ARCHIVED - Supreme Court of Canada - Report

• Previous Page
• Table of Contents
• Next Page

This page has been archived.

Registrar’s Message

I am pleased to present the 2012-2013 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.

In 2012-13, the Office of the Registrar will place a high priority on business transformation in order to improve electronic access to the Court’s case files and information, the efficiency of court operations, as well as to ensure the long term preservation of Court data and information in an electronic format.

Ongoing initiatives also include enhancements to the Court’s overall security services, as well as the planning of a proposed 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.

Section I: Organizational Overview

Raison d’être

Responsibilities

The Supreme Court of Canada consists of 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.

[Diagram 1 - Text Version]

Judicial Support and Protocol Sector:  The Judicial Support and Protocol Sector 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 Canada Supreme Court Reports. The Registry is the point of contact between the Court and litigants and it provides information and services to counsel and litigants, including unrepresented litigants. Information management services, including case related and corporate records information, are also provided by the Sector.

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:  human resources; strategic, business and resource planning; corporate reporting; risk management; finance; procurement; project management, and change management; enterprise-wide IT strategies, plans, policies, standards and procedures; the design, development and implementation of modern and innovative IT solutions; accommodation; administration (telecommunications, mail and printing services); security; health and safety; emergency management and preparedness; and business continuity planning.

 

Strategic Outcome(s) and Program Activity Architecture (PAA)

The Office of the Registrar has a single strategic outcome: The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal is effective and independent.  The three activities contributing to this strategic outcome are: Court operations; Process payment of various allowances to Judges of the Supreme Court of Canada pursuant to the Judges Act; and Internal services.

[Diagram 2 - text version]

Organizational Priorities

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 judges and staff of the Supreme Court of Canada will be able to access and process all cases and case-related information electronically while the public and lawyers will be able to file and access case-related documents electronically.  It is important for the Office of the Registrar to continue to be a leader in court administration and for it to maintain ongoing operations as it works toward that vision.  This requires the best possible organizational structure, skilled staff and optimal utilization of 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 its operations 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 are seeing 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, leading to the risk of affecting some services, thereby creating an additional challenge. 

The operational priorities for the next 3 years (2012-2015) are:  (i) Business transformation; (ii) Enhancing the security program to better meet the needs of the Court.

Operational Priorities	Type	Links to Strategic Outcome	Description
Business Transformation	Previously committed to	The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal is effective and independent	Why is this a priority? Ensure that  business processes and technology are in place to enable electronic processing of cases, allow parties to access case file documents, data and information online based on their entitlements, provide the public better access to court information online, enable litigants to file documents electronically through a secure portal, and protect and preserve historical information in an electronic format. Plans for 2012-13 Develop program management framework (e.g., governance, funding, program plan and timeline) Develop concept design/architecture Business process mapping and analysis of potential efficiencies Define business, IM, IT capabilities needed to support new business processes Assess impact on current business processes and IM/IT Approve  project priorities and sequencing Develop project charters and work plans Proceed with project implementation as per plan and timeline
Enhancing the security program to better meet the needs of the Court	Previously committed to	The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal is effective and independent	Why is this a priority? Due to the sensitive nature of the Court’s business and its high profile as the court of last resort in Canada’s judicial branch of government, it is essential to enhance the Court’s security program which has many components such as physical security, information technology security and business continuity planning. Plans for 2012-13 Prioritize security gaps and weaknesses Assess delivery model options Review security program governance to clarify roles and responsibilities Review policies, procedures and practices Develop business case Update Security Action Plan

 

Risk Analysis

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, and updates its Corporate Risk Profile on an annual basis.

Key Risks

The Office of the Registrar is faced with both operational and reputational risks.  The most significant risks and key mitigation strategies are included in the table below.  These include security, aging information technology systems, and infrastructure failure within the building.

Description of Risk	Key Mitigation Strategies
IT Security (Cyber threats): Unintentional or unauthorized access, use, manipulation, interruption or destruction (via electronic means) of electronic information held by the Court and the electronic and physical infrastructure used to process, communicate and/or store that information.  Risk to the security and confidentiality of judicial information and data.	IT security action plans IT security awareness plans/ staff awareness Periodic Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing
Security (persons, building, information, infrastructure): Threats to the safety of Judges, staff or visitors, and to the security of the building, information and infrastructure. Balancing security measures required for the protection of judges, staff and visitors with the principles of open court (the Supreme Court of Canada building is a high volume tourism destination).	Security governance structure Security Action Plan Security Risk Register (in preparation) Policies and procedures under development Security audits/ threat and risk assessments Business Continuity Plan Staff awareness
Aging Legacy IT Systems and Applications: Failure of aging legacy systems and applications, such as Case Management System (CMS), as evidenced by system downtime or failure, flexibility of systems to handle new requirements or integrate with newer products, lack of ability of SCC staff to address technical issues and to interface systems and data, and systems becoming obsolete and unmanageable if SCC waits too long to redesign and port to new platform.	Threat and risk assessments Back-up service provided by PWGSC In-house expertise available to support CMS and operational systems Access to experts to repair equipment Investment Plan (capital replacement) Business Continuity Planning Ongoing maintenance of systems and equipment/ systematic checks
Infrastructure Failure within Building: 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.	Working with Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) to begin a major building rehabilitation project PWGSC space / accommodation audits Business Continuity Plan

 

Planning Summary

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
29.8	30.2	30.5

Human Resources (FTEs)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
214	214	214

 

Strategic Outcome: The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal is effective and independent

Performance Indicators	Targets
Level of satisfaction among judges regarding quality of service	Target “satisfied” level
Level of satisfaction among lawyers regarding quality of service	Target “satisfied” level

Planning Summary Table
($ millions)

Program Activity	Forecast Spending 2011-12	Planned Spending			Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
		2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Court Operations	15.6	15.8	15.8	15.8	Strong and independent democratic institutions
Process payment of various allowances to Judges of the Supreme Court of Canada pursuant to the Judges Act	5.7	5.7	6.1	6.4	Strong and independent democratic institutions
Total Planned Spending		21.5	21.9	22.2

Planning Summary Table
($ millions)

Program Activity	Forecast Spending 2011-12	Planned Spending
		2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Internal Services	10.2	8.3	8.3	8.3
Total Planned Spending		8.3	8.3	8.3

Expenditure Profile

Departmental Spending Trend

[Diagram 3 - Text Version]

For 2012-13, the Office of the Registrar plans to spend $31.5 million to meet the expected results of its program activities and to contribute to its strategic outcome. The actual spending has varied slightly between 2008-09 and 2010-11, with higher spending noted in 2008-09 and 2010-11. The increase is due to a large retroactive salary settlement for a collective agreement, higher severance costs and general increases to overall personnel costs in 2010-11. The fiscal year 2008-09 marked the last year that the Supreme Court of Canada received additional funding for the modernization of its courtroom. The forecasts spending for 2011-12 show an increase due to higher amounts for immediate settlement of severance pay compared to previous years. The planned spending for the next three fiscal years is expected to remain close to the Office of the Registrar reference levels.

Estimates by Vote

For information on the office of the Registrar’s vote and/or statutory expenditures, please see the 2012–13 Main Estimates publication.

• Previous Page
• Table of Contents
• Next Page