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Section II – Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

2.1 Strategic Outcome: An independant and efficient federal judiciary

2.2 Program Activity by Strategic Outcome

The following section describes the program activities of the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada and identifies the expected results, performance indicators, targets, performance status and Performance Summary for each of them.
This section will contain a discussion of results of the following Program Activities:

• Payments pursuant to the Judges Act
• Canadian Judicial Council
• Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada

 

2.2.1 Program Activity: Payments pursuant to the Judges Act

 

Program Activity: Payments pursuant to the Judges Act

2008-09 Financial Resources ($ millions)			2008-09 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
$397 971	$410 483	$410 483	0	0	0

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets	Performance Status	Performance Summary
Accurate and timely processing and validation of claims received for reimbursement of expenses in compliance with the Judges Act and internal guidelines governing financial management.	Percentage of expense claims processed and validated for entry into tracking system.   Percentage of expense claims processed within service standard.	100% of expense claims compliant with Judges Act and departmental policies and guidelines.   90% of claims processed within service standard.	Met All         Mostly Met	100% of all claims received were audited to ensure compliance to departmental policies and guidelines. 80% of claims were processed within the service standard. Performance was slower at the beginning of the fiscal year due to the new staff being trained. Performance in the last six months of the year was within service standards.
Comprehensive, up-to-date and validated files are kept on all judges and their survivors.	Level of judges' satisfaction with services.	80% of judges satisfied with services.	Met All.	The Client Satisfaction Survey indicated that only 2% of respondents were dissatisfied with the completeness and accuracy of files compared to 75% that were satisfied (22% were neutral).
Efficient and effective administration of Judges’ compensation and benefits programs and processes.	Percentage of compensation and benefits claims processed within service standard.	90% of compensation and benefits claims processed within service standard.	Mostly Met.	82% of Client Satisfaction Survey respondents regarded FJAs response to questions and requests as timely compared to 4% that were not satisfied (14% had no opinion)

Performance Analysis

Compared to the previous fiscal year in 2008-09 there was a 5.2% ($20.3 Million) increase in the number of pensioners in receipt of a pension pursuant to the Judges Act. Notwithstanding the increased workload volume, all judges and pensioners received timely reimbursement of their salaries, allowances and annuities, in accordance with the Act. Results of the Client Satisfaction Survey indicated that judges are generally very satisfied with FJA services as satisfaction scores for each service were in the 80 per cent or higher range. In support of FJA's strategic outcome, achieving high performance in this program activity ensures that the judiciary can continue to perform their professional duties efficiently and effectively, and without delay. The independence of the judiciary is ensured through the efficient independent delivery of compensation and benefits by FJA.

 

Lessons Learned

The survey findings reinforced the importance of FJA continuing to sustain its strong service culture by maintaining current service levels and quality of service. Three areas crucial to achieving continuous improvement were: identifying points of contact, streamlining processes and timeliness of responses.

 

2.2.2 Program Activity: Canadian Judicial Council

 

Program Activity: Canadian Judicial Council

2008-09 Financial Resources ($ millions)			2008-09 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
$1 683	$1 763	$1 643	8	6	2

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets	Performance Status	Performance Summary
Effective functioning of Canadian Judicial Council committees.	Satisfaction with the administration and support of committees.	Number of Committee Chairpersons satisfied with secretariat support.	Met All	The chairpersons reported being satisfied with CJC services.

Performance Analysis

The Council is composed of the 39 Chief Justices and Associate Chief Justices of Canada’s superior Courts.  As part of its mandate to support the Canadian judiciary, the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs provides administrative support services to the office of the Canadian Judicial Council.  Its mandate is to promote efficiency and uniformity, and to improve the quality of judicial service in Canada.  The Council is also responsible for reviewing complaints against federally appointed judges.

During the course of the fiscal year, 55 meetings of Committees and their subcommittees were held.  The Chairpersons of the Committees reported being satisfied with services provided by the CJC secretariat. 

Lessons Learned

Priority setting by CJC members is essential to ensuring CJC delivers on plans and the general expectations of members.  In this respect the analysis of staff time dedicated to supporting the Council is crucial to the work planning process.

 

2.2.3 Program Activity: Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada

Program Activity: Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada

2008-09 Financial Resources ($ millions)			2008-09 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
$8 507	$9 870	$9 299	64	59	6

