2021-2022 Departmental Plan

The Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan, PC, OMM, MSM, CD, MP
Minister of National Defence

Catalogue No.: DG2-6E-PDF

ISSN: 2371-669X

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National Defence, 2021

Table of contents

• Message from the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer
• Plans at a glance
• Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks
  • Independent Review of Military Grievances
• Internal Services: planned results
• Spending and human resources
  • Planned spending
  • Planned human resources
  • Estimates by vote
  • Future-oriented Condensed statement of operations
• Corporate information
  • Organizational profile
  • Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
  • Operating context
  • Reporting framework
• Supporting information on the program inventory
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions
• Endnotes

Message from the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer

I am pleased to present the 2021-22 Departmental Plan of the Military Grievances External Review Committee (Committee).

The Committee's strategic vision has a three-year trajectory with the goal of being a modern administrative tribunal. This plan lays out what we will do and the results we aim to achieve during this fiscal year, while identifying how financial resources will be spent. The underlying intent is much bigger. The plan envisions an immediate result with far-reaching impacts that set the foundation for the future. Perhaps more than any other departmental plan, this one sets out a bold path forward. I say bold because it targets productivity, necessitating a tightening of the corporate belt and innovative thinking. A commitment indeed, and an opportunity.

The plan itself is summed up rather quickly. Eliminate the backlog of grievance referrals by the end of this fiscal year, issue more than 300 Findings and Recommendations (F&Rs) reports within the next year, ensure the Committee's grievance teams remain at full capacity, invest in a proactive internal and external communications plan, and support wellness.

It is a commitment because it requires the entire organization to agree with the targets and achieve them. Our plan is about productivity and this can only be achieved through collective engagement. It is an opportunity because it challenges corporate services to do more with less through innovation. Our plan is about modernizing our workplace, processes and way of working, aligned to Government of Canada (GC) thinking and priorities.

In 2018, the Committee began innovating, albeit in small steps, by looking at digital tools not only to improve business processes and ways of working, but to support cost-effective measures. The pandemic happened and it not only altered the operating context for all GC organizations but it did so at great speed.

The Committee embraces this current and will continue to modernize its processes and tools in order to attract, retain, support and empower a high-performing, healthy, safe and inclusive workforce. The year ahead may be challenging, however, like 2020, it will test our resilience like never before and, like 2020, we will thrive like never before.

I am honoured to lead the dedicated team at the Committee. 2021-22 will be a hallmark year and the beginning of a new chapter in the Committee's history where our new standard is defined as modern, agile, efficient, green, highly productive, engaged and healthy.

(original signed by)

Christine Guérette, CPA, CGA
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer

Plans at a glance

The Committee is a micro-organization, of about 50 employees, with a mandate to review military grievances referred to it by the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). It is the external and independent component at the final authority level of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) grievance process. The Committee's responsibility is to provide an unbiased and independent analysis of a grievance case, identify issues at stake and provide its F&Rs to the CDS and the grievors. Ultimately, the CDS makes the final decision on the case.

This year, the Committee will focus on the following two priorities:

1. Increase productivity and eliminate the existing backlog of grievance files
2. This will be achieved by implementing an optimized process for the review of military grievances and by ensuring grievance teams remain at full capacity. Succession planning for the key positions that will become vacant in the future is critical to continuity and sustained production.

2. Transition to a modernized workplace
3. This will be achieved by aligning with the GCworkplace Initiative, delivering an effective communications strategy that strengthens connections and ensures employee engagement, and renewing efforts to develop initiatives and policies that focus on the health, wellness and safety of employees. As the Committee continues its ongoing transformation into a digital organization, it will look at retooling work environments, using technology in smarter ways, and fostering a culture of flexibility and well-being.

For more information on the Military Grievances External Review Committee's plans, priorities and planned results, see the 'Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks' section of this report.

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks

This section contains detailed information on the department's planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.

Independent Review of Military Grievances

Description

The National Defence Act, Section 29.2 (1) and (2), requires the Military Grievances External Review Committee to review every grievance referred to it by the Final Authority (FA) and to provide findings and recommendations in writing to the FA and the officer or non-commissioned member who submitted the grievance.

