The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada 2024-2025 Plan at a glance
A departmental plan describes an organization’s priorities, plans and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years.
Vision, mission, raison d’être and operating context
[Read the full departmental plan]
Key priorities
- Business Transformation: to ensure that the necessary business processes and technologies are in place – or are being planned – to reduce the number of documents required to be filed in paper format, to transition to electronic processes within the Court, to create an electronic filing system that allows parties, whether they are represented or not, to e-file through a secure portal, to manage and preserve Court records in electronic format, to provide the general public with better access to Court information online, and to allow effective communication with counsel and litigants through multiple and secure digital channels.
- Communications and Outreach: to ensure that its communications and outreach strategies remain effective and continue to meet the evolving needs of Canadians. The Court has fully reopened its doors to the public since the beginning of the pandemic and will be continuing to offer remote tours. Over the next year, the Court will also be modernizing its website to make it even more accessible, open and transparent.
- Security and facilities management: to ensure the Court’s security profile which has many components, such as physical security, information technology security and business continuity planning, remains effective in mitigating security risks; upholding the safety and functionality of the aging Supreme Court of Canada (‘SCC’) building by conducting proactive maintenance, efficient space utilization and compliance with environmental and safety regulations.
Refocusing Government Spending
In Budget 2023, the government committed to reducing spending by $14.1 billion over the next five years, starting in 2023–24, and by $4.1 billion annually after that.
While not officially part of this spending reduction exercise, the ORSCC will respect the spirit of this exercise by doing the following:
- Continue to focus investments on its core operations, replenishment of assets and strategic priorities;
- Continue to enforce its long-standing practice of minimizing travel costs by prudent planning and making travel arrangements as early as possible to obtain lower rates, as well as by minimizing the number of attendees, where operationally feasible;
- Limit the use of professional services in favour of in-house resources, where operationally feasible.
Highlights
A Departmental Results Framework consists of an organization’s core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve, and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.
The administration of Canada’s final court of appeal
Departmental results:
- Judges and parties are supported through effective court services and case management
- Public and stakeholders’ awareness of the Court is increased through effective communication and outreach
Planned spending: $31,917,693
Planned human resources: 158 planned full-time equivalents (FTE)
In support of its Core Responsibility, the focus of the ORSCC’s plans are:
- Processing and management of all judicial proceedings brought to the Court;
- Concentrating business transformation on the re-design of the SCC website;
- Ensuring effective communications strategies and maintaining its outreach activities in order to support the Court in a context of increased interest in the cases and growing visibility of the Supreme Court of Canada;
- Enhancing the Court’s overall security posture both in terms of physical security and informatics, as well as to ensure a safe and healthy work environment;
- Planning of the building rehabilitation in order to manage the pressures related to the aging building facilities.
More information about the administration of Canada’s final court of appeal can be found in the full departmental plan.