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ARCHIVED - RPP 2007-2008
Supreme Court of Canada


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II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

1. The Office of the Registrar’s Strategic Outcome, Program Activity and Expected Results

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada has a single strategic outcome:

  • To provide the best possible decision-making environment for the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada has one program activity:

  • Process hearings and decisions.

The Office of the Registrar provides the services the Court needs to hear cases and render decisions as the court of last resort. The principal responsibilities of the Office of the Registrar are to manage the cases coming into the Court, act as an interface between litigants and their counsel and the Court, and to provide a full range of administrative and support services to the Judges. Specific functions carried out by the Office of the Registrar include:

  • Processing, recording, preserving and directing the flow of all documents filed by parties and ensuring all decisions are rendered and all proceedings which take place during the life of a case are recorded.
  • Providing information to litigants, the media and the public on the Court's processes and activities, and scheduling of cases.
  • Providing a modern, accessible courtroom for the oral presentation and hearing of cases.
  • Providing an audio-visual record of hearings in order that they may be televised
  • Providing legal services to the Judges.
  • Maintaining the Court Library and providing a full range of library and information services to Judges, staff of the Court and legal researchers.
  • Publishing the Supreme Court reports and the Bulletin of Proceedings.
  • Providing administrative and operational support to the Judges and Court staff.
  • Providing protocol services to the Judges to facilitate national and international exchanges.
  • Providing a public information and tour program.

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court’s expected results are the following:

  • To process hearings and decisions promptly.
  • To ensure the independence of the Court as an institution within the framework of sound public administration.
  • To improve access to the Court and its services.
  • To provide the information base that the Court needs to fulfil its mandate.

2. The Office of the Registrar’s Performance Measurement Strategy

The performance indicators for each of the above expected results are identified below. The performance measurement framework for the Office of the Registrar also includes performance indicators related to a Productive Workforce and Sound Management. These are addressed in Section C - Other Indicators.

A. Process hearings and decisions—results and performance objectives


Activity Expected Result Performance Indicators
Process hearings and decisions Process hearings and decision without delay
  • Feedback re quality of service
  • Quality and availability of technology
  • Elapsed time for processing cases
  • Quality of library services

Expected result: Process hearings and decisions promptly

This result is the “raison d’être” of the Office of the Registrar. The performance indicators relate mainly to the quality and timeliness of the service provided.

• Feedback regarding quality of service. Stakeholder satisfaction is monitored on a qualitative basis through feedback on the quality of services provided by the Office of the Registrar. Within the Court, the primary stakeholders are the judges. Externally, stakeholders include litigants, the public, media and the legal community. The Registrar regularly confers with the Judges to assess their level of satisfaction; and meets with external legal agents to obtain feedback on service delivery, through such mechanisms as the CBA/SCC Liaison Committee, the Court Ottawa Agents Practice and Procedures Committee, the Court Media Relations Committee, as well as via informal communications with the legal community. Feedback is also obtained through individual correspondence from litigants and legal counsel. As well, a survey of all counsel and self-represented litigants who appeared before the Court in 2006 will be conducted before the end of 2006-2007. The Office of the Registrar will strive to maintain satisfaction levels at their current high level. This means a service that is responsive and efficient, whereby issues are resolved quickly, stakeholders have good access to information, there are few errors, and complaints are minimal. In order to maintain and improve service levels, the Office of the Registrar will continue to improve internal business processes, to review existing service standards and to make further service improvements as required.

• Quality and availability of technology. Ensuring that the technology of the Court (software, systems, equipment and infrastructure) meets its requirements and those of users; and is aligned with industry standards and best practices within the federal government, other courts, and the judicial system in general. Users can be both internal (e.g., Judges, staff), and external (litigants and their counsel, media, legal community, the public). Key technology projects during 2007-2008 are the Electronic Document / Records Management System and the modernization of Court Systems, notably, the Courtroom Audio Visual / Information Technology Project.

