2018-19 Departmental Results Report
The Departmental Results Report provides an account of the Commission’s achieved results against planned performance expectations as set out in the Report on Plans and Priorities.
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Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
ISSN: 2561-1240
Table of contents
- Chief Commissioner’s message
- Results at a glance
- Results: what we achieved
- Analysis of trends in spending and human resources
- Supplementary information
- Appendix: definitions
Chief Commissioner’s message
Once more, another year has passed at the Canadian Human Rights Commission in which the guiding principle “putting people before process” remained at the centre of our work. Meeting the needs of people asking for our help underpinned our entire approach to further improving our complaints system in 2018–19, and making our services more accessible for those who believe they have been discriminated against. Our new online complaint platform now uses simpler language and offers guidance to make it easier for people across Canada to access human rights justice. Together with internal changes and initiatives, we have been able to simplify our process, reduce the time it takes to handle a complaint, and identify priority cases.
As a result, more people in Canada were able to use the human rights system to speak out about discrimination in 2018–19 than ever before. During the year, over 25,000 people contacted the Commission for human rights related matters. The Commission was able to help the majority of these people find help, find answers, or find a solution without filing a formal complaint. In addition, the Commission accepted a record number of complaints in ten years, about half of which were systemic in nature and affected many people. This shows that more people have the courage to speak out against discrimination, and find it easier to ask the Commission for help.
We also continued to be a national voice for equality in Canada. We joined the rest of the world in celebrating 70 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and saw the anniversary as a reminder of how far Canada still has to go to achieve full equality, dignity and respect for every person. Toward that end, over the past year, we worked with people in vulnerable circumstances, human rights advocates, community representatives, Parliamentarians and youth advocates to raise awareness and call for action on the pressing human rights issues that continue to affect people’s daily lives in Canada.
The growing issue of hate and intolerance in Canada continues to be a priority and guides our engagement and advocacy work this year. Canada’s human rights protections do well in addressing discrimination, but they do little to address hate. That is why we repeated our call for a government-led comprehensive study to better understand hate in the 21st century and how to fight it. In addition, we engaged with a variety of stakeholders to discuss and push for progress to combat hate in Canada.
The Commission also worked closely with Parliamentarians to ensure a human rights lens was applied to the various proactive federal legislation recently introduced that addresses important issues such as accessibility, pay equity, sexual harassment, and the right to adequate housing.
One of the Commission’s mandates is to audit federally regulated workplaces to make sure they are meeting their roles and responsibilities under the Employment Equity Act. It has been over 20 years since the Act was first adopted, yet we are still seeing persistent gaps and systemic barriers that hinder equal representation of the four designated groups. This year, the Commission added new tools to our auditing toolbox — with the goal of better understanding why women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of racialized groups still face barriers to opportunity in federally regulated workplaces. We launched the first horizontal audit in 2018 to look at Indigenous representation in the banking and financial sector — an area the Commission identified as facing a persistent lack of progress.
The Commission needs a modern, sustainable and adaptable system that allows people in Canada to access human rights justice through multiple access points and that allows Commission employees to work more effectively. In 2018–19, we began developing the prototype for a new case management platform that will help us better serve the people who file discrimination complaints with us. We also renewed and consolidated 90% of our outdated physical IT infrastructure and performed crucial security upgrades, which have resulted in a more effective use of our resources.
As the Commission continues to evolve and adapt in order to better face the important challenges taking place in our human rights work, our people-focused approach remains at the heart of everything we do. I am very proud of the entire Commission team and our collective accomplishments this year.
Thanks to the ongoing dedication of every person at the Commission, along with the human rights champions we work with throughout the year, we can continue to speak out so that every person in Canada is treated fairly.
Marie-Claude Landry, Ad. E.
Chief Commissioner
Results at a glance
Throughout the past year, the Commission continued to evolve and adapt in order to face the important challenges affecting our human rights work. One such challenge is the issue of how to manage our complaints caseload efficiently to improve access to justice for the people we serve. A key priority in 2018–19 was to address the increasing number of complaints and resulting backlog at several points along the complaint process. We undertook a significant transition initiative that included moving various human resources under one organizational structure to better support the complaints function, reduce duplication and improve efficiency.
