ISSN 2561-0317
Table of contents
From the Chair
It is my privilege to present the 2021-22 Departmental Results Report for the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB, the Board).
We are an appeal tribunal that helps Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Members, and their families, obtain the benefits to which they are entitled for service-related disabilities.
This report illustrates the tremendous work our staff and Members are doing each day to support those we serve. Of particular note, is the work the Board accomplished, together with our stakeholders, to coordinate our return to in-person hearings in Spring 2022. We were pleased to be able to facilitate return to in-person hearings while continuing to offer virtual hearings. In fact, we issued 4,094 decisions this year. That number is over 1,000 more than the previous year.
This Departmental Results Report highlights the Board’s progress toward the following priorities:
- To deliver service excellence through access to justice and timeliness;
- To foster accessibility, inclusion and diversity for all; and
- To strengthen outreach and improve communications with Veterans, their families and stakeholders.
As part of our progress toward these priorities we accomplished some key tasks that will assist the Board in our work well into the future.
- We released a new and more accessible website to provide clear and important information to Veterans and stakeholders.
- We continued to promote a healthy and inclusive work environment where all employees are respected and valued and free from harassment and discrimination.
- We completed renovations to our new office space that aligns with the Government of Canada’s workplace modernization and has been designed with those we serve in mind.
I am extremely proud of the work the Board does to serve Veterans, CAF and RCMP Members, and their families. As Chair, I continue to focus on ensuring that Veterans receive the benefits to which they are entitled to for service-related disabilities.
Chris McNeil
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
Results at a glance
Figure 1 - Results at a glance contents
- Funds used: $11,103,961
- Full Time Equivalents: 24 Board Members and 73 Staff
- 4,094 Decisions rendered
- 90% of Veterans received new or increased disability benefits
Results Highlights
- We pursued opportunities to improve and modernize the redress process to better serve Veterans, issuing 4,094 decisions, over 1,000 more than the previous year.
- We continued to develop and enhance training for our Members and staff with a focus on striving for simple, easy to understand decisions.
- We issued an Interpretation Decision, providing clarity around compensation for those with disabilities arising from medical care.
- We continued to engage and consult with the CAF and RCMP, Veterans’ organizations and other groups dedicated to supporting and advocating for Veterans and their families to enhance our understanding of how we can best serve and support Veterans and their families.
- We released a new and more accessible website to provide clear and important information to Veterans and stakeholders.
- We continued to promote a healthy and inclusive work environment where all employees are respected and valued and free from harassment and discrimination.
- We completed renovations to our new office space that aligns with the Government of Canada’s workplace modernization.
For more information on VRAB’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: what we achieved” section of this report.
Results: what we achieved
Core Responsibility
Appeals
Description:
Provide an independent review and appeal program for disability benefits decisions made by Veterans Affairs Canada; ensure Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police members, and their families, receive the benefits they are entitled to under law for service-related disabilities.
Results:
Everything the Board does under its core responsibility aims to provide Veterans and their families with high quality, timely hearings and decisions. In 2021-22, the Board focused on the following priorities to achieve these results.
Deliver Service Excellence through Access to Justice and Timeliness
- The Board is committed to providing quality, timely hearings and decisions to Veterans and their families. More than ever, the Board is operating in a dynamic and complex environment that requires us to be more agile and innovative. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the Board’s workload, largely as a result of VAC’s Service Excellence initiative to reduce the disability benefit application backlog and improve the delivery of services and programs. In 2021-22, the Board received 6,436 applications. This represents a 36% increase over the previous year, and a 168% increase year over year since 2018-19, creating challenges for the Board to provide Veterans with timely hearings and decisions as the intake of applications exceeds the Board’s funded processing capacity. To ensure Veterans and their families obtain access to the disability redress process, and ultimately benefits, more quickly, the Board continued to explore opportunities to address workload pressures and resource requirements. To this end, the Board focused on:
- Maximizing the use of our simplified hearing model which allows for a larger volume of similar cases to be heard in a shorter timeframe;
- Streamlining business processes to deal with the increased volume of cases, while regularly assessing and adjusting these processes to meet changing operational needs;
- Exploring the use of data and analytics to help better triage cases; and
- Continuing to evaluate the funding model and seek additional resources for the redress program.