Planning highlights

The priority of the Independent Review of Military Grievances program is to increase productivity and eliminate the existing backlog of grievance files. Three key activities have been established for 2021-2022 to support this priority:

1.  Increase capacity to eliminate the backlog by March 2022

Throughout 2018 and 2019, the Committee welcomed a new complement of Governor in Council (GIC) appointed Committee Members who needed to be trained and integrated into the Committee's operations. This took approximately one full year. Moreover, in 2019 the Committee received over 300 grievance referrals, which greatly exceeds what it receives in a typical year. This combination of working realities generated a significant backlog of files.

In order to eliminate the backlog by March 2022, without compromising the customary high quality of the F&R reports, the strategy is to increase the capacity of the grievance team, the registry and the special team that proved to be extremely productive in issuing F&Rs in 2020.

2. Implement an optimized process for the review of military grievances

The Committee will implement an optimized grievance review process, which includes an examination of the roles and responsibilities of the Operations Team. The goal is to ensure the current human resource structure effectively supports the grievance review process, taking into account the 'work from home' environment.

3. Ensure grievance teams remain at full capacity and provide for a succession plan for the key positions that will become vacant

The Committee will create pools of qualified candidates for key positions, ensuring Operations can proactively fill positions that we know will become vacant in 2021 and transfer knowledge effectively. These pools will be developed to include the digital competencies needed for the public service of tomorrow. Naturally, the Committee will also guarantee that current employees have the tools, equipment and appropriate training to further develop and enhance their competencies.

By focusing on these priorities, the Committee is confident it can maintain a stable and dedicated team and is able to issue timely and high-quality F&R reports to the CDS and the grievors.

Experimentation

This year's plan does not include experimentation considering all financial and human resources will be focused on eliminating the backlog and modernizing the workplace. However, an exploration into changing where and how we work can be seen as a form of experimentation that the Committee and all GC organizations will be delving into further now and in the coming years.

Key risks

There is a risk that the Committee will not meet its service standard of delivering 75% of F&R reports within four months of receipt for the upcoming planning period. Contributing factors include the existing backlog, an increase in the number of grievance files referred by the CAF and an insufficient complement of trained staff.

The Operations Branch has experienced a significant turnover of grievance officers in the last three years. As a micro-organization, this is a cause for concern given the challenge of offering typical career development and advancement to its employees. In order to maintain a diverse, qualified and productive workforce, the Committee will:

1. embrace best practices and trends in recruitment
2. establish an evergreen pool of qualified candidates
3. endorse knowledge transfer to employees
4. carry out succession planning for key positions
5. provide professional growth opportunities as a means of attracting and retaining skilled and experienced knowledge workers
6. hire temporary resources experienced in the area of grievances

The terms of three Governor in Council (GIC) appointments will end during the upcoming planning period and will have a significant impact on the Committee's ability to prepare timely F&R reports. The GIC appointments staffing process requires a lot of preparation and good planning. To minimize this risk, the Chairperson and CEO will begin early in the year to work closely with all different stakeholders involved in the staffing of a Member's position. She will also propose staggering the appointment dates of GICs to ensure a continuity of experienced Members.

The GCworkplace Initiative is transitioning from an office-centric business model to one where remote work and collaborative spaces are more common. This change is welcome to some and a challenge for others. To mitigate the negative impact, while facilitating the shift to a modern, digital and flexible workplace, the Committee will adopt a sustained change management approach and further enhance its internal communications plan. We will follow GCworkplace best practices, regularly consult with employees, keep them informed and a part of the changes, and continue to safeguard their physical and mental health.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Military Grievances External Review Committee's program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.^{Footnote i}

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Military Grievances External Review Committee's program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.^{Footnote ii}

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Military Grievances External Review Committee's program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.^{Footnote iii}

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 10 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

The priority for the Internal Services is to transition the Committee to a modernized workplace. Three key activities have been established for 2021-2022 to support this priority:

1. Implement a modernized workplace aligned to the GCworkplace Initiative

As mentioned, the Committee had already begun its journey of transformation into a digital, virtual GC organization when the pandemic hit all of Canada. As such, the Committee was in a position to remain operational at the outset. Notwithstanding, transitioning from an office-centric business model to collaborative spaces requires the Committee to implement a forward-looking, modern, flexible strategy while managing the wellness of its employees.