The Commission tested a number of initiatives in 2018–19, all aimed at simplifying our processes and accelerating our processing times. These initiatives included a project to communicate in a more timely way with complainants, developing different models to accelerate decision-making on preliminary issues, and a new complaint assessment model. Taken together, these initiatives contributed overall to a simpler and faster complaint process.
The Commission implemented a new approach to better identify urgent cases that require priority treatment based on the vulnerable circumstances of the complainant or the systemic nature of the complaint. This approach helped the Commission: maximize the effectiveness of our complaints process; advance human rights and the public interest; identify priority complaints as early as possible; and ensure these priority complaints receive the appropriate legal, policy, and operational support that they need.
We continued to be a national voice for human rights in Canada. Throughout 2018–19 and through various public platforms, we shared our expertise to help promote equality and inclusion, to raise awareness, and to encourage national discussion of current and emerging human rights issues. In addition, through a number of committee appearances and written submissions to both the House of Commons and the Senate, we provided advice to Parliament on various legislative initiatives introduced by the Government in 2018–19.
The Commission continued its work in modernizing the way we support members of the four designated groups under the Employment Equity Act and employers seeking advice on employment equity issues by testing a new horizontal audit model. The Commission launched a horizontal audit pilot on Indigenous employment in the banking and financial sector, with an industry-wide summary report to be published in 2019–20.
For more information on the Commission’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: what we achieved” section of this report.
Results: what we achieved
Core Responsibilities
Engagement and Advocacy
Description
Provide a national credible voice for equality in Canada - my Canada includes everyone; promote broadly human rights in Canada by raising public awareness of human rights issues; and engage civil society, governments, employers and the public in dialogue and action to affect human rights change.
Results
The Commission worked throughout the past year to promote equality and inclusion by raising awareness, encouraging dialogue, engaging with civil society, providing advice to lawmakers on pressing and emerging issues and reporting on Canada’s human rights progress.
We continued to be a national voice for human rights in Canada. We did this by building our policy expertise and by using public platforms to promote equality and inclusion, to raise awareness, and to encourage national discussion of current and emerging human rights issues in Canada. Through public statements, speaking engagements, policy guidance, shadow reports, public editorials, video campaigns, social media channels, panel discussions, media interviews, and various stakeholder meetings and conferences, we reached a number of audiences from Indigenous organizations, civil society and Canadian employers, to youth advocates, the national media and engaged citizens.
Throughout the year, we met with partner organizations and human rights stakeholders, including international dignitaries, to share knowledge and explore avenues of mutual collaboration toward the shared goal of protecting the rights of persons living in vulnerable circumstances in Canada.
We provided frequent advice to Parliament on the numerous proactive legislative initiatives that the Government introduced in 2018–19. We provided this advice through a number of committee appearances and written submissions requested by both the House of Commons and the Senate. We developed our expert advice in close collaboration with stakeholder groups and persons with lived-experience, and we consistently applied a human rights lens across all our legislative input.
Throughout the year, we worked to ensure that the first of our two priority issues — combatting hate and intolerance in Canada — was on the national agenda. We did this by turning our policy analysis and research into several news releases, public statements, and opinion pieces that we issued throughout the year, and by publicly denouncing hateful acts. We also appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights to call for a government-led comprehensive study and government-led comprehensive strategy on this issue. We reiterated this call in our public discourse and speaking engagements, including in our videos, on our social media platforms and in our Annual Report to Parliament. To further support this priority issue, we partnered with Public Safety Canada and the Public Policy Forum to host a roundtable on Policy Approaches to Harmful Content Online and publish a resulting study.
Our second priority issue — the improvement of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for people in vulnerable circumstances in Canada — was also at the centre of much of our engagement and advocacy work in 2018–19. We advocated for the adoption of several pieces of legislation that have the potential to expand protections in areas of economic and social rights, including accessibility, workplace harassment, pay equity, and the right to adequate housing. In addition, as previously mentioned, we provided Parliament with human rights expertise on each of these initiatives.
