Departmental Results Report 2020-21

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

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The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Canadian Heritage

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, 2021

Catalogue No. BC9-27E-PDF

ISSN 2560-9971

Table of contents

• From the Minister
• Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer’s message
• Results at a glance
• Results: what we achieved
  • Core responsibility
  • Internal Services
• Analysis of trends in spending and human resources
  • Actual expenditures
  • Actual human resources
  • Expenditures by vote
  • Government of Canada spending and activities
  • Financial statements and financial statements highlights
• 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

From the Minister

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizations in the Canadian Heritage Portfolio, including the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), have brought Canadians together while promoting mutual support and respect for public health measures. They have shown us that we are stronger and better when we are united for the benefit of all—not only when it comes to health, but also art, culture and heritage, the sectors in which these organizations are active.

In 2020–21, the CRTC faced the challenges posed by the health crisis in order to fulfill its mandate, ensure the safety of its staff and continue serving the people of Canada in an ever-changing environment.

The Commission held a virtual hearing to examine the television and radio licence renewal The Commission held a virtual hearing to examine the television and radio licence renewal applications filed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Société Radio-Canada. A number of issues were explored during the hearing, such as how the national public broadcaster’s past performance and future commitments fulfill its mandate.

The Commission took the first step in a joint effort to establish a new Indigenous broadcasting policy. This approach is part of a multi-step process, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis broadcasters, content creators and audiences, which will lead to a better understanding of the current and future needs of broadcasting services, both traditional and digital.

In 2020, the CRTC launched a public consultation to update its Commercial Radio Policy. As part of this review, it obtained feedback from Canadians about their radio listening habits, behaviours and views.

To enhance the online safety of Canadians, the CRTC launched a consultation in January 2021 on a proposed framework to address harmful networks of malware-infected computers under the control of a malicious actor, known as a botnet. The CRTC sought comments on whether telecommunications service providers should adopt blocking technologies within their networks in order to better protect the Canadian public.

As Minister of Canadian Heritage, I invite you to have a look at the 2020–21 Departmental Results Report for the CRTC. I would like to highlight the work done by the CRTC to successfully navigate a major crisis without deviating from its mission to realize the Government of Canada’s objectives and promote the diverse and inclusive nature of our society.

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez

Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer’s message

Over the course of the last year, we have achieved several important advancements for Canadians with regard to telecommunications and broadcasting. The CRTC remains committed to its mission to ensure Canadians have access to a world-class communications system.

We have made progress in co-developing a new Indigenous Broadcasting Policy by completing the first of three phases. The first phase focused on identifying the needs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit broadcasters, content creators and audiences across Canada. Through early engagement sessions, we gathered insight into what is working well, which issues are present, opportunities for improvement and possible solutions. As we move forward with this initiative, we will continue to work closely with Indigenous Peoples to better support their needs, now and in the future.

Broadband connectivity is a vital component of participating in Canada’s digital economy, which is why the Commission is doing its part to close the digital divide. Further to its calls for applications, the CRTC’s Broadband Fund announced that it would provide up to $156.4 million to selected projects. Once completed, these projects will ensure that Canadians in over 100 rural and remote communities will have access to sufficient high-speed Internet services.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, widespread telework and virtual home schooling, telecommunications services have proved to be more essential than ever. With this reality in mind, we launched a public consultation to collect feedback from Canadians living in the North regarding their telecommunications services. The feedback from this public consultation will help us better identify the issues relating to competition, service quality and affordability. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all Canadians have access to high-quality, affordable services.

The CRTC consistently focuses on protecting Canadians through its policies and codes. For instance, the Wireless Code is a mandatory code of conduct for all wireless service providers. In March 2021, we clarified that the Code applies to all device financing plans sold with a wireless plan. Device financing plans must comply with all relevant sections of the Code to ensure consumers are fully protected.

As Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the CRTC, I invite you to review the Commission’s 2020–21 Departmental Results Report, which demonstrates the hard work and dedication that this organization used to meet our goals. My sincere gratitude goes out to everyone at the CRTC for serving Canadians to the best of their ability, despite the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. I am particularly proud of how we have worked with colleagues and service providers over the past year to ensure continued services to Canadians and our responsiveness to challenges posed by rapidly changing economic realities.

