2018-2019 Departmental Results Report

About this publication

Publication author: Parole Board of Canada
ISSN: 2371-6436

Chairperson's Message

As Chairperson of the Parole Board of Canada (PBC), I am pleased to present the 2018-19 Departmental Results Report (DRR). This report provides parliamentarians and Canadians with an overview of the PBC’s performance in delivering on its established plans and priorities.

As part of the criminal justice system, the PBC contributes to the Government of Canada’s outcome of a safe and secure Canada by making timely conditional release, record suspension, and expungement decisions and clemency recommendations, in an open and accountable manner, while respecting the rights and dignity of both offenders and victims, in accordance with its statutory responsibilities and authorities.

The 2018-19 DRR demonstrates the PBC’s continuing commitment to delivering on its established plans and priorities while responding and adapting to a dynamic operating environment. During the year, the PBC successfully delivered on its mandate and looked for ways to improve its contribution to public safety though the following notable accomplishments:

• Promoting the PBC’s mandate and services to inform victims, applicants, offenders, and Canadians on the role of the PBC;
• Strengthening information technology capability and governance structure;
• Enhancing training methods and materials, policies, and technologies, with a focus on women and Indigenous offenders;
• In collaboration with the Chairperson’s Indigenous Circle, contributing to the pursuit of a nation-to-nation relationship between Canada and Indigenous Peoples;
• Reaching out to partners, both nationally and internationally, to share research, ideas, and experiences; and
• Implementing a new financial management system.

I am extremely proud of the degree of professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness achieved by the Board in the fulfillment of its mandate this past year. These accomplishments and results speak to the dedication and commitment of our Board members and public service employees who make significant contributions to making communities safe.

______________________________
Jennifer Oades
Chairperson, Parole Board of Canada

Results at a glance

Results for the PBC include:

For more information on the PBC’s plans, priorities, and results achieved, see the “Results: what we achieved” section of this report.

Results: what we achieved

Core Responsibilities

Conditional Release Decisions

Description

Conditional release is based on the principle that community safety is enhanced by the timely and gradual release of offenders to the community under supervision. Quality decisions based on the risk of re-offending in conjunction with effective programs and treatment, and effective community supervision all contribute to the process. Through this core responsibility, PBC staff provides timely, accurate information for Board member decision-making, and develops training and policies that are essential tools for risk assessment and decision-making.

Results

In 2018-19, 31 Governor-in-Council appointments/reappointments were made to the PBC. The 22 new Board members were required to participate in Board member orientation training sessions. This had a considerable impact on workloads, in terms of preparing incoming Board members for their new roles of making conditional release decisions using a structured approach that takes into consideration case specific and risk relevant factors. The PBC’s Board Member Training Section delivered seven orientation sessions to new Board members, a sizeable increase from the normal two to four it delivers annually.

The quality of Board member training on balancing risk assessment and public safety has produced positive results. Over the last ten years, 99% of releases on parole have not resulted in a conviction for a new violent offence prior to warrant expiry, and 99% of offenders who completed their sentences on full parole five years ago have not re-offended and returned to a federal penitentiary because of a new violent offence.

In 2018-19, the PBC's Appeal Division affirmed 318 decisions out of 405 (78%) demonstrating that original Board decisions were compliant with law and policy. The current affirmation rate remains lower than the target of 95%. The most common reasons for the Appeal Division to intervene were the Gladue^{Footnote 1} principles and erroneous/incomplete information. Since the last reporting period, the number of decisions with the “Right to be Heard” as a grounds for modification has increased, from five decisions in 2017-18 to nine in 2018-19.  

In 2018-19, initial gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) of conditional release data indicates that there were no significant disparities between different groups in terms of actual results as outlined below, with the exception of the indicator for Appeals. Although the table below does not disaggregate data by gender, the initial analysis examined these results in more detail. While the overall affirmed decision rate for Appeals was 78%, it was only 69% for Indigenous offenders. Evidence also suggests that women and Indigenous offenders appeal PBC decisions less frequently than other offenders although the reasons for this are not clear and will be investigated further.

Results achieved

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Financial, human resources, and performance information for the PBC’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Conditional Release Openness and Accountability

Description

This core responsibility ensures that the PBC operates in an open and accountable manner, consistent with the provisions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act CCRA. This core responsibility works with victims of crime and the general public by providing information, including access to the PBC’s Registry of decisions, as well as providing assistance for observers at hearings. The core responsibility also works to encourage citizen engagement, investigates incidents in the community, (i.e., when a new offence occurs), monitors the PBC’s performance and reports on conditional release processes.

