2021-22 Departmental Plan

Publication Type
Informing Parliament
Subject Matter
Accountability

The Departmental Plan is an expenditure plan that provides a detailed overview of the Commission’s main priorities over a three-year period. These priorities are divided by strategic outcome, program activities, and planned and expected results. The Departmental Plan also provides details on human resource requirements, major capital projects, grants and contributions, and net program costs.

Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

ISSN: 2371-8293

 


Table of Contents

 

From the Chief Commissioner

Photo of Chief Commissioner Marie-Claude Landry, Ad. E.

Each year, the work of Canadian Human Rights Commission is dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights in Canada — a Canada where everyone can thrive and live a life of their choosing, free from discrimination. In the upcoming 2021–22 fiscal year, this commitment will remain firmer than ever.

The COVID-19 crisis has shone a powerful light on already existing barriers, inequalities, discrimination and injustice that so many vulnerable groups in Canada are facing every day. As Canada continues to face down the pandemic and move towards national recovery, the Commission will continue to call for human rights to remain at the forefront of the national response. The diverse needs and rights of every person must be integral to Canada’s effort to build back better.

As Canada’s human rights watchdog and as a service provider, the Commission will work to ensure that this global crisis does not create new barriers to human rights justice for anyone in Canada. We will continue to adapt our operations to ensure the continued delivery of our services to people in Canada — from providing mediation and conciliation, to continuing to simplify and improve our complaints platform.

We will continue to identify and speak out on how COVID-19 has expanded vulnerability in Canada — from people in housing need or those facing food insecurity; to people with disabilities; to women and children bearing the brunt of this crisis; to older people living alone or in an long-term care facility; to Indigenous, Black and other racialized people — far too many already marginalized people are now facing even greater challenges. We will continue to call on all governments and lawmakers to ensure that no one is left behind as our economy resets back to full economic and social health.

We will also continue to raise the alarm about the rise of reports of antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Asian hate and other forms of racism, hate and intolerance that have been reported throughout the pandemic. This is a clear signal of the importance for all Canadians to reflect on how deeply embedded systemic racism and unchecked racial biases continue to contribute to injustice and inequality.

We will continue to urge governments, Canadians, and all organizations, including the Commission, to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism and discrimination and to take concrete steps to dismantle it. The Commission will take the next steps in our internal journey to examine and address how racism may manifest within our organization and our work. We will continue to listen to learn from stakeholders, from staff, and from those with lived experience so that their voices can continue to inform meaningful action within the Commission.

As we look ahead to a “better normal,” the Commission will continue its fundamental work of protecting the human rights of everyone in Canada, and promoting diversity, equality and inclusion for all. In 2021–2022, our diverse and dedicated team, will continue advocating and seeking concrete actions in areas such as hate and intolerance, systemic racism, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to adequate housing, and Indigenous rights

In addition, the Commission will continue its essential proactive compliance work to advance accessibility, and equal pay for equal value for all Canadians.

It is an honour to present this plan for our upcoming work and we are hopeful that it will be met with the full support of Parliament.

Plans at a glance

The Commission is committed to being a leading national voice for the promotion and protection of human rights in Canada. In light of the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on already marginalized Canadians, the Commission is advocating for a human rights-based approach to pandemic response and recovery measures, one that ensures that equality, dignity and respect for the diverse needs of people in Canada remain at the centre of all government efforts.

In the upcoming year, the Commission will continue to raise awareness of the current and emerging human rights issues that affect Canadians. This will include ensuring that human rights issues remain a central part of the public debate and the national agenda. To this end, the Commission will carry on with the implementation of its action plans for two priority areas: hate and intolerance; and economic, social and cultural rights. The Commission will also continue to raise awareness of systemic racism and discrimination in Canada, how it contributes to injustice and inequality in this country, and why it is important to listen, learn and take concrete action.

We will continue to promote access to human rights justice, including increasing the number of cases in which we fully participate before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. We will seek to intervene in cases that have an impact on human rights law. Through this work, we will look to develop human rights case law related to discrimination based on race, colour, or national or ethnic origin. Further, we will continue to work on simplifying our complaints process for people in Canada. We will work with provincial jurisdictions to ensure a seamless approach when parties file a complaint with the wrong or concurrent jurisdictions.

