Site MenuResults at a Glance – 2021–22 Departmental Results Report
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer is an independent, non-partisan agency that reports directly to Parliament and is comprised of two entities: Elections Canada and the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections.
At the beginning of 2021–22, Elections Canada was focused on preparing for a possible pandemic election. This included adapting internal procedures and processes, as well as working closely with returning officers to identify and mitigate challenges related to leasing sites and recruiting election workers. On August 15, 2021, when the Governor General dissolved the 43rd Parliament and writs of election were issued, the agency's focus shifted from preparing for a possible COVID-19 election, to delivering a general election during the fourth wave of the pandemic. As the 44th general election resulted in a minority government, the agency's focus for the remainder of 2021–22 shifted to finalizing close-out activities and beginning preparations to deliver the 45th general election, which could have been called at any time.
What Funds Were Used?
The agency's total actual spending for 2021–22 was $627,287,848.
Who Was Involved?
The agency's total workforce (full-time equivalents) for 2021–22 was 1,250.
Key Results Achieved
- Elections Canada delivered a safe and secure 44th general election in the context of both a pandemic and a snap election.
- The agency made significant improvements to the processes to apply for, and vote by, special ballot. These included designing and implementing an online application to request special ballots and communicating early and extensively with Canadians about the requirements for voting by mail.
- Elections Canada finalized its Digital Transformation Strategy and began the implementation of foundational elements.
For more information on the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's plans, priorities and results achieved, see the "Results: What We Achieved" section of this report.