2019-20 Departmental Plan

Chair’s message

During the past two years at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), we have made concerted efforts to modernize and improve the way we conduct our business. To serve Canadians better, we have examined how we conduct investigations, the processes we follow and the information products we issue to ensure we are delivering relevant results, efficiently and effectively.

This review—along with having secured the necessary resources to fully deliver our mandate—led to significant achievements in 2018–19. Among them, we increased the number of investigations we completed and reduced the turnaround time. Our new Policy on Occurrence Classification is helping us respond appropriately to transportation accidents and incidents, while new short-form investigation reports and post-deployment summaries mean we can share information with Canadians more quickly.

As we turn to a new year, we will be staying the course on our modernization efforts. In particular, our workforce will benefit from a more robust in-house training program, which we will fully implement this year. We will continue various initiatives in support of our employees’ wellbeing, including the implementation of our mental health strategy and our revised occupational health and safety program. We will also undertake a review of the safety analysis tools and the project management tools used by our investigators and management team.

Our plans also include upgrading our engineering lab and our Head Office facilities so that investigators and other employees can benefit from the latest technology tools, systems and applications, and can work more efficiently in modern facilities.

As we get closer to the end of our current five-year strategic plan, we will start planning for a consultation with our stakeholders on our products, processes and services.

While we complete our modernization efforts, we are committed to continue playing a key role in advancing transportation safety by responding to the risks, challenges and changing circumstances that arise. The TSB will continue its efforts to make a difference and to drive the safety changes that Canadians deserve and have come to expect from the TSB.

Kathleen Fox
Chair

Plans at a glance and operating context

Plans at a glance

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada's (TSB's) five year Strategic Plan creates a focus of attention by identifying the priorities that will guide the TSB's efforts for the period from 2016-17 to 2020-21. The Strategic Plan identifies four strategic objectives. On an annual basis, the TSB develops its Departmental Plan and a Business Plan that describe the specific priorities and activities to be undertaken under each one of the four strategic objectives.

Strategic objective 1: Serving Canadians

The TSB will strive to continue serving Canadians, conduct thorough investigations and safety studies, identify risks, communicate lessons learned, share information openly, and advocate for changes that advance transportation safety by:

• Ensuring the timeliness and quality of investigations and safety communications
• Increasing the frequency of investigation updates
• Modernizing our interaction with Indigenous Peoples.

These actions align with elements of the government-wide priorities of: delivering results, fair and open government, and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Strategic objective 2: Improving core business process and products

The TSB will improve its core business processes and products in order to ensure continued relevance, efficiency and effectiveness in a constantly evolving world by:

• Reviewing and modernizing tools for investigators
• Conducting a survey to obtain stakeholder feedback on TSB products and processes.

These actions align with elements of the government-wide priorities of: delivering results, and Government services and operations.

Strategic objective 3: Modernizing our workplace

The TSB will modernize its workplace to ensure that it complies with health and safety requirements, has the best people working together in teams, makes smart use of modern technologies, and achieves the best possible outcomes with efficient, interconnected and nimble processes at minimal cost by:

• Implementing a renewed in-house investigator training program
• Implementing an evaluation and lessons learned program
• Modernizing our intranet
• Modernizing our IT and video conferencing equipment
• Reviewing our corporate policies and procedures
• Modernizing our Head Office and Laboratory accommodations and equipment
• Updating our occupational health and safety, and employee wellbeing programs.

These actions align with elements of the government-wide priority for the modernization of the public service, jobs and innovation, and sustainable infrastructure.

Strategic objective 4: Updating legislative and regulatory frameworks

The TSB will review its legislative and regulatory frameworks to ensure that they are appropriate in the context of the evolving transportation industry and expectations of Canadians by:

• Participating in the implementation of locomotive voice and video recorders (LVVR).

These actions align with the priority placed on Rail safety in the mandate letter of the Minister of Transport.

