Business and Regulatory Law Portfolio Evaluation

1. Introduction

1.1. Context

The Business and Regulatory Law Portfolio (BRLP) is one of six portfolios within the Department of Justice Canada dedicated to providing government departments and agencies with legal services. At the time of the evaluation, the BRLP provided legal advisory and litigation services to 38 client departments, agencies, and federal entities through 14 Departmental Legal Services Units (DLSUs). Additionally, the Portfolio is responsible for the functional coordination of commercial law across Canada, through the Commercial Law Section (CLS).

1.2. Purpose and Scope of the Evaluation

The evaluation focused on the Portfolio’s activities from 2009-10 to 2013-14. The Department of Justice Evaluation Division conducted the evaluation. An Evaluation Advisory Committee consisting of representatives from Portfolio headquarters and the regional offices provided ongoing input into the evaluation.

In accordance with the 2009 Treasury Board Policy on Evaluation, the primary purpose of the evaluation was to assess the relevance and performance of the Portfolio. In terms of relevance, the evaluation considered the continued need for the Portfolio and the alignment of its priorities and activities with Government of Canada priorities, departmental strategic outcomes, and federal roles and responsibilities. With regard to performance, the evaluation considered both effectiveness (i.e. the extent to which the Portfolio has achieved its intended outcomes) and efficiency and economy (i.e. the degree to which appropriate and efficient means are being employed to achieve the desired outcomes). The evaluation assessed the Portfolio’s performance as a whole, as opposed to focusing on any single DLSU or region.

The evaluation of the BRLP was conducted between June 2014 and July 2015. This was the first evaluation of the Portfolio.

1.3. Structure of the Report

This report contains five sections, including the introduction. Section 2 provides the background on the BRLP, describing its structure, resources, and services. Section 3 describes the methodology used in the evaluation. Section 4 summarizes the key findings, and Section 5 presents the conclusions, recommendations and management response.