In 2021–22, the Commission will establish its new Proactive Compliance Branch to support federally-regulated organizations in making inclusion a priority by taking proactive steps to help preventing discrimination. This new arm of the Commission will combine the employment equity, accessibility and pay equity units under the same umbrella. Canadians, employers, unions, employees and those who represent them, as well as federal and provincial partners, and co-regulators need a proactive compliance regime that is effective, sustainable and trustworthy. A complete integration of these responsibilities — from governance, to tools, to policies and processes, to oversight — will ensure an adaptable program that is responsive to the needs of all. In doing so, the Commission is striving to become an effective and trusted regulator.

In addition, the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate will work to promote and protect the right to adequate housing in Canada by conducting research, consulting with members of vulnerable groups and preparing for the appointment of the Federal Housing Advocate, including preparing to receive submissions from various communities affected by systemic housing issues.

The Commission will continue its work on the implementation of a modern and streamlined case management system. This is a multi-year project and will support the Commission’s efforts to improve access to justice across all its mandates.

For more information on the Commission’s plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Planned results and resources” section of this report.

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks

This section contains detailed information on the department’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.

Engagement and Advocacy

Description

Provide a national, credible voice for equality in Canada by raising public awareness of human rights issues; engaging civil society, governments, employers and the public to affect human rights change; and, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Government of Canada’s obligations under the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Planning highlights

As Canada’s national human rights institution, the Commission is a trusted source of human rights expertise. The Commission will continue its leadership role in helping to shape the human rights agenda in Canada by being proactive and vocal. More specifically, in 2021–22 and subsequent fiscal years, the Commission will continue to:

  • Advocate for improved access to human rights justice by:
    • raising awareness and increasing understanding of the barriers to equality and access to justice that individuals in vulnerable circumstances are facing; and
    • ensuring that all Canadians, including those in vulnerable circumstances, can access the Commission’s complaints process and be supported in navigating it; and
    • helping to develop human rights law and combat systemic discrimination by participating in cases before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, the Federal Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board, and the courts.
  • Focus efforts on two priority areas: hate and intolerance; and, economic, social and cultural rights. The Commission will continue to engage with stakeholders to expand our understanding of current and emerging human rights issues, to raise awareness, and help identify concrete solutions, notably in relation to systemic racism and discrimination faced by Indigenous, Black and other racialized Canadians.
  • Advocate for the promotion and protection of the rights of marginalized and vulnerable Canadians who are being disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Develop a sustainable mechanism for monitoring and reporting on the Government of Canada’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities informed by ongoing dialogue with people with disabilities and the organizations that advocate on their behalf.

In welcoming and supporting the Federal Housing Advocate, the Commission will:

  • Initiate studies/research on systemic housing issues, including barriers faced by members of vulnerable groups and individuals with lived experience of homelessness and housing need;
  • Develop socio-economic and housing data profiles;
  • Engage with key stakeholders and work closely with equity seeking groups and civil society organizations to identify systemic and emerging housing issues in order to provide recommendations on how to address housing inequities; and
  • Assess and conduct reviews of submissions on systemic housing issues and refer key issues to the National Housing Council for hearings before a Review Panel.

Gender-based analysis plus

In all of our planned activities, the Commission will ensure that it fully takes into account how multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination affect the lived experiences of people in Canada. For the work of the National Monitoring Mechanism related to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Commission plans to take an intersectional approach, highlighting the unique challenges faced by women, Indigenous, Black and other racialized persons with disabilities.

United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Commission upholds that the 2030 Agenda and human rights are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. In fact, the vast majority of the SDG targets reflect provisions of international human rights instruments. The SDGs provide a complimentary and useful addition of measurable progress when monitoring Canada’s domestic implementation of its human rights obligations. As such, the Commission will continue to explore the use of SDGs when monitoring progress and determining gaps in Canada’s implementation of its international human rights obligations.

Experimentation

In light of travel restrictions and restrictions on the size of gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission has had to shift gears in terms of how it engages with stakeholders. Among the ways by which the Commission has continued to engage with stakeholders is the increased use of technology, and hosting and participating in engagement sessions and meetings virtually. Understanding that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors, the Commission has also bolstered its use of social media by using these platforms to conduct environmental scans to identify prospective engagement opportunities.

