ARCHIVED - RPP 2006-2007
Canada Industrial Relations Board

This page has been archived.

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Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn
Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

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SECTION I – Overview

1.1 Message from the Chairperson
1.2 Management Representation Statement
1.3 Raison d'être
1.4 Summary Information

SECTION II – Operating Environment

2.1 Volume of Matters
2.2 More Complex Cases
2.3 Expedited Matters
2.4 Written Decisions
2.5 General Government Environment

SECTION III – Plans and Priorities

3.1 Summary
3.2 Program Priorities
3.3 Other Supporting Activities
3.4 Management Priorities

SECTION IV – Supplementary Information

4.1 Organizational Information
4.2 Financial Information

SECTION I – Overview

1.1 Message from the Chairperson

I am pleased to present to Parliament and to Canadians the 2006-07 Report on Plans and Priorities for the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). I am committed to ensuring that the Board achieves its mandate of contributing to and promoting a harmonious industrial relations climate in the federally regulated sector as effectively and efficiently as possible.

The demand for CIRB services continues to be high and many cases are extremely complex due to structural changes in most federally regulated industries. This trend has characterized the Board's case volume since the enactment of changes to the Canada Labour Code in 1999. The underlying challenge of the Board is to effectively utilize its expertise and resources to provide sound and timely labour relations decisions reflecting the needs of the community in this continually changing environment.

The CIRB has undertaken a number of initiatives in 2005-06 to improve its rate of case disposition. In addition to enhancing certain general internal operational processes, the Board, in consultation with its Client Consultation Committee, adopted new measures for the processing of particular types of cases, such as applications for certification and duty of fair representation complaints. In 2006-07, the Board will review the processing of applications for reconsideration and should implement more effective measures for their treatment by the end of the fiscal year. Furthermore, the CIRB is close to completing the renewal of its information technology systems, which should also contribute to the Board's efficiency in dealing with its caseload in the future. The effectiveness of the new measures that were implemented in 2005-06 will be monitored in 2006-07 and appropriate adjustments will be made when required. The Board, in consultation with the Client Consultation Committee, will continue to look at various other means of improving the Board's efficiency and will provide options in the new fiscal year.

In light of the continuing challenge to reduce its backlog and to manage its historically high volume and complex workload, the CIRB intends for the year ahead to keep its focus on the fulfilment of its current mandate with an emphasis on the reduction of the volume pending matters. Toward this end, I am confident that the new case processing measures we have adopted will have a noticeable effect, and I remain committed to finding new opportunities to further increase the productivity of the CIRB and gain greater efficiencies.

Warren R. Edmondson
Chairperson

1.2 Management Representation Statement

I submit for tabling in Parliament, the 2006-2007 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) for the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide for the Preparation of Part III of the 2006-2007 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports:

• It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the TBS guidance;
• It is based on the Board's approved Program Activity Architecture structure as reflected in its MRRS;
• It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and reliable information;
• It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
• It reports finances based on approved planned spending numbers from the Treasury Board Secretariat in the RPP.

Name: Warren R. Edmondson
Title: Chairperson

1.3 Raison d'être

The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) is an independent, representational, quasi-judicial tribunal responsible for the interpretation and application of the Canada Labour Code (the Code), Part I, Industrial Relations, and certain provisions of Part II, Occupational Health and Safety. It was established in January 1999, to replace the previous Canada Labour Relations Board (CLRB), through amendments to Part I of the Code.

The adjudicative team of the Board is currently composed of the Chairperson, five Vice Chairpersons, three part-time Vice-Chairpersons and two full-time and six part-time members – all of which are Governor in Council (GIC) appointments. It may be of interest to note that the Code requires that the Chair and Vice-Chairs must have experience and expertise in industrial relations, and that members are to be appointed upon recommendation by the Minister of Labour after consultation with the organization's representative of employees or employers.