Ian Scott

Results at a glance

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) achieved the following key results in 2020-21:

• Approved funding under the CRTC’s Broadband Fund^{Endnote i} to selected applicants for broadband infrastructure development projects to improve Internet access services in 51 communities (up to $72.1M) and to provide the network to enable Internet access services to 56 communities (up to $84.3M).
• Published a “What You Said” ^{Endnote ii} report following a series of early engagement sessions across Canada with First Nations, Métis and Inuit broadcasters, content creators and artists. The content of the report, and particularly the recommendations from the sessions, will be valuable in guiding the next phase of the co-development of a new Indigenous Broadcasting Policy.
• Approved a call blocking trial,^{Endnote iii} which uses artificial intelligence technology, to block certain fraudulent and scam voice calls. This trial has resulted in a significant number of fraudulent calls being successfully blocked before ever reaching Canadians.
• Issued the findings of its first Secret Shopper Program,^{Endnote iv} which measured interactions with sales staff in person, over the phone and online in several locations across Canada to gain insight into Canadians’ experiences with communications service providers. While the report indicated that a majority of the sales interactions were perceived to be positive, it also identified that misleading or aggressive sales practices were still experienced by 1 in 5 shoppers and that these practices occur at a higher rate for certain segments of the Canadian population, such as persons with disabilities.

The CRTC’s total actual spending in 2020-21 was $ 72,377,319 and its total number of actual full-time equivalents was 520.

For more information on the CRTC’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: what we achieved” section of this report.

Results: what we achieved

Core responsibility

Regulate and Supervise the Communications System

Description:

The CRTC is an administrative tribunal that is responsible for regulating and supervising Canada’s communications system in the public interest.

Established to develop, implement and enforce regulatory policies on the Canadian communications system, the CRTC performs a wide range of functions, including rule making and policy development. It has the quasi-judicial powers of a superior court with respect to the production and examination of evidence and the enforcement of its decisions. As an administrative tribunal it operates at arm’s length from the federal government.

The CRTC develops regulatory policies for Canada’s communication system; approves mergers, acquisitions and changes of ownership of broadcasting distribution undertakings; approves tariffs and agreements for certain telecommunication services; issues, renews and amends licences for broadcasting distribution and programming undertakings; and resolves competitive disputes. The CRTC intervenes specifically in situations where market forces alone cannot achieve the policy objectives set out within its legislative mandate.

Results:

Departmental Results 1 and 4: “Canadian content is created” as a result of processes that are efficient and fair

The CRTC met the target for its role in creating Canadian content. The total investment in Canadian TV programming production for 2020-21 exceeded the minimum target of $4 billion at $4.1 billion.

To fulfill its commitments set out in the 2020-21 Departmental Plan, the CRTC:

• Published a “What You Said” report following a series of early engagement sessions across Canada with First Nations, Métis and Inuit broadcasters, content creators and artists. The content of the report, and particularly the recommendations from the sessions, will be valuable in guiding the next phase of the co-development of a new Indigenous Broadcasting Policy.
• Invited Canadians to share their views on English- and French-language commercial AM and FM radio^{Endnote v} as part of its review to modernize the regulatory framework for commercial radio.
• Continued developing its digital system for monitoring programming compliance in the radio market, which is expected to enter into its testing and implementation stage by early 2022.
• Continued its review of the policy on expenditures^{Endnote vi} in light of the digital environment to ensure that broadcasters continue to effectively support the production of Canadian content that reflects Canada’s diversity, in a manner that is adaptable to technological change. 
• Held a virtual public hearing^{Endnote vii} in January 2021 to renew the licences of the radio and TV stations owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada. Over 10,000 individual interventions were processed.
• Approved^{Endnote viii} Bell Canada’s acquisition of V Interactions Inc. and required Bell Canada to make investments in local programming and original French-language Canadian programming, including over $3 million in tangible benefits to be directed to French-language initiatives through the Canada Media Fund (60%) and the Bell Fund (40%).