• Elapsed time for processing cases. There is continuing pressure on the Office of the Registrar to process cases without delay. Monthly statistics are maintained on the caseload and an annual statistical report is published. Detailed information on the Court’s workload is also available on the Court’s internet site (http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca). There will be a sustained focus on managing the time taken for processing judgments, and keeping any backlog to a minimum. Key measures are the average elapsed times between filing of application for leave and decision on application for leave; between the date leave is granted (or date notice of appeal as of right filed) and the hearing; and between the hearing and the judgment. Backlogs are measured by the number of cases (leave applications and appeals) that are pending decision. The Office of the Registrar will be striving to continue the trend to minimize elapsed times and ensuring that no backlogs develop.

• Quality of library services. The target is to meet service standards over 95% of the time, and to maintain a high level of satisfaction of the public and other stakeholders with the services available through the Library. The Library will continue to provide services to the Supreme Court, as well as to lawyers appearing before the Court, to federal courts, to members of the Bar and, by special permission, to others in the legal field. Such services include access to the print collection, online catalogue, circulation, reference/research services, virtual library services, communication of library products, and orientation and training of users. The new Library Management System (LMS) will help to improve the quality of library services provided through integration of resources.

B. Sub-Activities - results and performance objectives


Sub-Activity Expected Results Performance Indicators
Executive services Independence of the Court
  • Perception of institutional independence
  • Identification of potential conflict of interest
Court Operations Access to Court services
  • Time to respond to requests for information
  • Effectiveness of rules
  • Quality of protocol services
  • Quality of electronic access to Court services and information
  • Courtroom system availability
  • Provision of media access
  • Physical security
Library and Information Services Access to information
  • Internal access to case information
  • Quality of storage, retention and preservation of Court information
  • Quality of access to Court information
  • Library collection
Payments pursuant to the Judges Act Reliable payment process
  • Accuracy and timeliness of payments

Expected result: Independence of the Court

The situation of the Court at the apex of the judiciary gives it a wide visibility in Canada, and to a lesser extent, abroad. In this context, the Office of the Registrar must ensure that the independence of the institution is clearly safeguarded within the framework of sound public administration. It requires that appropriate arms-length relationships be maintained with Parliament, the Department of Justice, the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, and Central Agencies. Key indicators are:

• Perception of institutional independence. The Office of the Registrar monitors risks to the independence of the institution, by tracking media reports, and conferring with the Judges to assess their level of comfort that the Supreme Court is maintaining its institutional independence. The Office of the Registrar will continue to ensure that the implications of institutional independence are well understood and supported by actions of stakeholders, and that the high credibility of the institution is maintained in Canada and internationally.

Identification of potential conflict of interest. The role of the Office of the Registrar is to identify, track and bring potential conflicts of interest to the attention of the Judges with respect to a case in which they may have been involved prior to their appointment to the Bench or in which they may have a personal interest. This ensures that the Judges are not placed in a situation of perceived conflict of interest with respect to a case in which they may have been involved prior to their appointment to the Bench or in which they may have a personal interest. This was incorporated as a module of the Case Management System. The desired end result is that mechanisms are followed closely; there are no incidents of perceived conflict situations that were not identified; and there are no complaints. The Office of the Registrar reviews reporting mechanisms on an ongoing basis to avoid such incidents.

Expected result: Access to Court services

The Office of the Registrar must ensure that the Court is accessible and that it provides services to litigants including the processing of cases with minimum delay. Key indicators are:

• Time to respond to requests for information. The desired target is that 90% of requests be answered within established service standards (for example answering calls and e-mails, distributing documentation, ensuring information into the Case Management System and processing motions), and that stakeholders be satisfied with the quality of information received. Although the Office of the Registrar is confident that this target is being achieved on a consistent basis, it is implementing mechanisms to better track throughput times for requests for information and the distribution of documents. The Office of the Registrar is also improving on an ongoing basis access to information from its web site.