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

Operating context: conditions affecting our work

The TSB operates within the context of a very large and complex Canadian and international transportation system. Many Canadian and foreign organizations are responsible for, and involved in, improving transportation safety. The TSB does not have any power or authority to direct others to implement its recommendations or to make changes. The Board must therefore present its findings and recommendations in such a manner that compels others to act. This implies ongoing dialogue, information sharing and strategic coordination with many organizations such as Transport Canada, the National Energy Board and the Canadian Coast Guard. The TSB must also engage industry and foreign regulatory organizations in a similar fashion. Through various means, the TSB must present compelling arguments that will convince these “agents of change” to allocate resources and take action in response to identified safety deficiencies despite their many other competing priorities.

Furthermore, with the increasing globalization of the transportation industry, governments and industry are seeking greater harmonization of policies and practices between countries in order to facilitate cross-border trade, as well as the movement of people and goods. For example, rules that apply to trains that cross the Canada / U.S. border on a daily basis must be harmonized in order to avoid slowing or stopping their movements or creating administrative issues for the companies. This in turn makes the TSB's work more difficult.  In order to achieve results (i.e. get safety actions implemented), the TSB can no longer simply engage and convince Canadian stakeholders to act on their own. The TSB must convince both Canadian and foreign stakeholders to take actions in a coordinated and consistent manner.

The TSB's volume of activities is influenced by the number, severity and complexity of transportation occurrences, none of which can be effectively predicted. This uncertainty poses certain challenges with respect to the planning and management of TSB resources. Additionally, over the past few years the TSB's visibility has increased significantly because of high-profile occurrence investigations, the TSB's Outreach Program, and the increased use of social media to share safety information. The TSB's enhanced visibility has generated higher stakeholder and public expectations than ever before.

In 2019-20, the TSB will continue its projects aimed at reviewing and modernizing its core business processes and its products so that the TSB can further optimize the use of its resources and adapt to changing public expectations. However, the management team will ensure that a proper balance is maintained between the achievement of the short and long-term objectives.

Planned results: what we want to achieve this year and beyond

Core Responsibilities

Independent safety investigations and communication of risks in the transportation system

Description

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB)'s sole objective is to advance air, marine, rail and pipeline transportation safety. This mandate is fulfilled by conducting independent investigations into selected transportation occurrences to identify the causes and contributing factors, and the safety deficiencies evidenced by these occurrences. The TSB makes recommendations to reduce or eliminate any such safety deficiencies and reports publicly on its investigations. The TSB then follows up with stakeholders to ensure that safety actions are taken to reduce risks and improve safety.

Planning highlights

The achievement of the TSB's mandate is measured through three types of departmental result indicators. First, some performance indicators aim at reporting upon the overall safety of the transportation system. However, many variables influence transportation safety and many organizations play a role in this ultimate outcome. There is no way to directly attribute overall safety improvements to any specific organization. Accident and fatality rates are used as the best available indicators. In recent years, these indicators have generally reflected positive advancements in transportation safety and we expect similar results again in 2019-20.

The TSB's departmental results are also measured through actions taken by its stakeholders in response to its safety communications, as well as through efficiency indicators.  The TSB must present compelling arguments that convince “agents of change” to take actions in response to identified safety deficiencies. The responses received, the actions taken and their timeliness are good indicators of the TSB's impact on transportation safety. The TSB actively engages with stakeholders in all modes. However, the established performance targets vary by mode to reflect the different base lines and the differing challenges from one mode to another. Currently, the greatest challenges are in the aviation mode, but the TSB also faces some challenges with the timeliness of its reports in the rail mode. Continued progress is expected on a number of indicators during 2019-20 as a result of the completion of various modernization initiatives.

Serving Canadians

In 2019-20, the TSB will make concerted efforts to maintain the quality of investigations and reports in all modes while continuing to improve their timeliness. The TSB will assess its new Policy on occurrence classification, and the related business processes,that were implemented during the past year and will make adjustments where required. Now that the backlog of older investigations has been addressed, the TSB is expecting to complete most of its current and future investigations within the established timeliness targets.