Departmental Results 2 and 4: “Canadians are connected to world-class communications services” as a result of processes that are efficient and fair

The CRTC’s results for connecting Canadians to world-class communications services continued to increase in 2020-21: 89.5%^{Footnote 1} of households have access to fixed broadband 50/10 Internet access services with the option of an unlimited data plan, compared to 87.3% in 2019 (target of 90% by December 2021); and 99.54% of households have access to the latest mobile wireless technology (LTE), compared to 99.48% in 2019 (target of 100% by December 2026).

Canada had a 6.7 percentage point lead on the OECD average of total high capacity fixed broadband subscriptions. Although the target of a 7.9 percentage point lead was not met, Canada remains substantially above the OECD average once again this year and registered significant increases in subscriptions to high capacity broadband connections in 2020 (adding a total of 520,834 broadband subscribers over 2020 and moving from 9^th rank (of 38 OECD countries) in 2019 to 8^th rank in 2020). The smaller percentage point lead can therefore be attributed to other OECD countries registering faster take-up for these connections, especially for fibre connections. It can also partly be attributed to the continued, yet slowly decreasing, reliance on digital subscriber line (DSL) connections by Canadian households, which are not considered high capacity broadband connections.

In the 2020-21 Departmental Plan, the CRTC stated that it would continue to ensure that Canadians are connected to world-class communications services. To fulfill its commitment, the CRTC:

• Approved funding to selected applicants for the first five projects under the CRTC’s Broadband Fund to improve Internet access services to more than 10,100 households in 51 communities, most of which are Indigenous, in Yukon, Northwest Territories and northern Manitoba.
• Approved funding to selected applicants for 12 transport projects under the Broadband Fund to provide the network that will enable Internet access services to be provided to 56 communities, including Indigenous and official language minority communities, in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and northern Quebec.
• Invited Canadians living in the North to provide feedback^{Endnote ix} on telecommunications services in the North, and particularly those offered by Northwestel, to determine whether more needs to be done to ensure access to high quality services at affordable rates.
• Launched a proceeding^{Endnote x} to review the regulatory framework of video relay service, a basic telecommunications service that enables sign language users and voice telephone users to communicate with each other.
• Completed its comprehensive review regarding the state of mobile wireless services in Canada, resulting in additional regulatory measures being put in place to spur greater competition and more affordable mobile wireless services for Canadians (decision^{Endnote xi} published 15 April 2021).
• Completed its review on the final rates for aggregated high-speed access (HSA) services (decision^{Endnote xii} published 27 May 2021).
• Initiated a proceeding^{Endnote xiii} to address the appropriate network and service configurations for disaggregated wholesale HSA services.
• Initiated a proceeding^{Endnote xiv} to review the methodology and approach for rate setting of wholesale telecommunications services. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the volume and complexity of the interventions, the CRTC extended the proceeding dates by three months.
• Continued the Measuring Broadband Canada project, which tests the speeds of home wireline broadband Internet services across Canada. The results of this project provide Canadians with insight into the performance of their broadband services, including whether participating Internet service providers (ISPs) are delivering speeds as advertised, while helping ISPs improve their networks to better serve Canadian consumers.

In the 2020-21 Departmental Plan, the CRTC stated that it would issue a decision further to its consultation to address potential barriers to the deployment of broadband-capable networks in underserved areas in Canada. However, based on submissions received in that proceeding, the CRTC was concerned that untimely and costly access to poles owned by Canadian carriers was a significant barrier, particularly in areas of Canada with limited or no access to such networks. It therefore initiated a separate proceeding to identify and implement regulatory measures that will make access to such poles more efficient. The resources required to launch this new proceeding prevented a decision from being issued in 2020-21.

The CRTC also stated in the Departmental Plan that it would launch a consultation on the state of interconnection and various wireline services’ wholesale arrangements to ensure a competitive Canadian telecommunications market. Rather than launch a broad consultation, the CRTC focused its wireline regulatory activities on proceedings that impact the availability of broadband Internet (through its examination of barriers to broadband deployment, for example), including support structures, and its review of the state of telecommunications services in Canada’s North.

