Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada's 2025-26 Departmental Plan

On this page:

• From the Commissioner
• Plans to deliver on core responsibility and internal services
  • Support to federally appointed judges
  • Internal services
• Planned spending and human resources
  • Spending
  • Funding
  • Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
  • Human resources
• Corporate information
• Supplementary information table
• Federal tax expenditures
• Definitions

[Read a summary of the Departmental Plan]

 

Plans to deliver on core responsibility and internal services

Core responsibility and internal services

• Support to federally appointed judges
• Internal services

Support to federally appointed judges

In this section

• Description
• Quality of life impacts
• Indicators, results and targets
• Plans to achieve results
• Planned resources to achieve results
• Program inventory

Description

To provide services and support to the federally appointed judges in a manner which contributes to the independence of the judiciary and the confidence of Canadians in our judicial system.

Quality of life impacts

Domain: Good Governance

Indicators: Confidence in institutions, representation in senior leadership positions, access to fair and equal justice

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the department’s indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2025-26 for Support to federally appointed judges. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 1: Federally appointed judges are provided with centralized services in a timely and effective manner

Table 1 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Support to federally appointed judges.

Departmental Result Indicators	Actual Results	Target	Date to achieve target
% of judges’ allowances processed within the 10-day service standard	2021-22: 76% 2022-23: 43% 2023-24: 80%	90%	March 2026

Table 2: The judicial appointments process is managed efficiently

Table 2 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Support to federally appointed judges.

Departmental Result Indicators	Actual Results	Target	Date to achieve target
% of candidate applications ready to be evaluated within 3 months of reception	2021-22: Over 95% 2022-23: Over 95% 2023-24: Over 95%	Over 95%	March 2026

Table 3: The judicial conduct review process is completed in a timely and effective manner

Table 3 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Support to federally appointed judges.

Departmental Result Indicators	Actual Results	Target	Date to achieve target
% of complaints reviewed within six months	2021-22: 92% 2022-23: 94% 2023-24: N/A*	80%	March 2026

*2023-24 was a transitional year as the Canadian Judicial Council implemented the provision of Bill C-9, an Act to amend the Judges Act, to replace the process through which the conduct of federally appointed judges is reviewed. The amendment received Royal Assent, June 22, 2023. The overlap and differences between the old and new regime, are such that accurate statistics on percentage of files closed within six months during this reporting period are not available. These statistics are expected to be reported annually going forward based on the calendar year, in keeping with mandatory legislated reporting requirements.

Table 4: CJC ensures that federally appointed judges have access to relevant training and learning opportunities

Table 4 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Support to federally appointed judges.

Departmental Result Indicators	Actual Results	Target	Date to achieve target
% of judges who reported to the CJC that their training and learning needs were met	2021-22: 90% 2022-23: 90% 2023-24: 90%	90%	March 2026

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for the FJA’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Support to federally appointed judges in 2025-26.

The Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs is committed to providing services to approximately 1,200 federally appointed judges across Canada as well as approximately 1,100 pensioners and their survivors. In addition to ensuring that the judges' are remunerated and reimbursed for expenses incurred in executing the duties of their office, FJA also provides support and services in areas of Judicial Appointments, International Cooperation, Judges’ Language Training, the publication of Federal Courts Reports and the maintenance and support of a stand-alone IT platform for judicial collaboration.

FJA also provides support services in the areas of Human Resources, Finance and Information Technology to the Canadian Judicial Council as they focus on training judges and the oversight on complaints made in relation to the conduct of federally appointed judges.

These activities as a whole ensure that Canadians are served by a judiciary that meets their needs and impact outcomes both domestically and on the international stage.

 

Judicial Appointments

Within its overarching responsibility for administering the judicial appointments process on behalf of the government, FJA manages over 50 meetings per year across 17 Judicial Advisory Committees throughout Canada. FJA will continue to ensure timely assessments of all candidates seeking appointment to the superior courts across Canada. In 2025-26, FJA will undertake the work to digitize the application process to make it more accessible and efficient for applicants.