The CIRB has jurisdiction in all provinces and territories with respect to federal works undertakings or businesses in the following sectors:

• Broadcasting
• Chartered banks
• Postal services
• Airports and air transportation
• Shipping and navigation
• Inter-provincial or international transportation by road, railway, ferry or pipeline
• Telecommunications
• Grain handling and uranium mining and processing
• Most public and private sector activities in the Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories
• Band Councils and some undertakings of the First Nations on reserves
• Certain Crown corporations (including, among others, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited)

This jurisdiction covers some 1,000,000 employees and their employers, and includes enterprises that have an enormous economic, social, and cultural impact on Canadians from coast to coast. The variety of activities conducted by the federally regulated sector, as well as its geographical spread and national significance, contribute to the uniqueness of the federal jurisdiction and the role of the CIRB, and pose particular challenges for the Board's work.

The Board has established a series of strategic objectives in support of its mandate, which include to

• conduct all its processes in accordance with the standards of the Code;
• seek solutions to labour relations problems by determining the cause and nature of conflict and by applying the appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms, including fact-finding, mediation and adjudication;
• conduct its activities in a timely, fair and consistent manner;
• consult its clients on its performance and on the development of the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2001 (the Regulations), policies and practices;
• promote an understanding of its role, processes and jurisprudence through continuous client contact and a variety of information dissemination methods (Web-based and conventional publishing, Board presentations at various forums, 1-800 information request line, etc.);
• conduct its business and manage its resources in a manner that is fiscally sound, in accordance with the Financial Administration Act and the policies and directives of the central agencies of government;
• ensure continuous interaction with those utilizing Board services through meaningful communication and complaint processes.

1.4 Summary Information

Reason for Existence – The mandate of the Canada Industrial Relations Board is to contribute to and promote a harmonious industrial relations climate in the federally regulated sector through the impartial, effective and appropriate administration of the rules of conduct that govern labour and management in their representational and bargaining activities. In achieving this strategic outcome, the Board provides effective industrial relations solutions for the Canadian labour relations community in a fair and timely manner.

Financial Resources

2006-2007	2007-2008	2008-2009
($ thousands)	($ thousands)	($ thousands)
12,366	12,396	12,396

Human Resources

2006-2007	2007-2008	2008-2009
FTEs	FTEs	FTEs
117	117	117

Departmental Priorities

Activity/Initiative	Type
Accelerated reduction of the number of backlog cases	Ongoing
Reduction of average case disposition time	Ongoing
Monitoring and fine-tuning of new certification application process and disposition	Ongoing
Monitoring and fine-tuning of new duty of fair representation complaint process and disposition	Ongoing
Review of reconsideration application process and disposition	New
Client consultations	Ongoing

SECTION II – Operating Environment

The CIRB's operating environment continues to be challenging. Changes to the Code (Part I) enacted in 1999, which gave the CIRB additional powers and responsibilities, have had a significant impact on its workload. Furthermore, the continued evolution of the labour relations climate in Canada – influenced by heightened competition, the globalization of markets, technological change, the volatility of national and international economies, and corporate mergers – have all had an effect on employers, employees and their mutual relationship in Canada. This in turn has required the CIRB to adjust to and mature in these changing circumstances.

This is particularly evident in the federally regulated sector where the degree and rate of change has been largely unprecedented. Many of the industries, such as the telecommunications industry and air transportation sector to name but two, have gone from highly regulated monopolistic or semi-monopolistic structures to a form that is more unregulated and competitive. Many services that were once provided by the federal government, such as security and boarding at airports, have been privatized. These profound changes associated with a workforce that is largely unionized have lead to a situation where the Board is being increasingly called upon to resolve high profile and complex issues between bargaining parties.

Typical issues of continuing concern to the Board include:

• the need for assistance to be provided to companies and unions in resolving the labour relations implications of corporate mergers and take-overs – including the determination of bargaining unit structures, representation rights and the merger of collective agreements and seniority rights – in the airline and telecommunications industries;
• the acquisition and exercise of free collective bargaining rights and the promotion of sound labour-management relations in a fair and transparent manner;
• the need to assure that collective bargaining between employers and unions is conducted fairly and in good faith;
• the scope of the duty of fair representation in respect of individual employees;
• the determination of the levels of services required to be maintained during a work stoppage to ensure the protection of the health and safety of the Canadian public, particularly in such enterprises as airports, atomic energy production, and the air navigation system;
• the prompt consideration of situations in which illegal work stoppages or lockouts are alleged.