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets	Performance Status	Performance Summary
1. Timely and accurate administration of the Order-in-Council process.	Percentage of Order-in-Councils submissions prepared within service standards.	90% of submissions prepared within service standard.	Met All	100% of all Order-in-Council submissions were prepared within the service standard.
2. Fair and expeditious administration of the Judicial Appointments process.	Percentage of applications screened and referred to Advisory Committees in a timely manner.	95% of applications reviewed and verified within service standard.	Met All	99% of applications received were reviewed and verified within a three month period.
3. Access to a trusted and reliable email and collaboration tool.	Percentage of time core system available to users. Percentage of judges satisfied with system.	Core systems available 98% of time on an annual basis. 75% of judges satisfied with system.	Met All   Met All	JUDICOM System availability was 99.36%. 83% of judges were satisfied or very satisfied with the JUDICOM system according to the Client Satisfaction Survey.
4. Federally appointed judges have access to timely, high-quality, and cost effective language training services.	Waiting time for judges to access training services.	90% of judges have access to language assessment and training services within service standard.	Mostly Met	97% of judges feel that the language training received in the immersion session was useful. Overall, almost nine out of ten judges who have taken language training said they were satisfied with the service provided.
5. Timely, accurate and bilingual publishing of selected Federal Courts decisions.	Percentage of selected cases published within 10 months of the issuance of the decision.	90% of selected cases are published within 10 months of the date of issuance of the decision.	Mostly Met	11.8 months was the average time achieved for publishing reports. Delays were caused by restructuring due to retirements and outsourcing of desktop publishing,

Performance Analysis

Federal Judicial Affairs is a multi-faceted program activity benefiting those participating in the judicial appointments process, as well as federally appointed judges, the legal community and the general public through the publication of the Federal Courts Reports. In 2008-09 FJA either met all or mostly met performance targets for the expected results of this program activity.

First, FJA’s achievement of a high standard for the timely and accurate administration of the order-in-council process and the judicial appointments process contributed to an independent judiciary because it ensured all candidates for judicial office were treated fairly and equitably in the process.

Second, FJA also provides timely and effective information technology collaboration tools and language training. Federally appointed judges were able to collaborate effectively, sharing information through JUDICOM the information technology platform maintained by FJA. JUDICOM exceeded standards for system availability, and also exceeded the satisfaction target of 75%.

Thirdly, the ability of judges to function in both official languages was enhanced through FJA's efforts to ensure language services were easily accessible. As indicated above, nine out of ten judges who have taken language training say they are satisfied with the service provided.

Finally, important decisions of the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal were made readily available to federally appointed judges, the legal community and the general public in a timely and accurate fashion through the publication of the Federal Courts Reports.

 

Lessons Learned

FJA strives to respond to the service needs of the judiciary by continuously assessing its performance and being very responsive to lessons learned. FJA employs three approaches for identifying opportunities to enhance service delivery.

The first is the Client Satisfaction Survey of judges conducted in 2008. This assessed the perceptions of judges regarding the achievement of the strategic outcome of FJA to support and promote judicial independence through services to federally appointed judges. The survey also collected performance assessments on each FJA program activity. FJA learned it can continuously enhance service by achieving: a) greater efficiencies through minimizing the number of steps in the process of providing service to judges; b) increased timelines in obtaining service; and c) a central and consistent point of contact for judges to obtain service.

The second methodology is related to the management and continuous improvement of an internal process for service delivery to judges. FJA has an ongoing initiative underway to improve service delivery, such as the service inventory project and workflow analysis of each FJA program activity conducted in the last fiscal year. This was supported by diagnostics using performance measurement data that identified where efficiency of processes, timelines of service and quality of customer contact could be improved.

Thirdly, FJA is refining and implementing its performance measurement system. FJA has learned that priority setting on the investment of staff and budget is an important factor of success in delivering consistent service quality according to standard. Management actively monitors the efficiency of each program activity against targets or standards. Improvements or corrective measures will be identified and implemented.

Finally, FJA was in the past year the subject of a Management Accountability Framework (MAF) review. This afforded the organization an important opportunity to identify management priorities for addressing lessons learned about service delivery. For example, the MAF identified a need for an active Information Management (IM) strategy and also for metrics to guide the management of information technology towards improved efficiency, effectiveness and innovation. Further work is also required in the area of security, particularly in training and awareness building.

However, in the MAF assessment, FJA received an acceptable or strong rating in the majority of areas of management, particularly corporate management and governance. Most importantly, Client Service was rated ‘strong’ which reflected the strong service orientation of FJA and the attention management pays to ensuring high performance.

2.3 Benefits for Canadians

There are 1,066 judges in Canada who are appointed by the federal government to the superior courts in the provinces and territories and to specialized courts such as the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court and the Tax Court of Canada. These courts play a vital role in protecting citizens’ rights and ensuring governments adhere to the rules of law and justice. FJA supports an independent judiciary and provides language training that enhances the capabilities of the judiciary.

FJA publishes the Federal Courts Reports, which are the official, bilingual reports of decisions, or parts of decisions of the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, that are considered to be of sufficient significance to warrant publication. FJA also provides administrative support to the Canadian Judicial Council.

FJA operates an efficient and effective judicial appointments process. The Judicial Appointments Secretariat received and processed 509 applications for judicial appointment The Secretariat arranged for 49 advisory committee meetings. The Advisory Committees assessed a total of 448 applications, the results of which were certified by the Executive Director, Judicial Appointments and provided to the Minister.

Promoting the principles of judicial independence, and efficient and transparent court systems internationally ensures protection of Canada’s interests abroad and enhances Canada’s visibility internationally.

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