Law Commission of Canada’s 2023-24 Departmental results report
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, 2024
ISSN 2818-5633
Cat. No. JL4-5E-PDF
From the President
Shauna Van Praagh, President
The Law Commission of Canada submits this report covering its first ten months of operation as an independent agency committed to engaging the people of Canada in the ongoing and dynamic evolution of law.
This has been an intense and productive period, starting with my appointment as President, together with the appointment of two part-time Commissioners, on June 6, 2023. It has been a first year filled with the work of creating a full and impressive team, developing a productive office space, articulating framing language and directions, creating a website and visual identity, and establishing connections with actors and institutions to identify projects of research and outreach. The process to recommend appointments to fill remaining part-time Commissioner positions took place in early 2023. Members of the Law Commission’s inaugural Advisory Council were recruited and selected in time for a first meeting scheduled for June 2024.
Through the “Listen & Learn” series of roundtables and dialogues, an ambitious initiative launched in the fall of 2023, the Commission heard a broad and deep range of preoccupations and priorities, suggestions and offers of partnership over its first year. The people and institutions with whom the Law Commission of Canada has had extensive and productive interactions and conversations to date include: directors and staff of law reform agencies across this country and beyond, legal practitioners across all domains of law, leaders of grassroots community groups, university scholars and administrators, law societies, courts, public legal education organizations, and Parliamentarians.
The three-part raison d’être of the Law Commission of Canada – living law, pursuing justice, renewing hope – is accompanied by a four-part compass for our work – dream, repair, build and share. Together with individuals and communities across Canada, we engage with law, insist on the pursuit of justice, and search for ways to renew hope.
Results – what we achieved
Core responsibilities and internal services
Core responsibility: Law Review
Study and review the law of Canada and its effects to provide independent advice on improvements and reform to ensure a just legal system that meets the changing needs of Canadian society.
Since the Commission commenced operations in June 2023, the sequencing of procedures meant that the Commission’s initial Departmental Results Framework was approved in time only for the 2024-25 Departmental Plan. As a result, there are no departmental results or targets for the 2023-24 Departmental Results Report; however reporting and analysis on spending, funding and human resources can be found throughout this report.
The 2023-24 fiscal year marked the inaugural year for the Commission. The Departmental Results Framework was approved for the 2024-25 Departmental Plan and therefore there are no results attributed to this 2023-24 Departmental Results Report.
Resources required to achieve results
Table [1]: Snapshot of resources required for Law Review
Table [1] provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to achieve results.
| Resource | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Spending | 1,196,230 | 852,302 |
| Full-time equivalents | 4 | 4 |
Complete financial and human resources information for the Law Commission of Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Related government-wide priorities
Gender-based analysis plus
As a micro-agency, the Commission has included GBA plus training in its mandatory training curriculum for its employees and strives to prioritize the integration of GBA plus in key operational decisions.
Program inventory
Law Review is supported by the following programs:
- Law Review
Additional information related to the program inventory for Law Review is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.
Internal services
Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:
- management and oversight services
- communications services
- legal services
- human resources management services
- financial management services
- information management services
- information technology services
- real property management services
- materiel management services
- acquisition management services
This section presents details on how the department performed to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.
The Commission functions as a micro-organization and in 2023-24, the Commission commenced its operations by obtaining financial delegation in June 2023 after the appointment of its President. This allowed for the recruitment of key personnel and ensuring an organizational structure which meets the needs of the Commission. This included stabilization of key management positions such as the executive director and the director general of strategy, policy and planning roles. Another priority included supplementing the internal services of the Commission through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Justice; while ensuring the delivery arrangement preserves the independence of the Commission.
Other important achievements included: extensive work done to modernize the Commission’s web presence and enhance its use of social media platforms; and financially responsible planning for an appropriate permanent office space for the Commission intentionally situated in proximity to project partners so as to maximize productivity and cost effectiveness.