The complexity and implication of the issues facing federally regulated employers and unions require the Board to judiciously apply a wide range of knowledge and skills in industrial relations, labour law, and administrative law in diverse contexts. The demand for adjudicative services has thus been historically high, although declining to a more sustainable level over the last two years. Furthermore, the commitment of the Board to promote, wherever possible, the joint resolution of issues by the parties – along with clients' demands for the Board's assistance in mediating unresolved issues as an alternative to litigation – entails increasing demands on the Board's resources. Accordingly, the Board continues to place considerable emphasis in augmenting both its skill and resource levels to meet the needs of its clients.

2.1 Volume of Matters

Following the 1999 amendments to the Code, which widened the scope of matters the CIRB could hear, caseload levels spiked but have since levelled off. Chart 1 shows the caseload pattern for the CIRB over the last five fiscal years¹. The Board expects to receive 831 applications/complaints in 2005-06, which is consistent with the underlying core volume of incoming matters, which the CIRB estimates to be in the range of 820 to 850 per year. By comparison, during the five fiscal years preceding the Code amendments, the number of applications/complaints was significantly lower, averaging 735 per year.

¹ The forecast for 2005-06 statistics is based on information from April to November 2005.

Since the rate of disposition has lagged behind the rate of incoming matters in the last two years and the number of pending matters is projected to increase to 768² in 2005-06, after having stood at approximately 690 in the four previous years. Also, the CIRB will have disposed of an average of 843 matters per year in the last five fiscal years compared to the average of 713 matters for the last five fiscal years preceding the Code amendments (an increase of more than 18%). Even so, the Board will need to implement identified and new measures in order to increase its efficiency and to ultimately reduce the backlog of matters in an accelerated manner.

² Since this report was originally written, the Board's adjudicative team increased its rate of matter disposition in the last four months of 2005-06, and the rate of incoming applications/complaints subsided somewhat. As a result, the Board has managed to dispose of a greater number of matters in 2005-06 than the number that were received, and to reduce the number of pending matters to 650 at the end of the fiscal year instead of the 768 that were originally projected.

In order to deal with the relatively high incoming volume in recent years, the Board has attempted to dispose of matters more quickly. Consequently, the CIRB adopted a number of accommodating administrative measures and increasingly took advantage of the statutory provisions of the 1999 amendments to the Code, which allow a broader variety of CIRB matters to be decided without an oral hearing, and which provides greater flexibility to the Board in using single member panels where appropriate. As a result, the Board has gradually expanded its use of in-camera proceedings and hearings based on written materials and submissions to reduce traveling time and allow a more focused hearing process. These measures, along with other case management improvements, such as the increased use of pre-hearing conferences, has allowed the Board to expedite the disposition of numerous cases.

2.2 More Complex Cases

Other than the absolute volume of applications, the CIRB's workload has also been largely affected by the greater incidence of more complex matters as a result of the changes to the Code. Complex cases, which typically involve numerous sections of the Code as well as Charter issues, are both lengthier to process and require more of the Board's resources for their disposition. Table 1 indicates that complex cases have generally accounted for 90 or more matters a year over the last five fiscal years, representing more than 10% of matters disposed of in any given year, on average. By comparison, complex cases accounted for less than 50 applications a year on average, in the previous five fiscal years.

	2001-2002		2002-2003		2003-2004		2004-2005		2005-2006*
	No. of Cases	Hearing Days	No. of Cases	Hearing Days	No. of Cases	Hearing Days	No. of Cases	Hearing Days	No. of Cases	Hearing Days
Review of Bargaining Unit Structure	15	140	17	125	17	85	21	44	14	45
Single Employer	21	93	19	147	12	82	20	87	9	80
Sale of Business	49	75	34	108	33	79	34	73	30	59
Maintenance of Activities	21	43	28	55	28	119	19	1	21	3
Total	106	351	98	435	90	365	94	205	74	187

* Projection based on first 8 months (April to November 2005)

Similarly, the number of hearing days required to process these more complex matters has also increased, averaging more than 300 days a year over the last five fiscal years, compared to approximately 100 days in the previous five fiscal years (a 300% increase). This elevated incidence of complex matters obviously impacts on the volume of cases that can be disposed of with a given adjudicative capacity.

