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2009-10
Report on Plans and Priorities

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Supplementary Information (Tables)

Table of Contents

• Details on Transfer Payments Programs
• Green Procurement
• Sustainable Development Strategy
• Internal Audits
• Evaluations
• Sources of Respendable and Non-respendable Revenue
• Status Report on Major Crown Projects

Details of Transfer Payment Programs

Note 1. Includes Main Estimates plus Supplementary Estimates.

Explanation of change: Planned spending increases in 2010–2011, compared to the previous year, due to the deferral of settlement funding from 2009–2010 to future years and due to additional funding for the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration.

Three-Year Plan for Transfer Payment Programs:

As per the Policy on Transfer Payments, CIC is required each year to provide a three-year plan for its Transfer Payment Programs. A summary of this plan is available at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/tpp/index.asp.

Green Procurement

Sustainable Development Strategy

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) tabled its current Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) in Parliament on December 13, 2006. Based on lessons learned from previous strategies, and on recommendations made by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, this strategy focuses efforts on fewer and more concrete commitments that will allow CIC to rethink how it approaches sustainable development (SD) and lay a strong foundation on which to build future strategies.

The main challenge for the Department is to establish clear links between its ongoing core activities and its sustainable development objectives. A review of the sustainable development program undertaken in 2008–2009 highlighted the need for CIC to develop management and analytical tools to assist employees and senior management in identifying sustainability issues inherent to the departmental mandate, and establish clear guidelines on how to deal with these issues.

The four key goals of CIC’s Sustainable Development Strategy are to:

1. Promote awareness of sustainable development principles and objectives among departmental staff, clients and stakeholders;
2. Strengthen federal governance and decision making to support sustainable development;
3. Contribute to building sustainable communities that enjoy a prosperous economy, a vibrant and equitable society, and a healthy environment for current and future generations; and
4. Minimize the negative environmental impacts of departmental operations.

The Department’s focus in its 2007–2010 SDS is on governance and capacity building. More specifically, in 2009–2010, CIC will:

• Continue implementing the communications plan developed during SDS III;
• Begin internal consultations to identify gaps in its sustainable development program, define clear departmental requirements, clarify roles and responsibilities, and strengthen its procedures;
• Continue working on the development of a training plan; and
• Review and update its guidelines.

Report on the progress of the SDS is found in CIC’s annual Departmental Performance Report.

Internal Audits

The mission, vision and values described in Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) Internal Audit Charter, together with the Treasury Board internal audit policy and directives, provide the fundamental framework for the audit planning process at CIC. CIC’s audit strategy is outlined in its risk-based audit plan, which forms the basis for audit activities within the Department.

Audits that are currently under way or planned for 2009–2010 include the following:

Electronic Link to Internal Audit and Evaluation Plan: www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/menu-audit-eval.asp

Evaluations

Citizenship and Immigration Canada maintains an effective evaluation function to provide the Department with objective, timely and evidence-based information and conclusions on the results of programs, policies and initiatives, including conducting evaluations of the main grants and contributions programs.

Electronic link to evaluation plan: www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/evaluation/index.asp

Sources of Non-respendable Revenue
($ millions)

Status Report on Major Crown Projects

Global Case Management System

Description:

The Global Case Management System (GCMS) is a multi-year program that will replace several aging, archaic and incompatible core business systems of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The GCMS is an essential secure technology platform upon which to build a modern, global, integrated, information-based solution that will strengthen program integrity, improve efficiency and enhance client service delivery.

The GCMS will establish the next-generation business operational environment, and improve flexibility to adapt to future legislative and major program initiatives (such as biometrics). The GCMS will also facilitate communications and data sharing with the CBSA and with our other partners for the purposes of administrating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

Project Phase:

Building on the success of the first deployment of the GCMS in 2004 (the Citizenship Release), strategies for completing the projects were re-evaluated and a revised go-forward plan was prepared that reduces risk and delivers considerable business value. The GCMS is currently in the development phase for the second release, which will be oriented towards the immigration business line.