The Board is pleased to offer Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP members, and their families an avenue to provide their testimony and evidence. During the reporting period, the Board prepared for the resumption of in-person Review hearings that were suspended during the global pandemic. In Spring 2022, the Board resumed in-person hearings, while still providing Veterans the option of attending their hearing via videoconference or teleconference. - Continuous training for Members and staff continued to be a focal point in 2021-22. Understanding the increasingly complex and evolving needs of Veterans and their families is crucial to ensuring they receive fair, consistent, quality and timely hearings and decisions. The Board continued to develop and strengthen the training programs for Members and staff involved in the adjudication process. In September 2021, the Board held a virtual training seminar, where Members were provided training on a variety of topics, including Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation, Agent Orange, Treatment Injury and Diversity and Inclusion.
Further, supported by the remote working environment, the Board began to modernize, standardize and transform how training for Members and staff is developed and delivered, with a particular focus on online delivery. Significant progress has been made in developing a comprehensive online training program for new staff. The beginning stages of the program will be rolled out in 2022-23.
Accessibility, Inclusion and Diversity for All
- The Board respects the diverse Veteran population we serve, and strives to be responsive to their needs. Providing better service to Veterans and their families also means ensuring staff and Board Members are supported. In 2021-22, the Board continued to focus on mental health and wellness by developing its Workplace Action Plan, that among other things, focusses on raising awareness and understanding of mental health in the workplace, and providing a safe and healthy work environment. The Plan will be implemented in 2022-23.
Further, the Board remained committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce that is free from harassment and discrimination and that ensures all staff and Members have equal and fair opportunities. Highlights from 2021-22 include:- Delivering The Working Minds Mental Health Training program to Members and staff. The program is designed to address and promote mental health and reduce the stigma of mental illness in the workplace.
- Celebrating diversity and inclusion by encouraging participation in various events, activities, and education and awareness sessions, such as an Indigenous Cultural Awareness event with guest speaker Julie Pellissier-Lush, a Knowledge Keeper with L’nuey, who spoke to staff and Board Members about Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, the history of the Mi’kmaq on Prince Edward Island and a look forward to enabling the Reconciliation process.
- Holding a wellness event with guest speaker Heather McIver, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Coach, who provided Board Members and employees with information that focused on nutrition, movement and personal empowerment.
- Raising awareness about the importance of mental health and well-being through quarterly conversations and staff meetings.
- Continuing to offer mandatory training on unconscious bias and its impacts for all managers with staffing delegations; and providing harassment awareness training to new staff.
- Developing a more diverse and inclusive approach when Veterans, CAF and RCMP members and their families appear before the Board at Review and wish to provide testimony. The modified approach permits broader opportunities for persons to exercise preferences at the outset of the hearing when choosing how they will be bound to speak the truth.
- As the Board continues to navigate the challenges of the ongoing global pandemic, the health, safety and well-being or our staff and Members remain a priority. During the reporting period, we continued to provide support to staff and Members as they continued to work remotely, and equip them with the necessary resources and training to carry out their work. In anticipation of an eventual reopening of the workplace, the Board developed a return to office plan that aligns with Government of Canada guidance for the safe return to workplaces and respects diverse personal circumstances and operational needs.
Additionally, the Board prepared for the relocation to its new office space due to the extensive renovation plan for the Daniel J. MacDonald building. The new office space aligns with the Government of Canada’s workplace modernization initiative by creating open, agile and connected workspaces. To ensure staff and Members are supported during the transition, the Board consulted with them regularly throughout the reporting period, keeping them informed and engaged in the changes. The new location has also been thoughtfully designed with those we serve in mind. A comfortable waiting area, welcoming hearing room, private interview rooms and barrier-free facilities are some of the features that will assist in making the space inviting and accessible for Veterans, their families, and their representatives. - The Board depends upon a skilled and knowledgeable workforce. During the reporting period, the Board continued to implement a more robust approach to human resources planning to ensure that a responsive and adequate workforce is in place to effectively support the organization and the significant increase in applications. This included communicating with the Minister on the Board’s Governor in Council appointment needs; recruiting strategically to respond to organizational resource and skill needs, such as official language requirements and new skill-sets to support a digital-first approach; focusing on learning and professional development by investing time and resources in learning activities; and providing Members and staff with developmental opportunities.
- In 2021-22, the Board began developing a plan to implement the Accessible Canada Act, which aims to make Canada barrier-free for the benefit of all, particularly people with disabilities, by recognizing, removing and preventing barriers. Initiatives aimed at improving accessibility included ensuring the new office location was accessible to Veterans, Board Members and staff, and that Board communications, decisions and website are easy to understand and accessible. Further, the Board worked with VAC to consult with Veterans on accessibility using the Let’s Talk Veterans platform. The consultation was used to obtain feedback from Veterans and other external stakeholders about barriers to accessibility at VAC and the Board.