To maintain and reinforce a sense of employee connectedness and productivity, Corporate Services will modernize and expand existing technologies to provide employees with full access to the resources they need to perform their duties and sustain productive work habits. It will equip employees with modern, nimble work tools that enable and encourage collaboration between colleagues and managers.

2. Deliver an effective communications program to strengthen connections and ensure employee engagement

Sustaining and improving two-way communication between managers and employees is critical to the Committee's success. It also allows for keeping the finger on the pulse of employees' mental health. As such, Corporate Services will continue to build on its internal communications strategy and evaluate the effectiveness of its efforts, making adjustments along the way. In 2020-2021, employees will have access to a new, all-encompassing, user-friendly intranet site and a Chairperson's blog. They will benefit from numerous engagement tactics to ensure they have consistent and constant access to the right information at the right time, feel connected and heard.

Additionally, Corporate Services will initiate development of a new external communications plan, including a review of the website. This will include exploring ways to further nurture relationships with stakeholders.

3. Renew efforts to develop initiatives and policies that focus on the health, wellness and safety of Committee employees

Tomorrow's capacity to deliver is ever more dependent on a healthy, inclusive and respectful workplace. To this end, the Committee will renew its efforts to implement initiatives and policies that promote a healthy, safe workplace and recognize successes. By encouraging an environment of openness, support and trust, the Committee will motivate and empower employees to take ownership of their work and make meaningful and impactful contributions to the organization.

Spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the department's planned spending and human resources for the next three consecutive fiscal years and compares planned spending for the upcoming year with the current and previous years' actual spending.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2018-19 to 2023-24

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory) spending over time.

Text Version

Departmental spending trend graph [$ Thousands]

	2018-2019	2019-2020	2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024
Voted	5,710	5,723	6,493	6,358	6,365	6,365
Statutory	600	653	614	627	627	627
Total	6,310	6,376	7,107	6,985	6,992	6,992

Spending for 2018–19 and 2019–20 represents the actual expenditures incurred during the respective fiscal year, as reported in Public Accounts.

Spending for 2020–21 reflects the forecasted spending level for the whole fiscal year.

Spending for 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24 reflects funds already brought into the Department's reference levels, as well as amounts to be authorized through the Estimates process as presented in the Department's Annual Reference Level Update.

Note: Please refer to the explanatory note under Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services for further details of financial trends.

As the Committee's goal is to eliminate the backlog by the end of this fiscal year, one of the strategies is to ensure the Committee's grievance teams remain at full capacity and provide for a succession plan for the key positions that will become vacant. This requires financial reallocations. For that reason, the increase in planned spending for FY 2020-21 and planned spending for future years is primarily due to the return to full capacity of the Independent Review of Military Grievances program and additional temporary investments to proactively staff positions that will become vacant in the near future.

Planned human resources

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) for each core responsibility in the Military Grievances External Review Committee's departmental results framework and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

The increase in full-time equivalents is primarily due to returning the Operations Services team to full capability.

Estimates by vote

Information on the Military Grievances External Review Committee's organizational appropriations is available in the 2021–22 Main Estimates.^{Footnote iv}

Future-oriented Condensed statement of operations

The future‑oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of the Military Grievances External Review Committee's operations for 2020–21 to 2021–22.