Key risk(s)

Unanticipated and pressing human rights matters, including the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, may affect our plans. The Commission will remain focussed on its priority areas by dedicating specific resources to meet the various project milestones outlined in the critical paths. We will also use environmental scanning to proactively identify emerging issues to allow us to be more flexible in our work plans, and to better anticipate and respond to emerging issues.

The evolving COVID-19 situation may also have other unanticipated impacts on the way the Commission conducts its engagement activities. To mitigate this risk, the Commission will remain flexible and adaptable, will leverage technology, and will implement multi-faceted strategies and back-up scenarios to establish and maintain relationships with stakeholders.

There is a risk that a lack of public understanding of the Federal Housing Advocate’s functions and duties could create false expectations about the Advocate’s role and powers. To address this challenge, the Federal Housing Advocate will engage with key stakeholders to clarify this new mandate.

Planned results for Engagement and Advocacy

Departmental result Departmental result indicator Target Date to achieve target 2017–18 actual result 2018–19 actual result 2019–20 actual result
Full compliance with the Paris Principles Maintain A-status accreditation as Canada's national human rights institution A-status March 31, 2022 A-status A-status A-status
People in Canada are informed of their rights and responsibilities # of Canadians who have been informed about the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Employment Equity Act, the Pay Equity Act, and the Accessible Canada Act 1.2 million March 31, 2022 1.35 million 1.8 million 1.82 million
CHRC interventions and decisions influence law and support the advancement of human rights, employment equity, pay equity and accessibility Judicial review success rate 70% March 31, 2022 77% 92% 77%

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Planned budgetary financial resources for Engagement and Advocacy (dollars)

2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
6,508,452 7,031,112 6,511,833 4,620,875

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Planned human resources for Engagement and Advocacy

2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
35 38 29

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Complaints

Description

Provide 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 to represent the public interest in achieving equality in Canada.

Planning highlights

In 2021–22, the Commission will continue to develop a simpler, more effective and sustainable complaints process driven by the needs of the people we serve. We will continue to reduce the time it takes to process a complaint by exploring and piloting new approaches.

More specifically, the Commission will:

  • Strive to meet its service commitments;
  • Explore innovation in our service delivery model to expedite complaint processing to the furthest extent possible;
  • Strengthen our human rights complaints infrastructure to provide a sustainable foundation for the future;
  • Improve collaboration with provincial jurisdictions to ensure a more seamless approach to serving people in Canada; and
  • Continue to represent the public interest in courts and tribunals while exploring innovative ways to improve our services.

Experimentation

In our continuing efforts to improve the services we provide to people in Canada, the Commission recognizes the need and value of looking for ways to innovate how we process complaints. The Commission plans to:

  • Collect disaggregated demographic data from people who file complaints to develop a better understanding of the users of our complaints services;
  • Facilitate better access to the Commission’s complaints process through an updated online complaint form; and
  • Obtain pertinent information sooner in the complaint process to expedite mediation and screening services.

Key risk(s)

There is a risk that the innovation strategy necessary to reduce the accumulated caseload may not bring about the expected results, and that we may not retain appropriate staffing levels to meet the needs of people in Canada. To mitigate these risks, the Commission plans to monitor trends in current complaints processing and adjust where necessary. We will also continue to pilot new approaches to complaints handling, as well as develop a robust staffing strategy.

Planned results for Complaints

Departmental result Departmental result indicator Target Date to achieve target 2017–18 actual result 2018–19 actual result 2019–20 actual result
People in Canada have access to a complaint system for human rights, pay equity and accessibility complaints % of complaints completed by the Commission 90% March 31, 2022 94% 94% 96%
Complaints are resolved consistent with private and public interests Mediation settlement rate 55% March 31, 2022 65% 59% 64%

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Planned budgetary financial resources for Complaints (dollars)

2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
11,551,446 11,766,063 10,998,686 10,998,686

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Planned human resources for Complaints

2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
89 89 89

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Proactive Compliance

Description

Ensure 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.