With respect to responses to TSB recommendations, efforts will continue to be made in collaboration with Transport Canada to review and take appropriate actions to close some older recommendations that have been outstanding for much too long. A particular focus will continue to be placed on aviation recommendations given the larger number of outstanding recommendations in that mode. The TSB will also continue its outreach activities to engage stakeholders in proactive discussions and encourage them to initiate safety actions that can mitigate the risks identified. Stakeholders will also be engaged in discussions on the key safety issues appearing on the TSB Watchlist.

The TSB acknowledges the Government of Canada's commitment to a renewal of the nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous Peoples, as well as the commitment to make the recognition and implementation of rights the basis for all relations between Indigenous Peoples and the federal government. The TSB is also committed to examining and updating its own interaction with Indigenous Peoples in keeping with the Principles respecting the Government of Canada's relationship with Indigenous Peoples. The TSB will therefore seek ways to engage First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in a dialogue to help modernize its interactions with Indigenous Peoples in the delivery of its mandate.

Improving core business processes and products

In 2018-19, the TSB implemented a new Occurrence Classification Policy, including changes to its products and processes such as the new Class 4 limited-scope investigations and short-form reports. In 2019-20, work will be initiated on the review and modernization of the various tools used by investigators for safety analysis and project management. Planning will also be undertaken for the conduct of a survey to collect stakeholder feedback on the TSB products, processes and services in 2020. The survey results will be used as a basis to assess the TSB's performance and to establish departmental strategic objectives for the next five year cycle.

Modernizing

In 2019-20, the TSB will continue initiatives aimed at modernizing its workplace to facilitate teamwork, leverage the benefits of technology and achieve the best possible outcomes with efficient interconnected and nimble processes, structures and systems. A more robust competency-based investigator training program has been developed and will be fully implemented in 2019-20. The new frameworks for targeted evaluations and the sharing of lessons learned will be implemented to support continuous improvement and help the TSB become a learning organization. Efforts and investments will continue to update our facilities, specialized equipment and tools, as well as to modernize our occupational health and safety and employee wellbeing programs. The TSB is also fully engaged in phase 1 of the Federal Science and Technology Infrastructure Initiative and working to develop a collaborative science partnership with the National Research Council of Canada.

Updating legislative and regulatory frameworks

One of the long-standing safety issues in the rail mode is the implementation of locomotive voice and video recorders (LVVR). These recorders could provide very valuable information to assist TSB investigators in their work, and could also help the railways proactively manage safety within the context of their safety management system. In 2018-19, Bill C-49 received royal assent thereby establishing the legal foundation to move forward. In 2019-20, the TSB will continue to work in close collaboration with Transport Canada to put in place the appropriate regulatory documents required for the implementation of LVVR. In light of the legislative changes and the upcoming new regulations, the TSB will also complete the review and update of its own procedures pertaining to the handling of on-board recorders during its investigations.

Planned results

Key risks: things that could affect our ability to achieve our plans and results

The TSB faces key strategic risks that represent a potential threat to the achievement of its mandate. These risks warrant particular vigilance from all levels of the organization.

There is a risk that the TSB's credibility and operational effectiveness could be impacted if it fails to keep pace with the technological changes in the transportation industry. The TSB operates within the context of a very large Canadian and international transportation system that is growing in complexity because of rapid technological changes. New designs, the increasing level of automation in operations and the introduction of remotely piloted devices into existing transportation systems are only some examples that highlight this challenging environment. Advances in technology are also leading to exponential growth in the data available for investigations and other safety analyses. The TSB must evolve to ensure new data sources are properly exploited, optimally managed and fully analyzed.

There is a risk that TSB employees do not have access to current technology tools, systems, and applications to ensure that they can deliver their work in an efficient and effective manner.  This includes having the appropriate IT infrastructure and applications in place, as well as the required Laboratory equipment. The TSB must make use of current versions of all IT operating systems/platforms and software applications in order to ensure the availability of maintenance and support from suppliers. There is also a need to ensure that these tools are not subject to business disruptions by third parties or events such as natural disasters (i.e. cyber attacks, floods).

