Evaluation of Canada 150 2015-16 to 2017-18

Evaluation Services Directorate
August 20, 2020

Alternate format

Evaluation of Canada 150 2015-16 to 2017-18 [PDF version - 1.83 MB]

List of tables

Table 1: evaluation questions by core issue
Table 2: distribution of key informant category
Table 3: sources of evidence, by case study
Table 4: celebrate Canada events attendance and TV viewers in 2017
Table 5: Canada 150 event funding: number of applications (for all activities)
Table 6: community-driven and Signature approved projects by priority area
Table 7: CFC’S Community Fund for Canada's 150th
Table 8: public opinion of Government involvement in Canada 150: % of respondents who strongly or somewhat agreed to the statements
Table 9: number of major, Signature and Community-driven projects/events funded by the Canada 150 Fund per region from 2015-16 to 2017-18
Table 10: volunteer participation by event type
Table 11: percentage of residents indicating they have participated in or volunteered for at least one Canada 150 event, activity, or initiative
Table 12: television and social media viewership for selected large-scale Canada 150 celebrations and commemorations
Table 13: approximate number of people who participated in funded projects (as reported in survey of funding recipients, question 14)
Table 14: how funded projects contributed to a sustained sense of pride in Canada
Table 15: number of non-resident travellers entering Canada, annually
Table 16: type of tangible legacy your project led or contributed to (from funding recipient survey, Q26)
Table 17: nature of unanticipated impacts (funding recipient survey, Q24)
Table 18: how projects brought Canadians together (from funding recipient survey, Q11)
Table 19: overtime for 2015-16 to 2017-18
Table 20: paid overtime for 2015-16 to 2017-18
Table 21: budgeted versus actual spending for Canada 150 FS, fiscal years 2014-15 to 2018-19
Table 22: Community-driven project funding (including Skating Day): requested versus recommended and approved ($ 000)
Table 23: Signature initiatives: requested versus recommended and approved ($ 000)
Table 24: Major project funding (including Acadian Day): requested versus recommended and approved ($ 000)
Table 25: Canada 150 Vote 5 allocated and approved project funds, 2015-16 to 2017-18 ($ 000)

List of figures

Figure 1: Canada 150 Governance
Figure 2: “to what extent do you believe that the Canada 150 activities have promoted integrating Canada’s linguistic duality in events?” number and percentage of respondents
Figure 3: "to what extent did your project focus on environmental stewardship?” number and percentage of respondents
Figure 4: "to what extent did your project focus on bringing Canadians together to mark and celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation?" number and percentage of respondents
Figure 5: number of major, Signature and Community-driven projects/events funded by the Canada 150 Fund per region from 2015-16 to 2017-18
Figure 6: POR results on awareness and communications from June 2016 to July 2017
Figure 7: contribution of Canada 150 to sense of pride in Canada
Figure 8: trend in employment generated by tourism and tourism expend
Figure 9: monthly social media reach of Canada 150 (in millions)

List of acronyms and abbreviations

ADM: Assistant Deputy Minister
C3: Canada Coast to Coast to Coast
CCP: Celebrations and Commemoration Program
CFC: Community Foundations of Canada
CIOB: Chief Information Officer Branch
CIP: Community Infrastructure Program
DM: Deputy Minister
DPR: Departmental Performance Reports
DP: Departmental Plans
DRR: Departmental Results Reports
FCM: Federation of Canadian Municipalities
FPT: Federal, Provincial, and Territorial
FS: Federal Secretariat
FTE: Full-Time Equivalent
GCIMS: Grants and Contributions Information Management System
ICC: Interdepartmental Committee on Commemoration
INAC: Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
MECCE: Major Event, Commemoration and Capital Experience
NCR: National Capital Region
OCOL: Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
OGD: Other Government Departments
OLMC: Official Language Minority Community
PCH: Canadian Heritage
PNR: Prairie and Northern Region
POR: Public Opinion Research
RPP: Reports on Plans and Priorities
RVNQ: Rendez-vous naval de Québec
TIAC: Tourism Industry Association of Canada
TRC: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Executive summary

Program description

In 2017, the Government of Canada marked the 150th anniversary of Confederation with a year-long celebration from coast to coast to coast. As the lead of this horizontal initiative, Canadian Heritage (PCH) was responsible for coordinating the efforts of Canada 150 for the federal government, as well as for engaging federal agencies and institutions, and the private and not-for-profit sectors to foster strategic partnerships and manage branding. PCH housed the Federal Secretariat (FS), which served as the official authoritative source for national Canada 150-related information and celebrations, and also served as the primary coordinating body of the initiative with the support of other PCH programs. A networked governance model, with horizontal decision-making and accountability structures, was used to interact with the large number of stakeholders. The Special Projects Team of the Celebration and Commemoration Program (CCP), and regional offices, were responsible for the administration of the Canada 150 Fund, including approving the three types of projects supported (Signature initiatives, Major Events and Community-driven projects) and managing contribution agreements. The four priority areas of the Fund were: diversity and inclusion; supporting efforts toward national reconciliation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians; engaging and inspiring youth; and our environment.

Evaluation approach and methodology

The scope of the evaluation included the approximately $210 million in investments through the Canada 150 initiative, and a review of the activities and funding of the FS (approximately $10 million). It covered the duration of the initiative from April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2018.

Multiple lines of evidence were used to address the evaluation questions, including a document and administrative data review, key informant interviews, a survey of partners and funding recipients, three case studies, and an analysis of media coverage.

Evaluation findings and conclusions

Relevance

It was considered appropriate for the federal government to recognize and support Canada’s sesquicentennial, and the initiative was clearly aligned with departmental outcomes and federal government priorities, roles, and responsibilities. With a few exceptions, PCH Canada 150 activities were relevant to Canadians.

Most of Canada 150 activities and events were delivered in an inclusive way, and aligned with the four government policy priority areas. All four priorities were addressed, with “diversity” being the most prevalent and “our environment” being the least prevalent among PCH funding recipients. Recipients of the Community Foundations of Canada’s (CFC) Community Fund for Canada’s 150th targeted youth and cultural diversity most frequently.

Canada 150 projects and events sought to bring Canadians together. PCH officials and funding recipients focused heavily on this objective. By January 2018, 70% of respondents to a public opinion survey indicated that they had participated in Canada 150 activities, and levels of volunteering were also high. However, there were some gaps in the data on attendance at certain events, which makes it difficult to estimate total participation.

Effectiveness – Achievement of expected outcomes

A variety of projects of different sizes and foci were offered to Canadians in hundreds of communities across all provinces and territories. This includes 720 projects funded through the Canada 150 Fund, in addition to projects funded through the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, and the micro-granting portion of Skating Day.

Interest in the Canada 150 Fund was high, and activities deemed worthwhile by Fund recipients, including for creating or strengthening partnerships. Among the unexpected outcomes that were associated with Canada 150: the development of new partnerships; and the development of capacity in various organizations — both funding recipients, and micro-granting organizations. Along with many successful projects promoting reconciliation, some Indigenous people and others focused on the branding of Canada 150 mostly as a celebration, considering Canada’s difficult history.

There is evidence to suggest that Canada 150 contributed to the increase in tourism in Canada in 2017 particularly as Canada was named as a top vacation destination for 2017 in The New York Times, Lonely Planet, Travel & Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and National Geographic Traveler. Additionally, Canada 150 investment in arts and culture, and in infrastructure projects likely provided some measure of positive economic impact. As recipients of funding did not have to undertake economic impact studies on their individual projects, evidence is limited, and the relative size of Canada 150’s economic impact cannot be measured.

Many projects included a legacy component, though they were overall smaller and fewer than anticipated due to delays. The largest lasting impacts were public infrastructure projects,^{Footnote 1} though cultural legacy projects were the most common.

Most evidence demonstrated that the initiative contributed to a sustained sense of pride. For example, 85% of respondents to the partner survey and 92% of respondents to the funding recipient survey reported that Canada 150 activities contributed to a sense of pride.

Efficiency

Total actual spending for the initiative was lower than planned, and senior managers and officials within PCH indicated that the initiative was very cost-effective. The participation of federal departments and agencies from their existing resources, and the requirement for cost-sharing of Canada 150 Fund projects (multiple funders), were both aspects that were considered cost-effective. Partners and stakeholders agree that the Canada 150 initiative was well planned and efficiently delivered, and that the FS was efficient and responsive, but there could conceivably have been more coordination with provinces, territories, and other potential partners across the country.

Internally, earlier planning would have facilitated delivery. Additional resources within PCH would have helped manage the workload and reduce overtime for staff, and a better distribution of workload between headquarters and regional offices would likely have even further improved efficiency.

Effectiveness of design and delivery

The level of adherence to service standards was very high for the timely processing of applications relative to the Canada 150 Fund. On average, 86% of notifications of funding decisions were received within the service standard, although only 74.5% of applications received notice of the funding decision within the standard in 2015-16, largely due to the pause occasioned by the federal election. As for satisfaction with delivery, satisfaction was high at both ends — for PCH senior managers and recipients.

The Canada 150 launch date may have compressed the demand, which included a high number of first-time applicants who needed support and had an effect on the resources for the Federal Secretariat. A longer timeline, from planning to implementation, would have also likely improved delivery.

The application and review process with regard to community-driven projects could have been more streamlined, including by delegating Ministerial authority to Directors General and Regional Executive Directors for decision on smaller grants and contributions (under $75,000 for most programs in 2016). Regional PCH officials indicated they occasionally struggled with program delivery. They reported a lack of support and communication from PCH headquarters, and insufficient resources to adequately deal with the volume of applications and projects.

The Communications Strategy led to significant partnerships and, along with paid advertising, resulting in a social media outreach of nearly four billion people. However, the Canada 150 delivery model for communications services was identified as an issue.

Effectiveness of Federal Secretariat oversight and coordination

Documents indicated extensive and ongoing coordination, strategic planning, information sharing, and dialogue between the FS or PCH programs and external partners and stakeholders, and partners and stakeholders expressed satisfaction with the collaboration and communication. In addition, PCH officials, partners, and stakeholders were largely satisfied with the types of tools that were provided to them.

The marketing strategy was multi-pronged, and included a presence at high visibility events and locations; partnerships with large, high visibility organizations; and orchestrating several visual media campaigns, mainly for the Web and social media. The branding strategy achieved high visibility. By January 2018, three out of four Canadians surveyed reported having seen the Canada 150 logo or brand. There was a high level of agreement among key informants that these marketing and outreach activities of PCH and the FS were effective.

The various governance bodies were largely found to support efficient program delivery and the achievement of intended outcomes. The Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) committee was cited as the most useful; unfortunately, the federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) Working Group struggled to generate engagement from the provinces and territories. The national review committee process for applications was perceived as very efficient, a large volume of applications for community-driven projects were reviewed in a short period of time. Regional office intelligence and relationships were important in identifying key proponents and projects, and ensuring an appropriate distribution of funding.

Conclusions: best Practices and Lessons Learned

The following are best practices and lessons learned from the Canada 150 initiative that could be useful to future large, one-time, cultural, commemorative, or sporting events.

Governance

Due to mixed views on the organizational structure, future senior decision-makers need to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the various ways to structure and staff a special secretariat or other coordinating body to achieve the desired impact.

Delegation of Ministerial authority to Directors General and Regional Executive Directors for decisions on smaller special event grants and contributions (under $75,000 for most programs in 2016) can contribute to a more efficient process.

Partnership

Collaboration between the private sector, other government departments (OGDs), partners, stakeholders, and delivery organizations was highlighted as a key contribution to the success of the initiative. Enabling such cross-sector relationships should be a central feature of any future similar initiatives.