 

International Cooperation

In 2025-26, FJA will strengthen its commitment to the federal judiciary's international engagement through:

• Continued effort on the Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP) program funded by Global Affairs Canada. This initiative aims to fortify judicial administration and enhance public trust in judiciaries worldwide and will onboard up to three countries for 12-month engagements each year.
• Launching a separate multi-year judicial reform project in Mongolia, designed to enhance judicial processes, improve accessibility and bolster governance and judicial systems in emerging democracies
• Facilitating international exchanges and welcoming delegations from other countries.
• Assisting Canadian courts by vetting requests from foreign judicial delegations for access to Canadian courts, advising federally appointed judges on country-specific government policies and security concerns, and managing logistics related to international activities. These efforts ensure the integrity and impartiality of judges involved in international engagements.

Judges’ Language Training

The Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada provides a language training program tailored to the needs of judges. As in prior years, FJA will continue to offer both individual courses and group immersion sessions in both official languages. Our personnel will also update the language training curriculum to ensure training materials best meet the needs of judges. New to 2025-26, FJA plans to increase services in this area through the establishment and in-house administration of language testing for judges.

 

Federal Courts Reports

For 2025-26, FJA will continue to make available to Canadians the summary decisions of the Federal Court of Appeal and the Federal Court, with a focus on the timely publication of decisions and the quality of the published reports.

 

Canadian Judicial Council

The Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) Secretariat, under the direction of the 44 Chief Justices and Associate Chief Justices across Canada, works to maintain the confidence Canadians have in their federally appointed judges by promoting efficiency and uniformity, and improving the quality of judicial services in all superior courts in Canada. 

A key activity and priority for the Council and its Secretariat staff in the upcoming fiscal year is administering the judicial conduct regime, which underwent reforms following the enactment of Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Judges Act, on June 22, 2023. The Council continues to operationalize the amendments and refine its concomitant review procedures and supporting processes. The Council has experienced an increase in total complaints received as well as complaints proceeding beyond the initial screening by a screening officer. Secretariat staff members are mitigating this risk through additional human resources, including the addition of members to its Judicial Conduct Committee.

Another key priority for the Council is to ensure that the federally appointed judiciary has access to high quality, effective, ongoing judicial education and professional development. Secretariat staff members will continue to support the Council’s Judicial Education Committee in collaborating with various organizations to establish meetings, seminars, and conferences that benefit the ongoing judicial education or professional development of federally appointed judges. These programs supplement court-specific judicial education opportunities as well as other self-initiated professional development by individual judges.

Fiscal year 2025-26 will mark the official launch of a study related to the health and well-being of judges, as well as innovative projects related to advances in technology and public education.

Planned resources to achieve results

Table 5: Planned resources to achieve results for Support to federally appointed judges

Table 5 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Resource	Planned
Spending	845,265,856
Full-time equivalents	57.5

Complete financial and human resources information for FJA’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Program inventory

Support to federally appointed judges is supported by the following programs:

• Payments pursuant to the Judges Act
• Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs
• Canadian Judicial Council

Additional information related to the program inventory for Support to federally appointed judges is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Internal services

In this section

• Description
• Plans to achieve results
• Planned resources to achieve results
• Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

• 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
• material management services
• acquisition management services

Plans to achieve results

This section presents details on how the department plans to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

Through ongoing modernization initiatives, the departmental internal services will provide efficient and effective services in support of FJA priorities. The key actions FJA plans to take in relation to internal services in 2025-26 are as follows:

• Maintain a healthy, safe and respectful workplace that promotes and supports employee well-being.
• Promote diversity, inclusion, employment equity and accessibility in the workplace. In the coming year, FJA intends to use data to gain a better understanding of our workforce, identify representation gaps and guide actions to increase the representation of employment equity groups.
• Provide effective stewardship of financial, human and information resources within the department.
• Enhance departmental effectiveness and collaboration by implementing solutions that modernize information technology tools and services. In particular, the department will focus on providing a secure and independent networking platform for federally appointed judges.
• Ensure timely processing of payments to judges for their allowances, salaries and pensions under the Judges Act including payments and services to survivors.

Planned resources to achieve results

Table 6: Planned resources to achieve results for internal services this year

Table 6 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Resource	Planned
Spending	1,691,888
Full-time equivalents	9.5

Complete financial and human resources information for FJA’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

 

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Government of Canada departments are to meet a target of awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses each year. This commitment is to be fully implemented by the end of 2024-25.

