Evaluation of the Integrated Market Enforcement Teams Reserve Fund

1. Introduction

This document constitutes the final report for the evaluation of the Integrated Market Enforcement Teams (IMET) Reserve Fund. The IMET Reserve Fund is a contribution-funding program that defrays exceptional costs associated with the prosecution, by Provincial Attorneys General, of capital market fraud (CMF) cases supported by the IMET program.

The Department of Justice administers the operational aspects of the Reserve Fund under its Grants and Contributions authority.

The Fund is intended to contribute to the following outcomes:

1.1. Context for the Evaluation

The Department of Justice Evaluation Division conducted the evaluation of the IMET Reserve Fund. The evaluation was conducted as part of the regular evaluation five-year cycle for all Government of Canada programs and initiatives.

1.2. Scope and Objectives of the Evaluation

The evaluation assessed the extent to which the Reserve Fund enhanced the capacity of the IMET Initiative and increased the effectiveness of its prosecutions. The evaluation included interviews with Justice Canada representatives, IMET Working Group members, Provincial Attorneys General, and subject matter expertise.

The evaluation covers all funding activities undertaken through the IMET Reserve Fund over the past five years (2010-11 to 2014-15). In accordance with the Policy on Evaluation, it addresses both the relevance and the performance of the Fund. Relevance focuses on continued need; alignment with government priorities; the Justice strategic outcome of a fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system; and alignment with federal roles and responsibilities. Performance focuses on effectiveness (extent to which the Fund has achieved its objectives), and efficiency and economy (degree to which appropriate and efficient means are being employed to achieve the desired outcomes).

Appendix A includes the complete list of evaluation issues and questions covered by the evaluation.

1.3. Structure of the Report

This report contains five sections, including this introduction. Section 2 provides a description of the Reserve Fund. Section 3 describes the methodology used to address the set of evaluation issues and questions. Section 4 summarizes the key findings that emerged from the data collection process, while section 5 provides the overall evaluation conclusions and recommendations.