An ADM-level committee can be very effective in engaging OGDs in a large-scale horizontal initiative.

The approach of organizations connected to the community awarding the individual grants allowed for an alignment of the projects funded with the needs of each community. Using these local actors with knowledge of community priorities, and allowing them the flexibility to design and implement projects, while coordinating the initiative at the national level, was successful in supporting projects that were important to Canadians. The leveraging of both community foundation and government funding through a matching formula was considered a best practice.

Objectives, Planning and Reporting

To support reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians and to improve engagement in future large-scale events, PCH should continue to support a broad eligibility for funding that enriches our understanding of Canadian history with many interpretations of the meaning of the past.

In the case of an event with significant funding, legacy projects are seen as having high value.

Should economic objectives be assigned to an event, a pre-established methodology and systematic data collection are needed to assess economic impact.

With regard to reporting, more accurate participation and attendance estimates need to be developed and used consistently across the country to allow for a better analysis of impact.

Industry Day demonstrated some of the benefits of ensuring there are occasions to meet other recipients and existing partners. That said, there should be careful measurement of corporate engagement and increased private sector funding attributable to such an event.

Design and Delivery

For a large, pan-Canadian grants and contributions fund, a national review committee process can be very efficient. Regional offices’ expertise, strategic intelligence, and delivery capacity should be fully engaged.

Consideration should be given to developing an application process where the level of effort involved in application and payment is proportionate to the size of the amount being awarded.

Small and micro-grants

In the case of small or micro-grants, an easy and short online application form can increase interest and participation at the grassroots level and reduce the administrative burden on PCH.

The use of artificial intelligence was only a first step toward what is possible; the process of developing an algorithm to automate the distribution of micro-grants can be repeated and adapted for many funding models. Additional opportunities to apply algorithms and other artificial intelligence solutions could also be explored.

Evaluation of applications for small and micro-grants should be tailored, since the capacity of charitable or less formal organizations varies.

1. Introduction

As per the 2018-19 to 2022-23 Departmental Evaluation Plan, Canadian Heritage (PCH) conducted an evaluation of the relevance and effectiveness of the Canada 150 Fund, the Canada 150 Federal Secretariat (FS), and the activities undertaken as a result of PCH’s incremental funding toward the achievement of Canada 150 expected outcomes. The evaluation covers the duration of the initiative from April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2018 (fiscal years 2015-16 to 2017-18).

Section 2 provides an overview of the Canada 150 initiative. Section 3 describes the approach and methodology used to conduct the evaluation. The report also provides a detailed synthesis of the findings in Section 4, for each of the evaluation questions. Sections 5 and 6 respectively present conclusions as well as lessons learned for the future.

2. Program overview

In 2017, the Government of Canada marked the 150th anniversary of Confederation with a year-long celebration from coast to coast to coast. Canada 150 provided an opportunity for Canadians to “Celebrate, Participate, and Explore” what it means to be Canadian. The joint shared outcome among federal departments was: “Canadians are engaged in vibrant communities, have a sense of pride and attachment to Canada and to local communities, and benefit from economic impacts and lasting legacies.” Federal institutions were to invest in support of one of four Canada 150 Key Objectives to achieve the joint shared outcome: PCH supported Bringing Canadians together.

As the lead of this horizontal initiative, PCH was responsible for coordinating the efforts of Canada 150 for the federal government, as well as for engaging federal, provincial and municipal agencies and institutions, and the private and not-for-profit sectors to foster strategic partnerships^{Footnote 2} and manage branding. A networked governance model, with horizontal decision-making and accountability structures, was used to interact with the large number of stakeholders.

PCH housed the Federal Secretariat (FS), reporting directly to the Deputy Minister, which served as the official authoritative source for national Canada 150-related information and celebrations, and also served as the primary coordinating body of the initiative with the support of other PCH programs. The FS relied on the programs of various federal institutions to deliver projects or to manage grants and contributions. The PCH-managed Canada 150 Fund supported three types of projects:

Signature initiatives, which were large in scale and pan-Canadian in scope;
Major events in 19 major Canadian cities which aimed to celebrate key milestones of 2017, including launch events on New Year’s Eve and events during Celebrate Canada Week; and
Community-driven projects in communities across the country.

From June 2016 onward, following the change in government, the four priority areas for funding were:

Diversity and inclusion;
Supporting efforts toward national reconciliation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians;
Engaging and inspiring youth; and
Our environment.

The total overall planned funding from fiscal year 2015-16 to fiscal year 2018-19 was $210 million (excluding existing funds). This included $28 million of operating expenditures, and $182 million of transfer payments. Private and not-for-profit organizations and municipalities were eligible for funding.

The Special Projects Team of the Celebration and Commemoration Program (CCP) and regional offices, were responsible for the administration of the Canada 150 Fund, including approving projects, secretariat services for the selection committee and managing contribution agreements. The FS also coordinated with Signature initiatives as well as some of the larger community-driven recipients, such as the Community Foundations of Canada (CFC). The FS engaged more than one hundred well-known Canadians to serve as Ambassadors for Canada 150 throughout the year. In collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), the program engaged 800 community leaders across the country to help increase the visibility of Canada 150 and served as a voice of the community in the celebrations.

Similarly, the Communications Branch of PCH supported the FS and led the Canada 150-related communications and marketing activities. Planning, coordination and implementation of Canada 150 among federal departments occurred through a series of committees and working groups, all but one (the Interdepartmental Commemoration Committee) set up for that purpose. They were: Deputy Minister (DM) Coordinating Committee on Canada 150, the Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADM) Committee and Sub-Committees, the Interdepartmental Communications Working Group, and the Interdepartmental Commemorations Committee.

3. Approach and methodology

This section provides an overview of the methodology used to evaluate the various components of Canada 150. It defines the scope of the evaluation, as well as the range of methods used to gather relevant data and information that addressed the evaluation questions.

The evaluation included a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods that allowed for triangulation of findings.

3.1. Scope and timeline

The scope of this evaluation included the approximately $210 million in investments through the Canada 150 initiative, and a review of the activities and funding of the FS (approximately $10 million). This evaluation covered three fiscal years, from April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2018.

3.2. Evaluation questions

The evaluation addressed the following questions:

Table 1: evaluation questions by core issue

Relevance
Core issue	Evaluation questions
Assessment of the extent to which Canada 150 addressed a demonstrable need and is responsive to the needs of Canadians	To what extent were PCH Canada 150 activities relevant to Canadians? How supportive were Canadians of Canada 150 activities? Was supporting Canada 150 activities worthwhile?
Alignment of the linkages between program objectives and federal government priorities and departmental strategic outcomes	How did Canada 150 activities align with the four policy priority areas? How did Canada 150 activities align with the PCH objectives of Canada 150 (Bringing Canadians Together)? How did Canada 150 activities contribute to departmental priorities and outcomes?
Assessment of the role and responsibilities for the federal government in delivering the program	Was delivering Canada 150 recognized as an appropriate federal government role and responsibility?

Performance (Effectiveness)
Core issue	Evaluation questions
Achievement of expected outcomes	What opportunities did Canada 150 provide to Canadians to participate in activities and events? To what extent did Canada 150 projects engage Canadians and contribute to vibrant Canadian communities? To what extent did Canada 150 activities contribute to a sustained sense of pride and attachment to Canada and to local communities? How and to what extent did Canadians benefit from the economic impacts generated by Canada 150 projects? How and to what extent did Canadians benefit from Canada 150 investments in lasting tangible legacies? Were there any unexpected outcomes (either positive or negative) associated with Canada 150? To what extent did Canada 150 bring Canadians together through participation in Major Events, Community projects and Signature projects?

Performance (Efficiency)
Core issue	Evaluation questions
Assessment of resource utilization in relation to the production of outputs and progress toward expected outcomes	To what extent was Canada 150 delivered efficiently and cost-effectively? To what extent was the FS efficient and cost-effective in its operations? To what extent were Canada 150 resources optimized while maintaining appropriate quantity, quality and timeliness? To what extent were the FS resources optimized while maintaining appropriate quantity, quality and timeliness?

Design and Delivery
Core issue	Evaluation questions
Effectiveness of the design and delivery	To what extent was Canada 150 delivered effectively by PCH programs, other programs and regions? Were all official language requirements met?

Federal Secretariat Oversight and Coordination
Core issue	Evaluation questions
Effectiveness of the Federal Secretariat’s oversight and coordination of the Canada 150 initiative	Was the FS coordination and oversight of the Canada 150 initiative effective? To what extent did marketing and outreach activities of the FS and PCH programs contribute to awareness of activities funded through Canada 150? To what extent was the governance framework effective?

Other Evaluation Questions
Core issue	Evaluation questions
Lessons learned	What lessons have been learned from the implementation of the Canada 150 initiative and the Canada 150 FS? What lessons have been learned from the micro-grant experiment?

The complete evaluation matrix, including indicators and associated data sources, can be found in Appendix A.

3.3. Data collection methods

3.3.1. Document and data review

The document and data review were guided by the evaluation matrix (Appendix A). It relied primarily on documentation provided by PCH or accessed through the PCH website, and in a few instances, information available through the Statistics Canada portal and other data sources. While the FS provided significant amounts of documentation, some of the intended evaluation questions and indicators were not fully addressed by this line of evidence (e.g., the public’s awareness of legacy projects). While not all final reports were received by PCH by the time the document and data review concluded in 2018, data generated from the departmental grants and contributions management system (GCIMS), was cleaned and verified by ESD in July 2019.

Documents reviewed include the following:

FS internal database (a set of worksheets)
FS Operational Dashboards
Canada 150 branding strategy
Communications framework
Governance framework
Public Opinion Research (POR) surveys
Strategic analysis and advice documents
Documents containing the program description, objectives, requirements, such as Terms and Conditions, and Contribution Guidelines
Departmental Plans (formerly known as Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPP)) and Departmental Results Reports (formerly known as Departmental Performance Reports (DPR))
Government of Canada Budgets, Speeches from the Throne, Memoranda to Cabinet, and Treasury Board submissions
Print media articles captured in the departmental database (MediaScope)

3.3.2. Interviews with key informants

A total of 48 interviews (with 49 individuals) were conducted with key informants in order to collect in-depth information regarding specific evaluation questions. The key informants were selected in collaboration with the Evaluation Working Group (including representatives from ESD, the FS, and programs such as the CCP). The interviews discussed in this report were conducted between July 11, 2018, and September 20, 2018. The table below provides the distribution of completed interviews by respondent category.

Table 2: distribution of key informant category

Key informant group	# of interviews	# of interviewees
PCH management and staff	14	14
Members of the DM and ADM Interdepartmental Committees	4	4
National and regional stakeholders	6	6
Partner organizations	13^{Table 2 note *}	14
Recipient organizations	11	11
Total	48	49

Table 2 notes

Table 2 note *

10 interviews were conducted and 3 key informants submitted written answers.

Return to table 2 note * referrer

Throughout the report, the relative frequency of the qualitative findings from key informant interviews is reported using the following scale:

“almost all” – findings reflect the views and opinions of 90% or more of key informants;
“large majority” – findings reflect the views and opinions of at least 75% but fewer than 90% of key informants;
“majority” or “most” – findings reflect the views and opinions of at least 50% but fewer than 75% of key informants;
“some” – findings reflect the views and opinions of at least 25% but fewer than 50% of key informants; and
“a few” – findings reflect the views and opinions of at least two key informants but fewer than 25% of key informants.