Strengthen Outreach and Improve Communication
- The Board continued its outreach and engagement with the Veteran community and stakeholders to maintain strong partnerships with external stakeholders, who are a direct line to Veterans. We want to ensure we are hearing their current priorities and concerns; and to strengthen our communication directly with Veterans and their families so they are aware of our services and understand what the Board can offer them. In April 2021, one of our Board Members presented an overview of VRAB’s role in the disability benefits program to participants at the CFB Kingston Second Career Assistance Network (SCAN) Seminar. At the end of the reporting period, the Board released its new website. The new site is designed with special attention to accessibility and the future needs of Veterans, CAF and RCMP members and their families and the needs or our organization. The new features available throughout the website will enable enhanced navigation capabilities with touchscreen devices and accessibility devices such as screen readers.
Communications and outreach are fundamental to improving and supporting access to the Board’s appeal program. Interpretation Hearings are an important way for the Board to provide Veterans, CAF and RCMP Members, and their families, with clarity on our legislation, policies and procedures. At the beginning of the fiscal year, the Board issued an Interpretation Decision resulting from an Interpretation Hearing held in January 2021. The Decision provides clarity around compensation for those with disabilities arising from medical care.
The Board also recognizes that strong internal communication is crucial for an engaged, well-informed workforce, especially now as employees work remotely. Throughout the year, the Board continued to leverage existing communication tools, such as Microsoft Teams. Creating a Microsoft Teams channel to share information and engage with staff and Members on the move to the Board’s new office space proved to be very effective.
Gender-based analysis plus
- The Board continued to promote the Government of Canada’s priority of strengthening diversity and inclusion by considering Gender-based analysis Plus (GBA Plus) in its activities and processes.
- The Board serves a diverse group of Veterans, including factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, ability, etc. The Board applies a GBA Plus lens to help ensure we take into consideration the variation in experiences and barriers that different groups face as we develop or improve our program and services. For example, the Board recognizes that some applicants may prefer to be referred to using non-binary titles and pronouns. The Board ensures it is respectful of an applicant’s gender identity.
- GBA Plus training for Members and staff is key to successful integration of GBA Plus throughout the Board. The Board continued to build awareness of GBA Plus in the organization by encouraging staff to complete the Women and Gender Equality Canada online GBA Plus course, and take part in the GBA Plus Awareness Week activities hosted by VAC. The Board also continued to work with VAC’s Office of Women and LGBTQ2 Veterans to identify and work to address challenges facing these groups of Veterans, regardless of their biological sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or other identity factors.
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals
In 2021-22, the Board continued to support the transition to a low-carbon economy through green procurement in support of the Support for United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.7 – Ensure sustainable consumption by:
- Ensuring decision makers have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement; and
- Ensuring training is provided to acquisition cardholders on green procurement.
Experimentation
The Board’s limited budget precluded undertaking any significant experimentation beyond routine analysis and testing of new processes and tools aimed at enhancing its operations.
Key risks
- Due to the evolving nature of the Board’s workload and increase in the volume of applications to the Board, there is a risk that the Board will not be able to meet the demands for timely hearings and decisions. To mitigate this risk, the Board worked with representatives to improve the scheduling process, explored options to bring in additional resources as required and continued to streamline processes to ensure that resources are focused on delivering decisions to Veterans and their families as quickly as possible.
- Due to public health measures and limitations imposed on travel as a result of COVID-19, there is a risk that Veterans who wish to exercise their right to an in-person hearing may have to wait longer to have their cases heard. To mitigate this risk, the Board continued to provide Veterans with the opportunity to have their case heard by teleconference or video-conference. In Spring 2022, the Board resumed in-person hearings, while continuing to offer virtual hearings.
Results Achieved
The following table shows, for VRAB, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2021–22, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2019-20 Actual results | 2020-21 Actual results | 2021-22 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants receive high quality hearings and decisions | Percentage of Applicants who provide positive feedback about their hearing | ≥95% | March 31, 2022 | 96% | Not available Footnote 1 | Not available Footnote 1 |
| Percentage of Board decisions that meet quality standards | ≥85% | March 31, 2022 | 93% | 91% | 71% Footnote 2 | |
| Percentage of Board decisions overturned by the Federal Court | <2% | March 31, 2022 | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% | |
| Applicants receive timely decisions | Percentage of Review decisions issued within 16 weeks of the applicant/representative notifying the Board their case is ready to be heard | ≥95% | March 31, 2022 | 95% | 88% | 77% Footnote 3 |
| Percentage of Appeal decisions issued within 16 weeks of the applicant/representative notifying the Board their case is ready to be heard | ≥85% | March 31, 2021 | 41% | 48% | 66% Footnote 3 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for VRAB’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.
Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
The following table shows, for Appeals, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as actual spending for that year.
| 2021–22 Main Estimates | 2021–22 Planned spending | 2021–22 Total authorities available for use | 2021–22 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2021–22 Difference (actual spending minus planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,215,236 | 11,215,236 | 11,674,095 | 11,103,961 | (570,134) |
Human resources (full-time equivalents)
The following table shows, in full time equivalents, the human resources the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.
| 2021–22 Planned full-time equivalents | 2021–22 Actual full-time equivalents | 2021–22 Difference (actual full-time equivalents minus planned full time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | 97 | (4) |
Financial, human resources and performance information for VRAB’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.
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
- Material Management Services
- Management and Oversight Services
- Real Property Management Services
VAC provides some internal services to the Board under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This service relationship has been in place since the Board was created in 1995 and provides the VRAB with an excellent opportunity to maximize resources by capitalizing on the significant investment VAC has made in these services while maintaining its adjudicative independence.
The Board continued to work within the MOU for Internal Services developed with VAC.
Budgetary financial resources (dollars)
The following table shows, for internal services, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as spending for that year.
| 2021–22 Main Estimates | 2021–22 Planned spending | 2021–22 Total authorities available for use | 2021–22 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2021–22 Difference (Actual spending minus planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Footnote 4 | 0 Footnote 4 | 0 Footnote 4 | 0 Footnote 4 | 0 Footnote 4 |
Human resources (full-time equivalents)
The following table shows, in full time equivalents, the human resources the department needed to carry out its internal services for 2021–22.
| 2021–22 Planned full-time equivalents | 2021–22 Actual full-time equivalents | 2021–22 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus planned full-time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 Footnote 5 | 0 Footnote 5 | 0 Footnote 5 |
Spending and human resources
Spending
Spending 2019–20 to 2024–25
The following graph Footnote 6 presents planned (voted and statutory spending) over time.
| 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021–22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Voted | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 |
| Total | 10.7 | 10.5 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 |
Over the next three years (2022-23 to 2024-25), the Board’s planned spending is relatively stable.
Budgetary performance summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)
The "Budgetary performance summary for core responsibilities and internal services" table presents the budgetary financial resources allocated for VRAB’s core responsibilities and for internal services.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2021–22 Main Estimates | 2021–22 Planned spending | 2022–23 Planned spending | 2023–24 Planned spending | 2021–22 Total authorities available for use | 2019–20 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2020–21 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2021–22 Actual spending (authorities used) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appeals | 11,215,236 | 11,215,236 | 11,256,654 | 11,256,654 | 11,674,095 | 10,696,418 | 10,505,680 | 11,103,961 |
| Internal Services | 0 Footnote 7 | 0 Footnote 7 | 0 Footnote 7 | 0 Footnote 7 | 0 Footnote 7 | 0 Footnote 7 | 0 Footnote 7 | 0 Footnote 7 |
| Total | 11,215,236 | 11,215,236 | 11,256,654 | 11,256,654 | 11,674,095 | 10,696,418 | 10,505,680 | 11,103,961 |
- The Board’s actual spending for 2021-22 was $11.1 million. This represents a 1% variance from the total planned spending of $11.2 million reported in the 2021-22 Departmental Plan.
- Actual spending was relatively consistent with planned spending, despite the impact COVID-19 has had on the current environment.
Human resources
The “Human resources summary for core responsibilities and internal services” table presents the full-time equivalents (FTEs) allocated to each of VRAB’s core responsibilities and to internal services.
| Core responsibilities and Internal Services | 2019-20 Actual full-time equivalents | 2020-21 Actual full-time equivalents | 2021–22 Planned full-time equivalents | 2021–22 Actual full-time equivalents | 2022–23 Planned full-time equivalents | 2023–24 Planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appeals | 83 | 85 | 101 | 97 | 101 | 101 |
| Internal Services | 0 Footnote 8 | 0 Footnote 8 | 0 Footnote 8 | 0 Footnote 8 | 0 Footnote 8 | 0 Footnote 8 |
| Total | 83 | 85 | 101 | 97 | 101 | 101 |
Expenditures by vote
For information on the VRAB’s organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2021.
