Program directory · Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
Voting Services Delivery and Field Management
- Department
- Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
- Program code
- BGG01 (CEO)
- Core responsibility
- Electoral Administration and Oversight
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2021-22 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
This program spearheads the national delivery of accessible, convenient and efficient electoral services to Canadians during federal elections and referendums. This includes the planning and deployment of operational resources, assets and infrastructure that enable Returning Officers to serve electors and political entities. It is also responsible for the hiring, training and supporting election administrators and election workers nationwide.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voting Services Delivery and Field Management | This program | 2018-19 – 2023-24 | $954M |
| Field Management | Later program (name match, low confidence) | 2022-23 – 2028-29 | $263M |
| Voting Services | Later program (name match, low confidence) | 2022-23 – 2028-29 | $55.1M |
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Employees (FTEs) 399, against 238 in 2018-19 (+68%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2019-20 | Spending $357M, against $76.2M in 2018-19 (+368%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Spending $108M, against $357M in 2019-20 (−70%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Employees (FTEs) 492, against 320 in 2020-21 (+54%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Spending $413M, against $108M in 2020-21 (+284%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Planned spending $64.1M, against $413M in 2021-22 (−84%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2022-23 | Appears to be split across: Field Management; Voting Services | Canada Spends name match across plans (an inference) |
| 2023-24 | Planned employees (FTEs) 313, against 450 in 2022-23 (−30%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Planned spending $47.5M, against $64.1M in 2022-23 (−26%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 100% | 2019 | 97% Wherever possible, Elections Canada chooses polling stations that meet key accessibility criteria. In 2018-19, Elections Canada did not meet its target due to a combination of factors, including: • the unpredictability of by-elections • lack of accessible locations for short-term rentals | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 100% | 2020 | 94% Wherever possible, Elections Canada chooses polling stations that meet key accessibility criteria. In 2019–20, Elections Canada did not meet its target due to a combination of factors, including the unpredictability of the by-election and the delivery of the 43rd general election. For both electoral events, returning officers improved proximity issues in many areas. However, as a result, in many… | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 100% | 2021 | — Data for this indicator is unavailable in years where no federal general election is conducted. The data will be available in the year of the 44th federal general election. | No result reported |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 100% | 2022 | 94% Wherever possible, Elections Canada chooses polling stations that meet key accessibility criteria. In 2020–22, Elections Canada did not meet its target due to a combination of factors. Due to the pandemic, schools and other usual polling places were generally unavailable. Once the election was called, there were added difficulties confirming polling places, and some landlords reversed their decis… | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $52.6M | $76.2M |
| 2019-20 | $311M | $357M |
| 2020-21 | $38M | $108M |
| 2021-22 | $62.3M | $413M |
| 2022-23 | $64.1M* | — |
| 2023-24 | $47.5M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 217 | 238 |
| 2019-20 | 434 | 399 |
| 2020-21 | 202 | 320 |
| 2021-22 | 445 | 492 |
| 2022-23 | 450* | — |
| 2023-24 | 313* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $52,640,392 | $37,915,731 | $33,325,393 | |||
| 2019-20 plan | $310,688,997 | $37,609,777 | $35,781,472 | |||
| 2020-21 plan | $37,981,386 | $33,049,974 | $34,686,275 | |||
| 2021-22 plan | $62,300,673 | $64,065,021 | $47,518,260 | |||
| Actual | $76,211,628 | $356,631,315 | $107,646,110 | $413,048,519 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
