contribute to the realization of priorities and strategic business objectives. The CAS Learning and Development calendar will be revised in support of this objective.
   
   Workplace Wellness Strategy: In 2017–18, CAS will pursue its multi-pronged Workplace Wellness Strategy to ensure a healthy and productive environment. CAS will also continue to implement an action plan for improvements in response to its 2014 Public Service Employee Survey results, while preparing for the next survey.
   
   Work Description Review – During the period covered by this plan, efforts will be deployed to complete the ongoing work description review and update, to ensure a sustainable business model and a skilled and effective workforce to help maintain the strength of CAS’s core business.
   
   
6. Communications: Develop and implement a communication strategy that promotes effective approaches, tools, media and materials to support information sharing and engage employees.
   
   As methods of communication continue to evolve, it is critical that CAS’s communication strategies align with this new reality. In order to respond to technological advances, CAS will endeavour to use modern approaches to reach the widest share of its intended audience and to meet the communication demands of the courts, court users and employees. In 2017–18, this priority will be supported by a Strategic Communication Plan, which will be developed during the fiscal year.

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

Raison d’être

The Courts Administration Service (CAS) was established in 2003 with the coming into force of the Courts Administration Service Act. The role of CAS is to provide effective and efficient registry, judicial and corporate services to four superior courts of record – the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada. The Act enhances judicial independence by placing administrative services at arm’s length from the Government of Canada and enhances accountability for the use of public money.

Mandate and role

For more general information about CAS, see the “Supplementary information” section of this report.

CAS recognizes the independence of the courts in the conduct of their own affairs and aims to provide each court with quality and efficient administrative and registry services. Pursuant to section 2 of the Act, CAS is mandated to:

• facilitate coordination and co-operation among the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Court Martial Appeal Court and the Tax Court of Canada for the purpose of ensuring the effective and efficient provision of administrative services to those courts;
• enhance judicial independence by placing administrative services at arm’s length from the Government of Canada and by affirming the roles of chief justices and judges in the management of the courts; and
• enhance accountability for the use of public money in support of court administration while safeguarding the independence of the judiciary.

Operating context: conditions affecting our work

CAS is mandated by the Courts Administration Service Act (the Act) to provide judicial registry and corporate services to the four federal superior courts of record: the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada. The Act enhances judicial independence by placing administrative services at arm’s length from the Government of Canada and enhances accountability for the use of public money.

Judicial Independence

Judicial independence is a cornerstone of the Canadian judicial system. Under the Constitution, the judiciary is separate from, and independent of the executive and legislative branches of the Government of Canada. Judicial independence is a fundamental constitutional principle that guarantees that judges will be able to make decisions free of influence and based solely on facts and law. It has three components: security of tenure, financial security and administrative independence. In its role to support the work of the courts and ensure judicial independence, CAS also has a dual role as a branch of the federal public administration pursuant to the Financial Administration Act. This dual role can sometimes lead to conflicting interpretation of certain obligations.

Separate and Distinct Requirements of the Courts

The environment within which CAS operates remains increasingly complex and challenging. The individual and unique requirements of each of the four Courts, the distinct nature of the Courts’ business, the characteristics of the Canadian judicial system and CAS’s governance structure are all factors that can pose challenges to the effective management of business priorities.

Risks Management Approach

To help meet the requirements of each Court, CAS’s management has continually analyzed and interpreted its risks, which has led to the development of an efficient Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) process. This stringent ERM process includes management participation at the highest levels of the organization. Applied consistently throughout CAS, it empowers management to better identify and evaluate the pertinent risks for business while maintaining appropriate controls to ensure effective and efficient operations.

Key risks: things that could affect our ability to achieve our plans and results

Court and Registry Management System – there is a risk that the system applications will be unable to meet the current and evolving requirements of the courts and CAS.

This risk is driven in part by the need to support the transition to electronic courts; the incompatibility of existing legacy court case management systems with evolving technology; the growing demand for access to modern technology in conducting business with the courts; and the results of an assessment of the CAS network, infrastructure and computing environment.

In 2017–18, CAS will continue to seek funding to invest in a new Courts and Registry Management System (CRMS) and will strive to balance the essential maintenance of legacy systems with investments in new systems. Emphasis will also be placed on improving IT infrastructure stability and the overall system reliability and security, as well as investing in key IT support systems. CAS will continue to implement its five-year IT Infrastructure Management Plan to address risks associated with rust-out and deficiencies, introduce court technology and establish a solid foundation for the implementation of a modern CRMS. Substantial investments will be required to manage this risk.