2.3 Expedited Matters

In addition to more complex cases, certain types of matters require priority action. These cases include interim order/decision requests, requests to file Board orders in Court, referrals to the Board by the Minister of Labour relating to the maintenance of activities required during a legal work stoppage, applications for an invalid strike or lockout vote, applications for a declaration of unlawful strike or lockout, unfair labour practice complaints respecting the use of replacement workers and dismissals for union activities. Such matters are scheduled, heard and decided in priority over other elements in the Board's caseload

These types of cases have also increased since the 1999 amendments to the Code, representing between 7.5% to slightly more than 9% of applications received over the last five fiscal years, as opposed to less than 3% in the five years prior to the Code amendments. Additionally, priority is given to the processing and consideration of certification applications, and to any other matter where there appears to be a significant potential for industrial relations problems if there is a delay in its resolution, or where other identifiable factors require a matter to be promptly addressed. The setting of priorities inevitably results in the deferral of less urgent matters. Scheduling pressures, consequent upon the volume and priority setting, can make very lengthy or complex matters – the kind of matters that are now typically scheduled for oral hearing at the Board – difficult to resolve expeditiously. Chart 2 sets out the volume of expedited applications and certifications from 2001-02 to 2005-06.

2.4 Written Decisions

The new provisions of the Code, first introduced in 1999, have also resulted in a significantly increased number of written decisions. Uncertainties ensuing from the new legislative provisions and the lack of jurisprudence in applying them have resulted in a situation where parties have been more prone to litigate many contentious matters. This has led to an increase in the need for the Board to interpret and apply the Code in matters involving provisions that were revised and/or added, which in turn, is reflected in a significant increase in Board jurisprudence. These decisions serve both to resolve the issues relevant to complex circumstances and to clarify the way the Code, including the new Code provisions, will apply in evolving circumstances³. In this respect, the Board strives to provide timely and sound decisions that are also consistent across similar matters in order to establish jurisprudence, which should reduce the number of applications to the Board for the reconsideration of prior decisions, and reduce the likelihood of applications to the Federal Court of Appeal for judicial review

³ The Board issues detailed Reasons for decision in matters of broader national significance and/or significant precedential importance. In other matters, more concise letter decisions help expedite the decision-making process, therein providing more timely industrial relations outcomes for parties.

The Board's experience of issuing Reasons for decision and letter decisions in the last five fiscal years is reflected in Chart 3. On average, the CIRB has issued close to 50 Reasons for decision each year over the last five years, and close to 200 letter decisions. The balance of matters are either withdrawn or disposed of by orders. In the five fiscal years before the Code amendments, the Board issued an average of 35 Reasons for decision per year and 130 letter decisions.

2.5 General Government Environment

Other than the business operational pressures described above, the Government of Canada has adopted a number of laudable resource management initiatives and reviews that require serious attention from all departments and agencies. Initiatives such as the expenditure review exercise, Public Service Renewal, Management Accountability Framework, Modern Comptrollership and improved internal audit and evaluation functions require an increasing amount of both human and financial resources to implement and complete.

Unlike larger departments, small agencies like the CIRB have negligible non-discretionary financial resources that can be reallocated to the additional activities, and often do not have sufficient in-house expertise to conduct and implement initiatives. Consequently, resources that are directed towards these initiatives are usually taken from existing operational budgets, thereby adding to the service delivery pressures.

SECTION III – Plans and Priorities

3.1 Summary

The main strategic outcome of the Board, already stated earlier, is to contribute to and promote a harmonious industrial relations climate in the federally regulated sector through the impartial, effective and appropriate administration of the rules of conduct that govern labour and management in their representational and bargaining activities. In achieving this strategic outcome, the CIRB provides effective industrial relations solutions for the Canadian labour relations community in a fair and timely manner.