In our international engagement and advocacy work, as a national human rights institution, we held the government to account on its international human rights obligations and monitored how well Canada is abiding by international human rights treaties. We participated in two (2) reviews of Canada by United Nations mechanisms: the Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council, and Canada’s seventh Periodic Review before the Committee Against Torture.
also as part of our role in ensuring Canada is upholding its international human rights obligations, the Commission produced and published an equality rights research report entitled Roadblocks on the career path: Challenges faced by persons with disabilities in employment. The objective of this report was to monitor Canada’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as better understand the experiences of discrimination in employment by persons with disabilities across Canada by bringing together data on human rights-related complaints across human rights jurisdictions.
Results achieved
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2018–19 Actual results | 2017–18 Actual results | 2016–17 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full compliance with the Paris Principles | Maintain A-status accreditation as Canada’s national human rights institution | A-status | March 31, 2021 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| People in Canada are informed of their human rights and responsibilities | # of Canadians who have been informed about the CHRA and the EE | 1.2 million | March 31, 2019 | 1.8 million | 1.35 million | 2.26 million |
| Human Rights issues are part of public debate and the national agenda | # of coalitions/ partnerships with National Human Rights Institutions, the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies, government, Indigenous organizations and civil society | 3 | March 31, 2019 | 3 | 4 | n/a |
| # of shadow reports, Statement to UN Bodies and mechanisms, foreign delegation visits | 2 | March 31, 2019 | 10 | 2 | n/a | |
| # of Parliamentary appearances | 2 | March 31, 2019 | 7 | 5 | n/a |
Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
| 2018–19 Main Estimates | 2018–19 Planned spending | 2018–19 Total authorities available for use | 2018–19 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2018–19 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,863,294 | 4,863,294 | 4,032,821 | 3,891,880 | (971,414) |
Human resources (full-time equivalents)
| 2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents | 2018–19 Actual full-time equivalents | 2018–19 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 24 | (10) |
Canadian Human Rights Complaints
Description
Provide people in Canada with a mechanism to file human rights complaints and remedies to victims of discrimination; reduce instances of systemic discrimination; and represent the public interest in legal cases to advance human rights in Canada.
Results
Each year, the Commission helps thousands of people find the most efficient way to address their human rights concerns or find information about their rights. In 2018-19, the Commission continued to work on providing a simpler, more efficient and user-friendly complaints process that puts people first. We tailored our services to those who need our help, rather than asking them to adapt to the way we work. At the same time, we worked to reduce the accumulated caseload and cut the time it takes to process complaints, by exploring and testing new approaches and moving resources into complaints processing. We also reviewed our online complaints platform, specifically the online questionnaire, to better fulfill our role as a screening body.
Commission employees were encouraged to continually question and challenge existing processes and bring their ideas forward. These discussions resulted in a successful shift from our previous linear model of complaint assessment to a more holistic and flexible model that favours an individualized approach to each complaint. Under this new approach, we were able to find new efficiencies and process discrimination complaints much faster. Results show a 30% reduction in processing time in 95% of the cases in 2018–19.
We invested significant effort in improving the online complaint platform, which includes an online questionnaire, an online complaint form, as well as other supporting information to help people seek human rights justice. While more needs to be done, the quality of complaints received through the online platform has improved during the year. This means that more complaints received through the online complaint platform contain the information necessary for the Commission to move forward with the complaint.
In 2018–19, we directed inquiries and complaints received through our various electronic access points into a single mailbox. This initiative helped reduce duplication of efforts internally and improved our efficiency as a service provider. For example, during 2018–19, we reduced the number of files at the inquiry or intake stage from over 1,100 to under 300. In comparison to the last quarter of 2017, we reduced our front-end processing time by 77%, and reduced by 62% the time it takes our human rights officers to action a call after initial contact. In an effort to continue these improvements, we also began exploring the option of a Commission-wide digitization initiative.
During 2018–19, we refined and clarified our definitions for different categories of prioritized complaints, including specific criteria for priority complaints (urgent cases given the vulnerable circumstances of the complainant or the systemic nature of the complaint). As a result, the median time that it takes the Commission to refer prioritized complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal was nearly 45% faster than for other cases.