3.3.3. Surveys of recipients and partners

Two online survey questionnaires were developed; one for partners and one for recipients of the Canada 150 Fund. There were 27 valid responses to the survey of partners, and 172 valid responses to the survey of recipients. The response rate was 6.4% for the survey of partners (see also Section 3.4 Constraints, limits and mitigation strategies) and 25.7% for the survey of recipients.

The partner survey was fielded from August 15 to September 14, 2018. A total of 405 email invitations were sent, as well as two reminders. The funding recipient survey was fielded from August 15 to September 13, 2018. A total of 673 email invitations were sent, as well as two reminders. Reminders for both surveys were sent on August 22 and 29, 2018. Participation in the survey was voluntary.

3.3.4. Case studies

Case studies were intended to address specific evaluation questions with regard to experiments undertaken by the Department (see evaluation matrix in Appendix A). The selected cases were: the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, Skating Day, and Industry Day. The case studies relied on documents provided by PCH, key organizations, or accessed online; as well as interviews with program representatives and external stakeholders. The type of documentation and number of interviews varied by case study. This is summarized in Table 3.

Table 3: sources of evidence, by case study
Case	Documents reviewed	Number of interviews
Community Fund for Canada’s 150th	Comprehensive project reports from the Community Foundations of Canada, and PCH	7 (with representatives from CFC individual Community Foundations; and PCH)
Skating Day	Comprehensive lessons learned report by the Chief Information Officer Branch (CIOB) of PCH; final project report by the Prairie and Northern Region (PNR) office; the micro-grant recipient survey results; the departmental report on experimentation with micro-grants	7 (with representatives from the FS, CIOB, PNR, the Financial Management Branch and the Centre of Expertise in Grants and Contributions within PCH, as well as with Skate Canada)
Industry Day	Documents on activities leading up to and occurring during the Industry Day event; post-mortem report by the FS	5 (representatives from the FS, Signature initiatives proponents, industry participants who sponsored projects)

3.3.5. Media coverage analysis

This line of evidence involved a quantitative and qualitative analysis of media coverage of the Canada 150 initiative from April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2018. This analysis was composed of two parts. In the first, an analysis of the social media coverage of the initiative was conducted to assess the reach and impact of PCH messaging via social media accounts. The social media analysis was done, in part, by analyzing reports prepared by the FS for each of its social media accounts. In the second, PCH conducted a media coverage analysis, which included French and English print and broadcast media on topics relating to Canada 150 captured in the PCH MediaScope database, in order to study specific issues of relevance, impacts and benefits of the Canada 150 activities, as identified in the evaluation matrix. Taken together, these analyses were designed to complement or fill gaps relative to other lines of evidence, and illustrate themes that were particularly amenable to media coverage.

Short technical reports were prepared, by evaluation theme, notably: impact of Canada 150 priority areas, evidence of economic benefits and impacts generated by Canada 150 projects, and awareness and media coverage.

3.4. Constraints, limits and mitigation strategies

Stakeholders have a vested interest in the program

Most key informants and survey respondents had a vested interest in Canada 150, which could have led to positive bias in responses. No unsuccessful applicants were contacted. Where possible, this limitation was mitigated by triangulating several lines of evidence.

Ability to find stakeholders to participate in the evaluation

It was challenging to interview staff, partners, stakeholders, and recipients, as a considerable amount of time had elapsed since their involvement. It was difficult, in certain cases, for them to recall details, and many staff who had been on assignment for Canada 150 have since transferred back to a previous position or elsewhere. The challenge of finding appropriate stakeholders to interview arose in the case studies as well.

There was also a high number of incomplete responses and a relatively low response rate for both surveys. There were only 27 valid responses and a response rate of 6.4% for the survey of partners, and 172 valid responses and response rate of 25.7% for the survey of recipients.^{Footnote 3} Due to the extremely low response from partners, there was an additional follow-up with 15 partner organizations by telephone in an attempt to increase the response rate and also to recruit for additional key informant interviews. This process yielded additional responses (included in the response rate indicated above).

Interviews with major sponsors or any of the high-profile ambassadors did not take place, despite attempts made.

4. Findings

4.1. Relevance

4.1.1. Assessment of the extent to which Canada 150 addressed a demonstrable need and is responsive to the needs of Canadians

Evaluation questions: to what extent were PCH Canada 150 (Canada 150 Fund) activities relevant to Canadians?
How supportive were Canadians of Canada 150 activities?
Was supporting Canada 150 activities worthwhile?

Key finding: PCH Canada 150 activities were relevant to many Canadians, including to those who participated in Canada 150 events, organizations who applied for funding, and the general public. Interest in the Canada 150 Fund was high, and activities were deemed worthwhile by Fund recipients, including those activities that created or strengthened partnerships.

Level of participation

Participation in Canada 150 activities was significant, and was higher than anticipated in the public opinion research (POR) Wave I. Part of the rationale for developing the Canada 150 initiative was based on POR Wave I (conducted in June 2016) results, which stated that the majority of those surveyed (65%) indicated that they would participate in the celebrations. When the final POR survey was conducted in January 2018, 70% of respondents indicated that they had participated in Canada 150 activities. Participation included: watching a Canada 150 event on television or on the Internet (37%); visiting a national park, national historic site, or waterway (35%); attending a Canada 150 event outside of their community (19%); and volunteering for a Canada 150 event, activity, or initiative (5%).

The reported participation in the five Celebrate Canada Week events is indicated in Table 4 below.

Table 4: celebrate Canada events attendance and TV viewers in 2017

Event	Attendance	TV viewers
Canada Day	2,556,000	15.00 million
National Indigenous Day	120,600	1.20 million
Canadian Multiculturalism Day	24,000	-
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day^{Footnote 4}	13,400	-
Royal Tour of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall	-	-

Source: (Canadian Heritage, 2017f, 2018a, 2018f, n.d.-c).

Survey results provided additional insights into the level of participation in Celebrate Canada Week activities. The POR Wave II (conducted in July 2017) found that 60% of respondents who visited official sites in the National Capital Region (NCR) during Canada Day (Major’s Hill Park, Parliament Hill, and the grounds of the Canadian Museum of History) did not live in the Capital Region. Of those, 92% lived elsewhere in Canada, and the rest were residents of other countries.

Applications and funded projects

The large number of applications made to the Canada 150 Fund for funding also indicates that there was a substantial interest in developing and participating in Canada 150 events. The document review highlighted that, as early as 2016, there were 387 expressions of interest for Signature initiatives and Community-driven projects. Table 5 indicates how many applications for all types of events were received between fiscal years 2015-16 and 2017-18.

Table 5: Canada 150 event funding: number of applications (for all activities)

Region	# of applications	% of applications	# funded	% funded
West	876	22%	147	20.4%
Prairies and North	381	10%	69	9.6%
Ontario	1,527	38%	181	25%
Québec	647	16%	107	15%
Atlantic	578	14%	216	30%
All regions	4,009	100%	720	100%

Source: (Canadian Heritage, 2019a).

Importance and worthiness of celebrating Canada 150 activities

Key informants and survey respondents noted that PCH Canada 150 activities were relevant and important to Canadians, and that their participation was worthwhile. There was consensus among key informants that it is important to recognize national milestones, reflect on our history, and remind Canadians of who they are. These evaluation findings are also supported by survey results; 95% of funding recipients considered their investments of time and effort in Canada 150 to be worthwhile. One of the most commonly cited benefits was that Canada 150 activities created or strengthened partnerships. Interviews found evidence of new or improved partnerships between community organizations, private companies, municipal and provincial legislative bodies, PCH, and international partners. From a tourism perspective, Canada 150 put Canada in the global spotlight and gave the country a high level of visibility it would otherwise not have received. Interviews further suggest that Canada 150 activities were worthwhile for the following reasons:

They provided Canadians with a platform to discuss reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
They promoted great things about Canada (e.g., culture, natural beauty) to Canadians and the world, thus leading to a sense of pride in Canada.
They brought communities together and helped to build a sense of identity within them.
They allowed local and not-for-profit organizations to become more visible in their communities; reach out to new audiences; improve their capacity, experience, and credibility; and develop new networks of partners.
They reached high levels of participation and engagement.
They created tangible legacies.

Notwithstanding the positive feedback, some key informants had mixed views on whether Canada 150 activities were worthwhile. This is further discussed in Section 4.1.2.

Finally, evaluation findings suggest that the ability to bring Canadians together varied by type of event, by geographic location, as well as by demographics. For example, Community-driven events had the most lasting impacts, allowed for positive spinoffs, had large numbers of participants, and were generally the most consistently positively cited by key informants. Further, funding to community-based organizations allowed them to build capacity, become better known in their communities, and develop partnerships with other actors that will benefit their communities in the future. Major Events and Signature initiatives, meanwhile, were seen to be relevant for celebrating the sesquicentennial, though some key informants noted that they were not always well delivered or worth the cost to taxpayers.^{Footnote 5} Interview findings suggest that the relevance of Canada 150 activities also depended on the province or territory in question. As many Canada 150 events were held in the NCR or in large urban centres, Canadians living outside of those areas may not have been able to attend them very often. Their relevance in ranking them depended in large part on their proximity to those events. The importance of Canada 150 events was also lower in regions that had recently celebrated a significant anniversary (e.g. P.E.I. in 2014), or were celebrating another anniversary concurrently (e.g. Montréal 375 or Ontario 150), or were not among the original provinces at the creation of the confederation in 1867 (e.g., Saskatchewan).

4.1.2. Alignment of the linkages between program objectives and federal government priorities and departmental strategic outcomes

Evaluation question: how did Canada 150 activities align with the four policy priority areas?

Key finding: most Canada 150 activities and events were delivered in an inclusive way and aligned with one or more of the four government policy priority areas. All four priorities were addressed, with “diversity” being the most prevalent and “our environment” being the least.

Until mid-2015, the overarching theme planned for the initiative was “Canada: Strong, Proud and Free,” with three sub-themes: Giving Back to Canada (legacy building and giving gifts to Canada); Honouring the Exceptional (providing role models); and Celebrating and Bringing Canadians Together (building an understanding of what it means to be Canadian).

In January 2016, the federal government identified the four following policy priority areas for Canada 150 activities:

Diversity and inclusion (which includes incorporation of linguistic duality in events);
Supporting efforts toward national reconciliation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians;
Engaging and inspiring youth; and
Our environment.

The change in the policy priority areas in January 2016 presented challenges; this may explain why some policy priority areas were less targeted by funding recipients.

Findings from multiple lines of evidence speak to PCH’s efforts to align Canada 150 activities with the priority areas. The FS monthly Operational Dashboards identified approved Signature and community-driven projects according to themes under the four 2016 priority areas. As of December 2017, there were 749 themes identified in the 674 Signature and community-driven projects. There were more themes adhered to than projects because a project could support more than one of the four priority areas and be related to more than one theme. Table 6 below shows the number of themes identified for the Signature and community-driven projects. Just over half (56%) of the community-driven projects and Signature initiatives involved a diversity-related theme, and just over one quarter (27%) involved a youth-related theme. This confirms that Canada 150 Signature and community-driven projects included events that covered all four of the government priority areas, with the diversity theme being the most prevalent.

Table 6: community-driven and Signature approved projects by priority area

Priority area	n	% of projects^{Table 6 note *}
Diversity	378	56%
Youth	185	27%
Environment	96	14%
Reconciliation	90	13%
Total count of priority areas	749	111%
Total Community and Signature initiatives	674	-

Source: (Canadian Heritage, 2017f).

Table 6 notes

Table 6 note *

Percentages total more than 100% due to multiple priority areas for some projects.