The amounts for forecast and planned results in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The amounts for forecast and planned spending presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future‑oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on the Military Grievances External Review Committee's website.^{Footnote v}

There are no significant variances between the 2020-21 forecast results and the 2021-22 planned results.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister: The Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan, PC, OMM, MSM, CD, MP

Institutional head: Christine Guérette, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer

Ministerial portfolio: National Defence

Enabling instrument: National Defence Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. N-5^{Footnote vi}

Year of incorporation / commencement: 2000

Other: About the Committee^{Footnote vii}

Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

"Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do" is available on the Military Grievances External Review Committee's website.^{Footnote viii}

Raison d'être

The duty and function of the Military Grievances External Review Committee (Committee) is to provide an independent and external review of military grievances. Section 29 of the National Defence Act (NDA) provides a statutory right for an officer or a non-commissioned member who has been aggrieved, to grieve a decision, an act or an omission in the administration of the affairs of the Canadian Armed Forces. The importance of this broad right cannot be overstated since it is, with certain narrow exceptions, the only formal complaint process available to Canadian Armed Forces members.

Mandate and role

The Military Grievances External Review Committee is an independent administrative tribunal reporting to Parliament through the Minister of National Defence.

The Committee reviews military grievances referred to it pursuant to s. 29 of the National Defence Act and provides findings and recommendations to the Chief of the Defence Staff^{Footnote ix} and the Canadian Armed Forces member who submitted the grievance. 

For more information on the department's organizational mandate letter commitments, see the "Minister's mandate letter".^{Footnote x}

Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on the Military Grievances External Review Committee's website.^{Footnote xi}

Reporting framework

The Military Grievances External Review Committee's approved departmental results framework and program inventory for 2021–22 are as follows.

Text Version

Military Grievances External Review Committee's Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2020-2021

Departmental Results Framework	CR1 – Independent Review of Military grievances		Internal Services
	Departmental Result 1: Findings and recommendations on all referred military grievances are provided in a timely manner	Departmental Result Indicator 1: % of written findings and recommendations that are issued within four months of receipt (service standard)
	Departmental Result 2: The Committee provides Findings and Recommendations to the Final Authority (FA) that are clear, complete and useful in the military grievances decision-making process	Departmental Result Indicator 2: Achievement of a rating by the Final Authority (FA) of at least 4 out of 5 on each of the following attributes related to Findings and Recommendations issued by the Committee: usefulness, clarity, and completeness (service standard)
Program Inventory	Independent Review of Military Grievances

Supporting information on the program inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to the Military Grievances External Review Committee's program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.^{Footnote xii}

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on the Military Grievance External Review Committee's website:^{Footnote xiii}

• Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy^{Footnote xiv}
• Gender-based analysis plus^{Footnote xv}

Federal tax expenditures

Military Grievances External Review Committee's Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures that relate to its planned results for 2021–22.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance, and the Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government­‑wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.^{Footnote xvi} This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis. The tax measures presented in this report are solely the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.

Organizational contact information

Mailing address
60 Queen Street, 10^th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5Y7, Canada
Telephone: (613) 996-8529
Protected Number: 877-276-4193
Fax: (613) 996-6491
Protected Fax: (613) 995-8129
Email: mgerc-ceegm@mgerc-ceegm.gc.ca
Website(s): https://www.canada.ca/en/military-grievances-external-review.html

Appendix: definitions

appropriation ( crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures ( dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility ( responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan ( plan ministériel)

A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3‑year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority ( priorité ministérielle)

A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result ( résultat ministériel)

A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments' immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework ( cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the department's core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report ( rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department's actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

experimentation ( expérimentation)

The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

full‑time equivalent ( équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person‑year charge against a departmental budget. For a particular position, the full‑time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person's collective agreement.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) ( analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])

An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities ( priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2021–22 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government's agenda in the 2020 Speech from the Throne, namely: Protecting Canadians from COVID-19; Helping Canadians through the pandemic; Building back better – a resiliency agenda for the middle class; The Canada we're fighting for.

horizontal initiative ( initiative horizontale)

An initiative where two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non‑budgetary expenditures ( dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance ( rendement)

What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator ( indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

performance reporting ( production de rapports sur le rendement)

The process of communicating evidence‑based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.

plan ( plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.

planned spending ( dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program ( programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

Identifies all the department's programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department's core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)

An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization's influence.

statutory expenditures ( dépenses législatives)

Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

strategic outcome ( résultat stratégique)

A long-term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization's mandate, vision and core functions.

target ( cible)

A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures ( dépenses votées)

Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.

Endnotes