FJA has developed detailed procurement plans to assist with awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses annually. FJA plans to continue to review its activities to identify areas where opportunities exist for awarding contracts to Indigenous suppliers. This includes early engagement of the FJA procurement team to identify available Indigenous business capacity and regular updates for management regarding progress towards targets including recommendations for areas where Indigenous businesses may be appropriate.

In addition, FJA employees involved in the procurement function continue to complete training on federal procurement policy obligations and considerations that should be applied to increase opportunities for Indigenous businesses in Canada.

Table 7: Percentage of contracts planned and awarded to Indigenous businesses

Table 7 presents the current, actual results with forecasted and planned results for the total percentage of contracts the department awarded to Indigenous businesses.  

5% Reporting Field	2023-24 Actual Result	2024-25 Forecasted Result	2025-26 Planned Result
Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses	2.3%	4.4%	5%

Planned spending and human resources 

This section provides an overview of FJA’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2025-26 with actual spending from previous years.

In this section

• Spending
• Funding
• Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
• Human resources

Spending

This section presents an overview of the department's planned expenditures from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Budgetary performance summary

Table 8: Three-year spending summary for core responsibility and internal services (dollars)

Table 8 presents how much money FJA spent over the past three years to carry out its core responsibility and for internal services. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date.

Core responsibility and Internal services	2022-23 Actual Expenditures	2023-24 Actual Expenditures	2024-25 Forecast Spending
Support to federally appointed judges	711,434,952	751,993,164	789,330,065
Subtotal	711,434,952	751,993,164	789,330,065
Internal services	726,800	726,800	726,800
Total	712,161,752	752,719,964	790,056,865

Analysis of the past three years of spending

The actual spending for the department increases over each reporting period largely as a result of statutory provisions in the Judges Act as they relate to the annual increase in the salaries of federally appointed judges as a function of the industrial aggregate index applied on April 1 of each year and the increase in pension payments to retired judges and survivors as a function of the annual indexation applied on January 1 of each year.

More financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC InfoBase. 

Table 9: Planned three-year spending on core responsibility and internal services (dollars)

Table 9 presents how much money FJA plans to spend over the next three years to carry out its core responsibility and for internal services.

Core responsibility and Internal services	2025-26 Planned Spending	2026-27 Planned Spending	2027-28 Planned Spending
Support to federally appointed judges	845,265,856	885,918,210	928,634,468
Subtotal	845,265,856	885,918,210	928,634,468
Internal services	1,691,888	1,691,888	1,691,888
Total	846,957,744	887,610,098	930,326,356

Analysis of the next three years of spending

The planned spending for the department increases over each reporting period largely as a result of statutory provisions in the Judges Act as they relate to the annual increase in the salaries of federally appointed judges as a function of the industrial aggregate index applied on April 1 of each year and the increase in pension payments to retired judges and survivors as a function of the annual indexation applied on January 1 of each year. As well, the departmental approach to determine whether planned spending is classified under FJA’s core responsibility versus internal services was reviewed and adjusted as part of the 2025-26 Departmental Plan, resulting in an increase in planned internal services in comparison to prior years.

More detailed financial information on planned spending is available on the Finances section of GC InfoBase.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibility and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.

Graph 1: Approved funding (statutory and voted) over a six-year period

Graph 1 summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Text description of graph 1

Fiscal year	Total	Voted	Statutory
2022-23	712,161,752	13,940,353	698,221,399
2023-24	752,719,964	13,258,680	739,461,284
2024-25	790,056,865	14,944,784	775,112,081
2025-26	846,957,744	14,040,984	832,916,760
2026-27	887,610,098	14,044,156	873,565,942
2027-28	930,326,356	14,044,156	916,282,200

Analysis of statutory and voted funding over a six-year period

Spending for the department increases over each reporting period largely as a result of statutory provisions in the Judges Act as they relate to the annual increase in the salaries of federally appointed judges as a function of the industrial aggregate index applied on April 1 of each year and the increase in pension payments to retired judges and survivors as a function of the annual indexation applied on January 1 of each year.

For further information on FJA’s departmental appropriations, consult the 2025-26 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of FJA’s operations for 2024-25 to 2025-26.

