ARCHIVED - Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada - Report

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Section II — Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

The following section describes the program activities of the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying (OCL) and identifies expected results, performance indicators and targets. This section also explains how the OCL plans to meet its expected results and presents the financial and non-financial resources that will be dedicated to each program activity.

This section contains a discussion of plans surrounding the following program activities:

• Registration of Lobbyists;
• Education and Research;
• Reviews and Investigations under the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct; and
• Internal Services.

Program Activity: Registration of Lobbyists

Program Activity Description: The Lobbying Act recognizes that lobbying the federal government is a legitimate activity, but it must be done transparently. The Lobbyists Registration System (LRS) maintained by the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying (OCL) allows individuals who are paid to lobby public office holders to disclose their lobbying activities. The OCL reviews all lobbyists' registrations for completeness and makes them accessible to the public through an online registry, thereby ensuring transparency of lobbying activities. The performance of this program activity is measured by specific indicators, such as the percentage of registrations that are processed within established service standards.

The OCL devotes considerable efforts to ensuring the integrity of the LRS through a robust quality assurance program. The OCL is now focusing on ensuring that the Registry search and reporting functions meet the needs of users. The OCL understands that collecting information from lobbyists is important and one of the key components that contributes to transparency. Making lobbying information available in ways that makes sense to Canadians is equally important. To that end, improvements to the Registry search and reporting functions will be implemented in 2012-13.

Financial Resources ($ thousands)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
1,126	1,126	1,126

Human Resources (Full-Time Equivalent — FTE)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
6	6	6

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
Lobbyists can register in accordance with the requirements of the Lobbying Act.	Percentage of registrations that are processed within three business days.	100% of registrations received are processed within three business days.
Canadians have access to information about lobbyists and lobbying activities.	Percentage of time the Registry of Lobbyists is available to Canadians	The Registry of Lobbyists is available to the public 95-98% of the time.

Planning Highlights: In order to achieve the expected results, the OCL plans to undertake the following activity:

• Complete improvements to the search functions in the Lobbyists Registration System.

Program Activity: Education and Research

Program Activity Description: The Lobbying Act provides the Commissioner of Lobbying with a mandate to develop and implement educational programs to ensure that lobbying activities at the federal level are conducted in an ethical and transparent manner, in compliance with the requirements of the Act.

The Education and Research Program Activity includes the development and implementation of an outreach strategy to educate lobbyists, their clients, public office holders and the public about registration requirements under the Lobbying Act.

Financial Resources ($ thousands)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
950	950	950

Human Resources (Full-Time Equivalent — FTE)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
7	7	7

Expected Result	Performance Indicator	Target
Lobbyists, their clients, public office holders and the public are aware of the requirements of the Lobbying Act.	Awareness of the Act on the part of lobbyists, their clients, public office holders and the public is medium to high.	80% say that their awareness is medium to high.

Planning Highlights: In order to achieve the expected result, the OCL plans to undertake the following activities:

• Clarify roles and procedures in order to manage public education and outreach activities more effectively and efficiently.
• Develop and implement long-term strategic plans for education and outreach activities, including the criteria for the identification of target audiences.

Program Activity: Reviews and Investigations under the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct

Program Activity Description: This program activity includes a range of activities to ensure compliance with the Lobbying Act (the Act) and the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct (the Code), such as monitoring of lobbying activities reported in the media, validation of selected monthly communication returns, review of applications for exemption from the five-year prohibition on lobbying, and investigations of allegations of non-compliance with the Act or the Code. Reports are submitted to the Commissioner to recommend appropriate compliance measures.

Financial Resources ($ thousands)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
1,026	1,026	1,026

Human Resources (Full-Time Equivalent — FTE)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
9	9	9

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
Suspected, alleged or known breaches of the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct are reviewed or investigated and appropriate measures taken to ensure compliance.	Percentage of suspected, alleged or known breaches of the Act or Code that are subject to review or investigation.	100% of suspected, alleged, or known breaches are subject to review or investigation.
Exemptions from the five-year prohibition are granted or denied in a manner consistent with the purposes of the Lobbying Act.	Percentage of exemption reviews completed to the point of the letter of intent within 60 days.	100% of exemption reviews are completed to the point of the letter of intent within 60 days.

Planning Highlights: In order to achieve the expected results, the OCL plans to undertake the following activities:

• Develop and implement a systematic approach to reviews and investigations, including priority-setting and timelines for completion with a view to anticipating tabling of Reports to Parliament.
• Improve the information technology infrastructure to support the planning and management of the Directorate's caseload and the protection of files.

Program Activity: Internal Services

Program Activity Description: Internal Services are activities that support programs and corporate obligations of the organization. They include activities such as: Management and Oversight Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management; and Information Technology Services. Internal Services include only activities and resources that apply across the organization and not to those provided specifically to a program activity.

Given the mandate of the OCL to develop and implement educational programs to foster public awareness of the requirements of the Lobbying Act, Communications Services are not included in Internal Services, but rather form part of the Education and Research Program Activity.

Financial Resources ($ thousands)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
1,619	1,526	1,526

Human Resources (Full-Time Equivalent — FTE)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
6	6	6

Planning Highlights: The OCL will continue to strengthen its management accountability framework, including planning and reporting instruments such as Performance Measurement Framework, Corporate Risk Profile, Integrated Business and Human Resources Plan, and Information Management/Information Technology Strategic Plan. In addition, the OCL will continue the implementation of its Multi-year Internal Audit Plan and make progress with the establishment of an evaluation function, including initiating the first OCL program evaluation. Finally, the OCL will undertake necessary preparations for the first audit of the OCL's financial statements by the Office of the Auditor General.

In order to achieve the expected results, the OCL plans to undertake the following activity:

• Complete the internal audit of the LRS to ensure its data integrity, dependability and responsiveness to user requirements.

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