Planning highlights

In 2021–22, the Commission will bring together employment equity, accessibility and pay equity under a single umbrella — the Proactive Complaints Branch — to integrate the new mandates and ensure a sustainable and effective proactive compliance regime. The Commission plans to:

  • Welcome the first Accessibility Commissioner in Canada;
  • Ensure the capacity and infrastructure needed for this new branch to serve people in Canada;
  • Facilitate engagement and outreach to seek the vital input that will inform these new programs. The Commission will engage with stakeholders by:
    • Continuing to work with its internal and external partners through its proactive compliance networks and working groups;
    • Chairing the Council of Federal Accessibility Agencies and its committees; and
    • Meeting with key stakeholders while ensuring the inclusion of individual voices and options for compensation.
  • Develop tools and provide the information that federally regulated organizations need to develop their pay equity, accessibility and employment equity plans.

The Commission will advise the federal government and co-regulators in the development of regulatory approaches by:

  • Participating in all reviews and consultation processes on regulations led by Employment and Social Development Canada and the Labour Program; and
  • Providing feedback and formal submissions on standards to Accessibility Standards Canada and Accessible Canada Act co-regulators.

The Commission will use a common approach for assessing compliance, targeting the highest risks of harm, behavior and attitude by:

  • Developing an Integrated Proactive Compliance Oversight Directive;
  • Adjusting the Proactive Compliance Forward Plan;
  • Ensuring we take a balanced approach with small, medium and large employers;
  • Working on employment equity horizontal audits, specifically:
    • Completing the employment equity horizontal audit on the employment of persons with disabilities in the communication sector;
    • Continuing the horizontal audit looking at the representation of racialized groups in management roles in the public service;
    • Preparing a fourth horizontal audit looking at the representation of racialized people in the transportation sector;
  •  

Gender-based analysis plus

Pay equity targets gender discrimination in pay caused by the undervaluation of work traditionally performed by women. Upon completion of a pay equity exercise in a given workplace, all incumbents in female-predominant jobs found to be underpaid, including workers from the LGBTQ2 community and those from other marginalized groups, would benefit from adjustments. In addition, each horizontal audit includes a gender-based lens to better understand the situation and experiences of women across designated groups.

United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The new pay equity mandate of the Commission aims directly at advancing the following UN Sustainable Development Goal and target:

  • SDGs Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth.
  • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.
  • Pay equity also advances goals tied to No Poverty (Goal 1), Gender Equality (Goal 5) and Reduced inequalities (Goal 10).

Experimentation

The Commission will implement several new tools to facilitate the implementation of its responsibilities related to pay equity, accessibility and employment equity such as:

  • Developing web applications to help organizations assess which jurisdictional regulations apply to them, including a feature to redirect inquiries or requests.
  • Creating an online dispute resolution platform with the Université de Montréal’s Cyberjustice Laboratory to support the workplace parties who are involved in the development of pay equity plans.
  • Adopting business intelligence software to monitor the implementation of the requirements of the Accessible Canada Act to support and facilitate the development of a risk-based approach to compliance and enforcement.
  • Conducting an employment equity “blitz” audit that will focus on two of the nine requirements of the Employment Equity Act: collection of workforce information; and, workforce analysis. The pilot project will focus on private sector employers with less than 300 employees.

Key risk(s)

There is a risk that some employers will not support the new employment equity horizontal audit approach or the pilot blitz project. To mitigate the risk, the Commission will leverage strategic partnerships with key stakeholders and continue to promote the value of a sector-wide audit model in our public messaging.

If there is a lack of cooperation between the multiple bodies responsible for ensuring compliance with the Accessible Canada Act, it could negatively affect disability stakeholders and potential complainants. To reduce this risk, the Commission will continue to establish strong working relationships with partners, including close collaboration with the Council of Federal Accessibility Agencies.

Without a sustainable engagement strategy, there is a risk that disability groups and stakeholders will experience consultation fatigue and unbearable financial pressure. To mitigate this risk, the Commission will explore electronic engagement tools, establish consultative working groups, research compensation options, participate in other organizations’ engagement efforts, and reach out to existing consultative bodies in order to maximize reach and impact.