Return to table 6 note * referrer

With very similar goals, Canada 150 partnered with the Community Foundations of Canada to administer and deliver funding in communities. CFC provided funding to match their Canada 150 grant, for a total of $16 million distributed among 627 communities. Consistent with PCH goals, CFC goals to mark the 150th were to:

encourage participation in community activities and events to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.
inspire a deeper understanding about the people, places and events that have shaped and continue to shape our country and our communities.
build vibrant and healthy communities with the broadest possible engagement of all Canadians, including Indigenous Peoples: groups that reflect our cultural diversity; youth; and official language minorities.

The CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th reported on the priority areas served.

Table 7: CFC’S Community Fund for Canada's 150th
	Youth	Culturally diverse	Indigenous Peoples	Official language minorities
Involved	85%	79%	55%	41%
Led projects	34%	51%	24%	16%

Interview and survey findings also highlight efforts to align Canada 150 activities with the priority areas. Almost all recipients and stakeholders agreed that many Canada 150 projects were delivered in a way that was inclusive and promoted these areas.

Diversity and inclusion

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada, the Canada 150 Diversity Award

A successful project that championed the diversity of Canadian society occurred when the FS and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) partnered to create the Canada 150 Diversity Award, which celebrated organizations that “have helped to shape Canada as a modern, innovative, and welcoming destination” (Travel Industry Association of Canada, 2017). Organizations were rated on the extent to which they celebrated diversity in all its forms; had a positive social/cultural impact on the host community(ies) or on Canada; demonstrated innovation in the service or product offered or created; stimulated economic and tourism activity in the host community(ies); and attracted an international audience and/or the attention of the international community. The award was won by SESQUI Inc., a revolutionary 360-degree cinematic experience that also featured virtual reality storytelling, interactive games, and learning resources created by local artists and creators.

Findings from multiple lines of evidence indicate that there was a strong alignment with the diversity and inclusion priority, which included such things as official language minority communities (OLMC), Indigenous people, ethnocultural and racialized groups, and youth. The document and data review highlights that Canada 150 activities, such as the December 31, 2016, launch events in Ottawa and 18 other Canadian urban centres, and Winterlude in February 2017, offered content that highlighted and promoted Canada’s cultural and regional diversity and linguistic duality. Similarly, PCH supported a wide range of diversity-themed national celebrations, including Black History Month, National Aboriginal Day, and Canadian Multiculturalism Day. Most of the diversity or inclusion-themed projects were linked to PCH’s strategic outcome of “Canadians share, express and appreciate their Canadian identity.”

The extent to which Canadian diversity and inclusion was promoted by Canada 150 activities is further supported by survey results. A total of 91% of funding recipients reported that their project focused on the diversity of Canadian society to a moderate or great extent. The media analysis reveals that the inclusion of diverse cultures was positively viewed in Canada 150 events, particularly with Community-driven and Major Events during the Celebrate Canada period.

While key informants noted that Canada 150 events promoted diversity and inclusion, few were able to provide tangible examples beyond stating that their event was open to anyone who wanted to attend.

Linguistic duality and Official Language Minority Communities

A key objective of the diversity and inclusion priority was to focus on and promote linguistic duality^{Footnote 6} and OLMCs. PCH’s RPP for 2016-17 indicated that the Canada 150 initiative would support the promotion of OLMCs, and PCH’s DRR for 2016-2017 identifies that the Canada 150 initiative’s Major Events and celebrations provided activities that highlighted and encouraged, among other things, Canada’s linguistic duality. Findings from the document and data review confirm that there was a significant level of promotion of linguistic duality that occurred for the Canada 150 projects directly supported by PCH. Notably, the Museums Assistance Program supported three travelling exhibitions that promoted linguistic duality: Through the Eyes of the Community, A Story of Canada, and 1867 – Rebellion and Confederation.

Findings from interviews indicate that internal key informants, partners, stakeholders, and funding recipients supported Canada’s linguistic duality. For example, stakeholders and internal key informants noted that PCH did a good job of promoting and celebrating Canada’s linguistic duality through funded activities; this was especially true for larger events. Internal key informants outlined several measures the Department took to ensure that projects were sufficiently bilingual, including providing significant official languages support for all projects that received over $300,000 in funding. In particular, interview findings suggest that Signature initiatives included online materials, exhibits, and translation for live events were fully delivered in both official languages. Internal key informants noted that the FS arranged for a representative from the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL) to do targeted outreach with non-OLMCs to ensure that they were meeting the minimum level of French or English necessary, to answer questions recipient organizations had, and to refer them to other organizations that could support their language efforts.

Similarly, funding recipients noted that their projects recognized and supported Canada’s linguistic duality by having: bilingual signage, communication and promotion materials; bilingual masters of ceremonies; artists and performers representing both official language groups; and a bilingual presentation or ceremony that recognized the funding they received from the Canada 150 Fund. In certain instances, events also occurred in their community’s respective Indigenous language. Survey results further suggest that Canada 150 activities promoted the integration of Canada’s linguistic duality in events. As indicated in Figure 2 below, of partners surveyed (n=27), 63% responded that the activities promoted the integration of duality to a moderate or great extent. Fifteen percent of the respondents indicated that it did not apply.

**Figure 2: “to what extent do you believe that the Canada 150 activities have promoted integrating Canada’s linguistic duality in events?” number and percentage of respondents**

-	(n=27)	(%)^{Figure 2 table note *}
To a great extent	4	15%
To a moderate extent	13	48%
To a small extent	2	7%
Not at all	2	7%
Don’t know	2	7%
Not applicable	4	15%
Total	27	99%

Finally, in their annual report, OCOL devoted a chapter to Canada 150. Four complaints were made against PCH-funded projects. Three complaints dealt with activities taking place on the Canada 150 Skating Rink, which were all quickly and satisfactorily addressed by the project recipient. One complaint led to a separate recommendation: to ensure that PCH meets its obligations under the Official Languages Act, it should establish a monitoring and accountability mechanism to ensure compliance with the languages clauses included in contribution agreements with third parties.

Engaging and inspiring youth

The Students on Ice Foundation, Canada C3 Expedition

One particularly successful project was the Canada C3 expedition organized by the Students on Ice Foundation to commemorate the centennial of the Canadian Arctic Expedition (1913-1916). Youth aged 14 to 18 participated in annual sea and land-based expeditions from 2013 through 2016. Each journey included about 85 students and a team of 45 world-class scientists, historians, Elders, artists, explorers, educators, innovators, and polar experts. To celebrate the sesquicentennial in 2017, the Foundation received slightly more than $7 million from PCH, and addressed the themes of youth and our environment. Findings from the media coverage analysis indicated that the C3 expedition received broad coverage, most of it positive.

Findings from several lines of evidence indicate that many of the Canada 150 events supported a youth theme and engaged a significant number of youth across the country. As mentioned previously, the operational Dashboard data identified that 185 (27%) of the Community and Signature projects involved a youth theme. Further, almost all articles reviewed in the media coverage analysis were positive about the Canada 150 projects that focused on youth. Funding recipients and partners noted that youth were a target audience for their events more than they were a theme to be addressed. Key informants highlighted that the significant social media and online presence of Canada 150 (e.g. videos, Twitter hashtags, Web chats) made Canada 150 more accessible and appealing to youth.

National reconciliation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians

Vancouver, “City of Reconciliation”

In response to the TRC Calls to Action and in partnership with the three Host Nations of Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh, Vancouver engaged its citizens under the title, "Strengthening Our Relations. Each Nation had a representative on the city’s Canada 150+ Working Committee. With a primary purpose of Indigenous employment, Canada 150+ delivered vibrant and interactive Indigenous and cross-cultural events and experiences throughout 2017, allowing residents and visitors to see unexpected public places and spaces in Vancouver activated and reimagined. Results included: 7 of 8 apprentices having jobs or job offers in their area of training; 149,000 people attended the Drum is Calling Festival and 82% of respondents to a subsequent survey agreed that “this event helps Indigenous and non-Indigenous people move forward together." City staff recommended: that the Indigenous apprenticeship model continue to be used to create pathways to employment; the creation of a Reserve fund for Cultural Reconciliation projects; and five other quick starts to support recurring and new Indigenous-led activities that carry forward the Canada 150+ legacy and spirit of reconciliation.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Call to Action 68 recommended that the 150th anniversary be marked with funding for commemorative projects on the theme of national reconciliation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians:

“We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal people, and the Canadian Museums Association to mark the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 2017 by establishing a dedicated national funding program for commemoration projects on the theme of reconciliation” ^{Footnote 7}

The document and data review indicates that 13% of Signature projects (5 projects, totalling $3.6 million) focused on reconciliation (e.g. Reconciliation Canada, Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum). Thirty-nine percent (248 projects) of Community-driven projects contributed to celebrating Indigenous communities (161 projects), reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians (10 projects), or both (77 projects); for a total investment of $28.6 million. In addition, interviews and the media coverage analysis suggest that reconciliation featured in many Canada 150 activities without necessarily being the primary theme. For example, some Canada 150 activities did not have a reconciliation lens but did acknowledge that the event was being held on the traditional and unceded territory of First Nations.

The media analysis revealed positive and frequent articles on Canada 150-funded projects undertaken in a spirit of reconciliation by the Canadian professional arts sector. Among them were the New Constellations music tour featuring Indigenous and non-indigenous musicians, and Stratford Festival’s “The Breathing Hole,” a play workshopped with Indigenous people and hiring Indigenous actors. Kent Monkman’s travelling “Shame and Prejudice; A Story of Resilience” was referred to as “most talked-about” art show of the anniversary and internationally reviewed.

The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada

The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, the Royal Geographic Society of Canada’s reconciliation project, was intended to be a story told by Indigenous people. The 4-volume book, giant educational floor maps and companion app were produced in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Indspire. The Atlas was the #1 bestselling Young Adult Non-Fiction print book in 2018, due partially to the purchase by the Alberta government of 1,600 copies to place in schools. Currently it rates 4.5 stars out of 5 among reviews by Amazon.ca verified customers.

The media analysis suggests that some Indigenous Canadians found the term “celebration” appeared to exclude pre-Confederation history and unsolved treaty and Indian Act issues. The Government of Canada acknowledged this sentiment in June 2017, stating that “we have to recognize that not everyone is going to be celebrating the same way and the past 150 years for Indigenous Peoples has not been as positive; recognizing that thereʾs a lot more that we need to do together, in respect, is an important part of this recognition.”

The University of Manitoba’s Reconciliation Circles

This community project was designed to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together to discuss issues relating to Indigenous culture and beliefs. The university intended it to lead to a greater understanding by the general public of the issues that Indigenous Peoples face, and to foster respectful relationships between these two groups. Despite the grant for this project having ended, the university continues to get regular requests from communities, companies, and organizations across the country to organize circles in their area.

Interviews and media sources also reveal worries that the respect for reconciliation expressed through Canada 150 might not lead to action on recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Though articles on this subject were published throughout Canada, there was more interest in the link between Canada 150 and reconciliation in the English-language press.

Our environment

Six Signature projects (16%, totalling $11.7 million) focused on the environmental theme, such as the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s “bioblitzes” to document species across the country, and 89 Community-driven projects (14%, or $9.6 million which sought to connect Canadians with nature and were designed to raise environmental stewardship. Other examples include Tree Canada’s national campaign to restore local parks, recreation areas or school grounds through the planting and caring for trees, and many projects at the local level led by conservancy or stewardship societies.^{Footnote 8}

Interviews further suggest that funding recipients worked with their delivery partners (e.g., food trucks) to encourage sustainable food practices and to minimize the use of one-off materials (e.g. brochures). Survey results further support the idea that, while respect for the environment was often not the primary theme of an event, funding recipients did take it into consideration. For example, funding recipients were asked to what extent their projects focused on environmental stewardship. Their responses are summarized in Figure 3. While 49% indicated that their projects focused to a moderate or a great extent on environmental stewardship, 22% indicated their projects focused on this area to a small extent, 15% indicated their projects did not focus on that at all, and another 10% indicated it did not apply.