Progress Report and Explanation of Variances

• The GCMS has faced its share of challenges, adding to the cost and time needed to complete the project:
  • an overly ambitious scope at the beginning of the project;
  • a change of government direction to commercial off-the-shelf software;
  • a need to respond to increased security risks post-9/11 while respecting privacy;
  • new legislation (IRPA), representing a major change in the administration of the immigration system;
  • the introduction of the Permanent Resident Card; and
  • a significant change in responsibility with the creation of the CBSA in 2003.
• Preliminary Project Approval was obtained from Treasury Board on March 1, 2001, with a planned cost of $194.8 million (excluding GST).
• An EPA was obtained from Treasury Board on January 31, 2002, with a planned cost of $194.8 million (excluding GST) and a completion date of March 31, 2005.
• On October 9, 2003, Treasury Board increased the project spending authority from $194.8 to $202.6 million (excluding GST). The $7.8 million variance was approved to address the impact on activities and resources of the decision to use a commercial software package rather than develop one in-house. The lengthy competitive procurement and contracting process delayed the project by nine months and pushed back the overall project completion date to December 31, 2005.
• On September 29, 2005, Treasury Board approved a second increase in the amount of $40.2 million (excluding GST) over two additional fiscal years, bringing the total project spending authority to $242.8 million (excluding GST) and extending the project to 2007–2008. This increment was granted to cover costs associated with new requirements resulting from an increased focus on national security post-9/11 and the division of responsibility across two organizations for the administration of IRPA in December 2003, and to make the necessary adjustments to the system’s functionality based on lessons learned with the first deployment of the GCMS in September 2004.
• On February 8, 2007, a further increase of $48.1 million in spending authority was approved by Treasury Board to reflect the GST in project estimates, undertake an assessment of the project status and consider alternative options for completing the GCMS objectives. This brought the total authority to $290.9 million (including GST).
• Results of the project quality verification and options analysis indicated that the project scope and complexity must be reduced and focus placed on first delivering the business components of greatest value.
• On October 18, 2007, Treasury Board granted an extension of the project authority to March 31, 2008, to provide the time frame needed to advance business requirements to the level necessary to develop a reliable cost and schedule estimate for the recommended path forward. There was no cost increase with this approval.
• Forecasted expenditures up to March 31, 2008, indicate shortfalls in funding have been covered by CIC internally reallocating a total of $58.6 million and CBSA contributing $8.1 million for its share of the costs.
• An amended EPA submission of February 2008, providing a substantive plan to complete the project, was deferred pending a broader review of major Crown projects. To allow time for the process to unfold, project authority was extended beyond March 31, 2008, within the previously approved level.
• On July 29, 2008, Treasury Board met to discuss the GCMS. Approval was granted through an addendum in August 2008 for an extension of the project authority to March 31, 2011, and an increase of the total authority to $387 million (including GST). Consistent with recommendations from independent reviews conducted between December 2006 and December 2007, the project will be completed with a reduced scope focusing on systems used by operations overseas.

Temporary Residents Biometrics Project

Description:

CIC and the CBSA are jointly responsible for the delivery of Canada’s immigration program. In accordance with IRPA, CIC and the CBSA work together to manage the movement of clients across and within Canada’s borders. Under the Customs Act, all people and goods entering Canada must report to the CBSA at a port of entry (POE). Among the issues addressed by the CBSA are illegal migration, preventing the admission into Canada of persons involved in war crimes or crimes against humanity, and detention and removal from Canada of inadmissible persons.

Today, the use of biometrics is expanding rapidly given its unique approach and its potential to identify an individual reliably. The introduction of biometric technology into the temporary resident stream screening process will enhance the screening of applicants in the temporary program, thereby fixing the client’s identity at the time of visa application and study or work permit application, and allowing verification of that identity when the individual seeks entry at the border. As a result, the Government of Canada will better ensure the safety and security of Canadian society and reduce abuse of the immigration system by limiting opportunities for persons with Canadian criminal or deportation histories to use alternate identities to return to Canada. The project will also facilitate the processing of legitimate temporary workers, students and visitors. Many other countries, including such key migration countries as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia have either recently implemented or are planning to implement similar projects.

Project Phase:

The Temporary Residents Biometrics Project is currently in the initiation phase. Final Treasury Board submission documents are being submitted in early 2009 for Preliminary Project Approval.

The planning phase will define the solution, and the approaches and plans for implementing it. A critical first step is the clear definition of a set of comprehensive business and supporting infrastructure requirements agreed to by all partners. Requirements will then be used to define the business solution and how it will work (functional design), how technology will enable the solution (technical design), and how all the pieces fit and work together (supporting architectures).

Substantive plans and strategies for completing the project and managing the business change will be developed, culminating in a submission to obtain Effective Project Approval.

Leading and Participating Departments and Agencies

In late 2007, CIC sought policy approval for the introduction of biometrics into the Temporary Resident Program, and funding to support this initiative was included in Budget 2008. Following the budget announcement, a Biometrics Project Office was established in CIC as the lead organization for managing this investment. The project will be developed and implemented with the active participation of three primary federal government departments and agencies: CIC, CBSA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Progress Report and Explanations of Variances

Funding was included in Budget 2008 to enhance and strengthen identity management within the Temporary Resident Program, allowing overseas visa officers and border service officers at POEs to make decisions based on accurate identity and immigration admissibility information, and permitting border service officers to verify applicants’ identity at Canada’s POEs.

The project is currently working with a tight budget allocation and is proceeding as planned and on budget.

Industrial Benefits

This major Crown project does not directly benefit Canadian industry; it is a project to improve the safety of Canadian citizens. Immigration and the granting of Canadian citizenship are vital to the continued growth and prosperity of Canada. To support the Government of Canada outcomes of strong economic growth and a safe and secure world, a balance between the desire to welcome newcomers to Canada and the obligation to protect the health, safety and security of Canadian society must be maintained. Criminals, terrorists and other known inadmissible persons must not be allowed to enter or stay in Canada.