Departmental Results 3 and 4: Canadians are protected within the communications system as a result of processes that are efficient and fair

The CRTC continued to protect Canadians within the communications system, meeting all four of its results targets in 2020-21. All (100%) organizations remained compliant^{Footnote 2} after enforcement action was taken on unsolicited commercial communications, surpassing the target of 80%; and 100% of facilities-based telecommunications service providers (TSPs) were in compliance with 9-1-1 requirements, meeting the target of 100%. The two new indicators introduced in the 2020-21 Departmental Plan also met their targets of at least 90%, with 99.97% of Canadian subscribers having access to public alerting through wireless service providers (WSPs) and 96.7% of broadcasting undertakings participating in the public alerting system.

The 2020-21 Departmental Plan stated that the CRTC would help protect Canadians within the communications system. The CRTC fulfilled this commitment in the following ways:

• Issued the findings of its first Secret Shopper Program, which measured interactions with sales staff in person, over the phone and online in several locations across Canada to gain insight into Canadians’ experiences with communications service providers. While the report indicated that a majority of the sales interactions were perceived to be positive, it also identified that misleading or aggressive sales practices were still experienced by 1 in 5 shoppers and that these practices occur at a higher rate for certain segments of the Canadian population, such as persons with disabilities.
• Approved applications to allow Bell Canada and its affiliates to block certain fraudulent and scam voice calls on a trial basis using artificial intelligence technologies.
• Launched a consultation^{Endnote xv} on measures to block traffic from harmful networks of malware-infected computers that are under the control of a malicious actor (also known as botnets), which can cause significant harm to Canadians, businesses and organizations that provide critical services such as hospitals, schools and government bodies.
• Supported the industry’s development of a process to trace nuisance calls back to their point of origin and approved a trace back trial conducted by several TSPs, including incumbent local exchange carriers, competitive local exchange carriers, small incumbent local exchange carriers, resellers, and wireless carriers, to facilitate compliance and enforcement efforts.
• Launched a proceeding^{Endnote xvi} to examine the issue of accessible wireless service packages and whether the market is adequately serving the needs of persons with disabilities.
• Launched a proceeding^{Endnote xvii} calling for public comments on regulations to be made under the Accessible Canada Act in April 2020. (The finalized regulations were published in July 2021.)
• Continued to evaluate and monitor the regulatory policies it has imposed on the broadcasting and telecommunications industries to advance the objectives of the Accessible Canada Act.
• Continued to monitor the implementation of and compliance with the Internet Code by Internet service providers and the Wireless Code by WSPs.
• Issued a total amount payable of $434,000 for alleged violations under either the UTRs or CASL, including the largest ever administrative monetary penalty ($75,000) to an individual for sending commercial emails without prior consent from the recipients.
• Issued letters, in conjunction with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Competition Bureau, to 36 companies involved in the mobile applications industry in Canada advising that they review their practices and take preventive or corrective measures where necessary so as not to jeopardize Canadians’ online security.
• Monitored the participation of Canadian broadcasters and wireless service providers in the National Public Alerting System (NPAS). This system ensures that Canadians receive emergency alert messages at times of imminent or unfolding hazards to life, such as alerts for civic or environmental threats, and amber alerts.

The CRTC continued to monitor the implementation of NG9-1-1 services. TSPs were originally to make NG9-1-1 voice services ready by June 2020, and WSPs were to make NG9-1-1 text messaging services ready by December 2020. In light of the pandemic, however, the CRTC suspended these deadlines and initiated a proceeding to establish new deadlines. (These new deadlines were announced in July 2021.) As these services become available to the public over the coming years, they will support new emergency service capabilities, thereby enhancing the safety of Canadians.

Gender-based analysis plus

The CRTC applied GBA+ considerations in a number of areas, including the following:

• Preparation of the “What You Said” report that followed a series of engagement sessions with First Nations, Métis and Inuit broadcasters, content creators and artists as part of the co-development of a new Indigenous broadcasting policy.
• Review of the Commercial Radio Policy, which included looking at whether programming adequately and appropriately reflects the diversity in Canada (including women, Indigenous communities, ethnic and multicultural communities, official language minority communities, children and youth, Canadians with disabilities, and LGBTQ2 communities in Canada).