**Figure 3: "to what extent did your project focus on environmental stewardship?” number and percentage of respondents^{Footnote 9}**

-	(n=172)	(%)
To a great extent	35	20%
To a moderate extent	49	29%
To a small extent	37	22%
Not at all	25	15%
Don’t know	6	4%
Not applicable	18	10%
No response	2	1%

Tree Canada’s Tree to our nature

This Community-driven project by Tree Canada supported community greening initiatives by inviting community organizations to restore a local park, recreation area or school ground in need, through the planting and care of trees to help mark Canada’s 150th. Communities planted native and historically significant trees including the maple (Canada’s Arboreal Emblem), the relevant Provincial/Territorial Arboreal Emblems as well as a White Pine and/or Western Red Cedar (significant to First Nations communities as a symbol of peace and reconciliation). This project provided an opportunity for thousands of Canadians to build environmentally sustainable communities and leave a lasting legacy of Canada 150 for future generations to enjoy. Activities included inviting 150 community organizations to restore a local park, recreation area or school ground in need, through the planting and care of trees; targeting applications from communities from coast to coast including those inclusive of new Canadians, visible minority groups, and First Nations communities; and installing commemorative plaques in the park / community space to commemorate Canada's 150th anniversary of confederation.

Evaluation question: how did Canada 150 activities align with the PCH objectives of Canada 150 (Bringing Canadians Together)?

Key finding: Canada 150 projects and events sought to bring Canadians together. PCH officials and funding recipients focused heavily on this objective.

Numerous Canada 150 activities sought to align with the PCH objective of bringing Canadians together. Survey results indicate that this objective was a priority for funding recipients. As indicated in Figure 4, 93% of funding recipients reported that their projects focused on this to a moderate or great extent, 4% reported that they focused on this to a small extent, and 1% reported no focus on this.

**Figure 4: "to what extent did your project focus on bringing Canadians together to mark and celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation?" number and percentage of respondents**

To a great extent	123	72%
To a moderate extent	37	22%
To a small extent	6	4%
Not at all	1	1%
Don’t know	1	1%
Not applicable	3	2%
No response	1	1%

Evaluation question: how did Canada 150 activities contribute to departmental priorities and outcomes?

Key finding: the initiative was aligned with departmental outcomes and federal government priorities, roles, and responsibilities.

The evaluation found evidence of alignment between Canada 150 activities and departmental priorities as identified between 2015-16 and 2017-18. Strategic Outcomes for the Department include the following:

Canadian artistic expressions and cultural content are created and accessible at home and abroad;
Canadians share, express, and appreciate their Canadian identity; and
Canadians participate and excel in sport.

The Canada 150 activities, as identified in the Canada 150 Operational Dashboards, show a significant proportion of federal initiatives classified by themes such as History and Heritage, Arts and Culture, Sports and Active Living. This indicates that Canada 150 activities aligned with the three strategic outcomes of the Department.

Canada 150 was mentioned as a government priority in the Speech from the Throne of April 2015, in the 2015 Economic Action Plan, the Federal Budget of March 2016, and the Federal Budget of March 2017. As well, the four policy priority areas themselves figure prominently among the government’s overarching priorities and, as such, are mentioned in federal Budgets and Throne Speeches throughout 2015, 2016, and 2017.

4.1.3. Assessment of the role and responsibilities of the federal government in delivering the program

Evaluation question: was delivering Canada 150 recognized as an appropriate federal government role and responsibility?

Key finding: it was appropriate for the federal government to recognize and support Canada’s sesquicentennial.

Delivering Canada 150 was recognized as an appropriate role and responsibility for the federal government to undertake. This is supported by findings from POR and interviews. As Table 8 indicates, most Canadians surveyed (83-89%) agreed that the federal government should recognize and support Canada 150 celebrations. In addition, between two thirds and three quarters (67-73%) agreed that they were satisfied with the way the federal government delivered Canada 150. Further, the majority also agreed that participating in Canada 150 would make them feel part of something important (56-72%) and that Canada 150 would leave a lasting legacy for Canada (58-67%), and a positive impact on their local community (58-63%). By January 2018, slightly less than half of Canadians (47%) thought Canada 150 would leave a lasting impact on their community. Generally, the Canadian public supported the Government of Canada’s efforts in regard to its Canada 150 initiative (though this support decreased over time), and Canada 150 was perceived as having a positive impact.

Table 8: public opinion of Government involvement in Canada 150: % of respondents who strongly or somewhat agreed to the statements

Statement	June 2016	July 2017	January 2018
The Government of Canada should provide financial support for Canada 150 celebrations.	83%	N/A	N/A
The Government of Canada is/was right to recognize and celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation.	N/A	89%	88%
I am satisfied with the way the Government of Canada is delivering/delivered Canada 150.	N/A	73%	67%
Participating in Canada 150 will make/made me feel part of something important.	72%	67%	56%
Canada 150 will leave a lasting legacy for Canada.	N/A	67%	58%
Canada 150 is having/had a positive impact on my local community.	N/A	63%	58%
Canada 150 will leave a lasting legacy in my community.	N/A	55%	47%

Source: (Canadian Heritage, 2016b, 2017a; Quorus Consulting Group Inc., 2018a).

Similar findings emerged from interviews. Stakeholders and partners indicated that the federal government should celebrate this important national milestone and use it as an opportunity to bring Canadians together, increase pride in the country, and celebrate the nation’s history. Other key informants highlighted how Canada 150 activities complemented wider government priorities including stimulating local economies and innovation, and promoting Canada internationally.

4.2. Effectiveness - Achievement of expected outcomes

Evaluation question: what opportunities did Canada 150 provide to Canadians to participate in activities and events?

Key finding: a variety of projects of different sizes and foci were offered to Canadians in hundreds of communities, across all provinces and territories.

Canada 150 offered Canadians a variety of opportunities, across the country, to participate in activities and events, through the 720 projects that received funding through the Canada 150 Fund.^{Footnote 10} This included 38 Signature initiatives (delivered by 41 funding recipients), 634 community-driven projects, and 45 major events. Events and projects took place in Ontario (181), Atlantic Region (216), Western Region (147), Québec (107), and Prairies and Northern Region (69). The distribution of Major Events, Signature initiatives and Community-driven projects, by province, is presented in the table below.

**Figure 5: number of major, Signature and Community-driven projects/events funded by the Canada 150 Fund per region from 2015-16 to 2017-18**

Table 9: number of major, Signature and Community-driven projects/events funded by the Canada 150 Fund per region from 2015-16 to 2017-18

Region	Community driven projects (including Acadian Day)	Major events	Signature initiatives	Total
West	132	10	5	147
Prairies and Northern	54	12	3	69
Ontario	148	6	27	181
Quebec	95	7	5	107
Atlantic	205	10	1	216

Source: Internal Database GCIMS, July 2019.

In addition to the projects presented in the table above, other projects were funded through an innovative partnering with a philanthropic network, and micro-granting initiatives, as explored in case studies. The CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th received funding from the Canada 150 Fund to provide grants to 2,124 projects in 627 communities across Canada; and the micro-granting component of the Skating Day initiative provided 200 grants to community initiatives^{Footnote 11}. Therefore, the total number of communities who benefitted from funded projects is definitely greater than the number stated in the map above, though it cannot be calculated, as the location of projects directly funded by the Canada 150 Fund and those funded via the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th may overlap.

Community Fund for Canada’s 150th

Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) received approximately $7.9 million from the Canada 150 Fund to implement the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th. The funding was distributed to 176 community foundations across Canada, who matched the funds and awarded micro-grants (of up to $2,000) to community organizations to implement projects aligned with the government’s objectives for Canada 150 and their community needs. The Fund sought to encourage participation; build deeper understanding of our history; and build communities including youth, ethnocultural and racialized communities, Indigenous Peoples, and official language minority communities.

Evaluation question: to what extent did Canada 150 projects engage Canadians and contribute to vibrant Canadian communities?

Key finding: based on available data on partnerships, volunteerism, and participation rates, there was a high level of engagement among Canadians in Canada 150 events. Similarly, the Canada 150 activities were generally considered to contribute, though to varying extents and through different mechanisms (including community engagement), to vibrant communities.

Engagement

Engagement in Canada 150 events was estimated using three primary metrics: volunteerism (number of volunteers and hours); partnerships (including financial and in-kind support); and participation in events.

Volunteerism

There was a high level of volunteer engagement in projects funded through the Canada 150 Fund. Based on the GCIMS internal database, which includes records for 570^{Footnote 12} Signature projects, Major Events, and Community-driven projects which reported on this measure, over 158,000 volunteers contributed over 5.3 million volunteer hours to 570 projects. However, the number of volunteers varied substantially by project, from 0 to over 30,000. Table 10 summarizes available GCIMS volunteer participation data, by type of event. In addition, 6% of Wave III POR respondents indicated that they had volunteered for a Canada 150 community event, activity, or initiative. This high level of volunteerism^{Footnote 13} suggests a high level of engagement of Canadians with Canada 150 celebrations.

Table 10: volunteer participation by event type

Type of event	# of events reporting	# of volunteers	# of volunteer hours
Signature	41	87,606	4,713,175
Major/Anchor	41	4,495	60,874
Community-driven	489	66,099	599,326
Total	571	158,200	5,373,375

Source: GCIMS, November 27, 2018 and January 30, 2019.

Volunteers supported a variety of activities, including celebratory or commemorative activities, community-building activities and events, large-scale artwork projects, and theatrical or musical performances, productions, and/or compositions.

Similarly, the survey of funding recipients demonstrates that considerable support of Canada 150-funded projects was provided by volunteers.^{Footnote 14} A higher maximum number of volunteer hours associated with projects without Canada 150 funding could suggest that organizations were able to offer more paid hours of work as a result of this funding.^{Footnote 15}

Furthermore, the projects funded through the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th had large numbers of volunteers. Based on project reporting, over 100,000 volunteers were engaged in the 2,124 projects that received grants (95% of which included a volunteer component).^{Footnote 16}

In contrast, key informants differed in their estimations of the extent to which Canada 150 activities encouraged volunteerism and indicated that volunteerism varied widely between funding recipients. While data on the number of volunteers and their contribution was required in project final reports, some funding recipients did not track that information throughout the year. For those who commented on volunteerism, the primary findings are summarized below.

Larger projects reported having record numbers of volunteers that were integral to the success of the event (e.g., SESQUI, Rendez-vous naval de Québec [RVNQ], Tree to our Nature, Winnipeg Art Gallery). Some smaller projects (e.g., museums or education-oriented organizations) noted fewer volunteers.
A few recipient organizations indicated that the additional funding provided by Canada 150 allowed them to organize events to thank volunteers for their support (e.g., hosting a movie and pizza night).

Partnerships

The projects receiving funds through the Canada 150 Fund often included a partnership component. Based on GCIMS data, most of the projects had partnerships or collaborative arrangements with stakeholders who provided financial and/or in-kind support. These partners included foundations (e.g. the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Terry Fox Foundation), chambers of commerce and business councils, banks and insurance companies (e.g. Manulife, TD Bank), media outlets (e.g. Sun FM radio, Journal Le Tartan), academic institutions, private businesses (e.g. Bell Canada, Dulux Paints), and artist guilds. Data on the amount of partners’ financial contributions was provided for 174 projects, including:

25 Signature initiatives out of 41 (received $29,616,309);
28 Major events out of 45 (received $2,951,825); and
121 Community-driven projects out of 635^{Footnote 17} (received $28,059,666).