Access to Justice – There is a risk that access to justice could be compromised by insufficient funding.

This risk is driven by a number of factors including the scope and complexity of the federal courts system; legislative changes; amendments to the Courts Rules; the increasing peaks in the workload of the courts; the non-discretionary work associated with the escalation in the number of multi-day hearings; the growing number of self-represented litigants; public demands for online services; increases in the number of documents received by the Courts and the number of court decisions requiring translation; technological advancements; and the requirement to support Canada’s fiscal objectives.

To mitigate this risk, CAS will continue to conduct frequent reviews of expenditures, commitments and staffing actions to rapidly identify pressures on available resources, reallocate funding to ease them and seek efficiencies wherever possible. CAS will also continue its application for program integrity funding in support of critical initiatives.

Security – There is a risk that security of the members of courts, court users and IT could be compromised.

In 2017–18, evolving security requirements and emerging threats on the international scene, as well the results of a comprehensive Threat and Risk Assessment will continue to drive this risk. In response, CAS will continue to implement its comprehensive security programs, enhance security controls and response capabilities, and harmonize security service standards across Canada.

The implementation of the plans to invest $19 million over five years, beginning in 2015–16, to ensure physical and IT security for the federal courts will continue and will include measures such as additional cameras, security personnel and screening equipment. These investments will protect members of the courts, employees and visitors to the courts, as well as ensure the continued protection of judicial confidentiality, personal information and sensitive commercial information held by the courts.

Information Management – There is a risk of loss of hard copy and digital records.

This risk is driven by the changing and complex business environment; the need to improve the efficiency of business processes; the two distinct governance structures for information management – for CAS and for the courts; the need to implement a modern classification system for CAS; regulatory requirements; the demand for new services and technological solutions; and the growing volume of documents.

To mitigate this risk, CAS will acquire a document management system and implement it in a phased approach. The system will act as a central repository to create, store and manage CAS information resources of business value. It will inform decision-making; facilitate accountability, transparency and collaboration; enable a reduced reliance on paper; and ensure access to information and records. Given that existing court records have nearly exhausted CAS’s record storage capacity, CAS will also continue to seek additional suitable space to store and archive court records.

Human Resources – There is a risk that lack of succession planning may lead to insufficient knowledge transfer and in turn, negatively impact the organization’s resource capacity.

This risk is driven by the need to ensure qualified resources are available to fill positions as they become vacant; higher departure rates than the average for small departments and agencies (SDA); high average rate of employee sick leave as compared to other SDAs; limited resources available for training; and challenges with workload and workplace wellness.

In 2017–18, CAS will seek to make further progress on its plan to develop a pool of talent to staff positions that are critical to the organization’s ongoing operations and long-term goals. The plan, which addresses projected gaps in specific skills and includes a combination of formal training, coaching and developmental assignments, is critical to the mid-term/long-term resource planning of the organization. In addition, CAS will continue to make progress on its four-year work description update initiative (ending 2019–20) to help maintain the strength of CAS’s core business.

Planned results: what we want to achieve this year and beyond

Programs

Program 1.1: Judicial Services

The Judicial Services program provides legal services and judicial administrative support to assist members of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada in the discharge of their judicial functions. These services are provided by legal counsel, judicial administrators, law clerks, jurilinguists, judicial assistants, library personnel and court attendants.

Planning Highlights

In 2017–18, Judicial Services will continue to provide key strategic management and legal advice to the four Chief Justices and other members of the courts. Special focus will be placed on seeking funding for, and implementing a new Courts and Registry Management System (CRMS) in support of e-court services. The new CRMS would provide invaluable support for the court operations and help eliminate the present unproductive cost of duplication. The ensuing significant decrease of paper-based processes would represent savings for litigants, including other departments, and improve access to information by the itinerant courts, resulting in more efficient court operations and a reduction of the environmental footprint.

As the number of court decisions requiring translation continues to increase, in 2017–18, Judicial Services will explore new approaches to meet its translation requirements including investments in translation technologies and increased revision capacity. During the period covered by this report, CAS will also seek to identify a new funding model to permanently address the ongoing pressure of translation costs on its limited resources.