Resources required to achieve results
Table [2]: Resources required to achieve results for internal services this year
Table [2] provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to achieve results.
| Resource | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Spending | 834,408 | 933,845 |
| Full-time equivalents | 3 | 3 |
The complete financial and human resources information for the Law Commission of Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
Government of Canada departments are to meet a target of awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses each year. This commitment is to be fully implemented by the end of 2024–25.
The Law Commission of Canada is a Phase 3 department and is aiming to achieve the minimum 5% target by the end of 2024–25 by:
- implementing a strategy to create more opportunities for Indigenous businesses;
- amending internal procedures and tools to enhance consideration for Indigenous business for procurement selection.
Spending and human resources
In this section
Spending
This section presents an overview of the department's actual and planned expenditures from 2021–22 to 2026–27.
Fiscal year 2023-24 saw some important financial milestones since the revival of the Law Commission of Canada. These include but are not limited to building its financial capacity; receiving its financial delegation in June 2023 allowing the Commission to commence operations; publishing three quarterly financial reports and the future-oriented statement of operations.
Fiscal year 2023-24 functions as a partial year, hence why expenditures are lower this year. Activities are expected to ramp up to expected planned levels in future fiscal years.
Budgetary performance summary
Table [3] Actual three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table [3] presents how much money the Law Commission of Canada spent over the past three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2023–24 Main Estimates | 2023–24 total authorities available for use | Actual spending over three years (authorities used) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law Review | 2,658,288 | 2,767,355 |
|
| Subtotal | 2,658,288 | 2,767,355 | 852,302 |
| Internal services | 1,635,700 | 1,702,811 |
|
| Total | 4,293,988 | 4,470,166 | 1,786,147 |
Analysis of the past three years of spending
For fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23, the Commission did not incur any direct expenditures. Reviving the Law Commission of Canada was part of the Minister of Justice’s mandate letter and the Department of Justice incurred start-up expenditures in support of the revival of the Commission. This was the case up until June 2023 when the Commission became fully operational. The President of the Commission was appointed in June 2023 at which time financial delegation was received. Fiscal year 2023-24 thus functions as a partial year, hence why expenditures were lower than what is forecasted in future years.
More financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.
Table [4] Planned three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table [4] presents how much money the Law Commission of Canada’s plans to spend over the next three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2024–25 planned spending | 2025–26 planned spending | 2026–27 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law Review | 2,645,894 | 2,645,895 | 2,435,907 |
| Subtotal | 2,645,894 | 2,645,895 | 2,435,907 |
| Internal services | 1,229,701 | 1,229,701 | 1,229,701 |
| Total | 3,875,595 | 3,875,596 | 3,665,608 |
Analysis of the next three years of spending
The estimated planned spending for both the core responsibility and internal services is expected to be relatively steady over the next three fiscal years. A slight reduction in operating expenses is expected under the core responsibility for fiscal year 2026-27, as staff of the Commission are anticipated to have settled in our permanent office location by then, with spending reaching a stable, ongoing level.
More detailed financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.
Information on the alignment of the Law Commission of Canada’s spending with Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available on GC InfoBase.
Funding
This section provides an overview of the department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.
Graph [1]: Approved funding (statutory and voted) over a six-year period
Graph [1] summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding from 2021-22 to 2026-27.
Text description of graph [1]:
| Fiscal year | Total | Voted | Statutory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 4,470,166 | 4,325,486 | 144,680 |
| 2024-25 | 3,875,595 | 3,705,780 | 169,815 |
| 2025-26 | 3,875,595 | 3,705,781 | 169,815 |
| 2026-27 | 3,665,608 | 3,495,793 | 169,815 |
Analysis of statutory and voted funding over a six-year period
For fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23, the Commission did not incur any direct expenditures. The president of the Commission was appointed in June 2023 at which time financial delegation was received. As a result, fiscal year 2023-24 functions as a partial year, hence why expenditures are lower that year. Finally, fiscal year 2026-27 represents a "steady state" for the Commission after initial start-up expenditures will have been incurred.
