ARCHIVED - RPP 2006-2007
National Parole Board

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Section III - Supplementary Information

1. Organizational Information

The National Parole Board is an agency within the Portfolio of the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. The Board works in partnership with Portfolio agencies in pursuit of priorities such as safer communities, but NPB is unique in many ways. It is an independent administrative tribunal responsible for conditional release decisions for federal offenders and for provincial offenders in provinces and territories without their own parole boards, and for pardon decisions and clemency recommendations. Board members work within a legislative framework involving the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the Criminal Records Act, and related policies, but are independent in their decision-making responsibilities.

Structure for Program Delivery

The Board carries-out its work through six offices across the country, and a national office in Ottawa. The national office makes clemency recommendations and pardon decisions and develops related policies. It is also responsible for a range of activities related to conditional release, including: investigations of tragic incidents in the community; appeal decisions; and coordination of Board member training. As well, the national office provides leadership and coordination for corporate management activities such as strategic and operational planning, resource management, communications, performance reporting, human resource services, security, and information management.

Conditional release decisions are made by Board members in the regions (except appeal decisions). Board members are supported by staff who schedule hearings, provide access to information for decision-making, ensure sharing of information with the offender, provide policy advice, and communicate conditional release decisions to the offender, CSC representatives, and others as required. Regional staff also provide information for victims, make arrangements for observers at NPB hearings, and manage requests for access to the Board’s decision registry.

Program Accountability

* The Chairperson and the Executive Vice-Chairperson work as a team, sharing roles and responsibilities. The Executive Vice-Chairperson has been shown separately in this chart to illustrate management responsibility for pardons and clemency.

Table 1: Departmental Planned Spending and Full Time Equivalents

($ millions)	Forecast Spending 2005-2006	Planned Spending 2006-2007	Planned Spending 2007-2008	Planned Spending 2008-2009
Conditional Release Decisions	25.5	33.0	33.1	33.1
Conditional Release Openness and Accountability	4.3	7.7	7.7	7.7
Pardons Decisions/Clemency Recommendations	2.0	2.3	2.3	2.3
Budgetary Main Estimates (gross)	31.8	43.0	43.1	43.1
Non-Budgetary Main Estimates (gross)	0	0	0	0
Less: Respendable revenue	0	0	0	0
Total Main Estimates	31.8	43.0	43.1	43.1
Adjustments:
Governor General Special Warrants:
Carry-forward from 2004-05	1.1
Recovery of Pardon User Fees	0.4	0	0	0
Effective Corrections and Citizen Engagement	1.3	0	0	0
Program sustainability	5.6	0	0	0
Strengthening Community Safety	0.4	0	0	0
Accommodation	0.5	0	0	0
Salary Expenditures Eligible from TB vote	0.5	0	0	0
Collective Bargaining Agreements	1.3	0	0.0	0.0
Procurement Adjustment*
Total Adjustments	11.1	0	0	0
Total Planned Spending	42.9	43.0	43.1	43.1
Less: Non-Respendable revenue	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7
Plus: Cost of services received without charge	5.5	6.1	6.1	6.1
Net cost of Program	47.7	48.4	48.5	48.5
Full Time Equivalents	412	465	465	465

* The dollars displayed include a reduction of $30,000 in 2005-2006 and of $50,000 in 2006-2007 for procurement savings which is below the threshold to display in this table.

Table 2: Program by Activity

Thousands of Dollars		2006-2007
Budgetary		Non-Budgetary
Program Activity	Operating	Total Main Estimates	Adjustments (planned spending not in Main Estimates)	Total Planned Spending
Conditional Release Decisions	33,081	33,131	0	33,131
Conditional Release Openness and Accountability	7,668	7,668	0	7,668
Pardon Decisions/Clemency Recommendations	2,258	2,258	0	2,258
Total	43,007	43,057	0	43,057

Table 3: Voted and Statutory Items listed in Main Estimates

Thousands of Dollars	2006-2007
Vote or Statutory Item	Truncated vote or Statutory wording	Current Main Estimates	Previous Main Estimates
50	Program expenditures	37,660	27,506
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	5,397	4,261
	Total National Parole Board	43,057	31,767

Table 4: Net Cost of Department for the Estimates Year

2006-2007
($ millions)	Conditional Release Decisions	Conditional Release Openness and Accountability	Pardon Decisions/Clemency Recommendations	Total
Total Planned Spending	33.0	7.7	2.3	43.0
Plus: Services Received without Charge
Accommodation provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)	1.9	0.4	0.3	2.6
Contributions covering employers' share of employees' insurance premiums and expenditures paid by TBS (excluding revolving funds)	1.8	0.4	0.3	2.5
Worker's compensation coverage provided by Social Development Canada	0.1	-	-	0.1
Salary and associated expenditures of legal services provided by Justice Canada	0.9	-	-	0.9
Total Cost of Program	37.7	8.5	2.9	49.1
Less: Non-respendable Revenue	-	-	0.7	0.7
2005-2006 Net cost of Program	37.7	8.5	2.2	48.4

Table 5: Source of Non-Respendable Revenue

($ millions)	Forecast Revenue 2005-2006	Planned Revenue 2006-2007	Planned Revenue 2007-2008	Planned Revenue 2008-2009
National Parole Board
Pardon Decisions/Clemency Recommendations
Pardons user fees	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8
Total Non-Respendable Revenue	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8

Table 6: Horizontal Initiatives

The National Parole Board is involved as a partner in the ongoing implementation of Firearms legislation.

Introduction of the Firearms legislation and related changes to the Criminal Code created longer sentences for offences involving the use of a firearm or an imitation firearm. Longer sentences generate the need for more conditional release reviews which, in turn, increase NPB’s program delivery costs (salary and non-salary).

As a result, the Board received a permanent increase to its funding base. The increase was incremental, rising from $437,000 in 1999/2000 to $858,000 per year in 2004/05 and future years, consistent with projected workload growth. Workload data indicate that the Board now carries-out 1,800 to 2,000 reviews annually for offenders with firearms convictions. The estimated total cost for these reviews is $1.6 million, of which $858,000 is covered by funding provided specifically as a result of changes in Firearms legislation.

 

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