The CRTC continues to apply GBA+ considerations in its review of the terms of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada licence renewals, particularly in light of the record received. Given that a decision has not yet been taken in that regard, no further details can be provided at this time.

Experimentation

The CRTC continued to experiment with new approaches and instill a culture of measurement, evaluation and innovation in program and policy design. However, no specific experimentation activities and no additional financial or human resources were planned for activities in 2020-21.

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The CRTC continues to work with Employment and Social Development Canada and Statistics Canada to contribute to the development and measurement of two indicators related to the national availability of both fixed broadband Internet and the latest generally deployed mobile wireless technology. These indicators contribute to the measurement of Sustainable Development Goal 9 of the Canadian Indicator Framework, “Industry, innovation and infrastructure: build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.”

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

In 2020-21, actual spending (gross expenditures) is slightly higher than planned spending. The increase is mainly attributable to an increase in salaries due to the ratification of collective agreements, including retroactive payments dating back to 2015-16, as well as the hiring of employees. The number of hirings was nevertheless lower than initially planned.

The increase between 2020-21 actual and planned spending, in terms of net expenditures, is the result of a major decrease in the use of respendable revenues to offset CRTC’s regulatory-related activities expenses. In response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Part I broadcasting licence fees were remitted in respect of fiscal year 2020-21 to provide financial relief to broadcasters. These respendable revenues are usually used to offset expenses incurred for the CRTC’s broadcasting-related regulatory activities. Appropriated funds were granted to the CRTC to support its operations.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the CRTC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote xviii}

Internal Services

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 service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:

• Acquisition Management Services
• Communication Services
• Financial Management Services
• Human Resources Management Services
• Information Management Services
• Information Technology Services
• Legal Services
• Material Management Services
• Management and Oversight Services
• Real Property Management Services

Results

In 2020-21, the CRTC continued to foster a healthy and respectful work environment through the following activities:

• Invited all employees to share their views through engagement sessions to develop an Anti-racism and Anti-discrimination Strategy. A survey was designed that allowed the organization to explore specific issues related to racism, discrimination, inclusion and diversity. As part of this awareness exercise, all executives completed a self-assessment tool to measure and advance their intercultural competence. All levels of management completed training on unconscious bias and micro-aggressions.
• Developed and launched, in support of the coming into force of the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations:
  • CRTC Policy on Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention
  • comprehensive training strategy (with a CRTC-specific training module)
  • reporting and resolution process
  • psychological risk assessment
  • related tools and resources.
• Existing Ombuds-Services were also expanded to include Designated Recipient responsibilities.
• Provided comprehensive mental health support to employees working remotely during the pandemic:
  • leveraged its new Workplace Wellness advisor and developed a weekly mental health blog
  • held a range of wellness sessions to help employees cope with challenges
  • promoted employee support services
  • launched the Not Myself Today campaign, which provides mental health tools and resources in the workplace
  • conducted various mental health training sessions designed to increase resilience
  • shared a variety of mental health resources.

In 2020-21, the Financial Management Transformation (FMT) strategy was refreshed to better position the Government of Canada for its migration to the next major release of SAP S/4 HANA. This provided the CRTC the opportunity to do an analysis and evaluate its options; it could either continue moving ahead towards the Government of Canada Financial and Materiel Management (GCFM) Solution or shift to another potential SAP cluster that could better support the unique financial management needs of the CRTC. The CRTC performed a viability assessment of various options and concluded that the Treasury Board’s IRIS cluster would be the most viable option for the CRTC, with a confirmed planned onboarding in April 2022. The strong governance model and alignment with the approved future direction of the FMT will ensure the achievement of an open and transparent government and better services for Canadians by streamlining and automating the CRTC’s internal services.

The CRTC also continued to transform the organization into one that is “digital by design” through the following actions:

• Iteratively improved the ability of employees to securely and reliably access its IT network remotely, collaborate with colleagues from anywhere at any time, and hold virtual Commission meetings with integrated simultaneous interpretation, as well as modern virtual public hearings with the capability to stream audio and video feeds with closed captioning.
• Continued to review and automate new and legacy business processes with the goal of implementing improved digitally enabled and data-driven business processes.

