Site MenuCore Responsibilities: Planned Results and Resources, and Key Risks – 2021–22 Departmental Plan
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.
Electoral Administration and Oversight
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer is the independent and non-partisan agency responsible for the electoral administration and oversight of federal elections and referendums. It is headed by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada.
Description
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's core responsibility is to prepare for, deliver, and report on federal elections and referendums in accordance with the legislative framework, while ensuring integrity throughout the electoral process.
Planning Highlights
In 2021–22, the agency will continue to improve its services so that Canadians can exercise their democratic rights to vote and be a candidate in a fair, secure, and transparent electoral process.
Looking ahead to the next election
In 2021–22, Elections Canada will assess operational vulnerabilities and focus on the initiatives required to maintain readiness for a general election or by-election. Being prepared to deliver such events is an integral part of the agency's mandate and will be supported by the following initiatives:
- Elections Canada will continue to work on identifying opportunities to improve the experience of electors and candidates. This will involve fine-tuning systems, procedures, and products, and supporting returning officers as they begin to prepare to deliver optimal operations for the next electoral event.
- As part of these preparations, Elections Canada will review and refine its polling station operations and staffing model to align with the needs of voters and the requirements of the Canada Elections Act.iii This will include developing strategies to address staffing and recruitment issues, and looking for opportunities to optimize registration and voting procedures.
- The agency will continue to maintain the National Register of Electors by refining its processes and collaborating with various electoral management bodies and other key partners. The National Register of Electors is a permanent, continually updated database of Canadians who are eligible to vote in general elections, by-elections, and referendums. The agency's ongoing work in this area facilitates the collection and validation of elector information in advance of an election.
- As with the previous general election, Elections Canada will develop a multimedia information campaign, which will include a secure website, messages delivered through Elections Canada's social media channels, shareable digital information products, educational videos, and a national advertising campaign. These efforts will enable electors to access all the facts they need about when, where, and the ways to register and vote.
- Inspire Democracyiv workshops will be offered on becoming a candidate, working in an election, and registering and voting.
- In preparation for the next general election, Elections Canada will continue to update its resources for political entities, including handbooks, guidelines, and interpretation notes on the application of the Canada Elections Actv to political entities.
In addition to preparing for the next election, the agency will focus on the following initiatives to support programs and services that enable Canadians to vote and be a candidate:
- Elections Canada will continue to deepen its cooperative relationships with federal agencies, such as Statistics Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and with provincial and territorial electoral management bodies to further improve the accuracy of the information in the National Register of Electors.
- The agency will continue to implement the Register of Future Electors, simplifying the process of adding young Canadians to the National Register of Electors when they become eligible to vote. In the longer term, this pre-registration should increase the accuracy and coverage in the National Register of Electors of Canadians for the 18 34 age group, where the gap between the estimated number of electors and that of registered electors is the largest.
- Elections Canada will work to make voting as accessible as possible. The agency is expanding its capacity to administer and process voting by mail and aims to develop, obtain and adapt assistive voting technology for use by electors with a disability. Building on initiatives already in place, Elections Canada will strive to continuously improve the accessibility of the electoral process and will publish its Accessibility Plan as required by the Accessible Canada Act.vi
Operating in a complex electoral environment
Ongoing monitoring activities allow the agency to remain well-positioned to anticipate, detect, and respond to emerging concerns. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous operational challenges that could affect, or be perceived to affect, the security and integrity of the electoral process. Given that the Canada Elections Act provides the agency with the flexibility to modify certain procedures, the agency will proactively implement the following initiatives:
- Elections Canada will remain ready to implement administrative measures that promote the health and safety of electors and election workers at polling stations and other points of service. These measures include the distribution of personal protective equipment and upgrades to targeted business processes and systems in order to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of voting by mail.
- Elections Canada has also recommended a legislative response to current circumstances that would allow for temporary adjustments but leave the Act and the electoral system unchanged once the pandemic period is behind us. The agency will implement any legislative changes that Parliament may see fit to enact.