Public transparency of and accountability for decision-making has always been a priority of the Board in attaining its goal, and will remain so. However, the foremost priority for the Board in the upcoming years will be to improve upon the timeliness of its decisions, and in particular, to significantly reduce the number of backlog cases that has persisted over the last few years.

To deliver on this priority, the Board will continue to focus its efforts on reviewing the broad issues of current organizational effectiveness, and in particular, its operational processes, in delivering its services. The aim of these reviews is to simplify and/or shorten case processing measures in order to increase the number of matters that can be disposed of with a given adjudicative capacity.

The activities that the CIRB will undertake in the next few years in support of its strategic outcome and to meet its priority are varied.

3.2 Program Priorities

A number of process review activities have been, or will be, undertaken to assess whether the CIRB's internal case management procedures are as efficient as they can be, and to uncover any improvements that can be adopted with the goal of reducing the total processing time of cases. Processing time is essentially composed of two parts: the time it takes the Board's staff to open, investigate, mediate and prepare a file to be given to a Vice-Chairperson or panel for decision; and the time it takes the Vice-Chairperson or panel to render a decision.

The Board will be completing the restructuring of the Case Management Secretariat that began last year in order to gain operational effenciencies, and will then concentrate its efforts on improving the processing of three types of cases: applications for certification, duty of fair representation complaints and applications for reconsideration. The reason these particular types of cases were selected for review is that they represent a large portion of the CIRB's workload (more than one-third) and are matters that have significant potential for industrial relations problems if there is a delay in their resolution.

Applications for Certification

Following consultations with major client groups and stakeholders, the CIRB established a committee in 2004-05 to review its case processing practices with respect to certification applications and to recommend ways in which the Board could expedite the disposition of these matters. New procedures were developed and tested as a pilot project in late 2004-05, and the new procedures were refined and adopted in early 2005-06. The main objective of the new procedures is to process and dispose standard certification applications (those that do not include abnormal situations involving complex issues of law or jurisdiction) in 50 days. By comparison, the processing time for certification applications for the 2000-01 to 2004-05 five fiscal years averaged 179 days.

The CIRB is now at the stage of monitoring the effectiveness of the new measures and looking at making any final adjustments where required in order to meet the objective. While it is still too early to accurately determine the efficacy of the new measures, information available to date indicates that the processing time for certification applications received since the new measures were implemented has been dramatically reduced to an average of 54 days.

Duty of Fair Representation Complaints

Duty of fair representation (DFR) complaints – complaints by union members against their union, or its representatives, for neglecting to properly represent them with respect to their rights under the collective agreement – continue to comprise a significant percentage of the CIRB's caseload. More than 20% of the Board's matters in 2005-06 were related to this type of case, a percentage that is equally representative of the average over the last five fiscal years.

In addition to comprising a significant percentage of the CIRB's workload, DFR complaints are also among the lengthiest to process. Not because they take so much time to process per se, but because they are usually deferred in favour of more urgent matters, as mentioned previously, unless they involve serious disciplinary measures against the complainant. Any measure that would reduce the processing time would not only be welcomed by the client, but would also have a significant impact on the CIRB's overall performance. Furthermore, since DFR complaints are more likely to be deferred than other types of matters, they represent an ever-increasing percentage of backlog cases – from 17.5% in 2000-01 to 37% in 2005-06.

As a result, the CIRB created a DFR Process Review Committee, which looked at various best practices used by provincial labour tribunals as well as other measures that could simplify and reduce the paper burden associated with these complaints, which in turn should shorten the length of their disposition. Recommendations and new processing procedures were discussed with the Client Consultation Committee and have only been recently implemented. The next steps, similar to those in the new certification procedures, are to closely monitor the effectiveness of the new measures and to make adjustments where warranted.

