Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency - 2024-2025 Departmental Plan

From the Minister

It is my pleasure to present to you the 2024-25 Departmental Plan for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor).

As CanNor prepares to celebrate its fifteen year anniversary, I would like to extend my congratulations to the Agency for making important contributions to the lives of people who work, live, and support their families in the territories.

The dynamic economies of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut reflect the diverse peoples who live in the territories. With their ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit, Northerners in each region provide the local expertise to foster continued economic growth and sustainability for the benefit of their communities and community members.

The Government of Canada continues to work collaboratively and in partnership with territorial governments, First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Our partners know their own local needs, understand their unique challenges and opportunities, and know best, what is required to move forward.

CanNor is an advocate for Northerners, and through its suite of programs provides tailored investments for businesses and organizations to close economic gaps, build social prosperity, support the greening of energy and transportation systems, promote the creation of good jobs and address food insecurity.

CanNor will continue to coordinate federal participation during environmental assessment review processes; convene and provide issues management support to Indigenous organizations, industry proponents and other stakeholders; and maintain the Crown consultation record for major projects in the territories.

Pilimmaksaivik (Federal Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment in Nunavut) will continue to facilitate a government-wide approach to implementing Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement, which focuses on building a representative public service in Nunavut.

In 2024-25, CanNor will deliver on these objectives and many others to help create a resilient and dynamic Northern economy for businesses, Northerners and their communities.

______________________________________________
The Honourable Dan Vandal
Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

From the President

As the new President of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), I am pleased to present the Departmental Plan for 2024-2025. As a Northerner, I have great appreciation for the work that CanNor has done over the past 15 years to help build diverse and dynamic economies that benefit those who live, work, and support their families in the territories. In 2024-25, CanNor will continue supporting Northerners as they seize economic opportunities, promote innovation and diversification, build capacity and develop skilled workforces, and encourage job growth by making strategic investments.

CanNor is ready to continue its critical role working in collaboration with our partners to build diversified, dynamic and sustainable economies through our programming.

Through CanNor's flagship Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North (IDEANorth) program, Northerners can take advantage of economic opportunities to grow, sustain and develop their businesses, communities and regions.

The Northern Indigenous Economic Opportunities Program (NIEOP) supports Inuit, First Nations, and Métis communities and organizations to advance economic development opportunities in their regions while improving job creation, skills training, and business innovation and expansion. The new NIEOP Economic Research stream will support Indigenous-led projects that address knowledge gaps in the territorial Indigenous economic and business ecosystems through applied research, knowledge development, statistics and knowledge dissemination.

CanNor will also deliver the Tourism Growth Program funding to support Northern Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, small- and medium-sized businesses, and not-for-profit organizations as they develop local tourism products and experiences in the territories.

CanNor, with its headquarters in Nunavut, contributes advocacy, knowledge and expertise to numerous projects and initiatives in the North and Arctic. The Agency will continue working with other federal departments to maximize resources so we can support projects. Addressing foundational infrastructure gaps including housing and spurring the growth of sectors such as clean energy, fisheries, critical minerals are all key areas to develop in the territories.

CanNor's Northern Projects Management Office provides an important coordinating and convening role in territorial environmental assessments and advances important consultation tools needed to ensure that the federal duty to consult processes are completed in a collaborative, effective and efficient manner in support of critical mineral and resource development in the North.

Pilimmaksaivik (the Federal Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment in Nunavut) will continue to identify and address barriers to Inuit employment and advancement by developing and delivering innovative new training, mentoring and supports for Inuit.

As the Agency reflects on its first 15 years of operations, I look forward to building on the success of my predecessors and continuing our collaborative approach to working with our partners to take full advantage of new opportunities so we can build a stronger and more prosperous future for Northerners, and all Canadians.

______________________________________________
Jimi Onalik
President of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of CanNor's planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2024–25 with actual spending from previous years.

Spending

Figure 1: Spending by core responsibility in 2024–25*

Table of Planned Spending for Upcoming Fiscal Year

Text alternative for Figure 1: Spending by core responsibility in 2024–25

Table of planned spending for the upcoming fiscal year:

• Economic development in the territories:
  • $62,821,419
  • 88%
• Internal services:
  • $8,566,557
  • 12%

* Due to CanNor's micro-agency status and the costs associated with working and being headquartered in the North, CanNor's Internal Services represents a larger proportional impact on overall spending (e.g., northern isolated post allowances for employees).