- Elections Canada will continue to consult with federal and provincial health authorities and a broad array of stakeholders, as it implements any legislative changes and administrative measures necessary for the delivery of an accessible, safe, and secure election amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency will also focus on the following initiatives designed to maintain trust in the electoral process:
- Elections Canada will continue to modernize the data collection and management methods used to update and maintain the National Register of Electors and the Register of Future Electors.
- Elections Canada will oversee the mandatory audits of poll officials at any general election or by-election called within the fiscal year.
- The agency will continue to deliver its training program for electoral district associations. Training sessions are offered to financial agents and chief executive officers every year and are part of the agency's ongoing commitment to help political entities comply with the political financing regime of the Canada Elections Act.vii
- Elections Canada will continue to provide civic education and mobilize stakeholders through new and revised learning tools. These will be shared with educators and used at conferences, professional development events, and Inspire Democracyviii workshops. Given the pandemic context, plans will be developed to pivot certain workshops to digital events.
- The agency will virtually attend international events and bilateral engagements with other electoral management bodies, including those from emerging democracies. This will contribute to the dissemination of knowledge and expertise, and ensure that the agency remains on the leading edge of trends and issues related to electoral management.
- Elections Canada will maintain electoral geography databases in partnership with Statistics Canada and produce up-to-date mapping products. These maps will be used to visualize online polling sites along with proximities to advance and regular polling stations.
- Elections Canada will also begin preparations in alignment with the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Actix to support the work of the independent electoral boundaries commissions. It is the mandate of these commissions to ensure that electoral districts and their boundaries are revised to reflect changes and movements in Canada's population as per the findings of the 2021 census.
Key Risks
As the independent, non-partisan agency mandated to administer all aspects of federal elections and referendums, Elections Canada is committed to ensuring that Canadians can exercise their democratic rights to vote and be a candidate. With this comes a variety of risks, especially in recent times where the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new challenges, including: administering an election during pandemic circumstances, ensuring the ongoing health and safety of employees at headquarters and in the field, maintaining trust in the electoral process in the face of increasing amounts of disinformation, and properly safeguarding the security of events and the personal information of Canadians.
Throughout its 100-year history, the agency has demonstrated a capacity for innovation, evolution, and adaptation that has allowed it to mitigate risk and successfully deliver electoral events, no matter the circumstances. This year will be no different. Monitoring activities are ongoing, both nationally and internationally, to identify and analyze any recent developments, or disinformation or security issues that would need to be addressed. Active collaboration with key partners in health and security ensures that operational plans are adapted to reflect the most recent advice and best practices. Elections Canada has also implemented a steering committee to manage and provide oversight for key readiness activities that address vulnerabilities related to administering an election during a pandemic. Looking to its foundational systems and processes, Elections Canada is continually improving its overall security posture and communication channels both at headquarters and in the field, which allows new risks to be identified and mitigated promptly.
| Departmental Result | Departmental Result Indicator | Target | Actual Results1 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Canadians can exercise their democratic rights to vote and to be a candidate |
Percentage of electors included in the National Register of Electors |
At least 94% |
2019–20: 96% |
|
Percentage of polling stations that meet Elections Canada's key accessibility criteria |
100% |
2019–20: 94% |
|
|
Percentage of electors' residences that are within 6 kilometres of their assigned polling place on polling day |
At least 95% |
2019–20: 94% |
|
|
Percentage of electors' residences that are within 12 kilometres of their assigned polling place on advance polling days |
At least 95% |
2019–20: 91% |
|
|
Number of electors who attended the Inspire Democracy workshop on "Becoming a candidate" |
At least 30 |
2019–20: Not available |
|
|
Percentage of candidates who are satisfied with the services and products provided by Elections Canada | At least 90% |
2019–20: Not available |
|
|
Canadians receive electoral information and services that meet their needs |
Percentage of electors who are aware of the main voting methods |
At least 90% of electors are aware of the option to vote at a polling station on election day |
2019–20: 91% |
At least 70% of electors are aware of the option to vote at an advance poll |
2019–20: 71% |
|
Percentage of electors who are satisfied with the information provided by Elections Canada |
At least 85% |
2019–20: Not available |
|
|
Canada maintains a fair, secure, and transparent electoral process free of undue influence |
Percentage of Canadians who have a positive perception of the administration of elections |
At least 95% of electors |
2019–20: 91% |
At least 85% of candidates |
2019–20: 82% |
|
Number of security incidents with a demonstrable effect on the electoral process |
0 |
2019–20: Not available |
Election officers' level of compliance with procedures at the polls |
A deviation under 2% for key controls |
2019–20: Within tolerance |
A deviation under 11% for secondary controls |
2019–20: Within tolerance |
|
Percentage of ineligible contributions that are returned to contributors or remitted to the Chief Electoral Officer at the request of Elections Canada |
At least 90% |
2019–20: Not available3 |
|
|
Percentage of financial returns (all entities except third parties) that Elections Canada posts online within 10 business days of filing |
100% |
2019–20: 100% |
|
|
Percentage of candidate returns for which the audit is completed within 12 months of the submission deadline |
100% |
2019–20: Not available |
Return to source of 1 Unless otherwise stated, "Not available" indicates that the performance indicator was not in effect at that time, and therefore, historical data may not be available.