Reconsiderations

Applications for the reconsideration of prior Board decisions represent another significant portion of the CIRB's workload. Approximately 7% of its average caseload over the last few years involves this type of matter, and regrettably, the Board is even receiving an increasing number of applications for the reconsideration of matters that have already been reconsidered. Many of the applications simply seek an appeal to an earlier decision, without providing any additional facts or grounds to support the demand and thereby delay the implementation of prior Board decisions. The Regulations are quite clear on the reasons for requesting a reconsideration of Board decisions, and the CIRB needs to find ways to quickly dismiss applications that to not meet some minimum conditions, or that are clearly without merit. Towards this end, the Board plans to initiate a review process of reconsideration applications and disposition by mid-2006.

Client Consultations

Formal and informal consultations with clients have always been important for the CIRB and have been particularly useful in recent years. A client consultation workgroup was formed in 2004-05 to develop a more structured, regular and broader approach to consulting with our client base. A Terms of Reference document was prepared and a number of client consultation activities were held and more are planned for the near future. In particular, client consultations contribute to the specific case management process reviews previously mentioned (certification applications and duty of fair representation complaints) and led to the production of a set of recommendations on Board Member appointment procedures. The Client Consultation Committee is now looking at various other possibilities to meet the Board's priority of reducing the number of backlog cases and will provide options in the new fiscal year.

3.3 Other Supporting Activities

In addition to the main activities highlighted above, the CIRB is, or will be, involved in a number of other activities in support of its mandate.

Mediation

The CIRB must endeavour to increase and broaden its mediation and alternative dispute resolution services to employers, unions, and employees. The use of mediation in the case of unfair labour practice matters has resulted in the resolution of 55 to 65% of complaints disposed by the Board without the need for a costly hearing or a written decision. Furthermore, the processing time for adjudicated solutions tends to be significantly higher than for mediated solutions. More importantly, however, the Board firmly believes that a solution worked out by the concerned parties, even if assisted by a third party, is infinitely better than any imposed solution.

Information Circulars/Practice Notes

One of the major outcomes of previous discussions with major client groups was a broad agreement on the development of information circulars or practice notes. The purpose of practice notes and information circulars is to help communicate to its clients and to the public the Board's procedures and practices in relation to the Code and the Regulations adopted by the Board in December of 2001. In essence, practice notes or information circulars are meant to increase the accessibility and transparency of Board processes by providing common language instructions respecting the interpretation and application of the Code and Regulations. It is expected that these will make the Board's processes easier for clients to understand and manage, and ensure that the substance of matters can be more easily and quickly addressed. They are also expected to allow pre-hearing procedures to continue to reduce the actual time required in the hearing process by ensuring that pre-hearing information discovery processes are as effective as possible and that preparation for all matters scheduled for hearing is as complete as possible. The development of information circulars or practice notes will be an ongoing process.

Videoconferencing

The Board installed videoconferencing facilities in all of its offices across Canada in late 2002-03. To date, we have essentially used this capability for internal purposes, as we get acquainted with the efficient use of the technology. Videoconferencing has also been used in a limited fashion for a small number of selected external proceedings, but without conclusive results. In the coming years, however, the Board is looking at expanding its videoconferencing capacity with regard to external proceedings, thereby making the Board more accessible to its clients while at the same time expediting Board processes, reducing time lost in travel and its associated costs, and allowing time-sensitive matters to be more rapidly scheduled and heard.

Information Technology

Our plans and efforts to improve overall effectiveness and to meet the goals of the Government On-Line initiative include improvements to the Board's information technology apparatus. In this respect, the Board has launched an internal initiative to improve the way we manage and share information, and to communicate more effectively in order to better serve our clients.

The main elements of this initiative are:

• the complete renewal of the Case Management Information Retrieval System (CMIR), the Board's core business system, to replace the existing obsolete system;
• the implementation of secure remote access (SRA) to Board systems and databases, thereby allowing Board members to continue working during extensive periods of travel;
• the continued development of the Board's Internet site in order to provide clients with an increasing range of pertinent information and online services.

3.4 Management Priorities

Modern Management Agenda

The Board has actively embarked on a number of modern management initiatives, sponsored by the Treasury Board, in order to ensure that it applies the best possible management practices and governance to its operations. Assessment activities have been conducted in recent years under the auspices of the Modern Comptrollership, Internal Audit and Management Accountability Framework initiatives. Resulting action plans have been developed, and all of the planned activities noted above fit within, and are an integral part of, the Board's Management Accountability Framework strategy.