Another challenge is the need to be vigilant with respect to managing employees and their wellbeing. Due to the nature of the work performed by the TSB, employees may be exposed to significant workplace stress and emotional trauma. TSB investigators are regularly exposed to accident sites involving injury and death, as well as to direct interaction with distraught survivors and families of victims. Vicarious trauma may also be experienced by other employees who are exposed to certain facets of investigations. Employees have also expressed concerns about harassment and having a respectful workplace. Without a healthy workforce, the TSB would not be able to deliver its mandate and achieve its strategic objectives.

There is an operational readiness risk that could impair the TSB's ability to deliver on its mandate in a continuous and on-going manner. There is a risk that the TSB may not be able to deploy in a timely manner, and to sustain operations, in the Arctic and remote regions due to the limited availability of transportation services and support infrastructure. There is also a risk that modal contingency plans will not be robust enough and sufficiently practiced to ensure a proper state of readiness. Further, there is a risk that our planning and logistic support may not be appropriate for Arctic deployments and to command and control events at a major disaster site. These risks are compounded by the fact that there are many instances where there is only one person responsible for a specific task or with a specific expertise, should this person be unavailable it could put the organization at greater risk. The TSB has also encountered challenges in the recruitment and retention of experienced and qualified personnel in certain operational areas due to higher private sector salaries, a shortage of skilled workers, and the on-going retirement of the baby-boomer cohort of employees. Furthermore, due to the small size of its workforce, the TSB may not be able to handle two major occurrences at the same time.

Managing workload and expectations is a significant challenge. The TSB's workload (volume of activities) is influenced by the number, severity and complexity of transportation occurrences, and the workload cannot be predicted effectively. This uncertainty poses certain challenges with respect to the planning and management of TSB resources which in turn can affect our ability to effectively deliver on our mandate. Over the past few years, the TSB's visibility has increased significantly as a result of high-profile occurrence investigations, the TSB's Outreach Program, and the increased use of social media to share safety information. Our solid reputation and enhanced visibility have generated higher stakeholder and public expectations, and these expectations are expected to continue to increase. Furthermore, government-wide imposed systems, policies and directives have increased significantly in recent years (including HR systems, information management, Open Government, Canada website, travel, security), resulting in additional work that is not directly related to the delivery of the TSB's mandate.

Another risk faced by the TSB is legal challenges to its business processes, powers of investigators and its legislation. As Canadian society becomes more litigious, people and organizations seek greater compensation for losses or damages. Litigants want timely information to file early lawsuits and seek resolution of their claims. This has resulted in an increase in the number of requests for TSB information not only through the Access to Information process but also through the Courts (Motions to disclose or to produce). These requests typically seek to obtain investigator notes, witness statements, draft documents, correspondence and other records for uses that are not necessarily consistent with the TSB mandate of advancing transportation safety. There has also been a greater push on the TSB to release privileged information such as on-board voice recordings and transcripts, as well as witness statements. Furthermore, organizations and individuals are more frequently challenging the TSB business processes, as well as the application of the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board (CTAISB) Act. If the TSB does not maintain robust investigation and IM processes which are applied consistently across the organization, as well as ensure the enforcement and compliance with its enabling legislation, there is a risk that the Courts could issue rulings that negatively impact on the way that the TSB conducts its work.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the TSB's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.^{Footnote i}

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 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 Internal Services program will also continue to identify and implement ways to deliver its services more efficiently and effectively in support of the TSB's investigation programs by ensuring that all its policies and procedures are reviewed periodically. A key priority includes supporting the recruitment and development of investigators as the TSB continues to face a period of high turnover due to employee retirements. Additionally, Internal Services personnel will support initiatives that affect employee wellbeing such as: the implementation of a mental health strategy, the OHS program, as well as on-going efforts to create a respectful and diverse workplace. Other priorities include the modernization of the IT infrastructure and operating platforms, the replacement of the departmental intranet, as well as the modernization of our office and Lab facilities and equipment.

Spending and human resources

Planned spending

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The 2016-17 and 2017-18 expenditures presented are actual results as published in the Public Accounts of Canada. The increased expenditures in 2017-18 are due to increased salary costs as a result of the implementation of newly signed collective agreements. This implementation resulted not only in increases to employees' current and future year salaries but also payments for employees' retroactive salary increases from previous years. Since the TSB's main category of expenditures is salaries, these increases ultimately put the TSB's program integrity at risk. The TSB effectively mitigated this risk by successfully obtaining additional one-time funding in the amount of $1.8M for the 2017-18 fiscal year as well as ongoing annual program funding of $3.0M starting in 2018-19, which explains the increases over the years.