Each year for people across Canada, the Commission’s mediation services offers one of the fastest, easiest and most people-centric options for resolving a complaint. As the Commission received substantially more complaints in 2018–19, it also saw an increase in demand for its mediation services. In 2018–19, the Commission mediated 26% of all our complaints. Of those mediated complaints, 59% of them successfully reached settlements.
In 2018–19, the Commission also took concrete actions towards improving access to human rights justice for Canadians by identifying strategic areas for litigation. We continued to deal with many cases that address priority issues for the Commission, including: equity of services for Indigenous peoples living on First Nations reserves; human rights in the correctional system — including those in administrative segregation; gender identity or expression; and sexual harassment, particularly in male dominated environments.
As ever before, our dedicated team of human rights lawyers worked diligently to represent the Commission and the public interest at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and in courts, as well as to provide judicious legal advice to human rights officers, to policy advisors, to our writers and to our executive team and Commissioners.
Results achieved
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2018–19 Actual results | 2017–18 Actual results | 2016–17 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People in Canada including those in vulnerable circumstances have access to a human rights complaint system | % of complaints concluded by the Commission | 90% | March 31, 2019 | 94% | 94% | 97% |
| Human rights complaints are resolved consistent with private/public interest | Mediation settlement rate | 55% | March 31, 2019 | 59% | 65% | n/a |
| CHRC interventions influence law and support the advancement of human rights | # of cases representing public interest before CHRT and the Courts | 85 | March 31, 2019 | 209 | 139 | n/a |
Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
| 2018–19 Main Estimates | 2018–19 Planned spending | 2018–19 Total authorities available for use | 2018–19 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2018–19 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9,387,736 | 9,387,736 | 10,718,152 | 10,343,569 | 955,833 |
Human resources (full-time equivalents)
| 2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents | 2018–19 Actual full-time equivalents | 2018–19 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | 86 | 11 |
Employment Equity Audits
Description
Ensure employer's compliance with employment equity statutory requirements; encourage employers to identify barriers to employment and implement best practices to eliminate gaps in the representation of women, visible minority groups, Aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities.
Results
In 2018–19, the Commission made it a priority to modernize the way we serve and support federally regulated employers looking for guidance on how to comply with the requirements of the Employment Equity Act — specifically, how to better promote representation of women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities in their workplaces.
We tested a new audit model that focusses on systemic issues faced by designated group members. This new audit model includes a gender-based lens to better understand the situations and experiences of women across the other three designated groups. It also includes a diversity and leadership lens to promote a higher representation of all four designated groups in management roles. The goal of these issue-based audits is to increase the impact of employment equity audits by identifying barriers and best practices across sectors/industries. With those goals in mind, the Commission launched our first horizontal audit on Indigenous employment in the banking and financial sector.
The Commission developed an employment equity scorecard looking at how the banking and financial sector fares in terms of selected employment equity indicators such as workforce and salary distribution, representation rates, hiring rates, promotion rates and termination rates. The Commission will publish the scorecard in 2019–20 with up-to-date labour market data. Finally, the Commission began work on an annual Employment Equity Risk and Issue Based Forward Plan. The goal of this initiative is to publish the upcoming schedule of audits in order to encourage employers to act pro-actively towards equality in the workplace.
Results achieved
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2018–19 Actual results | 2017–18 Actual results | 2016–17 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employers meet their employment equity obligations | % of employers with more successful results, improving or in compliance when notified of an employment equity assessment | 80% | March 31, 2019 | 52% in 2016-19 | 62% in 2015-18 | 72.2% in 2014-17 |
| Employers foster a work environment that promotes equality of opportunity for members of the four designated groups | # of employment barriers identified as a result of an audit | 60 | March 31, 2019 | 242 | 251 | n/a |
Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
| 2018–19 Main Estimates | 2018–19 Planned spending | 2018–19 Total authorities available for use | 2018–19 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2018–19 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,164,257 | 1,164,257 | 1,244,108 | 1,200,628 | 36,371 |
Human resources (full-time equivalents)
| 2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents | 2018–19 Actual full-time equivalents | 2018–19 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 9 | (2) |
Internal Services
Description
Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:
- Acquisition Management Services
- Communications Services
- Financial Management Services
- Human Resources Management Services
- Information Management Services
- Information Technology Services
- Legal Services
- Materiel Management Services
- Management and Oversight Services
- Real Property Management Services
Results
In order to position itself for innovation and success, the Commission needs a modern, sustainable and adaptable system that allows people in Canada to access human rights justice through multiple access points, while also allowing Commission employees to work more effectively.