• Effectiveness of rules. Rule amendments came into force in October, 2006. Key measures are that cases are filed as per the rules, and that there are few complaints or difficulties encountered. The Office of the Registrar collects on an ongoing basis suggestions from judges, staff and litigants for rule changes. It also seeks feedback from the legal community through committees such as the Court Ottawa Agents Practice and Procedures Committee (COAPP) and CBA/SCC Liaison Committee.

• Quality of protocol services. Key measures are stakeholder satisfaction with the services, and that events are highly successful. Protocol services include organizing special events of the Court, receiving dignitaries and visitors officially invited by the Court (national and international), and providing assistance to Judges when traveling internationally on behalf of the Court. The Office of the Registrar is implementing an automated protocol program software tool to ensure a better control over the planning and organization of events.

• Quality of electronic access to Court services and information. The ultimate objective is to make electronic services and information easily accessible to both internal and external users. The Office of the Registrar is not yet achieving target in this regard as e-filing has proven to be more challenging to implement than originally anticipated. A key project during 2007-2008 will be the Electronic Document / Records Management System (EDRMS) that is critical to providing more functional e-filing and internet services in the long term. The Office of the Registrar will also develop and implement a policy for electronic access to Court records taking into consideration the model policy recommended by the Canadian Judicial Council.

• Courtroom system reliability. The reliability of the Courtroom equipment is critical to avoiding disruptions to Courtroom services. Treasury Board approved the Courtroom Audio-Visual / Information Technology Project, and provided funding in the amount of $5.1M over a two year period to address this concern. The project has started, and is expected to cost roughly $6.5M over a three year period. The difference between total estimated cost and funds received will be provided from existing reference levels.

• Provision of media access. . Significant progress has been made in recent years to improve the quality of media access by allowing, in some case, members of the media sufficient time to read a decision and reasons for judgment in some cases before they become public. (This process is known as a media lock-up.) Although the media has generally been satisfied with the information provided, the Office of the Registrar will be endeavoring to further customize the information provided to the specific requirements of the media, and to enable the media to access more information on a self-serve basis, mainly via the internet.

• Physical security. The Office of the Registrar completed a Business Continuity Plan in 2006-2007, which will require annual updating to ensure it remains relevant. In accordance with the recent security audit, the Office of the Registrar will conduct ongoing threat and risk assessments, in order to maintain a high level of security of the facilities.

Expected result: Access to information

The Office of the Registrar will be continuing to develop and implement its long term strategy to improve the management of, and access to, information. Key indicators are:

Internal access to case information. Enhancements will continue to be made to the Court’s Case Management System as users rely heavily on this application, with a view to ensuring that case information is readily available in electronic format, that the information is up-to-date, complete and accurate, and that a consistent quality of information is available to users.

Quality of storage, retention and preservation of Court information. That is, the quality of storage, retention and preservation of Court records. Specific challenges revolve around the introduction of information standards (e.g., metadata, classification, naming conventions), streamlined policy documentation, consistent and adequate management processes and controls (including the management of Judges’ private papers), and long term archival requirements across various formats and media. The Electronic Document / Records Management System (EDRMS) and E-filing projects will support the achievement of this objective.

Expected result: Reliable payment process for payments pursuant to the Judges Act.

The accuracy and timeliness of payments are monitored on an ongoing basis.

C. Other Indicators

The key indicators are:

Motivated and committed workforce. The Office of the Registrar utilizes resuets of Public Service Employee Surveys to assess the motivation and commitment of employees, as well as turnover and absenteeism statistics and employee feedback.

Skilled workforce. The Office of the Registrar continues to be concerned about emerging competency gaps, and limitations in back-up capacity. The Court modernization, when completed, will require new skills and competencies, further exacerbating the situation. The development of the first integrated Human Resource Business Plan and enhancements to the integrated planning process are intended to address these issues.

Expected Result: Sound Management

There is one indicator for this expected result:

Conformity to the Management Accountability Framework: The Office of the Registrar carries out a yearly assessment of its practices against the government-wide Management Accountability Framework. In addition, the Office of the Registrar conducts twice yearly assessments of performance against its internal indicators, using a five level performance scale relative to target. Internal audits are another tool used to improve services and tighten controls.