Table 10: Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ended March 31, 2026 (dollars)

Table 10 summarizes the expenses and revenues, which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers for 2024-25 to 2025-26. The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

Financial information	2024-25 Forecast results	2025-26 Planned results	Difference (Planned results minus forecasted)
Total expenses	792,179,000	849,075,000	56,896,000
Total revenues	20,459,000	20,459,000	-
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers	771,720,000	828,616,000	56,896,000

Analysis of forecasted and planned results

In 2024-25, total forecasted expenses include $774.1 million for judges’ salaries, allowances, and annuities; $14.5 million for FJA personnel and operating costs; and $3.6 million for CJC personnel and operating costs. The 2025-26 amounts are $831.7 million, $13.9 million, and $3.4 million, respectively.

Total revenues include an amount of $20.5 million charged to FJA’s statutory vote for judges’ pension contributions.

A more detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated Notes for 2025-26, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, is available on FJA’s website.

Human resources

This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2022-23 to 2027-28. 

Table 11: Actual human resources for core responsibility and internal services

Table 11 shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents, for FJA’s core responsibility and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.

Core responsibility and internal services	2022-23 Actual full-time equivalents	2023-24 Actual full-time equivalents	2024-25 Forecasted full-time equivalents
Support to federally appointed judges	56.5	59.5	60.5
Subtotal	56.5	59.5	60.5
Internal services	5.5	5.5	5.5
Total	62	65	66

Analysis of human resources over the last three years

There have been no significant changes in human resources over the last three fiscal years.

Table 12: Human resources planning summary for core responsibility and internal services

Table 12 shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents, for FJA’s core responsibility and for its internal services planned for the next three years.

Core responsibility and internal services	2025-26 Planned full-time equivalents	2026-27 Planned full-time equivalents	2027-28 Planned full-time equivalents
Support to federally appointed judges	57.5	57.5	57.5
Subtotal	57.5	57.5	57.5
Internal services	9.5	9.5	9.5
Total	67	67	67

Analysis of human resources for the next three years

The departmental approach to determine whether full-time equivalents are classified under FJA’s core responsibility versus internal services was adjusted as part of the 2025-26 Departmental Plan, resulting in a slight change in comparison to prior years. Overall, no significant change in total departmental human resources is expected over the next three fiscal years.

Corporate information

Departmental profile

Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable Sean Fraser, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head: Marc A. Giroux, Commissioner

Ministerial portfolio: Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Enabling instrument(s): Judges Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. J-1)

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1978

Other: Information about the Canadian Judicial Council, its mandate and programs are found at the Council’s website: https://cjc-ccm.ca/en

Departmental contact information

Mailing address:

Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada

99 Metcalfe Street, 8th floor

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 1E3

Telephone: 613-995-5140 or 1-877-583-4266 (toll free)

Fax: 613-995-5615

Email: info@cmf-fja.gc.ca

Websites: https://www.fja.gc.ca, https://cjc-ccm.ca/en

Supplementary information table

The following supplementary information table is available on FJA’s website:

• Gender‑based analysis plus

Information on FJA’s departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on FJA’s website.  

Federal tax expenditures

FJA’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.

This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

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, departments 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 3year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

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.

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 Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

Is an analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs, and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

Using GBA Plus involves taking a gender- and diversity-sensitive approach to our work. Considering all intersecting identity factors as part of GBA Plus, not only sex and gender, is a Government of Canada commitment.

government priorities (priorités gouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2025-26 Departmental Plan, government priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the most recent Speech from the Throne.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

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

Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)

For the purpose of the Directive on the Management of Procurement Appendix E: Mandatory Procedures for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses and the Government of Canada’s commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses, a department that meets the definition and requirements as defined by the Indigenous Business Directory. 

non‑budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Non-budgetary authorities that comprise assets and liabilities transactions for loans, investments and advances, or specified purpose accounts, that have been established under specific statutes or under non-statutory authorities in the Estimates and elsewhere. Non-budgetary transactions are those expenditures and receipts related to the government's financial claims on, and obligations to, outside parties. These consist of transactions in loans, investments and advances; in cash and accounts receivable; in public money received or collected for specified purposes; and in all other assets and liabilities. Other assets and liabilities, not specifically defined in G to P authority codes are to be recorded to an R authority code, which is the residual authority code for all other assets and liabilities.

performance (rendement)

What a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department 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 department, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department 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)

A consequence attributed, in part, to a department, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single department, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the department’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.

target (cible)

A measurable performance or success level that a department, 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.