Another modern management activity that the Board will undertake in the upcoming fiscal year is to finalize the implementation of a revamped business and operational planning cycle. The objectives of the new planning cycle are to thoroughly review the Board's strategic plan, to tightly knit operational plans to the goals of the strategic plan and to foster an improved mutual understanding of the CIRB's direction between its staff, management and Board members.

Human Resources

The CIRB has a number of strategic priorities with regard to human resources. These are to develop and implement a human resources planning strategy which will integrate with business planning; a Classification Monitoring System in order to meet the requirements of the Management Accountability Framework; and a policy in response to the new Learning Policy produced by the Treasury Board Secretariat that came into effect on January 1, 2006.

SECTION IV – Supplementary Information

4.1 Organizational Inforamtion

Accountability

* The Canada Industrial Relations Board is an agency operating under the Minister of Labour's portfolio.

Information on Board members can be found at: http://www.cirb-ccri.gc.ca/about/index_e.asp

To Contact the Board

Toll-free: 1-800-575-9696
People who use TTY should place calls with the assistance of a Bell Relay Service operator at: 1-800-267-6511
E-mail: info@cirb-ccri.gc.ca
Web Site: http://www.cirb-ccri.gc.ca

Further information on how to contact the regional offices can be found at: http://www.cirb-ccri.gc.ca/contact/index_e.asp

4.2 Financial Information

Table 1: Departmental Planned Spending and Full Time Equivalents (FTE)

($ thousands)	Forecast Spending 2005-2006	Planned Spending 2006-2007	Planned Spending 2007-2008	Planned Spending 2008-2009
Administration and interpretation of Part I (Industrial Relations) and certain provisions of Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) of the Canada Labour Code	11,906	12,396	12,396	12,396
Total Main Estimates*	11,906	12,396	12,396	12,396
Adjustments:
Governor General Special Warrant:
Operating budget carry-forward	296
Compensation for collective agreements	404
Employee Benefit Plan	81
Budget Announcement:
Planned procurement savings	-10	-10
Total Adjustments	771	-30

Total Planned Spending

12,677

12,366

12,396

12,396

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Total Planned Spending	12,677	12,366	12,396	12,396
Plus: Cost of services received without charge	2,784	2,941	2,954	2,859
Total Departmental Spending	15,461	15,307	15,350	15,255

Full Time Equivalents	103	117	117	117

* The total Main Estimates for 2006-2007 and future years is approximately 490 thousand dollars more than last year. These differences are to cover for the eligible expenditure requirements for the increase of salaries under several collective agreements, which, for 2005-2006 are identified under the heading "Adjustments."

Table 2: Resource by Program Activity

2006-2007
($ thousands)	Budgetary
Program Activity	Operating	Total Main Estimates	Adjustments (Planned Spending not in Main Estimates)	Total Planned Spending
Administration and interpretation of Part I (Industrial Relations) and certain provisions of Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) of the Canada Labour Code	12,396	12,396	-30	12,366
Total	12,396	12,396	-30	12,366

Table 3: Voted and Statutory Items

2006-2007
Vote or Statutory Item ($ thousands)		2006-2007 Main Estimates	2005-2006 Main Estimates
10	Operating expenditures	10,822	10,344
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	1,574	1,562
	Total Department*	12,396	11,906

* The total Main Estimates for 2006-2007 is approximately 490 thousand dollars more than last year. This discrepancy is mainly explained by the fact that the amount received to offset the supplementary costs related to collective agreements signed between June 1, 2004 and July 31, 2005, is now part of the Main Estimates, while in 2005-2006 this amount figured under the heading "Adjustments" in table 1.

Table 4: Services Received Without Charge

($ thousands)	2006-2007
Accommodation provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)	2,318,715
Contributions covering employers' share of employees' insurance premiums and expenditures paid by Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (excluding revolving funds)	621,450
Salary and associated expenditures of legal services provided by the Department of Justice Canada	416
Total 2006-2007 Services received without charge	2,940,581