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Core Responsibilities: Planned Results and Resources2022–23 Departmental Plan

This section contains detailed information on the department's planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities.

Regulatory Oversight

Description

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer works to ensure integrity throughout the electoral process through two separate organizational components: Elections Canada (EC) and Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections (OCCE). EC administers the political financing regime in the Canada Elections Act (CEA), iv ensures the policies, advice, and guidance are in place to facilitate election administration in accordance with the CEA, and monitors compliance of political entities with the political financing requirements in the CEA. The OCCE ensures compliance with, and enforcement of, the CEA and the Referendum Act.v

Planning Highlights

In 2022–23, Elections Canada will continue its activities to close out the 44th general election and prepare to facilitate the administration of an election, which could be called at any time.

Elections Canada will also undertake the following initiatives to enable a sound political financing regime:

  • Continuing to modernize the political financing program by enhancing business intelligence and data analysis strategies and tools to address areas of risk in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of audit work.
  • Implementing program improvements based on the findings from the lessons learned exercise for the 43rd general election with regard to training, guidance materials and audit methodologies.
  • Conducting risk-based audits of financial returns of candidates, political parties and third parties for the 44th general election.
  • Updating the multi-year audit plan for political entities.
  • Continuing to deliver yearly training sessions to financial agents and chief executive officers of electoral district associations as part of the agency's ongoing commitment to help political entities comply with the financing regime outlined in the Canada Elections Act.vi
  • Conducting the triennial confirmation of members of political partiesvii where, in order to retain their political status and validate membership information, all registered parties and eligible parties provide the Chief Electoral Officer with the names and addresses of the members in their party.
  • Developing a policy and directives on the registration of political parties.
  • Continuing to provide legal risk assessment services to support the agency in the delivery of general elections, by-elections and referendums.
  • Identifying opportunities for improvement to the political financing systems and data management processes.

As part of its post-event reporting, the agency will complete a comprehensive retrospective report that will evaluate the performance of specific election activities using information and data collected from post-election analyses, returning officers' reports, research, surveys and feedback from key stakeholder groups. Elections Canada will also draft and table in Parliament a recommendations report outlining how certain legislative changes could enable the agency to improve the administration of the Canada Elections Actviii in future electoral events.

In addition to its evaluation and reporting activities, Elections Canada will focus on the following initiatives designed to maintain trust in the electoral process:

  • Overseeing the independent audit of poll worker performance during the 44th general election. The agency will also facilitate the mandatory audits of poll officials at any general election or by-election called within the fiscal year.
  • Monitoring the information environment and acting upon instances of misleading or inaccurate information, while ensuring that the agency is the authoritative source of information about the electoral process for Canadians.

In parallel to the work led by Elections Canada, the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections (OCCE) will ensure compliance with, and enforcement of, the Canada Elections Act by continuing to review and investigate complaints related to the 43rd and 44th general elections.

The OCCE will also review all referrals received from Elections Canada, including those relating to the financial returns of candidates, registered parties and third parties. Where required, the Commissioner will take compliance and enforcement action, including but not limited to the imposition of administrative monetary penalties1 or the laying of criminal charges to address various violations of the Canada Elections Act.

1 As of June 13, 2019, the Commissioner of Canada Elections may levy administrative monetary penalties for illegal voting violations and violations committed under Parts 16 (Communications), 17 (Third Parties) or 18 (Political Financing) of the Canada Elections Act.

Planned Results for Regulatory Oversight

The following table shows, for Regulatory Oversight, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Departmental Result Departmental Result Indicator Target Actual Results
Canada has a fair, secure, and transparent electoral process free of undue influence Percentage of electors who have a positive perception of the administration of by-elections At least 90% by March 2023 2020–21: 93%
2019–20: Not applicable1
2018–19: 92%
Election officers' level of compliance with procedures at the polls in a by election Deviation under 2% for key controls at by-elections and deviation under 11% for secondary controls at by elections by March 2023 2020–21: Within tolerance
2019–20: Within tolerance
2018–19: Within tolerance
Percentage of political party and electoral district association financial returns (filed with all mandatory documents) that are published on Election Canada's website within 10 business days of filing 100% by March 2023 2020–21: Not available2
Number of security incidents with a demonstrable effect on the electoral process 0 by March 2023 2020–21: 0
2019–20: Not available2
2018–19: Not available2
Percentage of Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections files closed within 18 months At least 80% by March 2023 2020–21: Not available2
Percentage of electors who have a positive perception of the administration of a general election At least 90% by the 45th general election 2020–21: Not applicable1
2019–20: 91%
2018–19: Not applicable1
Election officers' level of compliance with procedures at the polls in a general election Deviation under 2% for key controls at a general election and deviation under 11% for secondary controls at a general election by the 45th general election 2020–21: Not applicable1
2019–20: Within tolerance
2018–19: Not applicable1
Percentage of candidate financial returns (filed with all mandatory documents) that are published on Election Canada's website within 10 business days of filing 100% by the 45th general election 2020–21: Not available2
Percentage of candidate financial returns for which the audit is completed within 12 months of the statutory or extended submission deadline 100% by the 45th general election 2020–21: 82%
2019–20: Not available2
2018–19: Not available2

