ARCHIVED - Canada Industrial Relations Board

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SECTION III–SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

3.1 Organizational Information

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 primarily 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 Canada Labour Code, which is divided into three parts:

Part I of the Canada Labour Code establishes the framework for collective bargaining, the acquisition and termination of bargaining rights, unfair labour practices and protection of the public interest in the event of work stoppages affecting essential services.

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 Governor in Council: 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_e.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 headed by a General Counsel who 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 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_e.asp

3.2 Financial Performance Summary and Summary Tables

Table 1: Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

($ thousands)	Planned Spending			Contributes to the following priority
	2008–2009	2009–2010	2010–2011
Strategic Outcome:	To resolve labour relations issues in federally regulated sectors, submitted to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, in a timely, fair and consistent manner			Income security and employment for Canadians
Program Activity Title: Labour Relations Resolution Program	12,508	12,508	12,508

Table 2: Services Received Without Charge

($ thousands)	2008–2009
Accommodation provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)	2,506
Contributions covering employer’s share of employees’ insurance premiums and expenditures paid by Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (excluding revolving funds)	681
Salary and associated expenditures of legal services provided by the Department of Justice Canada	4
Total Services received without charge	3,187

Table 3: Green Procurement

Green Procurement
1.	How is your department planning to meet the objectives of the Policy on Green Procurement?
	The Canada Industrial Relations Board is planning to carry out/follow the Policy on Green Procurement by reducing environmental impact of its operations and by promoting responsible integration of environmental performance considerations, when applicable. This will be achieved by analyzing and evaluating the total life cycle of goods and services to be purchased.
2.	Has your department established green procurement targets?
	In progress
3.	Describe the green procurement targets that have been set by your department and indicate the associated benefits anticipated.
	(a) Consider and implement the reduction, reuse and recycling possibilities throughout the life cycle, from as early as the contracting planning phase to the disposal phase. (b) Evaluate potential suppliers’ ability and/or capacity to satisfy the environmental performance criteria. (c) Carry out asset disposal in the most environmentally responsible way, such as waste minimization and/or diversion. It is anticipated that the benefits of the Policy on Green Procurement, as it applies to the CIRB will reduce waste, while carrying out reuse and recycling programs, making better use of assets, prolonging life of goods and ensuring that the goods and services procured are less damaging to the environment.

Table 4: Internal Audits

Name of Internal Audit	Internal Audit Type	Status	Expected Completion Date	Electronic Link to Report
Management and Control Practices in Three Small Entities	Audit of controls for acquisition cards, contracting, executive travel, hospitality, executive compensation, and selected areas of human resources management.	Completed	October 2007	http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/reports.nsf/html/20071002c_e.html
Electronic link to internal audit and plan: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/reports.nsf/html/20071002c_e.html

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