To this end, in 2018–19, the Commission renewed and consolidated 90% of its outdated physical IT infrastructure. As a result, the Commission has built a strong infrastructure that has led to a measurable reduction in IT support costs. The Commission began developing the prototype for the new case management platform, which will better support all of our current and future programs (including pay equity, accessibility and assistance to the Federal Housing Advocate). The Commission also developed a new line of business solutions (i.e., Secure Remote Access (SRA), wi-fi enabled workplace) in addition to launching a digitization pilot.
Furthermore, the Commission added new functionality to our online complaint platform to make it easier for the people we serve to file discrimination complaints. The Commission also began work on a multi-year process to renew our IT Security program by creating new governance structures, conducting threat and vulnerability assessments, and developing new IT Security processes related to incident and patch management. In addition, we implemented new IT Security technology that automates many IT Security operational tasks. This improves our IT Security posture, while at the same time allowing us to use of our resources more effectively.
Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
| 2018–19 Main Estimates | 2018–19 Planned spending | 2018–19 Total authorities available for use | 2018–19 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2018–19 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,052,576 | 7,052,576 | 7,540,291 | 7,276,769 | 224,193 |
Human resources (full-time equivalents)
| 2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents | 2018–19 Actual full-time equivalents | 2018–19 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 82 | 2 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
Analysis of trends in spending and human resources
Actual expenditures
Departmental Spending Graph - Text Version
| 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory | 2,446 | 2,412 | 2,437 | 2,777 | 2,777 | 2,777 |
| Voted | 19,235 | 20,495 | 20,276 | 19,382 | 19,382 | 19,382 |
| Total | 21,681 | 22,907 | 22,713 | 22,159 | 22,159 | 22,159 |
Increase in 2017–18 is mostly due to salary retro payments following the signature of new collective agreements.
In 2018–19, the Commission had a one-time amount from a re-profile created in 2016–17 for the collective bargaining payments.
Starting in 2019–20, spending is expected to remain stable. It should be noted that the amounts reflected in the graph for 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22 do not include funding received in June 2019 for two new mandates stemming from recent passing of the Pay Equity Act and the Accessible Canada Act: An Act to Ensure a Barrier-free Canada.
Budgetary performance summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)
| Core Responsibilities and Internal Services | 2018–19 Main Estimates | 2018–19 Planned spending | 2019–20 Planned spending | 2020–21 Planned spending | 2018–19 Total authorities available for use | 2018–19 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2017–18 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2016–17 Actual spending (authorities used) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement and advocacy | 4,863,294 | 4,863,294 | 4,196,250 | 3,996,979 | 4,032,821 | 3,891,880 | 4,710,337 | 4,914,031 |
| Human Rights Complaints | 9,387,736 | 9,387,736 | 10,562,497 | 10,152,200 | 10,718,152 | 10,343,569 | 9,035,218 | 8,595,072 |
| Employment Equity Audits | 1,164,257 | 1,164,257 | 1,328,017 | 1,284,610 | 1,244,108 | 1,200,628 | 1,152,418 | 1,185,009 |
| Subtotal | 15,415,287 | 15,415,287 | 16,086,764 | 15,433,789 | 15,995,081 | 15,436,077 | 14,897,973 | 14,694,112 |
| Internal Services | 7,052,576 | 7,052,576 | 7,072,383 | 6,725,358 | 7,540,291 | 7,276,769 | 8,009,322 | 6,986,458 |
| Total | 22,467,863 | 22,467,863 | 23,159,147 | 22,159,147 | 23,535,372 | 22,712,846 | 22,907,295 | 21,680,570 |
The actual spending of $22.7 million for 2018-19 is comparable to the actual spending of $22.9 million for 2017-18, a decrease of $194 thousand. Planned spending for 2019–20 and 2020–21 does not include additional authorities received through Budget 2019 to update the Commission's case management system and funding received in June 2019 for two new mandates stemming from recent passing of the Pay Equity Act and the Accessible Canada Act: An Act to Ensure a Barrier-free Canada.