Note 1: Unless otherwise stated, "Not applicable" indicates that data for the performance indicator cannot be gathered as the correlating event (by-election or general election) did not occur.

Note 2: 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.

Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.ix

Planned Budgetary Financial Resources for Regulatory Oversight

The following table shows, for Regulatory Oversight, budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

2022–23 Budgetary Spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2022–23
Planned Spending		 2023–24
Planned Spending		 2024–25
Planned Spending
29,607,678 29,607,678 28,558,719 23,950,512

The fluctuation in planned spending over these fiscal years is mainly due to the closing of the 44th general election, including the audit of financial returns of candidates and political parties.

Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.x

Planned Human Resources for Regulatory Oversight

The following table shows, in full-time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

2022–23
Planned Full-time Equivalents		 2023–24
Planned Full-time Equivalents		 2024–25
Planned Full-time Equivalents
214 196 164

The fluctuation in planned full-time equivalents is largely explained by the same reasons stated in the Planned budgetary financial resources table.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program is available in the GC InfoBase.xi

Electoral Administration

Description

Elections Canada prepares for, delivers, and reports on federal general elections, by-elections, and referendums in accordance with the legislative framework and educates electors, first-time electors, and future electors to enable Canadians' participation in an inclusive electoral process.

Planning Highlights

Maintaining Electoral Readiness

Being prepared to deliver electoral events is an integral part of the agency's mandate and will be supported by the following initiatives:

  • Fine-tuning systems, procedures, and products to support returning officers as they begin to prepare for the next electoral event.
  • Continuing to work on identifying opportunities to improve the experience of electors and candidates.
  • Reviewing and refining the polling station operation and staffing models to ensure that voting services are universally accessible and convenient, and that they align with the requirements set out in the Canada Elections Act.xii This will include streamlining operations at the polls and bringing both rigour and predictability to the way electors experience voter services.
  • Continuing to collaborate with federal agencies, such as the Canada Revenue Agency, Statistics Canada, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and with provincial and territorial agencies and electoral management bodies to further improve the accuracy of the information in the National Register of Electors.2
  • Participating in bilateral engagements with other electoral management bodies and in international events and initiatives, such as ACE: The Electoral Knowledge Network, in order to share the agency's experiences and lessons learned and stay up to date on trends and issues related to electoral management.
  • Continuing to partner with Statistics Canada to maintain electoral geography databases and produce up-to-date mapping materials. These tools will be used to visualize polling sites online, along with proximities to advance and election day polling stations.
  • Refreshing the multimedia information campaign that maintains electors' access to the information they need about when, where, and the ways to register and vote.

2 Created in 1997, the National Register of Electors is a permanent, continually updated database of Canadians who are qualified to vote in federal elections and referendums. It contains the name, address, gender and date of birth of each elector, along with a unique identifier to help track changes to the elector's registration record. Elections Canada uses the information in the Register to create lists of electors at the beginning of federal elections and referendums. Canadians may opt out of the National Register of Electors and will not lose their right to vote if they do so.

Enabling Canadians to Vote and Be a Candidate

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:

  • Offering Inspire Democracyxiii workshops on becoming a candidate, registering, and voting. The agency will also begin developing new Inspire Democracy learning tools for stakeholders and educators to use at conferences and professional development events.
  • Continuing to offer educational materials to support educators in teaching about elections and democracy.
  • Continuing to implement the Register of Future Electors in order to streamline the process of adding young Canadians to the National Register of Electors when they become eligible to vote.
  • Building on initiatives that are already in place in order to continuously improve the accessibility of the electoral process and publishing the agency's first Accessibility Plan as required by the Accessible Canada Act.xiv
  • Reviewing the engagement strategies with and voting services for Indigenous electors and electors in remote communities in order to reduce their barriers to participating in elections.
  • Working with post-secondary institutions and student associations to set up permanent Vote on Campus services.