It is important to note that the $3.0M funding allocated in 2018-19 was not received until December and as a result, many of the vacant positions could not be staffed during the fiscal year as originally planned. This is anticipated to result in lapsed funds of up to $1.3M that will be carried forward to the 2019-20 fiscal year. As the TSB becomes fully staffed in 2019-20, it is expected that lapses and carry forward amounts will be much smaller in future years.

In accordance with the definition of planned spending, amounts for 2019-20 and ongoing fiscal years consists of Main Estimates amounts only. Compared to the previous year's Main Estimates, the TSB's authorities increased by $3.0M due to the increased annual program funding recently received. Although this amount was received in 2018-19, it is only reflected in the department's Main Estimates starting in 2019-20.

Planned human resources

Actual and forecast full-time equivalents for 2018-19 and prior years are less than the anticipated due to vacant positions and a funding shortfall that restricted the ability to fill vacancies. Planned figures for 2019-20 and onward show a stable workforce.

Estimates by vote

Information on the TSB's organizational appropriations is available in the 2019–20 Main Estimates.^{Footnote ii}

Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations

The Future‑Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations provides a general overview of the TSB's operations. The forecast of financial information on expenses and revenues is prepared on an accrual accounting basis to strengthen accountability and to improve transparency and financial management. The forecast and planned spending amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan are prepared on an expenditure basis; as a result, amounts may 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 TSB's website.

Future‑Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations for the year ending March 31, 2020 (thousand of dollars)

Additional information

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc

Institutional head: Kathleen Fox

Ministerial portfolio: Privy Council

Enabling instrument: Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act^{Footnote iii} S.C. 1989, c. 3

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1990

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 TSB's website

Reporting Framework

The TSB’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2019–20 are shown below:

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Note 1. Old Departmental Result Indicators have been replaced or eliminated by new Departmental Results Indicators as per the new TSB Policy on Occurrence Classification implemented in fiscal year 2018-19. Details are available in GC InfoBase.^{Footnote iv}

Supporting information on the Program Inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to the TSB's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on the TSB's website:

• Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
• Gender-based analysis plus

Organizational contact information

Additional information about the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and its activities is available on the TSB website^{Footnote v} or by contacting us at:

Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Place du Centre
200 Promenade du Portage, 4th Floor
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 1K8

E-mail: communications@bst-tsb.gc.ca
Social media: social@bst-tsb.gc.ca
Toll Free: 1-800-387-3557

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 appropriated departments over a three year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

Departmental Result (résultat ministériel)

Any 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)

The department's Core Responsibilities, Departmental Results and Departmental Result Indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on the actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

evaluation (évaluation)

In the Government of Canada, the systematic and neutral collection and analysis of evidence to judge merit, worth or value. Evaluation informs decision making, improvements, innovation and accountability. Evaluations typically focus on programs, policies and priorities and examine questions related to relevance, effectiveness and efficiency. Depending on user needs, however, evaluations can also examine other units, themes and issues, including alternatives to existing interventions. Evaluations generally employ social science research methods.

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-diverse people. The “plus” acknowledges that GBA goes beyond sex 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 2019–20 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to 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 initiatives (initiative horizontale)

An initiative in which two or more federal organizations, through an approved funding agreement, work toward achieving clearly defined shared outcomes, and which has been designated (by Cabinet, a central agency, etc.) as a horizontal initiative for managing and reporting purposes.

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 Information Profile (profil de l’information sur le rendement)

The document that identifies the performance information for each Program from the Program Inventory.

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.

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 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.

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.

results (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.

sunset program (programme temporisé)

A time-limited program that does not have an ongoing funding and policy authority. When the program is set to expire, a decision must be made whether to continue the program. In the case of a renewal, the decision specifies the scope, funding level and duration.

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.