Judicial Services will also continue to develop plans to make resources available to self-represented litigants. The courts have identified the need for various substantive amendments to the Federal Courts Rules to reduce the administrative burden (photocopying/shipping of documents) on litigants and the courts, contribute to the greening of operations, and to make the courts more efficient by increasing access to simplified procedures and facilitating access to documents or court records. During the period covered by this report, Judicial Services will continue to support the Federal Courts Rules Committee’s initiative to make substantive amendments the Federal Courts Rules.

Finally, in consultation with each court, Judicial Services will continue to develop criteria for creating, sorting, storing, managing and disposing of judicial information in a manner that respects judicial independence, the rules of the courts and the guiding principles of the Blueprint for the Security of Judicial Information.

Program 1.2: Registry Services

Registry services are delivered under the jurisdiction of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada. The registries process legal documents, provide information to litigants on court procedures, maintain court records, participate in court hearings, support and assist in the enforcement of court orders, and work closely with the offices of the four Chief Justices to ensure that matters are heard and decisions are rendered in a timely manner. Registry services are offered in every province and territory through a network of permanent offices and agreements with provincial and territorial partners.

Planning Highlights

In 2017–18, Registry services will remain critical to the efficient and effective delivery of justice by the courts. During the upcoming year, finding innovative ways to meet the evolving demands of the courts will remain a priority for CAS. While implementing a number of key initiatives, Registry Services will continue to focus its efforts to deliver quality services and facilitate timely and fair access to the litigation processes of the four courts.

Work will also be done towards securing the funding for the implementation of a new Courts and Registry Management System. The new system is expected to eliminate inefficiencies, reduce paper footprint, make information and documents more readily available, and provide relevant data to understand trends in service use and court operations. These improvements would in turn enable registry staff to provide additional and value added support to litigants, including self-represented litigants who typically require more assistance navigating the legal system than lawyers.

The efficient and timely functioning of the justice system would be substantially aided by a modern CRMS which would in turn, enable CAS to develop more effective performance indicators to ensure it is effectively responding to the requirements of the courts and CAS. The collection, analysis and maintenance of performance information would strengthen management practices, improve organizational performance and promote transparency.

Judicial and Registry Services will continue to establish an inventory of the services it offers to external clients with the view to developing design requirements, optimizing service delivery and improving usability. They will build further on the best practices already established in alternative service delivery–including e-services – and a multi-year service management strategy will be developed and implemented to measure the quality of the service.

Plans to modernize registry training will also continue to incorporate best practices and emerging trends, address scheduling issues, and introduce changes in format and delivery methods to more aptly meet evolving operational requirements.

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 refer to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Materiel Services; and Acquisition Services.

Planning highlights

In 2017–18, focus will be placed on securing the funding for the implementation of a new Courts and Registry Management System while maintaining to the extent possible critical legacy systems essential to ensure the ongoing operations of the courts and mitigating technological risks. In addition, CAS will continue to advance its five-year IT Infrastructure Management Plan to address rust out and improve its IT infrastructure, while addressing recommendations from assessments of its network, architecture and computing environment.

CAS will continue to implement its comprehensive security programs for the Courts, court users and employees, including the multi-year plan to enhance the physical security of its facilities. In 2017–18, the focus will be on physical security measures related to screening equipment and access controls, as well as security enhancements to building lobbies at its headquarters offices in Ottawa and entrance points to court facilities in several regional offices. CAS will continue to strengthen its capacity for assessing court related security risks, ensuring appropriate security posture and supporting business continuity and emergency management.

Building on the initiatives identified in support of a diverse and skilled workforce, in 2017–18, human resources will remain a top priority for CAS. The organization will focus on succession planning and talent management. In addition, CAS will further advance its four-year work description update initiative, ending in 2019–20, to ensure a sustainable business model and a skilled and effective workforce to help maintain the strength of CAS’s core business. CAS will also continue to implement its workplace wellness strategy which includes plans for mental health, harassment prevention, values and ethics, occupational health, disability management and duty to accommodate.

During the period covered by this report, CAS will continue to adapt its document classification system and retention schedule, which will serve as a comprehensive framework for creating, storing, maintaining, managing and disposing the organization’s information resources of business value. Investments will also be made to acquire and pilot test a new document management system which will support CAS’s contribution to government-wide transformation initiatives – including Blueprint 2020, the Treasury Board Policy on Results, the Treasury Board Policy on Service and back-office transformation. It will also allow CAS to collect data and generate reports that are essential to develop evidence-based performance indicators and to demonstrate results to the public and decision makers – supporting greater openness, transparency and access to justice.

