Today I will review some of this year's successes and highlight my priorities for the year ahead in light of the main estimates.
Three years ago, in response to considerable challenges in delivering on our mandate, former Commissioner Marleau initiated major structural and operational changes. The goal was to improve our core investigative function and ensure diligent stewardship of our operations, in order to deliver high quality services to Canadians. In so doing, Mr. Marleau laid down the foundations of our new business model, tailored to our current and unique challenges. After a little more than a year of implementation, ongoing monitoring and adjustments, I am proud to say that my Office is now breaking new ground in terms of operational and strategic efficiencies.
Since I started my term as interim commissioner, my priority has been to improve the efficiency of our investigative process. I have supported this effort with a strong integrated human resources strategy. Here are some of the early results. Whereas it took an average of 176 days to process administrative complaints, the average turnaround time since October of this past year is 107 days. I'm very confident that we will meet our objective next year to close 85% of our administrative complaints within a 90-day timeframe. We have also made a significant dent in our inventory of pre-April 2008 complaints. This inventory has been reduced from slightly under 1,600 in November 2008 to 388 as of last week.
However, Mr. Chairman, the most significant accomplishment this year is no doubt the number of cases completed, which stands at 2,062.
Since last summer, I have made full use of my investigative powers. I am making greater use of the formal reporting process under section 37 of the Act and recommending that heads of institutions disclose the additional information. This approach has proven very effective for the release of additional records to complainants. I have also used subpoenas and conducted examinations under oath in appropriate cases.
This success on the operational front has been accompanied by a number of precedent-setting cases.
Last summer my office sought and obtained leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada in the cases that are known as the "Prime Minister's agenda" cases. A hearing date is set for October 2010.
Last summer I also issued subpoenas to the CBC for the production of records. The institution is challenging my authority to review documents subject to the new exclusions under section 68.1 of the act, and this case is now before the Federal Court.
In the case of the National Gallery of Canada, I have, for the first time since the provision has come into effect in the act, referred a matter to the Attorney General of Canada in relation to the possible commission of an offence under section 67.1 of the act. This section provides for criminal sanctions for wilful destruction, falsification, or concealment of a record, or counselling any person to do so.
Achieving the benefits of the business model also required that I fully staff the investigator positions. We are ending the year, and starting the new one, with a full complement of investigators. In fact, Mr. Chairman, I'm actually overstaffed. Moreover, I have established a structured in-house training program to provide investigators with the extra skills and knowledge they need for optimal performance.
I have adopted an integrated approach to systemic issues through the three-year plan that I published last July.
My first step was to look into the pervasive problems of delays through this year's report cards process. This year we expanded our sample to 24 institutions, which represent 88% of all the access requests received by the federal institutions. This will provide a sound, fact-based assessment of the situation, and I hope it will provide the path to solutions.
I will be tabling the report in Parliament on April 13. I look forward to discussing it in more detail, not on April 22, as my speech states, but on April 15.
In terms of this year's Main Estimates, Mr. Chairman, our total planned spending is $12 million in 2010-2011, and our number of full-time employees is 106. As you will see in the documents I have provided, if temporary employees and consultants are included, we actually have a total of 123 employees. These numbers reflect additional funding obtained in 2009-2010.
Mr. Chairman, we are currently using every dollar appropriated to the Office. My budget is extremely stretched and we are operating at full capacity. The changes introduced in the Budget will place a heavy burden on my organization, since 70% of our budget is allocated to salaries, and an additional approximately 20% is allocated to the OIC's fixed operating costs.
This means we will have very difficult choices to make in the coming years, in order to keep within our appropriations, while still delivering on our mandate and maintaining excellence in corporate governance.
That said, we are developing significant efficiencies.
The intelligence and expertise gained during these past months allow us to be more strategic and proactive in the way we conduct our investigations. In particular, the in-depth knowledge of our complaints inventory, through its composition and evolution, enables us to devise new strategies to resolve complaints more quickly and efficiently.
We're also in a good position to proactively determine where we need to focus our investigative and training efforts.
As part of our three-year plan, in the next fiscal year I'm undertaking a systemic investigation into delays and time extensions. As I announced on March 2, and following recent events, I will expand the scope and focus of this systemic investigation to examine whether interference in the processing of access requests is a cause of delay or unduly restricts disclosure under the act. In parallel, my office will undertake a report cards assessment of new institutions that became subject to the act under the Federal Accountability Act.
To be strategic and proactive also implies making full use of new technologies to provide greater guidance and to serve as a model in providing access to information. Through our revamped website, we intend to substantially increase public disclosure of our own information. Our virtual reading room will give timely access to all OIC decisions and major corporate documents as well as list the access to information requests we have received and processed. In addition, we will develop more practice directions regarding our own interpretation of the act and our own investigative process.
Mr. Chairman, my approach as interim Commissioner is very simple. I intend to work diligently to fulfill my mandate by fully implementing the OIC's business model and maximizing efficiencies in our investigative process. To that end, I will use all the tools at my disposal under the current legislation, and I remain committed to working closely with parliamentarians, institutions and complainants.
In closing, Mr. Chairman, if you will allow me, I would like to take this opportunity to put on the public record before this committee my most sincere appreciation for the unwavering support and dedication of my staff at the OIC in this time of transition.
With this, Mr. Chairman, I thank you, and Assistant Commissioner Neill and myself are happy to answer your questions.