2018–19 Budgetary actual gross spending summary (dollars)
| Core Responsibilities and Internal Services | 2018–19 Actual gross spending | 2018–19 Actual gross spending for specified purpose accounts | 2018–19 Actual revenues netted against expenditures | 2018–19 Actual net spending (authorities used) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement and advocacy | 3,891,880 | - | - | 3,891,880 |
| Human Rights Complaints | 10,343,569 | - | - | 10,343,569 |
| Employment Equity Audits | 1,200,628 | - | - | 1,200,628 |
| Subtotal | 15,436,077 | - | - | 15,436,077 |
| Internal Services | 9,001,782 | - | 1,725,013 | 7,276,769 |
| Total | 24,437,859 | - | 1,725,013 | 22,712,846 |
Actual human resources
Human resources summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (full time equivalents)
| Core Responsibilities and Internal Services | 2016–17 Actual full time equivalents | 2017–18 Actual full time equivalents | 2018–19 Planned full time equivalents | 2018–19 Actual full time equivalents | 2019–20 Planned full time equivalents | 2020–21 Planned full time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement and advocacy | 34 | 30 | 34 | 24 | 34 | 34 |
| Human Rights Complaints | 68 | 71 | 75 | 86 | 75 | 75 |
| Employment Equity Audits | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 |
| Subtotal | 113 | 111 | 120 | 119 | 120 | 120 |
| Internal Services | 67 | 69 | 80 | 82 | 80 | 80 |
| Total | 180 | 180 | 200 | 201 | 200 | 200 |
Planned full-time equivalents for 2019–20 and 2020–21 do not include additional full-time equivalents related to updating the Commission's case management system for which funding was received through Budget 2019; and to managing two new mandates stemming from recent passing of the Pay Equity Act and the Accessible Canada Act: An Act to Ensure a Barrier-free Canada for which funding was received in June 2019.
Expenditures by vote
For information on the Commission’s, organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2018–2019.
Government of Canada spending and activities
Information on the alignment of the Commission’s spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in the GC InfoBase.
Financial statements and financial statements highlights
Financial statements
The Commission’s financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2019, are available on the Commission’s website.
Financial statements highlights
Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2019 (dollars)
| Financial information | 2018–19 Planned results | 2018–19 Actual results | 2017–18 Actual results | Difference (2018–19 Actual results minus 2018–19 Planned results) | Difference (2018–19 Actual results minus 2017–18 Actual results) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 28,749,376 | 28,460,760 | 28,567,925 | (288,616) | (107,165) |
| Total revenues | 2,300,000 | 1,725,106 | 2,035,984 | (574,894) | (310,878) |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 26,449,376 | 26,735,654 | 26,531,941 | 286,278 | 203,713 |
The total Commission’s expenses of $28.5 million in 2018-19 consist of program expenses for the Commission as well as expenses for providing internal support services to other small government departments and agencies. The Commission’s revenues of $1.7 million in 2018-19 resulted from respendable revenues for providing these internal support services related to finance, human resources, acquisition, administration and information technology services.
The decrease of $107 thousand in total expenses in 2018-19 compared to 2017-18 is due to a combination of a decrease of expenses for internal support services provided offset in part by an increase of the Commission’s expenses. Overall, the Commission’s net cost of operations is consistent with the previous year.
This explanation also accounts for the increase of $286 thousand between the 2018-19 actual and planned net cost of operations before government funding and transfers.
Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of March 31, 2019 (dollars)
| Financial Information | 2018–19 | 2017–18 | Difference (2018–19 minus 2017–18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total net liabilities | 5,947,090 | 5,555,673 | 391,417 |
| Total net financial assets | 4,264,754 | 3,926,817 | 337,937 |
| Departmental net debt | 1,682,336 | 1,628,856 | 53,480 |
| Total non financial assets | 1,710,898 | 1,898,091 | (187,193) |
| Departmental net financial position | 28,562 | 269,235 | (240,673) |
Total liabilities of $5.9 million consists of accounts payable and accrued liabilities and employee related liabilities. The increase of $391 thousand is mainly attributable to salary related liabilities such as accrued salary, salary underpayments and vacation pay and compensatory leaves caused by pay system issues and salary increases to executives and Governor in Council appointees.
The total financial assets of $4.3 million consists of amounts due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which represents amounts that may be disbursed without further charges to the Commission’s authorities, and accounts receivable. The increase of $338 thousand is mainly attributable to the accrued salaries as discussed above.
The total non-financial assets of $1.7 million consists primarily of tangible capital assets. The decrease of $187 thousand is mainly attributable to an increase in annual depreciation offset by the acquisition of additional informatics hardware and leasehold improvements.
Supplementary information
Corporate information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister: The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P.
Institutional head: Marie-Claude Landry, Ad. E.
Ministerial portfolio: Justice
Enabling instrument: Canadian Human Rights Act , Employment Equity Act , Accessible Canada Act and Pay Equity Act
Year of incorporation / commencement: 1977
Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
Raison d’être
The Canadian Human Rights Commission was established in 1977 under Schedule I.1 of the Financial Administration Act in accordance with the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA). The Commission leads the administration of the CHRA and works with employers to ensure compliance with the Employment Equity Act (EEA). The CHRA prohibits discrimination and the EEA promotes equality in the workplace. Under the leadership of the Pay Equity Commissioner and the Accessibility Commissioner, the Commission is also responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Pay Equity Act (PEA) and the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). These laws apply the principles of equal opportunity and non-discrimination to federal government departments and agencies, Crown corporations, and federally-regulated private sector organizations. Finally, the Commission provides the Federal Housing Advocate with administrative services and facilities to support their duties and functions.
Mandate and role
As an independent body, the Commission promotes the core principle of equal opportunity and works to prevent discrimination. Ultimately, the Commission helps to ensure that everyone in Canada is treated fairly, no matter who they are. As Canada’s national institution, the Commission works closely with federally regulated employers and service providers, individuals, unions, and provincial, territorial and international human rights bodies to foster understanding of human rights and promote the development of human rights cultures.
The Commission provides people in Canada with a mechanism to file and resolve complaints under the Canadian Human Rights Act, Pay Equity Act, and Accessible Canada Act and it represents the public interest in achieving equality in Canada.
Through the conduct of compliance audits, it also ensures federally regulated organizations comply with the requirements set out in the Employment Equity Act, Pay Equity Act, and the Accessible Canada Act and hold those who do not comply accountable.
Operating context and key risks
| Risks | Risk response strategy and effectiveness | Link to department’s Core Responsibilities | Link to government wide priorities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustained increases in the complaint caseload may impact service delivery to Canadians |
|
Human Rights Complaints | Diversity is Canada’s strength |
| Without a strong alliance with key stakeholders, the Commission may not be able to expand its reach to ensure people living in vulnerable circumstances can find the support they need |
|
Engagement and Advocacy | Diversity is Canada’s strength |
| Risk that investments in projects to modernize Information Technology infrastructure do not deliver significant benefits |
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Internal Services | Diversity is Canada’s strength |
Actions taken to mitigate risks
1. Risk related to caseload increase
The volume of human rights complaints the Commission receives depends on both external and internal factors. The Commission monitored social trends, government direction and changes in legislation to understand the impact they may have on the Commission. The introduction of two new grounds of discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Act, gender identity or expression and genetic discrimination, access to an electronic complaint form and Budget 2018 – Equality and Growth that raised awareness on issues of equality, all had an impact on the number of complaints received.