For further information on the Law Commission of Canada’s departmental voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada.
Financial statement highlights
The Law Commission of Canada’s complete financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2024, are available online.
Table [5] Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited or audited) for the year ended March 31, 2024 (dollars)
Table [5.1] summarizes the expenses and revenues for 2023–24 which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.
| Financial information | 2023–24 actual results | 2023–24 planned results | Difference (actual results minus planned) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 1,997,022 | 2,030,638 | (33,616) |
| Total revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 1,997,022 | 2,030,638 | (33,616) |
The 2023–24 planned results information is provided in the Law Commission of Canada’s Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2023–24.
Table [5.2] summarizes actual expenses and revenues which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.
| Financial information | 2023–24 actual results | 2022–23 actual results | Difference (2023-24 minus 2022-23) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 1,997,022 | 0 | 1,997,022 |
| Total revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 1,997,022 | 0 | 1,997,022 |
Table [6] Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited or audited) as of March 31, 2024 (dollars)
Table [6] provides a brief snapshot of the department’s liabilities (what it owes) and assets (what the department owns), which helps to indicate its ability to carry out programs and services.
| Financial information | Actual fiscal year (2023–24) | Previous fiscal year (2022–23) | Difference (2023–24 minus 2022–23) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total net liabilities | 239,880 | 0 | 239,880 |
| Total net financial assets | 197,937 | 0 | 197,937 |
| Departmental net debt | 41,943 | 0 | 41,943 |
| Total non-financial assets | 35,384 | 0 | 35,384 |
| Departmental net financial position | (6,559) | 0 | (6,559) |
Human resources
This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2021–22 to 2026–27.
Table [7]: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services
Table [7] shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for the Law Commission of Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2021–22 actual FTEs | 2022–23 actual FTEs | 2023–24 actual FTEs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law Review | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Subtotal | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Internal services | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Analysis of human resources over the last three years
The Commission officially commenced its operations after the President was appointed in June 2023. Before this time, any FTE’s working on the revival of the Commission were not directly attributed to the Commission.
Table [8]: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services
Table [8] shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of the Law Commission of Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for the next three years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2024–25 planned FTEs | 2025–26 planned FTEs | 2026–27 planned FTEs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law Review | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Subtotal | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Internal services | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 18 | 18 | 18 |
Analysis of human resources for the next three years
The planned full-time equivalents are expected to be steady over the next three fiscal years and there are no significant variances anticipated.
Corporate information
Departmental profile
Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable Arif Virani
Institutional head: Shauna Van Praagh
Ministerial portfolio: Justice
Enabling instrument(s): Law Commission of Canada Act
Year of incorporation / commencement: 1997
Departmental contact information
Mailing address:
PO Box 56068
Ottawa RPO Minto Place
Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 7Z1
Email: info@lcc-cdc.gc.ca
Website(s): https://www.canada.ca/en/law-commission-canada.html
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on the Law Commission of Canada’s website:
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 as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.
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, departments 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 3year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.
departmental priority (priorité)
A plan or project that a department 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 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 result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.
departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.
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.
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. For a particular position, the full-time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person’s collective agreement.
gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
An analytical tool used to assess support the development of responsive and inclusive how different groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and policies, programs, and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2023–24 Departmental Results Report, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the November 23, 2021, Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fight harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation; and fighting for a secure, just and equitable world.
horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative where two or more federal 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 a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department 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 department, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.
plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department 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 to the expected result.
planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in 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 the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.
result (résultat)
A consequence attributed, in part, to an department, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single department, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the department’s influence.
Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)
For the purpose of the Directive on the Management of Procurement Appendix E: Mandatory Procedures for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses and the Government of Canada’s commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses, a department that meets the definition and requirements as defined by the Indigenous Business Directory.
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.
target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that a department, 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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