The PPSC has the authority to recover amounts from other departments and agencies for the provision of prosecution services. Given that the PPSC does not determine the number or types of cases referred for prosecution on behalf of other departments, the fluctuation of anticipated revenue can pose a risk to budget availability. To mitigate this risk, revenue forecasts are monitored on a cyclical basis during the fiscal year and budgetary adjustments are made as required.
Budget 2019
Addressing PPSC Funding Pressures
Budget 2019 provided for additional ongoing funding to support the continued fulfilment of the PPSC’s responsibility to carry out the prosecution of criminal offences under federal law. The focus was to alleviate pressure in three areas:
Human resource costs — approx. 87% of budget is allocated to salaries of staff and retainer of Crown Agents. The PPSC has absorbed costs related to previous budget freezes, collective agreements, and cost of living increases for Crown Agent rates.
Increase workload costs — changes to and heightened enforcement of federal and provincial legislation can often result in increases to the number of charges that are referred to the PPSC. These come with limited for no funding to offset the increase prosecutorial costs.
Increase in facilities expenses — Need to separate the remaining PPSC offices from Dept. of Justice, relocation due to lease expiry and to implement mandated workplace standards.
