2021-22 Departmental Plan
Internal Services: Planned Results
Description
Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of Programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the ten 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
Initiatives under the Department of Justice Canada’s Internal Services program will enable business and legal excellence with a focus on the Department’s workforce and modernization efforts.
Supporting Employees
The Department will continue to implement strategies to minimize the impact of the Phoenix Pay System on employees. This will be achieved through the continued use of dedicated resources to improve internal processes, including direct one-on-one support and guidance to employees. Further, new tracking and measurement processes will be implemented to enhance analytical capacity and monitor performance.
Efforts will also include a focus on strategic recruitment, employee development, and talent-management strategies to strengthen the workforce. Through its three-year Corporate Learning Plan, the Department will continue to build expertise in emerging areas of law, provide opportunities for continuous learning focusing on corporate learning needs, and ensure the recruitment, development and retention of employees with the skills and competencies to meet its business needs. For example, the Department will establish a national legal orientation program, as well as continue implementation of its National Paralegal Strategy and the training and development program for entry-level lawyers (with the first fully immersed cohort of participants in 2021-22). Further, supported by the remote working environment, the Department is modernizing and transforming how training activities are developed and delivered, with a particular focus on online delivery.
The Department is also building capacity to manage change as well as empowering employees with the means to apply design methodologies to consider the end-to-end user experience – from the perspectives of both the client and the organization.
In support of the Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health StrategyEndnote lxxxv and the departmental Mental Health Strategy, the Department will continue to foster a psychologically healthy and safe, respectful and inclusive workplace by continuing to implement a psychological health and safety management system. In addition, the departmental Mental Health Action Plan for 2020-23 takes into consideration the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of our workforce. As the health and safety of all Department employees remains a priority during the pandemic, continued support for both managers and employees will be provided through communications material, resources, tools and training.
Efforts to build diversity, inclusion, and accessibility and to support representativeness are also central to strengthening the Department’s workforce. Our commitment to upholding the values that define Canada begins with identifying and addressing sources of systemic racism, discrimination and inequities at an internal level, such as within processes and rules.
This will be achieved through the departmental Employment Equity Plan and Accessibility Plan. Using the “Nothing About Us Without Us” principle, equity-focused groups will be consulted on employment equity and accessibility initiatives that impact their situation. The consultations will serve to identify further means of uplifting employees who face systemic inequality and inequity and barriers in their everyday lives, while fostering greater understanding of and responsibility among all employees for addressing these issues.
In addition, Justice Canada established a new Anti-Discrimination Secretariat that will focus on resolving systemic barriers in the organization. This work will include identifying and implementing meaningful strategies to address discrimination experienced by Indigenous, Black and racialized employees in hiring, retention and promotional opportunities.
Furthermore, as an outcome of the Safe Workspace Action Plan, the newly established Ombuds Office will also provide a trusted and safe space to talk about workplace issues and help navigate existing resources to find support and reach solutions.
To promote ongoing stability, the Department will continue to enhance its focus on emergency preparedness, business continuity management, and maintaining delivery of critical services. Activities to support departmental readiness to respond to changing circumstances related to the pandemic are planned to continue, including a rigorous schedule of task force and committee meetings. Remote work will continue to be the recommended choice, and the Department will monitor COVID-19 cases and manage building occupancy while offering support for employees working from home. Plans for a future easing of workplace restrictions will be monitored and adjusted in accordance with the most up-to-date public health recommendations.
Promoting Innovation and Collaboration
Justice Canada continues to promote digital information sharing and technology to improve collaboration within the organization, across government, and with external partners. With improved network infrastructure and access to new software and reliable digital platforms, the Department will continue to ensure employees have the necessary support for remote work. Information Management and Information Technology planning and data protection are priorities for this reporting period.
The Department will progress further on implementing a Departmental Data Strategy to embed data-driven insight and intelligence into decision making, opportunities and outcomes for better services to clients and Canadians. This includes concrete actions to achieve stronger data governance, develop analytics expertise, and experiment with artificial intelligence to leverage data in delivering the Department’s mandate.
Justice Canada will undertake planning for the multi-year implementation of the National Workplace Accommodations Strategy to help establish a modernized workspace that meets the evolving needs of the Department’s workforce long into the future. In implementing the strategy, the Department will balance the need for physical space with the changing needs associated with increasing remote work.
The Department will continue to provide strategic communications advice and solutions to help inform and engage employees and the general public on key Justice Canada priorities. The Department will adopt a tailored approach to communicating with the varied and diverse audiences across the country – one that considers the realities of Canadians who face systemic barriers, including Indigenous people, Black and racialized Canadians, and other marginalized communities.
Supporting diversity and inclusion, improving collaboration, engagement and services to Canadians, and identifying new means to a sustainable future are at the centre of the Department’s ongoing efforts. In support of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy 2019-2022Endnote lxxxvi and the Justice Sustainable Development Strategy 2020-2023Endnote lxxxvii, the Department will continue to shift to low-carbon, climate-resilient and green government. In building a strong sustainable development culture, developing mindsets and behaviors that support these goals through outreach and communications initiatives and ongoing consultations with key stakeholders will continue to be a focus for the Department.
ExperimentationFootnote 40
To respond to the COVID-19 crisis and direction of public health agencies, the Department of Justice Canada continues to explore ways to ensure an organized, safe, and gradual return of employees to the workplace. Protecting the health and safety of employees not only contributes to minimizing the risk of the virus spreading, but also helps to ensure the continued delivery of Justice Canada services and programs to Canadians. The Department has experimented with different technologies that could allow a controlled access to the workplace while integrating the required health and safety policies and protocols. Through experimentation, Justice Canada has built a robust, low-cost, and secure app-driven solution, which was deployed throughout the Department in 2020. The success of the Office Entry application has had an even larger impact since being adopted as the standard return-to-work solution for many other federal government departments. The Department plans to contribute to further development and improvement of the application.
Key Risks
There is a risk that an increased use of and reliance on technology will expose the Department to new cyber threats, losses, or disruption due to attacks on or breaches of our technological infrastructure. This risk, heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to be mitigated by departmental cybersecurity activities in collaboration with Shared Services Canada, Public Safety Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and other partners.
| 2021-22 Budgetary Spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) |
2021-22 Planned Spending |
2022-23 Planned Spending |
2023-24 Planned Spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84,439,375 | 84,439,375 | 84,395,769 | 84,161,583 |
| 2021-22 Planned Full-Time Equivalents |
2022-23 Planned Full-Time Equivalents |
2023-24 Planned Full-Time Equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 1,042 | 1,042 | 1,042 |
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