Government of Canada spending and activities
Information on the alignment of the VRAB’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
VRAB’s financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2022, are available on the departmental website.
Financial statements highlights
| Financial information | 2021–22 Planned results | 2021–22 Actual results | 2021–21 Actual results | Difference (2021–22 Actual results minus 2021–22 Planned results) | Difference (2021–22 Actual results minus 2020–21 Actual results) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 12,744,118 | 12,551,472 | 12,102,078 | (192,646) | 449,394 |
| Total revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 12,744,118 | 12,551,472 | 12,102,078 | (192,646) | 449,394 |
The Board’s total operating expenses were approximately $193 thousand lower than planned in the 2021-22 fiscal year. The actual expenditures for the 2021-22 fiscal year were $449 thousand higher than the previous fiscal year. This is mainly attributable to an increase in salary expenditures offset by a decrease in office furniture and equipment expenses.
| Financial information | 2021–22 | 2020–21 | Difference (2021–22 minus 2020–21) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total net liabilities | 1,684,270 | 1,509,928 | 174,342 |
| Total net financial assets | 711,433 | 482,868 | 228,565 |
| Departmental net debt | 972,838 | 1,027,060 | (54,222) |
| Total non-financial assets | 11,806 | 23,420 | (11,614) |
| Departmental net financial position | (961,032) | (1,003,640) | 42,608 |
Net liabilities increased by $174 thousand in 2021-22 when compared with fiscal year 2020-21. This is mainly attributable to the increase in accrued liabilities. Net financial assets increased by $289 thousand which is attributable to an increase in the amount due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The 2021–22 planned results information is provided in Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2021–22.
Corporate information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister: The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, P.C., M.P.
Institutional head: Christopher J. McNeil
Ministerial portfolio: Veterans Affairs
Enabling instrument(s): Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act; Veterans Review and Appeal Board Regulations
Year of incorporation / commencement: 1995
Other: Applications for review and appeal can be made to the Board under the following legislation:
- Pension Act
- Veterans Well-being Act ;
- War Veterans Allowance Act;
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pension Continuation Act; and
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act.
The Board also adjudicates applications for compassionate awards made under section 34 of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act.
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 VRAB's website.
Operating context
Information on the operating context is available on the VRAB’s website.
Reporting framework
VRAB’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2021–22 are shown below.
| Departmental Results Framework | ||
|---|---|---|
| Core Responsibility: Appeals | ||
| Departmental Result: Applicants receive high quality hearings and decisions. | Indicators: | Percentage of applicants who provide positive feedback about their hearing |
| Percentage of Board decisions that meet quality standards | ||
| Percentage of Board decisions overturned by the Federal Court | ||
| Departmental Result: Applicants receive timely decisions. | Indicators: | Percentage of Review decisions issued within 16 weeks of the applicant/representative notifying the Board their case is ready to be heard |
| Percentage of Appeal decisions issued within 16 weeks of the applicant/representative notifying the Board their case is ready to be heard | ||
| Program Inventory | ||
| Program: Review and Appeal | ||
Supporting information on the program inventory
Financial, human resources and performance information for the VRAB’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on the VRAB's website:
- Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy/Reporting on Green Procurement
- Gender-based analysis plus
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 as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.
Organizational contact information
Mailing address
Veterans Review and Appeal Board
PO Box 9900
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 8V7
Canada
Telephone:
Toll Free in Canada and the United States
- 1-800-450-8006 (English Service) or
- 1-877-368-0859 (French Service)
From all other locations, call collect
- 0-902-566-8751 (English Service) or
- 0-902-566-8835 (French Service)
TTY: 1-833-998-2060
Fax: 1-855-850-4644
Email: vrab.info.tacra@canada.ca
Website: https://www.vrab-tacra.gc.ca
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 3 year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.
- departmental priority (priorité)
- A plan or project that a department 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.
- 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 quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.
- departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
- A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its 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, for whom and in what circumstances. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from 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. For a particular position, the full time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person’s collective agreement.
- gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
- An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives; and understand how factors such as sex, race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic conditions, geography, culture and disability, impact experiences and outcomes, and can affect access to and experience of government programs.
- government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
- For the purpose of the 2021–22 Departmental Results Report, 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 where 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 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.
- 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 the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.
- result (résultat)
- A 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.
- 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.