Planned results for Proactive Compliance

Departmental result Departmental result indicator Target Date to achieve target 2017–18 actual result 2018–19 actual result 2019–20 actual result
Federally regulated organizations meet their employment equity, pay equity and accessibility obligations % of management action plans completed by federally regulated organizations within the negotiated timeframe 50% March 31, 2022 Not available Not available Not available

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Planned budgetary financial resources for Proactive Compliance (dollars)

2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
7,484,244 7,718,507 9,076,676 8,869,330

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Planned human resources for Proactive Compliance

2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
51 74 74

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Commission’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Internal Services: planned results

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 services that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. These services are:

  • Management and Oversight Services
  • Communications Services
  • Legal Services
  • Human Resources Management Services
  • Financial Management Services
  • Information Management Services
  • Information Technology Services
  • Real Property Management Services
  • Materiel Management Services
  • Acquisition Management Services

Planning highlights

The coming year will continue to bring important challenges for the Commission’s internal services. The addition of new mandates (pay equity, accessibility and housing) has resulted in additional responsibilities in terms of program delivery. The Commission’s work under these new mandates will continue to affect our activities this coming year on multiple fronts — from human resources, procurement, and accommodation, to information technology, information management, communications and legal and financial management services. These new realities also represent additional activities for the Commission’s management and oversight. Once fully implemented, the addition of these new mandates will result in an increase of Commission staff by approximately 50%, which will require modernization and optimization of our workspaces.

Besides planning for those upcoming challenges, the Commission will continue to strengthen its information technology and information management to better support program delivery. This will include initiatives to move away from traditional paper-based processes to a more efficient electronic process. The Commission will continue the development of case management modules to meet the demand of the complaint services as well as the new program areas (pay equity, accessibility and housing). This project will continue over the next fiscal years. This system will support the Commission’s efforts to improve access to human rights justice for Canadians and enable digital service delivery through technology.

Finally, at this time, it is unclear what the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be for 2021–22 but the Commission anticipates that it will continue to add a layer of complexity in providing internal services as the organization continues to work remotely.

Planned budgetary financial resources for Internal Services (dollars)

2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
11,728,144 12,298,499 11,157,841 10,697,162

Planned human resources for Internal Services

2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
95 95 95

Spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three consecutive fiscal years, and compares planned spending for the upcoming year with the current and previous years’ actual spending.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2018–19 to 2023–24

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory) spending over time.

Departmental Spending Trend Graph

Departmental Spending Trend Graph - Text Version
Departmental Spending Trend Graph in thousands of $
  2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Statutory 2,413 2,740 3,459 3,854 4,109 4,082
Voted 20,494 22,302 28,330 34,960 33,636 31,104
Total 22,907 25,042 31,789 38,814 37,745 35,186

 

The increase starting in 2018-19 and continuing until 2021-22 is mainly due to an increase in funding for three new programs: Accessible Canada Act, Pay Equity Act and the National Housing Strategy. Starting in 2022-23, funding decreases again in line with decreases in National Housing Strategy funding.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned spending for each of the Commission’s core responsibilities and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

Core responsibilities and Internal Services 2018–19 expenditures 2019–20 expenditures 2020–21 forecast spending 2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 expenditures
Engagement and Advocacy 3,891,880 3,954,622 6,171,928 6,508,452 7,031,112 6,511,833 4,620,875
Human Rights Complaints 10,343,569 10,549,682 10,951,705 11,551,446 11,766,063 10,998,686 10,998,686
Proactive Compliance 1,200,628 2,180,247 5,477,712 7,484,244 7,718,507 9,076,676 8,869,330
Subtotal 15,436,077 16,684,551 22,601,345 25,544,142 26,515,682 26,587,195 24,488,891
Internal Services 7,276,769 8,357,262 9,187,969 11,728,144 12,298,499 11,157,841 10,697,162
Total 22,712,846 25,041,813 31,789,314 37,272,286 38,814,181 37,745,036 35,186,053

Beginning in 2019-20, expenditures and planned spending increased as a result of funding received for three new programs: the Accessible Canada Act, the Pay Equity Act and the National Housing Strategy Act, and to modernize the case management system. Due to delays in the implementation of these programs, and the case management system, funds originally received in 2019-20 have been re-profiled to supplement funding for the work planned for 2021-22, resulting in a large increase in spending between 2020-21 and 2021-22. Spending is expected to decrease in 2023-24, in line with a decrease in funding for Federal Housing Advocate.