To support its National Accommodation Strategic Plan, CAS will develop a multi-year National Tenant Services Plan and a National Life Cycle Management Plan. This multidimensional plan will ensure that each element is properly considered and that the stewardship of the space envelope/portfolio, the delivery of real property services and the life cycle management of the facilities are managed effectively and consistently across the country. A well-defined governance structure and decision-making framework will guide the implementation of the plan and the management of the portfolio to ensure rigour and accountability are applied to all real property investments. CAS will continue its efforts to assess the adequacy and appropriateness of its space in locations across Canada and take steps where necessary to meet the operational requirements of the itinerant courts. In particular, efforts will be devoted to the relocation of the federal court facilities in Québec City by December 2017.

Finally, in order to support CAS’s efforts to meet the communication demands of the courts, court users and employees and reach the widest share of its target audiences, a Strategic Communication Plan will be developed. This plan, which will be developed during the fiscal year, will respond to technological advances for internal and external communications and will promote effective approaches in support of information sharing and employee engagement.

Spending and Human Resources

Planned spending

Departmental Spending Trend Graph

A number of factors contributed to the variations in actual, forecasted, and planned spending indicated above. Firstly, fiscal years 2014–15 to 2016–17 include salary related payments for existing employee benefits, such as severance pay, maternity pay, and the option offered to employees to convert severance pay entitlements into cash, which fluctuate year over year and are not included in planned spending figures for 2017–18 to 2019–20. Also, fiscal years 2014–15 to 2016–17 include received operating budget carry forward amounts, which are excluded from the planned spending for 2017–18 to 2019–20.

Moreover, one-time funding was received in fiscal year 2011–12 to address information technology (IT) rust out and to relocate the CAS corporate functions to the designated Federal Judicial Building in the National Capital Region. This funding was repaid over a period of five years, ending in 2016–17.

Starting in fiscal year 2015–16, forecasted and planned spending includes funding for enhancements to physical and IT security for the federal courts. Starting in fiscal year 2016-17, forecasted and planned spending includes funding to invest in IT infrastructure upgrades to safeguard the efficiency of the federal court system and funding for the Mexico visa lift. In addition, fiscal years 2016–17 and 2017–18 include funding to relocate the Québec City Federal Courts facility, thereby ensuring continued presence in Québec City.

Furthermore, fiscal years 2016–17 to 2017–18 include renewed funding related to Division 9 proceedings of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act aimed at addressing challenges in the management of security inadmissibility cases, protecting classified information in immigration proceedings, and obtaining diplomatic assurances of safety for inadmissible individuals facing a risk of torture. Subject to government decision, fiscal years 2018–19 and 2019–20 includes the anticipated renewal of the Division 9 sunset funding.

Planned Human Resources

Fiscal years 2014–15 and 2015–16 reflect actual full-time equivalents, while fiscal years 2016–17 to 2019–20 reflect forecasted and planned full-time equivalents based on current levels and approved funding. Funding for support of additional judicial appointments for refugee reform under Bill C-11 contributed to the increase in full-time equivalents in Judicial and Registry Services from 2014–15 and 2015–16. To date, four judicial appointments have been made. Contingent on the appointment of up to two judges, full-time equivalents in Judicial and Registry Services are expected to increase for 2017–18 to 2019–20 due to the forecast to support judges related to immigration and refugee pressures, including those from lifting visa restrictions on Mexicans. However, due to the continued program integrity pressures faced by CAS, there is no projected increase foreseen in the organization of the number of full-time equivalents.

Starting in 2015–16, funding received for enhancements to physical and IT security for the federal courts contributed to the increase in full-time equivalents in Internal Services. Also, starting in 2016–17, funding received for the investment in IT infrastructure upgrades to safeguard the efficiency of the federal court system further contributed to increases in Internal Services. Furthermore, increases in full-time equivalents in support of new initiatives throughout the Courts Administration Service have resulted in additional increases in Internal Services, which supports the needs of programs and other corporate obligations throughout the department.