Results

The PBC continued to face workload increases in this area. In 2018-19, the PBC had more than 33,400 contacts with victims. This number has grown nearly 23% over the last five years. In 2018-19, 43% of the contacts were made by letter, 31% by telephone, 19% by email, 1% in-person, and 6% were unsuccessful. The number of victim complaints received by the PBC remained low in 2018-19. The PBC received six victim complaints, five of which were admissible and one that was inadmissible. As with conditional release decision-making, the need for quality program delivery is critical, given its implications for public confidence in corrections and conditional release, particularly due to intense public scrutiny and extensive media interest in the PBC’s programs.

More than 5,000 people observed a PBC hearing in 2018-19 (including victims and their supports, members of the public, students, the media, PBC and Correctional Service Canada (CSC) staff, and other government officials), reflecting a 22% increase over the last five years. The CCRA permits access to specific decisions and to decisions for research purposes through the PBC’s Registry of Decisions. In 2018-19, the PBC released over 5,300 decisions from its Registry of Decisions. Victims were the most frequent requestors (approximately 50%), followed by the media (approximately 35%). Work continued in 2018-19 to develop a new module within the PBC’s IDS (a system that contains data used to support the Board members conditional release decision) to electronically manage Decision Registry information, and it was implemented for all requests as of January 2019.

Results achieved

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Financial, human resources and performance information for the PBC’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Record Suspension Decisions/Clemency Recommendations

Description

A record suspension is designed to support the successful reintegration of an individual into society. It is a formal attempt to remove the stigma of a criminal record for people convicted of a federal offence and who, after satisfying their sentence, having met criteria in the Criminal Record Act (CRA) and specified waiting period, have shown themselves to be responsible law-abiding citizens. Record suspensions can be revoked or cease to have effect if an individual is convicted of a new indictable offence, or in some cases a summary offence, found to no longer be of good conduct, found to have made a false or misleading statement or hidden information. Through this core responsibility, the PBC screens applications for completeness and the eligibility of each applicant, collects information for decision-making and develops policy to guide decision processes. This core responsibility is also responsible for assessing requests and providing recommendations under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy RPM (i.e., clemency) and providing advice to the Minister on the merits of each case. Clemency is granted in exceptional circumstances in deserving cases involving federal offences, where no other remedy exists in law to reduce severe negative effects of criminal sanctions.

Results

In 2018-19, the PBC received 13,818 record suspension/pardon applications, which amounts to a 6% decrease from 14,661 applications received in 2017-18. The PBC accepted 10,668 applications (approximately 75%) for processing. The program rendered 6,253 record suspension and 4,444 pardon decisions.

In 2012, legislative changes to the CRA were made to lengthen the waiting periods for eligible applicants (from 3 to 5 years and from 5 to 10 years depending on the type of conviction). As such, since 2017, the program started to see an influx of applications. Conversely, the reduced wait times for eligibility for residents of the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario as a result of court decisions in 2017 comprise part of the application volume for 2018-19. According to these judgements, many of these applicants have their requests processed as pardon applications under the applicable version of the CRA.

The PBC continued to process record suspension applications according to the following service standards:

• Applications seeking a record suspension for (an) offence(s) tried summarily will be processed within 6 months of application acceptance;
• Applications seeking a record suspension for (an) offence(s) tried by indictment will be processed within 12 months of application acceptance; and
• Applications in which the PBC is proposing to refuse to order a record suspension may require up to 24 months after application acceptance to complete.

In 2018-19, the Clemency Unit received 48 requests for the RPM, assessed 32 files, and had 117 active files at year-end. The number of active clemency files remains constant as a result of the changes made to the CRA in 2012.

The Expungement of Historically Unjust Convictions Act (Expungement Act) came into force on June 21, 2018. Under the Expungement Act, the PBC will order the expungement of records of convictions for eligible offences that would be lawful today. Persons convicted of an offence listed in the schedule to the Expungement Act may apply, as well as authorized representatives in cases where the person is deceased. Currently, this includes eligible offences involving consensual sexual activity between persons of the same-sex who were 16 years of age or older. In 2018-19, the PBC received 14 applications for expungement, returned seven, and ordered six, while one application had not yet been processed.

The PBC does not collect disaggregated data on race or gender for Record Suspension/Clemency applicants, as it is not part of the legislated framework for the program. As a result, it is not possible to perform a gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) of results.

