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Section I: Overview

Message from the Chairperson

I am pleased to present the 2008-2009 Report on Plans and Priorities for the Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal ("CAPPRT" or "the Tribunal"). This report outlines the Tribunal's intended direction for the next three years.

The Tribunal is firmly committed to the development and maintenance of constructive professional relations between artists and producers, and to the economic and social well-being of its client community. As one of more than twenty federal organizations supporting a vibrant Canadian culture, the Tribunal is an important part of a complex whole, making a critical contribution to long-term progress for the cultural sector.

The Tribunal's principal responsibility is to adjudicate matters brought before it under the Status of the Artist Act. The Tribunal will continue to provide fair and timely resolution of these matters, and continue to develop a solid body of precedents and case law that can be used to help resolve future cases.

In addition, the Tribunal plays an informative role, promoting increased collaboration between artists, artists associations and producers, increasing their understanding of their rights and obligations under the Act, and supporting the collective bargaining process by providing impartial, timely information. In this respect, we will continue to emphasize the value of mediation to help parties reach scale agreements, manage their relationships under scale agreements, and resolve complaints without the need for formal hearings.

Ultimately, the work of the Tribunal contributes to harmonious professional relations in the cultural sector, which in turn contributes to better conditions of engagement for artists and a more stable, predictable workforce for producers.

In 2008-2009, the Tribunal will continue to focus its efforts on informing artists and producers about the Status of the Artist Act, in order to permit them to fully exercise their rights and fulfil their responsibilities under the Act. We will maintain close contact and open communication with our clients, stakeholders and partners to ensure the relevance of our services and activities.

The Tribunal will continue to assist the parties in the negotiation process under the Status of the Artist Act, ensuring that they have ready access to information and mediation assistance when they need it. It will provide a high quality of service in dealing with adjudicative matters within its statutory responsibilities. These include complaints of unfair labour practices and other matters brought forward by artists, artists' associations, producers, and labour arbitrators, determination of sectors of cultural activity suitable for collective bargaining, and certification of artists' associations to represent self-employed artists working in these sectors.

Integrity, timeliness, confidentiality and impartiality are among the values that guide the ongoing activities of the Tribunal. The Tribunal members and staff will make every effort in the year ahead to promote harmonious professional relations in the cultural sector. I look forward to leading the Tribunal in this endeavour.

Management Representation Statement

I submit for tabling in Parliament, the 2008-2009 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) for the Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide to the Preparation of Part III of the 2008-09 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports:

  • It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat guidance;
  • It is based on the department's strategic outcome and program activity architecture that were approved by the Treasury Board;
  • It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and reliable information;
  • It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
  • It reports finances based on approved planned spending numbers from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Peter Annis
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer
February 1, 2008

Raison d'être

Parliament created the Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal to administer Part II of the Status of the Artist Act, which sets out a structure for professional relations between self-employed artists and producers in federal jurisdiction. The Tribunal defines sectors of artistic activity for collective bargaining, certifies artists' associations to represent self-employed artists working in those sectors, and deals with complaints of unfair labour practices from artists, artists' associations and producers.

Organizational Information

The Tribunal reports to Parliament through the Minister of Labour.

The Tribunal is normally composed of a Chairperson, a Vice-chairperson, and two to four other full-time or part-time members. It is currently composed of a Chairperson, a Vice-chairperson, and two other members. Members are appointed by the Governor in Council. All four current members are part-time appointees.

The Tribunal has a straightforward organizational structure and carries out its mandate with a minimum of staff. The part-time Chairperson is the chief executive officer of the Tribunal, while the Executive Director and General Counsel, who reports to the Chairperson, is responsible for the daily management of staff and operations. Eight staff members, at present, carry out the functions of legal counsel, registrar, planning, research, communications, and administrative services. Staff members are multi-skilled and take on a wide variety of tasks as required. The Tribunal outsources some corporate services that are not required on a full time basis. For example, it contracts with Canadian Heritage for human resources services, and with Industry Canada for informatics, security, and mail services. It has arrangements with the other two federal labour boards to use their hearing rooms and library services.

Figure 2 illustrates the Tribunal's organizational structure.

Program Activity Architecture (PAA) Crosswalk

The Tribunal's single strategic outcome is that the rights of artists and producers under Part II of the Status of the Artist Act are protected and respected. In its single program activity, the Certification, Complaints and Determination Program, the Tribunal deals with applications and complaints from artists, artists' associations or producers.