The CRTC implemented its responsibilities under the Accessible Canada Act (the Act) through its internal Accessibility Committee. Established in 2019-20, the committee served as an advisory committee to implement the Act internally. The Accessibility Committee is comprised of members from all sectors within the CRTC as well as experts in the responsibility areas covered by the Act.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

In 2020-21, actual spending (gross expenditures) is higher than planned spending. The increase is mainly attributable to an increase in salaries due to the ratification of collective agreements, including retroactive payments dating back to 2015-16.

The increase between 2020-21 actual and planned spending, in terms of net expenditures, is the result of a major decrease in the use of respendable revenues to offset CRTC’s regulatory-related activities expenses. In response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Part I broadcasting licence fees were remitted in respect of fiscal year 2020-21 to provide financial relief to broadcasters. These respendable revenues are usually used to offset expenses incurred for the CRTC’s broadcasting-related regulatory activities. Appropriated funds were granted to the CRTC to support its operations.

Analysis of trends in spending and human resources

Actual expenditures

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

Table version

Fiscal year	2018–19	2019–20	2020–21	2021–22	2022–23	2023–14
Statutory	6,263,174	7,302,933	7,945,025	7,908,211	7,892,305	7,867,639
Voted and Vote-netted revenue	55,140,036	62,246,188	64,432,294	65,413,751	65,461,118	64,238,863
Total	61,403,210	69,549,121	72,377,319	73,321,962	73,353,423	72,106,502

Total spending pertains to expenditures incurred by the CRTC in relation to all funding authorities approved during the fiscal year. Funding authorities include all parliamentary appropriations and revenue sources: Main Estimates, Supplementary Estimates, Treasury Board Vote transfers (including the operating budget carry forward and compensations for the ratification of collective agreements), and revenues from broadcasting licence fees, telecommunications fees and unsolicited telecommunications fees.

For fiscal years 2018-19 to 2020-21, actual spending represents the actual expenditures as reported in the Public Accounts of Canada. The increase in actual spending between 2019-20 and 2020-21 is mainly attributable to an increase in salaries due to the ratification of collective agreements, including retroactive payments dating back to 2015-16, as well as the hiring of employees.

For the period from 2021-22 to 2023-24, the planned spending reflects approved funding by Treasury Board to support CRTC’s programs, including the implementation and the operationalization of the project management function of the Broadband Fund, which started in 2019-20. Nevertheless, the planned spending excludes the funding from the Bill C-10 Implementation Treasury Board submission approved in April 2021 for 2021-22 and 2022-23.

For fiscal years 2018-19 to 2020-21, actual spending represents actual expenditures as reported in the Public Accounts of Canada. The increase in actual spending, in terms of gross expenditures, between 2019-20 and 2020-21 is mainly attributable to an increase in salaries due to the ratification of collective agreements, including retroactive payments dating back to 2015-16, as well as the hiring of employees.

The significant increase in actual spending, in terms of net expenditures, between 2019-20 and 2020-21 is the result of a major decrease in the use of respendable revenues to offset CRTC’s regulatory-related activities expenses. In response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Part I broadcasting licence fees were remitted in respect of fiscal year 2020-21 to provide financial relief to broadcasters. These respendable revenues are usually used to offset expenses incurred for the CRTC’s broadcasting-related regulatory activities. Appropriated funds were granted to the CRTC to support its operations.

The planned spending for fiscal years 2021-22 to 2022-23 corresponds to the planned spending level approved in the Main Estimates. Other items such as salary adjustments for the ratification of collective agreements and carry-forward adjustments are unknown at this time. Therefore, none of these adjustments is reflected, nor is the Bill C-10 Implementation Treasury Board submission that was approved in April 2021. The planned spending for 2021-22 and 2022-23 are slightly higher than 2020-21 due to additional spending authorities for the project management function of the Broadband Fund in 2022-23 and reprofiled funding in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

2020–21 Budgetary actual gross spending summary (dollars)