Results achieved

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Financial, human resources, and performance information for the PBC’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

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 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:

• Acquisition Management Services;
• Communications Services;
• Financial Management Services;
• Human Resources Management Services;
• Information Management Services;
• Information Technology Services;
• Legal Services;
• Materiel Management Services;
• Management and Oversight Services; and
• Real Property Management Services.

Results

In 2018-19, Internal Services continued to deliver services efficiently in support of PBC’s core responsibilities. Priority activities included: increasing PBC’s participation in Open Government, rolling out a new financial system (GX), ensuring a healthy and respectful workplace, and addressing compensation issues stemming from Phoenix.

The PBC continued to work towards meeting the Treasury Board Secretariat’s (TBS) Directive on Open Government by implementing its five-year Open Government Implementation Plan (OGIP). In 2018-19, the PBC released 138 data resources as part of its commitment to sharing information and data in an open and transparent manner. The PBC also created a Performance Framework and Governance Structures for Open Government, as part of its OGIP.

Actual spending by Internal Services was higher than planned due to the payment of retroactive personnel expenditures and reallocations of available funding to address corporate priorities in the year. The PBC’s Finance and Planning Division dedicated resources to the transition to a new financial system in April 2018. Efforts were also dedicated to address compensation issues. The PBC also invested in its IT infrastructure to support a more mobile workforce.

During the year, the PBC continued to make a concerted effort to promote a healthy and respectful workplace through various initiatives (e.g., the Positive Space initiative, developmental workshops, obtaining information on workplace health and psychological safety, etc.). In 2018-19, the PBC introduced Guarding Minds@Work. Guarding Minds@Work is a unique, evidence-based, comprehensive set of resources designed to effectively assess and address psychological health and safety in the workplace. As outlined in the Management Accountability Framework (MAF) results, the PBC’s sick-leave usage was 14 days in 2018-19. This usage rate was an above average result compared to other small agencies/departments. However, direct comparisons based on agency size are not necessarily compatible given activities undertaken by PBC Board members and staff. As a component of the criminal justice system, there is evidence of the impact of vicarious trauma on justice workers who interact with and read about tragic and upsetting situations on a regular basis.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Analysis of trends in spending and human resources

Actual expenditures

PBC's expenditures in 2018-19 increased by $2,024,446 or 4.1%. This increased is due to increased expenditures under signed collective agreements.

Budgetary performance summary for Programs and Internal Services (dollars)

Planned spending for 2018-19 of $49.3 million was based on funding through Main Estimates, plus an estimate of additional funding to be received in-year for the carry-forward of unused funding from the previous year and an estimate for refundable salary-related expenditures (e.g., severance and parental benefits). The amount of total authorities available for use in 2018-19 ($51.4 million) was higher than planned spending because the PBC received additional funding for the impact of salary increases negotiated in signed collective agreements and higher than planned carry-forward funding.

Planned spending for 2019-20 is the anticipated funding received through the Main Estimates plus the planned carry forward of 2018-19 and the planned spending for 2020-21 is only the anticipated funding received through the Main Estimates, as we do no plan additional funding.

Actual spending in 2018-19 of $49,754,270 is lower than authorities available, and resulted in a lapse of $1,648,314 as reported in the Public Accounts of Canada. The lapse is primarily due to position vacancies.

As presented in the following chart, spending by each core responsibility as a percentage of total spending has remained generally consistent over the last three years.

2018-19 Budgetary actual gross spending summary (dollars)

In 2018-19, the net spending in Record Suspension Decisions/Clemency Recommendations program was $0.8 million, which is higher than the net spending of $0.02 million in 2017-18. Net spending for this program is difficult to forecast due to variations in the volume of applications received in a year and the recent requirement to maintain dual operations to process applications under two different legislative requirements.

Actual human resources

Human resources summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (full time equivalents)

The actual utilization of human resources was 481 in 2018-19. As shown in the following chart, FTE utilization by core responsibility as a percentage of the PBC’s total FTEs has remained generally consistent over the last three years.

Expenditures by vote

For information on the PBC organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2018–19.

Government of Canada spending and activities

Information on the alignment of the PBC 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 PBC financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2019, are available on the PBC website.

Financial statements highlights

Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2019 (thousands)

The differences between 2018-19 Planned Results and 2018-19 Actual Results are due to events not known during the Departmental Plan planning phase.

Expenses were lower than expected because of delayed planned staffing.