In addition, 289 out of 635 community events and 25 out of 41 Signature projects indicated they had received in-kind support. This support primarily included:

advertising and promotion;
content development;
staff and logistical support for planning and running events;
facilities;
food and hospitality;
audio, visual, and information technology support; and
performer and artist time.

Projects funded under the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th were also supported through financial (as well as in-kind) support from partners, as leveraging was an important part of the model used in this initiative. The Canada 150 Fund contributed $7.9 million, which funds were matched by local foundations and their partners, for a total of $15.9 million provided through grants by the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th. In addition, recipients leveraged an additional $44.4 million in cash and in-kind contributions. While the CFC routinely requires matching contributions before committing to community projects, the success of Canada 150 in establishing this partnering on the basis of mutually agreeable goals is considered an innovative feature which allowed the Canada 150 funding to create a larger impact.

In further support of the significant presence of partnering among Canada 150 funded projects, some key informants, from all stakeholder groups, noted that many Canada 150 activities led to the creation of lasting partnerships (including those which extended beyond financial or in-kind contributions during 2017); a few even pointed to these partnerships as an unforeseen positive outcome of the initiative. The creation or strengthening of these relationships resulted from a combination of how applications were processed by PCH, marketing and outreach efforts by recipient organizations, and the success of certain projects and events. Some key informants from PCH indicated that evidence of partnerships was prioritized when reviewing project proposals. In cases where proposals were similar in nature or where there was a perceived lack of capacity by a delivery organization to manage an event, PCH officials put similar applicants in touch and encouraged them to work together. This was also true at the community level where community organizations, municipalities, artist groups, and local tourism associations were urged to pool their experience and capacity to deliver events together.

The additional funding provided by Canada 150 also helped recipient organizations market themselves to potential collaborators. For example, the funding allowed RVNQ to create a larger event than previous years and thus solicit and create new partnerships with navies in South America, the British Royal Navy, and Sail Boston International. Similarly, Canada 150 funding allowed the Société d'art et d'histoire de Beauport to publish a historical and cultural periodical which helped them secure a financial partnership with a large financial institution in the region. Owing to the success of the event, the partnership has since been renewed.

The success of projects during the sesquicentennial also contributed to continued partnerships between recipient organizations and other stakeholders. For example, the 3D signs developed by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) were so popular that many host cities signed official agreements with TIAC to keep the signs up beyond 2017. Other examples of continued partnerships include:

SESQUI, through ongoing partnerships with Historica Canada, is continuing to work with schools and school boards to bring the film into classrooms. SESQUI is also looking to collaborate with Global Affairs Canada again for future international events.
Tree Canada expanded their partnership with CN Rail to collaborate on a new project called “From the Ground Up” which provides funding of up to $25,000 for the greening of Canadian municipalities and Indigenous communities along CN rail corridors.
the City of Edmonton now enjoys a closer working relationship with the Alberta provincial legislature; the two levels of government now plan and coordinate activities together that had previously been organized independently.
the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve created a meaningful relationship with Indigenous communities in their region and were successfully awarded five years’ worth of funding from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to work on the engagement of Indigenous youth.

At least one specific initiative was undertaken to support the development of partnerships. Industry Day, held in Toronto on June 29, 2016, and its companion Networking Day held on June 30, were organized by the C150 Federal Secretariat to allow Signature Project proponents to have an opportunity to engage with potential industry sponsors. The two-day event included a networking workshop for Signature initiative proponents, which allowed them to meet with other proponents, discuss their projects, work to identify synergies, and form partnerships with one another. Industry Day participants furthered some community engagement among Signature initiatives through connections forged at the event. An example given of co-operation between recipients was the Canada Summer Games and the Vancouver Aquarium Aquavan 150 project. Most PCH and proponent key informants consulted during the case study noted that the event was important for information-sharing and networking to build these connections between organizations to enhance the projects. However, a survey of attendees showed disappointment with the number of potential corporate sponsors present at the event (the event had to be scheduled on the last working days before the Canada Day weekend). No data on the number of agreements signed is available.

Participation

The primary data source for participation in Canada 150 events is the Wave III POR research. Based on the findings of the survey, there was strong participation in Canada 150, with total participation extrapolated as 70% of the population across Canada. For the purpose of the survey, “participation” includes Canadians who watched a Canada 150 event on television or on the Internet (37% of respondents); attended a Canada 150 event in the local community (19%) or outside of the local community (19%); or visited a national park, national historic site or waterway that had free entry in 2017 (35%). Estimated participation rates across Canada are included in Table 11.

Table 11: percentage of residents indicating they have participated in or volunteered for at least one Canada 150 event, activity, or initiative

Province or Region	% participated or volunteered
British Columbia	71%
Alberta	79%
Saskatchewan	72%
Manitoba	73%
Ontario	74%
Québec	53%
Atlantic	83%

Source: (Quorus Consulting Group Inc., 2018b).

Rates of participation differed among demographic subgroups. For example, the level of participation was statistically significantly higher for women compared to men and, while older respondents were more likely to have watched a Canada 150 event on television or on the Internet, younger Canadians were more likely to have participated in events that took them outside of their homes and communities. However, this data should be used with caution, as the methodology for the estimates includes projected numbers based on sample research.

GCIMS data also included expected attendance for 600 Community-driven, Signature, and Major Events; over 162 million participants were expected. Nine of these events each expected five million participants (e.g. Passport 2017, the TIAC 150 3D celebration zones) and, between them, accounted for nearly 101.5 million expected participants (or over 62% of the expected participants across all reporting events).

Actual participation numbers were provided in most community-driven projects final reports and for Signature initiatives:

405 out of 946 community-driven project recipients reported that a total of 90,930,012 people participated in their projects. There was a wide variance in participation results, ranging from 30 to 36,076,800 per project.
40 out of 61 Signature initiatives reported that a total of 169,424,005 people participated in their projects. Again, there was a wide variance in participation results, ranging from 678 to 134,776,022.

Table 4 (section 4.1) outlines the extent to which the events that took place during Celebrate Canada Week brought Canadians together. Unfortunately, there was no reporting available on the number of individuals who attended other Major Events. There is also information regarding the high level of television and social media viewership for several large-scale Canada 150 events. However, this data is incomplete and should be viewed with caution.

Table 12: television and social media viewership for selected large-scale Canada 150 celebrations and commemorations

Event	Television viewership	Online viewership
New Year’s Eve in Canada/Launch of Canada 150	2,545,000	N/A
Canada Day in the Capital and Celebrate Canada (CBC/Radio-Canada)	6,528,000	5,850,211
Christmas Lights Across Canada	-	50,100
Winterlude 2018	2,200,000^{Table 12 note *}	84,520

Source: Capital Experience Branch, Canadian Heritage, 2017, 2018a, 2018b; Cardinal, n.d.

Table 12 notes

Table 12 note *

Several radio shows were produced for this event, but no figures on audience measurement were provided.

Return to table 12 note * referrer

In addition, the projects that received funding through the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th engaged an estimated 22.5 million Canadians.^{Footnote 18}

The survey of funding recipients provided some information about the variation in levels of participation across projects. The number of participants varied from 0 to 5.7 million, with a median participation of 2,000. The table below indicates the number of participants that funding recipients reported for their project (as part of the survey). It should be noted that the methodology used to arrive at these participation rates was not asked of funding recipients.

Table 13: approximate number of people who participated in funded projects (as reported in survey of funding recipients, question 14)

-	Number of responses (n=172)	% of responses^{Table 13 note *}
0 to 19,999	129	75%
20,000 to 99,999	18	11%
100,000 to 399,999	7	4%
1,000,000 to 6,000,000	6	4%
Don’t know	10	6%
No response	2	1%

Table 13 notes

Table 13 note *

Percentage totals may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Return to table 13 note * referrer

Key informant interviews and case studies provide insight into some reasons for high levels of participation in Canada 150 events. Key informants from all stakeholder groups noted that Canada 150 was a good rallying event for community engagement, but a few hesitated to compare participation to previous years since external factors (e.g. weather during the event, a change in venue) were said to have a difficult-to-measure impact on participation.

Social media, local outreach, and other Canada 150 events were cited as the main reasons for such high levels of participation. Recipient organizations were encouraged to use social media to advertise their events, and larger networks such as CBC worked with different communities than usual to capture what was happening at Major Events throughout the country. Recipient organizations also did a lot of local outreach to encourage participation, such as hosting lunch-and-learns with community organizations or giving presentations in the lead up to events.

Similarly, the POR surveys gathered data about awareness of Canada 150 as a whole, and about some specific promotional efforts (including social media), which could have contributed to participation levels. The purpose of the “digital-first”, government-wide communication and marketing strategy had been two-fold: raise awareness regarding events and activities funded or planned by the government, and encourage Canadians to celebrate and participate in Canada 150 events. In comparing Waves 1 and 2 of the POR, there was a notable increase in awareness of Canada 150 and its logo or brand, as well as certain other awareness indicators. The figure below shows the changes for five key awareness and communications indicators.

**Figure 6: POR results on awareness and communications from June 2016 to July 2017**

Question	Wave 1 (June 2016)	Wave 2 (July 2017)
Seen, heard or read anything about Canada 150	32%	94%
Seen, heard or read any GC advertising about Canada 150	19%	84%
Aware of Canada 150 logo or brand	16%	83%
Know where to find information about Canada 150	44%	61%
Following Canada 150 on social media	4%	15%

Key informants indicated that community-driven events were the most successful in promoting community engagement and participation. As funding for these sorts of initiatives is not frequent, key informants noted that smaller communities readily seized the opportunity to organize activities such as art groups in rural communities. The case studies provide a more detailed view of this in practice. For example, the Skating Day case study noted that many of the micro-grant supported events were in smaller communities where there were few, if any, other Canada 150-related activities. Similarly, Skating Day had a unifying aspect, due to the fact that similar activities were held simultaneously across the country; it also contributed to bringing Canadians together, and to a sense of belonging at the community and the national levels. In addition, the flagship event in Ottawa, on Parliament Hill, brought locals together with other Canadians and international tourists. The Ottawa event also included Indigenous performers as a key element. More broadly, there was a general sense among key informants that Skating Day events promoted community engagement since they were also social events.

Interviews suggested that the success of the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th in bringing Canadians together, particularly in communities with large Indigenous populations, was due to support of projects that challenged and allowed for some reflection on what it means to be Canadian, as well as the inclusion of Indigenous voices in Canada Day celebrations, or planning projects that allowed for building on the reconciliation theme.

One major exception in terms of lower participation than expected was Canada Day 2017 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The delays caused by security procedures and the poor weather were cited by key informants as well as in the media coverage, much of which was negative. An estimate provided by the Parliamentary Protection Service of 50,000 to 60,000 participants on the Hill was quoted in an article.^{Footnote 19}

Skating Day

Skating Day included 17 flagship skating events across the country on December 10, 2017 (including skating shows, free community skating, lessons for beginners, and a legacy skate bank for participating rinks). Separately, a micro-grant component provided funding (of up to $1,000) to 200 organizers who wanted to organize additional Skating Day events in their communities. Prairie Region staff developed the application package for national use and evaluated applications for this additional funding using simple criteria and an algorithm.

Contribution to vibrant communities

The various aspects of engagement contributed to the vibrancy of communities. Most key informants, representing all stakeholder groups, agreed that Canada 150 activities contributed to vibrant communities through different mechanisms, and to different extents, given the wide variety of projects that were undertaken as part of Canada 150. Most projects saw the creation of lasting partnerships, most promoted community engagement and participation, and some encouraged volunteerism.