CRTC’s revenues come from fees recovered pursuant to fee regulations established under the authority of the Broadcasting Act^{Endnote xxix} and the Telecommunications Act.^{Endnote xx} These fees and the associated regulations are as follows:

• Part I broadcasting licence fees (Broadcasting Licence Fee Regulations, 1997);^{Endnote xxi}
• Annual telecommunications fees (Telecommunications Fees Regulations, 2010);^{Endnote xxii} and
• Unsolicited telecommunications fees for compliance and enforcement activities related to the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) (Unsolicited Telecommunications Fees Regulations ). ^{Endnote xxiii}

In 2020-21, Part I broadcasting licence fees were remitted to provide financial relief to broadcasters in response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Actual human resources

The increase in full-time equivalents between fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21 is attributable to hiring across the CRTC to fill vacant and new positions, create an additional telecommunications policy group, and implement and operationalize the project management function of the Broadband Fund.

Expenditures by vote

For information on the CRTC’s organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2020–2021.^{Endnote xxiv}

Government of Canada spending and activities

Information on the alignment of the CRTC’s spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote xxv}

Financial statements and financial statements highlights

Financial statements

The CRTC’s financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2021, are available on the CRTC’s website.^{Endnote xxvi}

Financial statement highlights

Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2021 (dollars)

Revenues

Revenues collected in 2020-21 totalled $122.9 million ($89.9 million + $33.0 million), a net decrease of $67.2 million when compared to the total revenues collected in 2019-20. The decrease is mainly attributable to a remission of Part I broadcasting licence fees for all broadcasters and financial relief to eligible local television and radio stations of Part II broadcasting licence fees in respect to fiscal year 2020-21.

Expenses

Expenses in 2020-21 totalled $81.1 million, an increase of $3.5 million when compared to 2019-20 total expenses. The increase is mainly attributable to an increase in salaries due to the ratification of collective agreements, including retroactive payments dating back to 2015-16, as well as the hiring of employees.

Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of March 31, 2021 (dollars)

Assets

Assets in 2020-21 totalled $10.1 million, which is a decrease of $1.6 million when compared to 2019-20 total assets. The decrease is mainly attributable to a decrease in accounts receivable and advances.

Liabilities

Liabilities in 2020-21 totalled $12.6 million, which is a slight decrease of $0.4 million when compared to 2019-20 total liabilities.

Corporate Information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister[s]: The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head:  Ian Scott, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer

Ministerial portfolio:  Canadian Heritage

Enabling instrument[s]:

• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act^{Endnote xxviii}
• Bell Canada Act^{Endnote xxix}
• Broadcasting Act^{Endnote xxx}
• Telecommunications Act^{Endnote xxxi}
• Canada Elections Act^{Endnote xxxii}
• An Act to promote the efficiency and adaptability of the Canadian economy by regulating certain activities that discourage reliance on electronic means of carrying out commercial activities, and to amend the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act, the Competition Act, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and the Telecommunications Act,^{Endnote xxxiii} referred to as “Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation” or “CASL” in this document.

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1968

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 CRTC’s website.^{Endnote xxxiv}

Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on the CRTC’s website.^{Endnote xxxv}

Reporting framework

CRTC’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2020–21 are shown below.

Supporting information on the program inventory

Financial, human resources and performance information for CRTC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote xxxvi}

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on CRTC’s website:

• Reporting on Green Procurement^{Endnote xxxvii}
• Gender-based analysis plus^{Endnote xxxviii}

Federal 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.^{Endnote xxxix} 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+ of tax expenditures.

Organizational contact information

CRTC Central Office

Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
Central Building
1 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4B1

or

Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0N2

In Canada:
Toll-free: 1-877-249-CRTC (2782)
Toll-free TTY line: 1-877-909-CRTC (2782)

Outside Canada:
819-997-0313
TTY line: 819-994-0423

Fax: 819-994-0218

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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)

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 2020–21 Departmental Results Report, those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2019 Speech from the Throne, namely: Fighting climate change; Strengthening the Middle Class; Walking the road of reconciliation; Keeping Canadians safe and healthy; and Positioning Canada for success in an uncertain world.

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)

A 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.

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.