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I am pleased to present the 2011-2012 Report on Plans and Priorities for the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Supreme Court of Canada is Canada's final court of appeal. The independence of the Court, the quality of its work and the esteem in which it is held both in Canada and abroad contribute significantly as foundations for a secure, strong and democratic country founded on the Rule of Law.
The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada has a deep appreciation for the importance of the Court’s role and focuses its efforts on a single strategic outcome, namely that ‘the administration of Canada's final court of appeal is effective and independent’.
The core work of the Office continues to be the processing and management of cases brought to the Court. The decision-making environment continually evolves, thereby dictating new risks, challenges and opportunities.
The implementation of an electronic document and records management system is continuing, being a lengthy endeavor, with its related focus on adapting business processes to an electronic environment. In connection with that important work, we are pursuing our long term goal of improving electronic access to the Court’s case files and information, both by the public and litigants.
In 2011-2012, we will also pursue our efforts to enhance the Court’s overall security program to better meet the needs of the Court. As well, concrete steps will be taken to plan a major refurbishment project for the aging infrastructure of the Supreme Court of Canada building.
I wish to conclude by thanking the entire staff of the Court for their continuing hard work and enthusiasm in serving the Court and Canadians with professionalism and a dedicated sense of purpose.
Roger Bilodeau, Q.C.
Registrar
January 25, 2011
Created by an Act of Parliament in 1875, the Supreme Court of Canada is Canada’s final court of appeal. It serves Canadians by deciding legal issues of public importance, thereby contributing to the development of all branches of law applicable within Canada. The independence of the Court, the quality of its work and the esteem in which it is held both in Canada and abroad contribute significantly as foundations for a secure, strong and democratic country founded on the Rule of Law. In accordance with the Supreme Court Act, the Supreme Court of Canada consists of the Chief Justice and the eight puisne judges. The Supreme Court of Canada is an important national institution, positioned at the pinnacle of the judicial branch of government in Canada.
The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada provides all necessary services and support for the Court to process, hear and decide cases. It also serves as the interface between litigants and the Court. The focus of this report is on the priorities and activities of the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada.
More detailed information on the Court’s responsibilities, the hearing process and judgments is available on the Internet (http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/home-accueil/index-eng.asp).
The Supreme Court of Canada includes the Chief Justice and eight puisne judges, all of whom are appointed by the Governor in Council. The Supreme Court of Canada hears appeals from the decisions of the highest courts of final resort of the provinces and territories, as well as from the Federal Court of Appeal and the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada. In addition, the Court provides advisory opinions on questions referred to it by the Governor in Council. The importance of the Court’s decisions for Canadian society is well recognized. The Court assures uniformity, consistency and correctness in the articulation, development and interpretation of legal principles throughout the Canadian judicial system. Its jurisdiction is derived from the Supreme Court Act and other Acts of Parliament, such as the Criminal Code.
The Registrar, also a Governor in Council appointee, reports to the Chief Justice and heads the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada. The organization of the Office of the Registrar is depicted in the following diagram and further explained in the paragraphs that follow.
Judicial Support and Protocol Branch: The Judicial Support and Protocol Branch is responsible for the delivery of all judicial support services to the Chief Justice of Canada and the eight puisne judges of the Supreme Court of Canada, including protocol and judges’ dining room services, the development and delivery of integrated judicial support programs and services, judicial administration, as well as the judges’ law clerk program.
Court Operations Sector: Composed of the Law Branch, Reports Branch, Registry Branch and Library and Information Management Branch, this sector is responsible for the planning, direction and provision of legal advice and operational support to the Supreme Court judges respecting all aspects of the case management process from the initial filing to the final judgment on an appeal. This includes processing and recording proceedings, scheduling of cases, legal and jurilinguistic services, legal research and library services, legal editing services and publication of the Supreme Court Reports. Information management services, including case related and corporate records information, are also provided by the Sector.
IT Solutions and Development Sector: The IT Solutions and Development Sector is responsible for the development, delivery and management of enterprise-wide IT strategies, plans, policies, standards and procedures; the design, development and implementation of modern, innovative, integrated, leading-edge IT solutions; the stewardship of IT resources, including security, business resumption planning and emergency preparedness in a 24/7 environment; and business analysis, business transformation, project management, and business development through change management initiatives that leverage maximum benefits from IT modernization and generate efficiencies.
Communications Services Branch: The Communications Services Branch develops and implements communications strategies, plans and programs to increase public awareness and understanding of the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as to enhance internal communications within the Court.
Corporate Services Sector: The Corporate Services Sector is responsible for administrative support to the judges and staff including: strategic, business and resource planning; corporate reporting; management accountability; modern management methods and tools; integrated risk management; finance; procurement; accommodation; administration (telecommunications, mail and printing services); human resources; security; health and safety; emergency management and preparedness; and business continuity planning.
These components are set out below as follows:
Program Activity Architecture Crosswalk
The Office of the Registrar removed the former one-to-one relationship between the Strategic Outcome and the Program Activity with approval from the Treasury Board in the summer of 2010. The two former sub-activities described as Management of Court Cases and Library Services were merged under the single program activity titled “Court Operations”. This groups together the four core activities which enable the Court to process hearings and decisions: (i) Registry services, (ii) Law branch, (iii) Library and Information Management, and (iv) the publication of the Court’s case reports. The former sub-activity titled Process Payments to the Supreme Court Pursuant to the Judges Act has become a Program Activity and has been reworded as “Process payment of various allowances to Supreme Court Judges pursuant to the Judges Act.