Similarly, 67% of partners who completed the survey (n=27) as part of the evaluation indicated that Canada 150 activities contributed to promoting community engagement and encouraging participation and volunteering in events^{Footnote 20}. Furthermore, 97% of funding recipients that responded to the survey (n=172) somewhat or strongly agreed that their projects engaged with members of their community, and 94% somewhat or strongly agreed that they engaged with members of their community from a variety of backgrounds. The Wave III POR findings (n= approximately 2000) also indicate that 58% of respondents agree or strongly agree that Canada 150 had a positive impact on their communities, while 47% agreed or strongly agreed that Canada 150 would leave a lasting legacy for their community.

Evaluation question: to what extent did Canada 150 activities contribute to a sustained sense of pride and attachment to Canada and to local communities?

Key finding: Canada 150 had an impact on a sustained sense of pride in Canada, for a wide variety of reasons, including the opportunity to express attachment to the community and country, and pride in Canada’s history of diversity and symbols. It may have had less impact among certain groups, particularly those who chose not to participate or celebrate.

Wave III POR data provides some evidence of the impact of Canada 150 on the public’s sense of belonging, and pride in Canada, and in their community. Notably, 94% of respondents indicated an attachment to Canada (including 76% who reported a very strong attachment). However, respondents from Québec were the least likely to report feeling a sense of belonging to Canada when compared to the other provinces (79%). Similarly, most respondents (85%) indicated that they were proud or very proud of being Canadian, though respondents from Québec were the least likely to report being very proud of being Canadian (77%). Furthermore, across waves of the POR, respondents increasingly indicated that they were attached to Canada more now than five years ago (26% in June 2016 compared to 30% in January 2018).

Survey findings from both the partner and funding recipient surveys also indicate an impact on a sustained sense of pride in Canada and in local communities. Among respondents to the partner survey (n=27), 85% reported that Canada 150 activities contributed to a moderate or great extent to a sense of pride in Canada and in local communities; and 92% of respondents to the funding recipient survey (n=172) strongly or somewhat agreed that their projects sustained pride in Canada. The findings from both surveys are summarized in the next figure.

**Figure 7: contribution of Canada 150 to sense of pride in Canada^{Footnote 21}**

	To a great extent / strongly agree	To a moderate extent / somewhat agree	To a small extent / somewhat disagree	Not at all / strongly disagree
Did the project for which you received funding sustain pride in Canada? (Funding recipients Q12, n=172)	72 %	20 %	2 %	0 %
To what extent do you believe that the Canada 150 activities have contributed to a sense of pride in Canada and in local communities? (Partners Q8, n=27)	52 %	33 %	7 %	4 %

Key informants were more divided on the extent to which Canada 150 projects contributed to a sustained sense of pride in Canada. Key informants (including a few funding recipients, half of stakeholders interviewed, and one partner organization) who noted that Canada 150 activities contributed to a sustained sense of pride in the country highlighted some elements that could have contributed to this sense of pride: Canada’s history of being a welcoming nation; Canada’s commitment to the environment; Canada’s diversity and rich culture; and how far the nation has come in a short period. A few stakeholders noted that community pride was closely linked to funded infrastructure projects and whether a Canada 150 activity had focused on that community’s contribution to Canada (e.g. a museum exhibit documenting the community’s role in Canada’s history).

Furthermore, the 92% of funding recipients (n=172) who agreed that their project sustained pride in the country provided some reasons for this, several of which echo the reasons provided during interviews and case studies. The most common responses provided were that the activity or event: reflected multiple peoples or cultures, showcased diversity (29%); created space to express attachment to Canada, their community, what it means to them (12%); focused on history, historic moments (11%); and featured national symbols (11%). A more comprehensive list of reasons provided are listed in Table 14.

Table 14: how funded projects contributed to a sustained sense of pride in Canada

Reasons provided by funding recipients	Number of respondents (n=158)	% of responses^{Table 14 note *}
Activity or event reflected multiple peoples or cultures, showcased diversity	45	29%
Created space to express what one loves about their country, their community, what it means to them	19	12%
Focused on history, historic moments	18	11%
Featured national symbols, e.g. red and white clothing, and reaffirmation ceremonies	18	11%
Focused on Canadian artists	10	6%
Focused on great Canadians, leaders	8	5%
Focused on reconciliation	8	5%
Provided Canadians with an opportunity to celebrate as a community	8	5%
Promoted conservation of Canadian environmental heritage	6	4%
Focused on Canadian innovations, achievements	5	3%
Promoted Indigenous contribution and heritage	5	3%
Focused on places of historic significance	3	2%
Other	8	5%
No response	23	15%

Table 14 notes

Table 14 note *

Respondents could provide more than one answer; totals may sum to more than 100%.

Return to table 14 note * referrer

Other key informants, however, were less certain about the level of pride that Canada 150 activities generated. The primary reason given by a few key informants was the controversy surrounding Canada’s historic treatment of Indigenous Peoples. It was suggested that many Canadians did not view Canada’s history of colonization and oppression of Indigenous Peoples as something to be proud of and were thus uneasy in taking part in the celebratory events. In addition, a few key informants highlighted that it would have been hard for Canada 150 to match memories of the levels of pride across the country during the Centennial celebration, featuring Expo 67, which also had a much larger budget. The media survey also revealed an article by a historian stating that Canada 150 could not compete with nostalgic recollections of the Centennial.^{Footnote 22}

Evaluation question: how and to what extent did Canadians benefit from the economic impacts generated by Canada 150 projects?

Key finding: there is evidence to suggest that Canada 150 contributed to the increase in tourism in Canada in 2017 particularly as The New York Times, Lonely Planet, Travel & Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and National Geographic Traveler all named Canada as a top vacation destination for 2017. Additionally, Canada 150 investments in arts and culture probably provided some measure of positive economic impact. As funding recipients did not undertake economic impact studies on their individual projects, evidence is limited, and the relative size of Canada 150’s contribution cannot be measured.

Two key resources in determining the economic impact of Canada 150, as anticipated at the outset of the initiative, were to have been an economic impact assessment using the Culture, Arts, Heritage and Sport Economic Impact Model¸ and a Canada 150-specific tourism study, neither of which were undertaken. However, the evidence collected during the evaluation allows some discussion of this evaluation question. Individual projects that received funding rarely conducted economic impact studies of their projects. Specifically, only 9% of funding recipients (n=172) reported in the funding recipient survey that they undertook an economic impact study, and of these, 56% included direct economic impacts, and 63% included indirect economic impacts.

The economic impact of an initiative like Canada 150 is primarily estimated using tourism-related indicators. It is worth noting that the tourism-related indicators tracked by Statistics Canada increased in 2017 (and again in 2018), reflecting a global upward trend since the end of the recession (2009). Therefore, the increases to tourism during 2017 can only be partially attributed to activities related to Canada 150.

Based on Statistics Canada data, from 2013 to 2017, the number of non-resident travellers entering Canada has increased 21%, from 25 to 31 million. Annual data is presented in Table 15.

Table 15: number of non-resident travellers entering Canada, annually

Year	Number of non-resident travellers entering Canada
2013	25,166,900
2014	25,557,900
2015	27,554,900
2016	30,142,500
2017	30,997,400

Source: Statistics Canada, 2018.

The Canada 150 partnership with Destination Canada most likely contributed to the increase in tourist visits to Canada in 2017. As reported in their 2017 Annual Report: “A notable media relations activity in 2017 was our work with partners in support of Canada 150. Together we led 16 familiarization trips for 50 journalists and influencers that resulted in 115 stories on Canadian travel experiences. Also in promotion of Canada 150, our collective public relations activity across our markets secured nearly 1,500 media stories about Canada with a reach of more than 5.7 billion and more than 464 million in social media reach.” The Conference Board of Canada partially attributed the increase in visitor numbers in 2017 to “the hundreds of events organized in communities across the country to commemorate Canada’s 150th birthday.”

Similarly, employment generated by tourism increased from 670,700 in the first quarter of 2012 to 739,200 in the last quarter of 2017 (seasonally adjusted); and tourism expenditures increased from about $20 billion in the first quarter of 2012 to 23.5 billion in the last quarter of 2017 (in constant 2012 dollars). Figure 7 shows the trend for both variables across quarters.

**Figure 8: trend in employment generated by tourism and tourism expend**

Year and quarter	# jobs generated	Tourism expenditures (2012 constant prices)
2012 -Q1	670,700	$20,017,000,000
2012 -Q2	673,800	$20,048,000,000
2012 -Q3	677,300	$19,997,000,000
2012 -Q4	681,300	$20,095,000,000
2013 -Q1	682,600	$20,136,000,000
2013 -Q2	686,600	$20,225,000,000
2013 -Q3	689,500	$20,357,000,000
2013 -Q4	692,200	$20,546,000,000
2014 -Q1	694,900	$20,704,000,000
2014 -Q2	700,700	$20,961,000,000
2014 -Q3	699,800	$21,080,000,000
2014 -Q4	705,700	$21,230,000,000
2015 -Q1	704,900	$21,316,000,000
2015 -Q2	710,900	$21,453,000,000
2015 -Q3	713,100	$21,550,000,000
2015 -Q4	712,500	$21,630,000,000
2016 -Q1	716,700	$21,882,000,000
2016 -Q2	718,700	$22,065,000,000
2016 -Q3	724,500	$22,483,000,000
2016 -Q4	725,800	$22,555,000,000
2017- Q1	728,700	$22,785,000,000
2017- Q2	736,600	$23,122,000,000
2017- Q3	738,600	$23,411,000,000
2017- Q4	739,200	$23,480,000,000

A survey of people spending time in the NCR over Canada Day was conducted by Quorus Consulting Group, which provides some estimates of expenditures on Canada Day, although this is not a measure of any increases in expenditure that might have resulted from additional funding available for Canada 150. The survey findings indicate that those spending time in the NCR for Canada Day in 2017 spent an average of $621.78 during their stay, with spending higher for visitors to the region ($973.63); slightly lower for groups with a mix of local residents and visitors ($488.40); and lowest for groups of locals only ($224.74).

Of partners that completed the surveys as part of the evaluation (n=27), 30% indicated that Canada 150 activities contributed to a moderate or great extent to generating an economic impact that benefits communities, and 26% indicated that the activities contributed to a small extent to this.^{Footnote 23} However, 71% of respondents to the survey of funding recipients (n=172) indicated that a median of 481 employee hours (minimum 0, maximum 85,000) were associated with the recipients’ projects compared to 53% who stated that a median of 66 employee hours (minimum 0, maximum 70,000) that would have taken place without Canada 150 funding.^{Footnote 24}

Some qualitative evidence of the economic impact of the Canada 150 initiative emerged from key informant interviews and case studies. Some key informants noted that there was a relatively small economic impact from Canada 150 activities, and that, in communities that benefitted economically from Canada 150 activities, the benefit was typically the result of an increase in tourism either at the time of the event, or over 2017, with a few noting impacts extending beyond 2017 in larger urban centres. In fact, Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations attracted global attention, and The New York Times, Lonely Planet, Travel & Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and National Geographic Traveler all named Canada as a top vacation destination for 2017. Some key informants noted that tourists spent money on hotels, restaurants, fuel, and tourism products. In some instances (e.g. a new exhibit at a museum, annual light shows), those tourism benefits will accrue for years. Similarly, the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th case study indicated that there were increases in tourism in some communities, or in attendance at cultural events (as observed by individual community foundations), though the magnitude of this impact was not measured.