2021–22 Budgetary planned gross spending summary (dollars)

The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net planned spending for 2021–22.

Core responsibilities and Internal Services 2021–22 planned gross spending 2021–22 planned revenues netted against expenditures 2021–22 planned net spending
Engagement and Advocacy 7,031,112 - 7,031,112
Human Rights Complaints 11,766,063 - 11,766,063
Proactive Compliance 7,718,507 - 7,718,507
Subtotal 26,515,682 - 26,515,682
Internal Services 14,378,499 (2 080 000) 12,298,499
Total 40,894,181 (2 080 000) 38,814,181

The Commission provides internal support services to certain other small government departments and agencies such as finance, human resources, acquisition and information technology services. These Internal Support Services agreements are recorded as revenues as per section 29.2 of the Financial Administration Act.

Planned human resources

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) for each core responsibility in the Commission’s departmental results framework and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services

Core responsibilities and Internal Services 2018–19 actual full-time equivalents 2019–20 actual full-time equivalents 2020–21 forecast full-time equivalents 2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
Engagement and Advocacy 24 25 30 35 38 29
Human Rights Complaints 86 86 92 89 89 89
Proactive Compliance 9 16 33 51 74 74
Subtotal 119 127 155 175 201 192
Internal Services 82 80 93 95 95 95
Total 201 207 248 270 296 287

The number of FTEs has remained consistent until fiscal year 2020-21. Staffing is anticipated to progressively increase over the next three fiscal years as a result of funding received for three new programs: Accessible Canada Act, Pay Equity Act, and the National Housing Strategy. The number of FTEs is anticipated to decrease in 2023-24 as a result of the reduction in funding for the National Housing Strategy.

Estimates by vote

Information on the Commission’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2021–22 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The condensed future-oriented statement of operations provides an overview of the Commission’s operations for 2020–21 to 2021–22.

The amounts for forecast and planned results in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The amounts for forecast and planned spending presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on the Commission’s website.

Condensed future-oriented statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2022 (dollars)

Financial information 2020–21 forecast results 2021–22 planned results Difference (2021–22 planned results minus 2020–21 forecast results)
Total expenses 38,083,086 44,577,044 6,493,958
Total revenues 1,800,000 2,080,000 280,000
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers 36,283,086 42,497,044 6,213,958

The increase between 2010-21 and 2021-22 is mainly due to increase in funding for two new programs: Accessible Canada Act and Pay Equity Act.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head: Marie-Claude Landry, Ad. E.

Ministerial portfolio: Justice

Enabling instrument(s): Canadian Human Rights Act, Employment Equity Act, Accessible Canada Act, Pay Equity Act, and National Housing Strategy Act

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1977

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

“Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on the Commission’s website.

Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on the Commission’s website.

Reporting framework

The Commission’s approved Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory for 2021–22 are as follows.

Departmental Results Framework

Departmental Results 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 (including pay equity, employment equity and accessibility obligations) and raise public awareness about human rights across the country. It also include activities related to the National Housing Strategy and on the monitoring of the Government of Canada’s implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 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. To support the advancement of human rights, this responsibility also includes the referral of human rights cases before the human rights tribunal.

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 may in particular conduct investigations and offer mediation services. 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 ensure that employers meet their employment equity, pay equity and accessibility 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. This program also aims to ensure that men and women in their workplace receive equal pay for work of equal value and will also ensure compliance for organizations subject to the Accessible Canada Act.


Supporting information on the program inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to 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 Commission’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures that relate to its planned results for 2021–22.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance, and the Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government-wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis. The tax measures presented in this report are solely 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
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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 a department over a 3 year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité ministérielle)
A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Departmental priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. 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)
A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

experimentation (expérimentation)
The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare, the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works and what doesn’t. Experimentation is related to, but distinct form innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

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 assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2021–22 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2020 Speech from the Throne, namely: Protecting Canadians from COVID-19; Helping Canadians through the pandemic; Building back better – a resiliency agenda for the middle class; The Canada we’re fighting for.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative in which two or more federal organizations 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 the 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.

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.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
Identifies all of the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.

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.