The diagram below compares the new Program Activity structure for 2011-2012 with the old structure:
Financial Resources ($ millions)
2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
---|---|---|
29.7 | 29.6 | 29.6 |
Human Resources (Full-time Equivalent – FTE)
2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
---|---|---|
215 | 215 | 215 |
Performance Indicator | Targets |
---|---|
Level of satisfaction among judges regarding quality of service | Target "satisfied" level |
Level of satisfaction among judges regarding quality of service | Target "satisfied" level |
Program Activity | Forecast Spending 2010–11 |
Planned Spending | Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | |||
Court Operations | 17.5 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 14.3 | Strong and independent democratic institutions |
Process payment of various allowances to the Supreme Court Judges Pursuant to the Judges Act | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | Strong and independent democratic institutions |
Sub-total Planned Spending | 19.9 | 19.8 | 19.8 | ||
Internal Services | 8.5 | 9.8 | 9.8 | 9.8 | N/A |
Total Planned Spending | 29.7 | 29.6 | 29.6 |
The focus of the Office of the Registrar will continue to be the processing of cases without delay while maintaining stakeholder satisfaction and high standards of service.
The Registrar’s Five-Year Vision (2011-2016) is that Supreme Court judges and staff will be able to access and process all cases and case-related information electronically while the public and lawyers will be able to file all case-related documents electronically. It is important that the Office of the Registrar continues to be a leader in court administration and for it to maintain the current operations as it works toward that vision. This will require the best possible organizational structure, skilled staff and appropriate resources.
The challenge will be to achieve that vision while responding to stakeholders’ day-to-day expectations. That vision will also require changes to strengthen the Office’s business processes and to make it more efficient. Change has its challenges, including securing appropriate resources to effect necessary changes. In the last few years, the Office of the Registrar has been able to work within its existing reference levels, but some sectors will see growing challenges in the quest to deliver current services while implementing change. As a result, internal reallocations may be required to allow necessary business changes, although potentially at the risk of other service aspects. An additional challenge is the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada building is aging, and plans are getting underway for a major rehabilitation project of the entire structure to be undertaken in the medium to long term. Until this is completed, there is a risk that critical building systems may fail, as well as a risk of some disruption to operations during the rehabilitation as a result of either a full or partial relocation.
Priorities:
The Office of the Registrar has two operational priorities for the next 3 years (2011-2014): (i) Business Transformation and (ii) Providing effective e-access to information and services, as well as two management priorities: (i) Developing and implementing a sound information management program and (ii) Enhancing the security program, all to better meet the Court’s needs as well as the requirements of the new Policy on Government Security.
Operational Priorities | Type | Links to Strategic Outcome(s) | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Business Transformation | New |
The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal is effective and independent |
Why is this a priority? Plans for 2011-12
|
Provide effective e-access to information and services | New |
The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal is effective and independent |
Why is this a priority?
Plans for 2011-12
|
Management Priorities | Type | Links to Strategic Outcome(s) | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Develop and implement a sound information management program |
Previously committed to |
The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal is effective and independent |
Why is this a priority? Plans for 2011-12
|
Enhance the security program to better meet the needs of the Court as well as the requirements of the new Policy on Government Security |
Previously committed to |
The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal is effective and independent |
Why is this a priority? Plans for 2011-12
|
The Office of the Registrar is committed to the implementation of Integrated Risk Management to align with the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) Framework, but also as a key component to the efficient and effective delivery of its strategic objectives. Accordingly, the Office of the Registrar has put in place a Policy on Integrated Risk Management, to provide further guidance to managers on the development and implementation of effective risk management practices within their respective sectors.
The objectives of the policy are to:
The key messages in the policy are as follows:
Key Risks
The Office of the Registrar is faced with both operational and reputational risks. Operational risks are risks associated with operational and organizational capabilities to deal with change affecting administrative processes, people management, financial and information processing, technology, security and business continuity. Reputational risks are associated with risks that affect the court’s reputation and public confidence in its ability to fulfill its mandate.
Description of Risk | Key Mitigation Strategies |
---|---|
Change management and business transformation: While the focus of the last four years has been on modernization of the Courtroom and enhancing electronic access to the public and litigants, paper-based processes continue to be required, leading to potentially high employee expectations and low morale affecting productivity. |
|
Information Management: The increasingly complex cases before the Court plus the numerous sources of available information and increasing demands for access to information means that the Office of the Registrar must provide an improved information management program. |
|
Aging IT Systems: There is a need to ensure that older, mission critical systems (such as the CMS and SCC Case) are ported to a more up-to-date platform to ensure their sustainability, increase manageability and optimize interoperability with newer systems. |
|
People Management: Planned and unplanned departures of staff in key positions is expected to continue and this is made more serious by difficulties in recruiting and retaining skilled staff, particularly in shortage areas such as jurilinguists, financial officers and human resources specialists. |
|
Delivery of Security Services: The security profile of the SCC is continuously elevated due to the Central role it plays in the Canadian Constitution. As part of the Judicial Precinct and due to its close proximity to the Parliamentary Precinct, the SCC could be considered a ‘symbolic target’. It is also difficult to balance the desire for an “open Court”, and the fact that the building is a popular tourist destination, on one hand, with the requirement to provide suitable security for judges, staff and visitors, on the other. |
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Property Deterioration: The Supreme Court of Canada building is aging, and consequently there is a growing risk of infrastructure and building systems failure as a result of continuing property deterioration. |
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For 2011-12 fiscal year, the Office of the Registrar plans to spend $29.7 million to meet the expected results of its program activities and to contribute to its strategic outcome. As illustrated in the diagram that follows, funding levels decreased following the completion of the courtroom modernization project in 2008-2009. Forecast spending for 2010-11 shows an increase due to the settlement of various collective agreements and higher amounts for severance pay than in previous years.
For information on the office of the Registrar’s vote and/or statutory expenditures, please see the http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/2011-2012/me-bpd/info/info-eng.asp.