The Tribunal's strategic outcome was previously expressed as "constructive professional relations between artists and producers in CAPPRT's jurisdiction." While this is an objective of the Status of the Artist Act, its accomplishment is not within the control of the Tribunal. Accordingly, the strategic outcome and program activites were redefined in May, 2007, in consultation with the Treasury Board Secretariat. The new statement of strategic outcome reflects, more appropriately, what the Tribunal can accomplish through its own efforts.

Program activities were previously divided between processing of cases and corporate services. The change to a single program activity, the Certification, Complaints and Determination Program, reflects the inseparability of the Tribunal's corporate, research and communications activities from the specific and unique role that the Tribunal is assigned under the Act.


2008-09
Program ($ millions)
Old Program Activity 1: Processing of cases $1.2
Old Program Activity 2: Corporate services $0.7
New Program Activity: Certification, Complaints and Determination Program $1.9


Voted and Statutory Items displayed in the Main Estimates
Vote or Statutory Item Truncated Vote or Statutory Wording 2008-09 Main Estimates ($ millions) 2007-08 Main Estimates ($ millions)
20 Program expenditures 1.806 1.770
(S) Contributions to employee benefit plans 0.167 0.170
  Total Agency 1.973 1.940

Departmental Planned Spending Table and Full-Time Equivalents


  Forecast Spending 2007-08 ($ millions) Planned Spending 2008-09 ($ millions) Planned Spending 2009-10 ($ millions) Planned Spending 2010-11 ($ millions)
Certification, Determination and Complaints Program 1.940 1.973 1.973 1.973
Budgetary Main Estimates (gross)        
Non-budgetary Main Estimates (gross)        
Less: Respendable revenue        
Total Main Estimates 1.940 1.973 1.973 1.973
Adjustments        
Procurement Savings        
Certification, Determination and Complaints Program        
Supplementary Estimates        
Budget Announcement        
Other — lapse in operating expenditures -0.550      
Treasury Board Vote 15        
Employee Benefit Plan (EBP) -0.045      
Total Adjustments -0.595      
Total Planned Spending 1.345 1.973 1.973 1.973
Less: Non-respendable revenue        
Plus: Cost of services received without charge 0.401 0.401 0.401 0.401
Total Departmental Spending 1.746 2.374 2.374 2.374
Full-time Equivalents 10 10 10 10

The Tribunal's spending is expected to stay relatively stable, as its plans and priorities are stable over the next three years and involve no major new initiatives. This reflects the strict quasi-judicial adjudicative mandate of the Tribunal, as set out in the Status of the Artist Act.

Summary Information


Financial Resources ($ millions)
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011
1.9 1.9 1.9


Human Resources (full-time equivalents)
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011
10 10 10


Tribunal Priorities
Name Type
1. Deal with matters brought before Tribunal with high quality service Ongoing
2. Fully inform and assist clients Ongoing
3. Improve management practices Ongoing


Strategic Outcome: the rights of artists and producers under Part II of the Status of the Artist Act are protected and respected
  Expected Results Planned Spending ($ millions) Contributes to the following priority
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011
Program activity: 1. Certification, Complaints and Determination Program High quality service, with clients fully informed and assisted 1.9 1.9 1.9 Priorities 1 & 2

Departmental Plans and Priorities

The Tribunal's single strategic outcome is served by its single program activity, the Certification, Complaints and Determination Program. This program deals with applications for certification, review, determination, consent to prosecute, and revocation of certification, and with complaints of unfair practices, brought forward by artists, artists' associations or producers under Part II of the Status of the Artist Act.

As part of this program and in support of its adjudicative function, the Tribunal will continue to focus efforts on informing artists and producers about the Status of the Artist Act, in order to permit them to fully exercise their rights and fulfil their responsibilities under the Act.

The Tribunal will assist the parties in the bargaining process under the Status of the Artist Act, ensuring that they are fully informed and can take advantage of all the elements of the collective bargaining structure set up under the Act. The Tribunal will provide ready access to information and mediation assistance when parties need it. It will provide a high quality of service in dealing with adjudicative matters within its statutory responsibilities, including complaints of unfair labour practices and other matters brought forward by artists, artists' associations, producers, and labour arbitrators, determination of sectors of cultural activity suitable for collective bargaining, and certification of artists' associations to represent self-employed artists working in these sectors.

The Tribunal will continue to improve its management practices, focusing on implementing the Public Service Modernization Act and the various initiatives of Treasury Board and other central agencies.

By encouraging and facilitating constructive professional relations between artists and producers, the Tribunal's work contributes to a vibrant Canadian culture and heritage.