ARCHIVED - RPP 2007-2008
Canada Industrial Relations Board

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SECTION III – SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

3.1 Organizational Information

Accountability

*The Canada Industrial Relations Board is an agency operating under the Minister of Labour’s portfolio.

3.1.1 Mandate, Role and Responsibilities

The Constitution Act, 1867, provides that provincial jurisdiction extends over "Property and Civil Rights," meaning that the negotiation of collective agreements containing terms and conditions of employment for employees is regulated by the provinces. The Constitution, however, assigns exclusive jurisdiction to Parliament over specific sectors of the economy, and as such, it has seen fit to enact laws regulating employment matters within those sectors that have constitutionally been reserved to it. Laws governing the federal jurisdiction are contained in the Code, which is divided into three parts:

Part I of the Code sets out the terms under which trade unions may acquire the legal right to represent employees in the negotiation of collective agreements with their employer. It also delineates the process under which collective bargaining takes place and provides remedies to counter infractions committed by any party subject to the Code’s provisions.

Part I of the Code had remained virtually unchanged since 1972. However, with the coming into force on January 1, 1999 of Bill C-19, an Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (Part I), R.S. 1998, c. 26, significant changes were made to the Code in an effort to modernize it and improve the collective bargaining process for federally regulated industries. The Act replaced the Canada Labour Relations Board with the Canada Industrial Relations Board as an independent, representational, quasi-judicial tribunal responsible for the interpretation and application of Part I, Industrial Relations, and certain provisions of Part II, Occupational Health and Safety, of the Code.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board’s mandate is to contribute to and to promote effective industrial relations in any work, undertaking or business that falls within the authority of the Parliament of Canada.

In support of its mandate, the Board established the following vision and values:

decisions on applications and complaints provided in a fair, expeditious and economical manner; successful resolution of cases through appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms; an involved and well-informed labour relations community; effective Regulations and practices developed through consultation with clients. In the discharge of its mandate and the exercise of its powers, the Board aims to be progressive and innovative, efficient and effective, open and accountable. The working environment at the Board promotes learning and development, harmony, teamwork and respect.

The Board’s role is to exercise its powers in accordance with the Preamble and provisions of the Code, which state that Parliament considers "the development of good industrial relations to be in the best interests of Canada in ensuring a just share of the fruits of progress to all." To that end, the Board aims to be responsive to the needs of the industrial relations community across Canada.

3.1.2 Departmental Organization

The Board, as provided for in the Code, is comprised of the Chairperson, two or more full time Vice-Chairpersons, not more than six full-time Members (of which not more than three represent employers and not more than three represent employees) and any other part-time Members (representing, in equal numbers, employees and employers) necessary to discharge the responsibilities of the Board. All are appointed by the GIC: the Chairperson and the Vice Chairpersons for terms not to exceed five years, the Members for terms not to exceed three years. (Information on Board Members can be found at http://www.cirb-ccri.gc.ca/about/members/index-eng.asp.)

The Chairperson is the chief executive officer of the Board. The provisions of the Code assign to the Chairperson supervision over, and direction of, the work of the Board, including:

• the assignment and reassignment to panels of matters that the Board is seized of;
• the composition of panels and the assignment of Vice Chairpersons to preside over panels;
• the determination of the date, time and place of hearing;
• the conduct of the Board’s work;
• the management of the Board’s internal affairs;
• the duties of the staff of the Board.

The Board’s headquarters are located in the National Capital Region. Support to the Board is provided by the Executive Director, reporting directly to the Chairperson. The Executive Director is responsible for regional operations, case management, client and corporate services, financial services and human resources. The Legal Services Branch provides legal assistance as required by the Board and its units and the General Counsel also reports directly to the Chairperson of the Board.

The Board also has five regional offices in Dartmouth, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, with a satellite office in Winnipeg. These offices are staffed by labour relations professionals and case management teams. Each regional office is headed by a regional director, who reports to the Executive Director in Ottawa.

3.1.3 Agency Link to Government of Canada Outcomes

Canada Industrial Relations Board’s links to the Government of Canada outcomes areas

2007-2008
($ thousands) Stategic Outcome	Budgetary	Total Main Estimates	Total Planned Spending
	Operating
Administration and interpretation of Part I (Industrial Relations) and certain provisions of Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) of the Canada Labour Code	12,437	12,437	12,437
Total	12,437	12,437	12,437

The administration and interpretation of Part I (Industrial Relations) and certain provisions of Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) of the Code contributes to the achievement of the Government of Canada’s "income security and employment for Canadians" outcome area.

3.1.4 To Contact the Board

Toll-free: 1-800-575-9696
People who use TTY should place calls with the assistance of a Bell Relay Service
operator at: 1-800-267-6511
Email: info@cirb-ccri.gc.ca
Web Site: http://www.cirb-ccri.gc.ca

Further information on how to contact the regional offices can be found at: http://www.cirb-ccri.gc.ca/contact/index-eng.asp

3.2 Financial Performance Summary and Summary Tables

Table 1: Departmental Planned Spending and Full-Time Equivalents (FTE)

($ thousands)	Forecast Spending 2006-2007	Planned Spending 2007-2008	Planned Spending 2008-2009	Planned Spending 2009-2010
Administration and interpretation of Part I (Industrial Relations) and certain provisions of Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) of the Canada Labour Code	12,396	12,437	12,437	12,437
Total Main Estimates*	12,396	12,437	12,437	12,437
Adjustments:
Procurement Savings
Administration and interpretation of Part I (Industrial Relations) and certain provisions of Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) of the Canada Labour Code	-30
Supplementary Estimates
Operating budget carry forward	510
Other
Treasury Board Vote 15	95
Employee Benefit Plan (EBP)	-24
Public Accounts Operating budget lapse	-600
Total Adjustments	-49	0	0	0

Total Planned Spending

12,347

12,437

12,437

12,437

---

Total Planned Spending	12,347	12,437	12,437	12,437
Plus: Cost of services received without charge	2,793	3,010	3,108	3,135
Total Departmental Spending	15,140	15,447	15,545	15,572

Full Time Equivalents	101	110	110	110

* The total main estimates for 2007-2008 and future years is approximately $41,000 more than last year. These differences result from the eligible expenditure requirements of the $95,000 increase in salaries under collective agreements with its associated employee benefit plan increase of $18,000, an adjustment of the employee benefit plan rate from 19% to 18.5% for a $42,000 decrease and the procurement savings for another $30,000 decrease, which for 2006-2007 are identified under the heading "Adjustments."

Table 2: Voted and Statutory Items

Vote or Statutory Item ($ thousands)		2007-2008 Main Estimates	2006-2007 Main Estimates
10	Operating expenditures	10,887	10,822
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	1,550	1,574
	Total Department	12,437	12,396

Table 3: Services Received Without Charge

($ thousands)	2007-2008
Accommodation provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)	2,423
Contributions covering employer’s share of employees’ insurance premiums and expenditures paid by Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (excluding revolving funds)	587
Salary and associated expenditures of legal services provided by the Department of Justice Canada	0
Total 2007-2008 Services received without charge	3,010

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