Revenue was slightly lower than planned. The PBC accepted 10,668 applications in 2018-19 compared to 10,958 accepted applications in 2017-18.

Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of March 31, 2019 (thousands)

The PBC’s liabilities are composed of accounts payable and accrued liabilities (72%), employee future benefits (16%), and employee vacation pay and compensatory leave (12%). The increase in liabilities between years is primarily attributed to an increase in accounts payable, and is attributed to higher spending in the last quarter of the year. The liability for employee future benefits has been steadily decreasing in recent years since the accumulation of severance benefits for voluntary departures has ceased.

Total net financial assets consist of accounts receivable, advances, and amounts due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Government of Canada. The amount due from the CRF represents 100% of the year-end balance. This represents the amount of net cash that the PBC is entitled to draw from the CRF in the future to discharge its current liabilities, without further appropriations. The amount and composition of PBC’s net financial assets have remained consistent between years. On a gross basis, the amount of accounts receivable and advances outstanding at year-end has decreased by 14% between years, and is attributed to a decrease in receivables with other government departments and harmonized sales tax refundable to the PBC.

Total non-financial assets consist primarily of tangible capital assets, which makes up 99% of the balance (96% in 2017-18), with prepaid expense accounting for the remainder. The amount and composition of the PBC’s non-financial assets have increased in 2018-19 as a result of accommodation improvements retrofit at the National Office.

Supplementary information

Corporate information

Organizational Profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable Ralph Goodale, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head: Jennifer Oades, Chairperson.

Ministerial portfolio: Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

Enabling instrument: The legal authority under which the PBC operates includes the CCRA and its Regulations, the CRA and its Regulations, the Letters Patent, the Criminal Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and other legislation.

Year of incorporation commencement: 1959.

Other: The PBC constantly strives to contribute to the Government of Canada’s outcome of a safe and secure Canada. The PBC contributes to this outcome by making timely conditional release, record suspension, and expungement decisions and clemency recommendations.

The PBC is headed by a Chairperson who reports to Parliament through the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. The Minister, however, does not have statutory authority to give direction to the Chairperson or other members of the PBC in the exercise of their decision-making powers. This structure helps to ensure the impartiality and integrity of the PBC’s decision-making process.

In making conditional release, record suspension or pardon decisions, and expungement decisions, as well as clemency recommendations, the PBC’s primary objective is the long-term protection of society. In rendering its decisions, the PBC is autonomous and independent. However, its decisions are open and transparent to the public consistent with its legislation and policies.

The protection of society is the paramount consideration for all decisions taken by the PBC. The PBC contributes to the protection of society by facilitating, as appropriate the timely reintegration of offenders into society as law-abiding citizens. In addition, a record suspension or pardon allows people who were convicted of a criminal offence, but have completed their sentence and demonstrated they are law-abiding citizens for a prescribed number of years, to have their criminal record kept separate and apart from other criminal records.

Outcomes of the PBC’s work can be found in its annual Performance Monitoring Report (PMR). The PMR provides performance and statistical information for the past five years for the PBC’s two legislative based core responsibilities: conditional release, and record suspension and clemency. The PBC carries out its responsibilities through a National office in Ottawa, as well as six offices in five regions across the country (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie, and Pacific).

PBC Locations

The PBC’s regional offices deliver the conditional release program. Conditional release decisions are made by Board members, who are supported in their decision-making by Public Service staff. Staff schedule hearings, review file information for decision-making, ensure that information for decision-making is shared with offenders, and communicate conditional release decisions to offenders, CSC representatives, and others as required. Regional staff also provide information to victims, make arrangements for observers at hearings, and manage requests for access to the PBC’s Decision Registry.

While Board members from all five regions make decisions related to record suspensions, the data collection, investigation and assessment work for record suspensions and clemency are conducted by Public Service staff at the National office. In addition, Board members in the Appeal Division at the National office review conditional release decisions upon receipt of an application for appeal to determine if the law and processes were respected.

Public Service employees at the national office develop national policies and procedures related to all core responsibilities, help coordinate Board member selection and training, deliver a program of public information, and respond to Access to Information (ATIP) requests. Other work performed at the national office includes strategic and operational planning, policy development, resource management, program monitoring, case reviews and investigations, and an array of internal services.