Table 3: Actual spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services ($ dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of CanNor's core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date.

Core responsibilities and internal services	2021–2022 actual expenditures	2022–2023 actual expenditures	2023–2024 forecast spending
Economic development in the territories	80,292,203	96,503,091	80,559,939
Internal services	8,079,311	8,574,252	8,382,356
Total	88,371,514	105,077,343	88,942,295
Explanation of table 3: The total expenditures and forecast spending for fiscal years 2021-22 to 2023-24 fiscal year include all Parliamentary appropriation sources: Main Estimates, Supplementary Estimates, and funding from various Treasury Board votes. The year-over-year variances in actual spending reflect the dynamic nature of the Agency's operations and the need to adapt to evolving circumstances in the North due to the shifts in program priorities, changes in project timelines, and variations in funding availability.

Table 4: Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of CanNor's core responsibilities and for its internal services for the upcoming three fiscal years.

Core responsibilities and internal services	2024-25 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates)	2024-25 planned spending	2025-26 planned spending	2026-27 planned spending
Economic development in the territories	62,821,419	62,821,419	58,362,614	53,932,017
Internal services	8,566,557	8,566,557	7,958,538	7,827,014
Total	71,387,976	71,387,976	66,321,152	61,759,031
Explanation of table 4: For the 2024-25 to 2026-27 fiscal years, total planned spending does not include funding through Supplementary Estimates and carry-forward adjustments. The funding level decreases in 2025-26 are primarily attributed to project completion and the sunsetting of the Budget 2023 initiatives for Indigenous participation in Northern environmental decision-making. In 2026-27, a further reduction in funding is anticipated due to the sunset of the Budget 2023 program supporting the Tourism Growth Program in the territories.

Funding

Figure 2: Departmental spending 2021–22 to 2026–27

The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.

Text alternative for Figure 2: Departmental spending 2021–22 to 2026–27

Year	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27
Statutory	$1,836,511	$1,861,614	$2,459,444	$2,131,509	$2,083,184	$1,664,391
Voted	$86,535,003	$103,215,729	$86,694,061	$69,256,467	$64,237,968	$60,094,640
Total	$88,371,514	$105,077,343	$89,153,505	$71,387,976	$66,321,152	$61,759,031

Figure 2 Explanation:
The total expenditures and forecast spending for fiscal years 2021-22 to 2023-24 fiscal year include all Parliamentary appropriation sources: Main Estimates, Supplementary Estimates, and funding from various Treasury Board votes. The year-over-year variances in actual and forecast spending reflect the dynamic nature of the Agency's operations. This adaptability is crucial in responding to changing circumstances in the North, driven by shifts in program priorities, changes in project timelines, and variations in funding availability. The decrease in spending from 2022-23 and 2024-25 is partially due to the sunsetting of COVID-19 relief and recovery programming.

For the 2024-25 to 2026-27 fiscal years, total planned spending does not include funding through Supplementary Estimates and carry-forward adjustments. The funding level decreases in 2025-26 are primarily attributed to project completion and the sunsetting of the Budget 2023 initiatives for Indigenous participation in Northern environmental decision-making. In 2026-27, a further reduction in funding is anticipated due to the sunsetting of Budget 2023 program supporting the Tourism Growth Program in the territories.

Estimates by vote

Information on CanNor's organizational appropriations is available in the 2024–25 Main Estimates.

Corporate information

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on CanNor's website:

• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Up front multiyear funding

Information on CanNor's departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on CanNor's website.

Federal tax expenditures

CanNor's Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government-wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.

This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis plus.

Definitions

appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A document that sets out a department's priorities, programs, expected results and associated resource requirements, covering a three year period beginning with the year indicated in the title of the report. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A change that a department seeks to influence. A departmental result is often outside departments' immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that consists of the department's core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department's actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities and expected results set out in its Departmental Plan for that year. Departmental Results Reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.

full time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. Full time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2024–25 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government's agenda in the 2021 Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fighter harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation and fighting for a secure, just, and equitable world.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

Indigenous business

As defined on the Indigenous Services Canada website in accordance with the Government of Canada's commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses annually.

non budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates. A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within a department and that focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

An inventory of a department's programs that describes how resources are organized to carry out the department's core responsibilities and achieve its planned results.

result (résultat)

An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead, they are within the area of the organization's influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)

Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

target (cible)

A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.