Planned Results for Electoral Administration

The following table shows, for Electoral Administration, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Departmental Result Departmental Result Indicator Target Actual Results
Canada has an inclusive, accessible, and reliable electoral process Percentage of electors satisfied with their overall voting experience in a by-election At least 85% by March 2023 2020–21: Not available2
Percentage of polling places in a by-election that meet all 15 mandatory accessibility criteria 100% by March 2023 2020–21: Not available2
2019–20: Not available2
2018–19: 97%
Percentage of eligible electors included in the National Register of Electors At least 95% by March 2023 2020–21: 96%
2019–20: 96%
2018–19: 94%
Percentage of young electors (18-24) included in the National Register of Electors At least 80% by March 2023 2020–21: Not available2
Percentage of future electors (17 year-olds) in the Register of Future Electors At least 25% by March 2023 2020–21: Not available2
Percentage of electors satisfied with their overall voting experience in a general election At least 85% by the 45th general election 2020–21: Not applicable1
Percentage of electors satisfied with the information received from Elections Canada on the voting process At least 90% by the 45th general election 2020–21: Not applicable1
2019–20: Not available2
2018–19: Not applicable1
Percentage of candidates satisfied with the overall quality of service received from Elections Canada At least 75% by the 45th general election 2020–21: Not applicable1
2019–20: Not available2
2018–19: Not applicable1
Percentage of polling places in a general election that meet all 15 mandatory accessibility criteria 100% by the 45th general election 2020–21: Not applicable1
2019–20: 94%
2018–19: Not applicable1
Percentage of non-voters who did not vote due to reasons related to the electoral process 5% or less by the 45th general election 2020-21: Not applicable1
Number of schools that register to participate in Student Vote At least 7,500 by the 45th general election 2020–21: Not applicable1

Note 1: Unless otherwise stated, "Not applicable" indicates that data for the performance indicator cannot be gathered as the correlating event (by-election or general election) did not occur.

Note 2: 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.

Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.xv

Planned Budgetary Financial Resources for Electoral Administration

The following table shows, for Electoral Administration, budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

2022–23 Budgetary Spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2022–23
Planned Spending		 2023–24
Planned Spending		 2024–25
Planned Spending
112,959,453 112,959,453 115,220,503 112,950,759

Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.xvi

Planned Human Resources for Electoral Administration

The following table shows, in full-time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

2022–23
Planned Full-time Equivalents		 2023–24
Planned Full-time Equivalents		 2024–25
Planned Full-time Equivalents
536 523 521

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program is available in the GC InfoBase.xvii

Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Administration

Description

Elections Canada provides independent provincial commissions with financial and administrative services to support the readjustment of the federal electoral boundaries and enable the commissions to carry out their obligations under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act.xviii

Planning Highlights

The Constitution Act, 1867xix and the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Actxx require that the number of seats in the House of Commons, and the boundaries of federal electoral districts, be reviewed after each decennial census in order to account for changes and movements in Canada's population. This work is led by 10 independent electoral boundaries commissions, which receive financial and administrative support from Elections Canada. Throughout 2022–23, the agency will support the work of the commissions by:

  • Providing each commission with the census population numbers and maps showing the distribution of the population in the province.
  • Launching a multimedia campaign to inform Canadians about the redistribution process.
  • Preparing, in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada, paper and electronic maps of all electoral districts as described in the commissions reports as well as the finalized maps once redistribution is completed.
  • Acting as a liaison between the Speaker of the House of Commons and the 10 electoral boundaries commissions.
  • Processing payment of all expenses related to the redistribution process and providing equipment, technical support, and any other necessary administrative support.

Planned Results for Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Administration

The following table shows, for Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Administration, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Departmental Result Departmental Result Indicator Target Actual Results
Independent electoral boundaries commissions can deliver their final report according to legislative requirements Percentage of commissioners who are satisfied with the services and support they received

At least 90% by March 2023

2020–21: Not applicable1

Note 1: Reported in years that the program has been active.

Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.xxi

Planned Budgetary Financial Resources for Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Administration

The following table shows, for Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Administration, budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

2022–23 Budgetary Spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2022–23
Planned Spending		 2023–24
Planned Spending		 2024–25
Planned Spending
7,011,500 7,011,500 1,099,000 N/A

This spending pattern is a result of the decennial electoral boundaries redistribution cycle, which began in 2020–21 and is expected to finish in 2023–24.

Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.xxii

Planned Human Resources for Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Administration

The following table shows, in full-time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

2022–23
Planned Full-time Equivalents		 2023–24
Planned Full-time Equivalents		 2024–25
Planned Full-time Equivalents
33 6 0

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Program is available in the GC InfoBase.xxiii