Significant increases in the inquiries and complaints received created a large accumulation of cases at intake. To address increasing caseloads, the Commission undertook a significant transition initiative that included streamlining our various access points down to a single point of entry for people in Canada who need help accessing human rights information or our complaint process. We also moved various human resources under one organizational structure to better support the complaints function, reduce duplication and improve efficiency. Ultimately, and to ensure better access to justice, those ongoing efforts are important to reduce and prevent the accumulation of cases.
2. Risk related to Stakeholder Participation
The Commission continued building alliances with key stakeholders to be able to expand its reach to ensure people living in vulnerable circumstances can find the support they need. This approach worked well by leveraging resources. Those alliances with key partners remain crucial toward the shared goal of protecting human rights in Canada.
3. Risk related to Information Technology
The Commission has strengthened its IT governance to ensure investments in technology are aligned and managed appropriately. The Commission renewed and consolidated 90% of its outdated physical IT infrastructure; resulting in a robust IT infrastructure and a measurable reduction in IT support costs. As a result, the IT infrastructure can also better support program delivery for the people we serve.
Reporting Framework
The Commission’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2018–19 are shown below.
Reporting Framework - Text Version
This diagram represents the Departmental Results Framework. It reflects the Commission's core responsibilities, the expected results for each program and the indicators used to assess progress.
The left column (in blue), depicts the first responsibility of the Commission known as engagement and advocacy. This responsibility includes a number of activities to promote human rights and raise public awareness about human rights across the country. While being a national voice for human rights, and through its promotion program, the Commission engages in partnerships with various stakeholders to bring about human rights change.
The middle column (in green), presents another key responsibility of the Commission which is to provide people with a mechanism to file human rights complaints. To resolve complaints, the Commission can offer mediation services or refer cases before the human rights tribunal. Those services, that fall under the protection program of the Commission can facilitate access to justice for people facing discrimination.
Finally, the right column (in pink) covers the last responsibility of the Commission which is to audit employers to ensure that they meet their employment equity obligations. Through the audit program, and as required by the law, employers are expected to identify employment barriers and take measures to eliminate representation gaps for the designated groups namely, women, visible minority groups, Aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities.
Supporting information on the Program Inventory
Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on the Commission’s website:
Federal tax expenditures
The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs. The tax measures presented in this report are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.
Organizational contact information
Canadian Human Rights Commission
344 Slater Street, 8th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1E1
Telephone: 613- 995-1151
Toll Free: 1-888-214-1090
TTY: 1-888-643-3304
Fax: 613-996-9661
http://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca
Twitter: @CdnHumanRights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CanadianHumanRightsCommission
Appendix: definitions
appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
Core Responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a Core Responsibility are reflected in one or more related Departmental Results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a three year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.
Departmental Result (résultat ministériel)
A Departmental Result represents the change or changes that the department seeks to influence. A Departmental Result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
Departmental Result Indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a Departmental Result.
Departmental Results Framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
Consists of the department’s Core Responsibilities, Departmental Results and Departmental Result Indicators.
Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on an appropriated department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
experimentation (expérimentation)
Activities that seek to explore, test and compare the effects and impacts of policies, interventions and approaches, to inform evidence-based decision-making, by learning what works and what does not.
full time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. Full time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.
gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])
An analytical process used to help identify the potential impacts of policies, Programs and services on diverse groups of women, men and gender differences. We all have multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who we are; GBA+ considers many other identity factors, such as race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.
government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2018–19 Departmental Results Report, those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2015 Speech from the Throne, namely: Growth for the Middle Class; Open and Transparent Government; A Clean Environment and a Strong Economy; Diversity is Canada’s Strength; and Security and Opportunity.
horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative where two or more departments are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
non budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.
performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.
performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)
The process of communicating evidence based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision-making, accountability and transparency.
plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.
planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.
A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
priority (priorité)
A plan or project that an organization has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired Strategic Outcome(s) or Departmental Results.
program (programme)
Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
result (résultat)
An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.
statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
Strategic Outcome (résultat stratégique)
A long term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization’s mandate, vision and core functions.
target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The Vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.