Estimates by vote

For information on the Courts Administration Service’s organizational appropriations, consult the 2017–18 Main Estimates. ^{Footnote i}

Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations

The Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations provides a general overview of the Courts Administration Service’s operations. The forecast of financial information on expenses and revenues is prepared on an accrual accounting basis to strengthen accountability and to improve transparency and financial management.

Because the Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations is prepared on an accrual accounting basis, and the forecast and planned spending amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan are prepared on an expenditure basis, amounts may 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 Courts Administration Service’s website.

Forecast and planned results were determined based on an analysis of actual expenditures, results of internal forecasting exercises and prior year trends, and the use of professional judgment. With all assumptions, there is a measure of uncertainty surrounding them. This uncertainty increases as the forecast horizon extends.

CAS’s total expenses are estimated to decrease from $106,503,304 in 2016–17 to $104,416,270 in 2017–18, a variance of $2,087,034 (-2%). The two major categories of expenses are salary and employee benefit expenses, and operating expenses.

• Salary and employee benefit expenses: Salary and employee benefit expenses are estimated to decrease from $57,541,313 in 2016–17 to $56,270,070 in 2017–18, a variance of $1,271,243 (-2%). Over half of CAS’s total expenses consist of salaries and employee benefits (54% of total expenses in 2016–17 and 54% of total expenses in 2017–18). This variance is mainly attributable to a decrease in statutory authorities.
• Operating expenses: Operating expenses are estimated to decrease from  $48,961,991 in 2016–17 to $48,146,200 in 2017–18, a variance of $815,791 (-2%). This variance is mainly attributable to planned decreases in professional and special services, as well as machinery and equipment, partly offset by increases in amortization expense and accommodations.

CAS’s total revenues are estimated to be $6,685 in both 2016–17 and 2017–18. The majority of CAS’s revenues are earned on behalf of Government (i.e., non-respendable revenues). The total revenues figure presented in the above table is net of these non-respendable revenues and relates to respendable revenue from the sale of Crown assets. Further details on CAS’s non-respendable revenues can be found in the detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated notes.

Supplementary Information

Corporate information

Organizational Profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
Institutional head: Daniel Gosselin, Chief Administrator
Ministerial portfolio: Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Enabling instrument: Courts Administration Service Act
Year of incorporation / commencement: 2003

Reporting framework

The Courts Administration Service’s Strategic Outcome and Program Alignment Architecture (PAA) of record for 2017–18 are shown below:

Strategic Outcome: The public has timely and fair access to the litigation processes of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada.

1.1 Program: Judicial Services

1.2 Program: Registry Services

Internal Services

Supporting Information on Lower-Level Programs

CAS does not have any lower-level programs.

Supplementary Information Tables

The following supplementary information table is available on the Courts Administration Service’s website.

• Upcoming internal audits for the coming fiscal year

Organizational contact information

Additional Information

Further information on the strategic planning portion of this document can be obtained by contacting:

Director, Corporate Secretariat
Courts Administration Service
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0H9
Info@cas-satj.gc.ca

Further information on the financial portion of this document can be obtained by contacting:

Director General, Finance and Contracting Services
Courts Administration Service
Ottawa, Ontario
Info@cas-satj.gc.ca

Appendix A: 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)

Provides information on the plans and expected performance of appropriated departments 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)

Provides information on the actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

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.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2017–18 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 initiatives (initiative horizontale)

A horizontal initiative is one in which two or more federal organizations, through an approved funding agreement, work toward achieving clearly defined shared outcomes, and which has been designated (e.g. by Cabinet, a central agency, etc.) as a horizontal initiative for managing and reporting purposes.

Management, Resources and Results Structure (Structure de la gestion, des ressources et des résultats)

A comprehensive framework that consists of an organization’s inventory of programs, resources, results, performance indicators and governance information. Programs and results are depicted in their hierarchical relationship to each other and to the Strategic Outcome(s) to which they contribute. The Management, Resources and Results Structure is developed from the Program Alignment Architecture.

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.

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.

plans (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.

Priorities (priorité)

Plans or projects 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).

program (programme)

A group of related resource inputs and activities that are managed to meet specific needs and to achieve intended results and that are treated as a budgetary unit.

Program Alignment Architecture (architecture d’alignement des programmes)

A structured inventory of an organization’s programs depicting the hierarchical relationship between programs and the Strategic Outcome(s) to which they contribute.

results (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.

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.