Return to source of 2 Candidates are only polled following a general election. Electors are polled following general elections and by-elections.
Return to source of 3 No contributions were required to be returned at the request of the Chief Electoral Officer in 2019–20.
Return to source of 4 No contributions were required to be returned at the request of the Chief Electoral Officer in 2018–19.
Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.x
| 2021–22 Budgetary Spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2021–22 Planned Spending | 2022–23 Planned Spending | 2023–24 Planned Spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 112,848,442 | 112,848,442 | 120,161,578 | 90,909,740 |
The fluctuation in planned spending over these fiscal years is due to several causes, including:
- maintaining election readiness during a minority government period;
- conducting and supporting electoral boundaries redistribution, which should peak in 2022–23;
- investing in electoral services modernization and asset renewal projects, which should peak in 2022–23.
Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.xi
| 2021–22 Planned Full-time Equivalents | 2022–23 Planned Full-time Equivalents | 2023–24 Planned Full-time Equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 790 | 808 | 623 |
The fluctuation in planned full-time equivalents is largely explained by the same reasons stated in the table on planned budgetary financial resources.
Financial, human resources and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program is available in the GC InfoBase.xii
Electoral Compliance and Enforcement
The Commissioner of Canada Elections is the independent officer responsible for ensuring compliance with, and enforcement of, the Canada Elections Actxiii and the Referendum Act.xiv The Canada Elections Act defines and regulates activities during the pre writ and writ periods. The Commissioner and his staff work to ensure that political entities, third-party organizations, stakeholder groups and other individuals engaged in the electoral process do so in compliance with the rules.
Description
Compliance and Enforcement activities under the Canada Elections Act and the Referendum Act are conducted by the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections (OCCE) in an independent, impartial and fair manner.
Planning Highlights
In 2021–22, the Commissioner of Canada Elections will continue to ensure compliance with, and enforcement of, the Canada Elections Actxv through the application of administrative measures and the laying of criminal charges to contribute to the integrity of the electoral process. This work will be supported by the following initiatives:
- The Commissioner of Canada Elections will continue to review and investigate complaints related to the 43rd general election.
- Barring delays in the transfer of files resulting from the pandemic, the OCCE will review referrals received from Elections Canada, including those with respect to the financial returns of candidates, registered parties, and third parties.
- As required, the OCCE will impose administrative monetary penalties to address various violations of the Canada Elections Act, with a view to ensuring compliance.
| Departmental Result | Departmental Result Indicator | Target | Actual Results |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Compliance and enforcement activities under the Canada Elections Act contribute to the integrity of the electoral process |
Percentage of complaints resulting in compliance measures |
100% |
2019–20: 100% |
Percentage of complaints resulting in formal criminal enforcement measures |
100% |
2019–20: 100% |
Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.xvi
| 2021–22 Budgetary Spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2021–22 Planned Spending | 2022–23 Planned Spending | 2023–24 Planned Spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7,968,296 | 7,968,296 | 7,989,549 | 7,995,890 |
Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.xvii
| 2021–22 Planned Full-time Equivalents | 2022–23 Planned Full-time Equivalents | 2023–24 Planned Full-time Equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 44 | 44 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program is available in the GC InfoBase.xviii