Consistent with the provisions of the Acts that govern the PBC, Board members are independent in their decision-making responsibilities, and free from outside interference of any kind. As independent decision-makers, Board members are bound by legislation, guided by policy, and are responsible for:

• Reviewing all information available to them for consideration in conditional release, record suspension/pardons, and clemency cases;
• Conducting an in-depth analysis of each case, and requesting additional information, as necessary, to support quality decision-making;
• Assessing the risk and other factors related to cases, voting independently on the disposition of each case, and providing sound, well-documented, written reasons for decisions; and
• Ensuring that reviews are conducted in accordance with the duty to act fairly, and with respect for all procedural safeguards.

The Chairperson of the PBC is a full-time member of the PBC and its Chief Executive Officer. The Chairperson directs the PBC’s delivery of core responsibilities in keeping with the Government of Canada’s overall plans and priorities. The Chairperson is accountable for the effectiveness and efficiency of the PBC’s policies and operations and is assisted in these responsibilities by the Executive Vice-Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson of the Appeal Division, the five regional Vice-Chairpersons, and senior managers.

The Executive Vice-Chairperson exercises all powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Chairperson, in the event of the absence of the Chairperson or vacancy in the office of the Chairperson. The Executive Vice-Chairperson is responsible for overseeing the qualification process, training, professional conduct, performance evaluations and appointment processes for all Board members and Vice-Chairpersons at the PBC. The Executive Vice-Chairperson is also responsible for the Appeal Division operations.

The Executive Director General of the PBC is its senior staff member and Chief Operating Officer. The Executive Director General, in support of the Chairperson, provides leadership for strategic and operational planning, policy development, resource management, program monitoring and administration, as well as the operation of the national office and the regions.

The following organizational chart provides additional details.

Note: Within the chart below, the blue background denotes Governor-in-Council term appointees and the grey background signifies public service employees.

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

“Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on the PBC website.

For more information on the department’s organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Minister’s mandate letter.

Operating context and key risks

Information on operating context and key risks is available on the PBC website.

Operating context

The PBC works in a challenging environment that demands effective alignment to the Government of Canada’s outcome of a safe and secure Canada, and careful assessment of criminal justice issues and community concerns. Public safety remains the PBC’s primary consideration in all aspects of decision-making policy, training, and operations. The PBC exercises legislated responsibilities for sharing appropriate information with victims of crime, offenders, applicants, other criminal justice partners, and the public. In this environment, strategic information management is crucial, requiring the PBC to have the automated systems necessary to support effective collection, storage, and sharing of information, and gain efficiencies through the automation of work processes.

The PBC proactively works with its criminal justice partners to coordinate, oversee, and analyze legislative amendments and government initiatives, specifically in relation to our conditional release and record suspension programs. The pace and complexity of proposed legislative changes, and the impact of litigation have grown significantly over the last few years and have had continuous effects on the PBC’s operations.

In addition, with the disproportionate number of Indigenous offenders in federal corrections, the PBC has a responsibility to ensure that Indigenous offenders are aware of their rights with respect to conditional release and record suspensions and that there are no systemic barriers to Indigenous participation in these areas. We continue to work with stakeholders to support the reintegration of Indigenous offenders in the community and better understand the needs of Indigenous victims.

A key challenge for the PBC is to stabilize its workforce as well as to strengthen succession planning in relation to both Board members and its public service staff. It is essential for the PBC to maintain sufficient numbers of Board members, who are Governor-in-Council term appointments. To this end, the PBC continued to work with key partners to identify sufficient numbers of qualified candidates for consideration for selection as Board members. The composition of Board members is close to reflecting the diversity of Canadian society,^{Footnote 9}  and the PBC can respond to offenders’ needs in the official language of their choice.

Key risks

The risk response strategies outlined below were revised following the tabling of the 2018-19 Departmental Plan (DP). As such, the reporting reflects the operational realities based on priorities that emerged during the fiscal year. The mitigation strategy information below provides a summary of the action plans used to reduce the risk likelihood and impact. The risks identified are existing risks for the PBC. The strategies employed below provided the PBC with the ability to effectively mitigate its risks whereby the impact and/or likelihood of the risks occurring where minimal.

Reporting Framework

The PBC Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2018-19 are shown below.

Note: Within the chart below the blue background denotes core responsibilities; the white background signifies departmental results, and the beige background reflects result indicators.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on the PBC website:

• Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy; and
• Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+).

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

Regular mail: Public Affairs and Partnerships
                         410 Laurier Avenue West
                         Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R1

E-mail:             info@PBC-CLCC.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.

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 process used to help identify the potential impacts of policies, Programs and services on diverse groups of women, men and 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.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2018–19 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 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Endnotes