Only those who had received funding for a Signature initiative reported that their project generated a large economic impact. For example, SESQUI used the Ontario Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport calculator (TRIEM) to estimate the economic impact of their project. They found that a typical five-day stop by the film generated $1.1 million, nearly all of which was spent in Canada. The event also helped to create extra activity in the area in the form of local food trucks or bolstering an existing festival. In another instance, the RVNQ was able to organize an event at least 10 times larger than in previous years due to the additional funding, attracting a much larger group of visitors over a series of key events, and was able to hire over 20 full-time staff.

Evaluation question: how and to what extent did Canadians benefit from Canada 150 investments in lasting tangible legacies?

Key finding: many projects included a legacy component. The largest lasting impacts were generated by public infrastructure projects, though cultural legacy projects were the most common.

While some key informants generally agreed that tangible legacies were created as a result of Canada 150 investments, there was divergent opinion about their impact. Examples of tangible legacies, put forward both in interviews and in GCIMS data, included:

exhibits and works of art (e.g., murals, installations, sculptures, mosaics, plays, new exhibits at the National Arts Centre, plaques, painted rocks, a permanent outdoor boardwalk exhibit, collaborative paintings that reside with the Northern Indigenous community that created them);
promotional material (e.g., flag poles, the SESQUI film);
educational and digital resources (e.g., videos, resource materials for teaching Cree and Dakota in schools, school books translated into Indigenous languages);
Indigenous material (e.g., a large dream catcher now permanently displayed at the Confederation Centre for the Arts, a fountain recounting Indigenous creation stories); and
built environment and public infrastructure (e.g., monuments, new gardens and pavilions, trees, community gardens, etc.).

More broadly, GCIMS data indicates that a large proportion of projects included a legacy component. Specifically, 384 projects (69%) in 235 communities included a legacy component. Similarly, 66% of partners (n=27) reported that Canada 150 activities have contributed to creating tangible legacies to a moderate or great extent; and 69% of funding recipients (n=172) noted that their project left a lasting tangible legacy. Funding recipients who reported a legacy from their project were asked about the type of legacy that was created. The most common were similar to those raised in interviews: websites or applications (22%); film, video, video archive (16%); plaque (16%); mural (12%); and enduring or recurring exhibit, event, or program (11%). A more comprehensive list of responses is presented in the table below.

Table 16: type of tangible legacy your project led or contributed to (from funding recipient survey, Q26)

Examples provided by funding recipients	Number of responses (n=119)	% of responses^{Table 16 note *}
Website, application	26	22%
Film, video, video archive	19	16%
Plaque	19	16%
Mural	14	12%
Enduring or recurring exhibit, event, or program	13	11%
Photographs, photo exhibit	11	9%
Built environment (e.g., building, playground, public square)	10	8%
Monument, statue	9	8%
Public art, art installation	8	7%
Archived documentary evidence, artefacts, digital archive	6	5%
Hand-crafted, traditional artwork	6	5%
Published book, document	5	4%
Commissioned art (e.g., painting, music)	4	3%
Commemorative tree(s) planted	4	3%
Panel, banner, sign (e.g., at historic site)	3	3%
Art that participants could keep	3	3%
Other	5	4%
No response	1	1%

Table 16 notes

Table 16 note *

Respondents could provide more than one answer; totals may sum to more than 100%.

Return to table 16 note * referrer

Key informant beliefs in the benefits of those investments correlated strongly with the type of tangible legacy. Thus, built environment and public infrastructure were considered to have the longest-lasting legacies and be of the greatest benefits to their communities. Exhibits and works of art, meanwhile, were highlighted as having a positive legacy for at least several years, especially in cases where permanent exhibits or art installations were created.

A few PCH officials and partners noted there were fewer and smaller legacies than anticipated. They attributed this to the delays caused by the change in government priorities and the fact that it took time to put in place the Secretariat. The urgency to approve projects did not allow for sufficient solicitation, design, and support for projects that would have had said impact. Instead, more of the funds supported one-off celebrations without tangible legacies. Partners indicated that federal departments and agencies participated with their existing resources, which was considered cost-effective. However, because there were no dedicated additional funds, partners could not fund more substantial legacy projects.

Projects funded through the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th and micro-grants also included a wide variety of legacy components. In the case of the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, some examples of legacy components included:

physical legacies, such as a museum exhibit, a plaque, a flag pole, a community garden, or a revitalized playground;
new programs, projects, or initiatives begun in 2017 and intended to be recurrent events or ongoing community support;
educational projects that left communities better equipped to address local concerns; and
new connections and relationships between community members.

Similarly, 17 flagship Skating Day events were all run in partnership with equipment suppliers to create a skate bank for each location. Skating equipment was left in the communities so as to benefit participants in other events or activities.

Evaluation question: were there any unexpected outcomes (either positive or negative) associated with Canada 150?

Key finding: unexpected outcomes associated with Canada 150 included: a higher-than-anticipated level of interest in and profile of Canada 150 activities, dialogue and meaningful exchanges; the development of new partnerships; opportunities for discussion opened by some Indigenous resistance to Canada 150 as a celebration that fostered conversations about reconciliation; and the development of capacity in various organizations (both funding recipients, and micro-granting organizations).

The survey of funding recipients (n=172) provides some information on unexpected outcomes from Canada 150-funded projects. Only 37% of respondents reported unanticipated impacts from their projects. When asked about the type of unanticipated impacts, almost three quarters (73%) noted an unintended cultural impact; more than half reported unanticipated social impacts (58%); and one-third noted unanticipated economic impacts. Recipients were also asked to describe the nature of these impacts. The most common (25%) were participation, level of interest, or reach exceeded expectations; and 21% fostered dialogue, meaningful exchanges across various groups. A more comprehensive list of the nature of impacts is presented in Table 17.

Table 17: nature of unanticipated impacts (funding recipient survey, Q24)

Examples provided by funding recipients	Number of responses (n=63)	% of responses^{Table 17 note *}
Participation, level of interest or reach exceeded expectations (youth, Indigenous Peoples, etc.)	16	25%
Fostered dialogue, meaningful exchanges across various groups	13	21%
Increased visibility for organization or site, visits from elected officials	12	19%
Repeating activity or event due to popularity	10	16%
Continuing to work with some of the partners or collaborators	10	16%
Lasting impact on participants, exceeded expectations	5	8%
Community spirit exceeded expectations	4	6%
Deepened understanding of Indigenous history, heritage or traditions	3	5%
Furthered reconciliation	3	5%
Increased knowledge of local services and opportunities, reduced isolation or marginalization	3	5%
Emphasized Indigenous culture	2	3%
Administrative burden and delays, additional cost	2	3%
Opposition/non-participation of Indigenous people or communities	2	3%
Increased awareness of environmental stewardship	2	3%
Other	1	2%
No response	4	6%

Table 17 notes

Table 17 note *

Respondents could provide more than one answer; totals may sum to more than 100%.

Return to table 17 note * referrer

Interviews and the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th case study included a more detailed discussion on the unexpected outcomes from Canada 150.

Level of interest in and profile of Canada 150 activities

As in the survey, the most commonly cited unexpected outcome mentioned by some key informants across all stakeholder groups was the high level of interest in Canada 150 activities by the general public, recipient organizations, and even international publications. Key informants that spoke to this outcome viewed it positively, especially when that interest came from organizations, groups, or initiatives that did not typically apply for or receive federal funding (e.g. schools).

Similarly, partners and recipients indicated that their events or organizations had higher profiles than they had anticipated. For example, PCH publicized Library and Archives Canada’s “Canada on this day” vignettes on their website and were responsible for half of all the Web traffic those vignettes received. Most partners and recipients indicated being pleasantly surprised by how well received their initiatives were by the public, including the 3D Canada signs, the Canada 150 tulip, and performances by Indigenous artists.

New partnerships

Many key informants cited the creation of new partnerships as a positive outcome, and highlighted these relationships as one of the most valuable legacies of Canada 150. More discussion of the lasting partnerships that were established was presented earlier in this report (Section 4.2, Engagement – Partnerships).

Reconciliation

Some of the unanticipated outcomes reported in the survey of recipients included positive outcomes related to reconciliation and Indigenous cultures, such as fostering of dialogues across groups; furthered reconciliation; and deepened understanding of Indigenous traditions.

Key informants from most stakeholder groups (PCH officials, partners, stakeholders, funding recipients) highlighted the opposition to Canada 150 by some Indigenous Peoples and others focused on the branding of the 150th anniversary of Confederation as a celebration, or positive story, despite the broader “Participate, Celebrate, and Explore” themes that were set out. A few key informants thought that the Indigenous resistance presented an opportunity as it brought visibility to an important issue and forced non-Indigenous Canadians to reflect on their country’s historic and ongoing treatment of its Indigenous Peoples. Similarly, key informants appreciated that PCH funded projects that challenged the very idea of Canada 150 and allowed events to be contested spaces. While some key informants commented that this was largely a negative outcome of Canada 150, some of them echoed this theme as an opportunity to reflect.

Development of capacity

Most key informants highlighted that capacity development was an unexpected positive outcome at almost every level of the initiative. For example, recipient organizations cited having developed more expertise in: coordinating, managing, and hosting events; giving presentations; putting together funding proposals; having the appropriate dignitaries or local stakeholders involved; anticipating challenges and mitigation strategies for future events; and training their personnel accordingly.

Partners noted that the experience gave them a better sense of how to plan their activities in the future. As a result of working through granting applications, adjusting organization priorities to reflect the four policy areas, working with new partners, and planning such an initiative, many organizations are now better equipped to serve their communities on an ongoing basis and coordinate for future initiatives. Capacity was even developed within the federal government.

The development of capacity in the philanthropic sector was also found to be an important unexpected outcome of the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, including both individual community foundations, and their grant recipients.

Evaluation question: to what extent did Canada 150 bring Canadians together through participation in Major Events, Community projects, and Signature initiatives?

Key finding: Canada 150 and the projects that were funded are generally considered to have brought Canadians together through, among others, the deliberately inclusive design of events, diverse performers and participants.

Partners and funding recipients were both asked about the extent to which their projects brought Canadians together. In both cases, there was a strong sense that projects contributed to this outcome, with 88% of partners (n=27) reporting that their projects brought Canadians together to a great or moderate extent; and 93% of funding recipients (n=172) reporting that they strongly or somewhat agreed that their project brought Canadians together. These funding recipients were then asked how their projects contributed to this outcome. Responses are presented in the next table.

Table 18: how projects brought Canadians together (from funding recipient survey, Q11)

Examples provided by funding recipients	Number of respondents (n=160)	% of respondents^{Table 18 note *}
Inclusive by design (i.e., intentionally including multiple cultures in activity, celebration, event)	40	25%
Event attracted multiple segments of society	30	16%
Entertainment/performances reflected various peoples or cultures	29	18%
Group creative activities (e.g., community mural painting)	25	16%
Group learning/educational activities (e.g., workshops, exchange of ideas)	16	10%
Event attracted new audiences (external to community)	16	10%
Event gathered a large number of people in one place	13	8%
Improved understanding of Indigenous culture and history	12	8%
Showcased art and culture locally and online	9	6%
Event was free of charge to encourage attendance of all segments of society	9	6%
Exhibits and performances extended across Canada	8	5%
Event focused on common Canadian identity and values	6	4%
Improved understanding of other cultures	5	3%
Other	5	3%
No response	20	13%

Table 18 notes

Table 18 note *

Respondents could provide more than one answer; totals may sum to more than 100%.

Return to table 18 note * referrer

4.3. Efficiency

4.3.1. Efficiency in delivery and cost-effectiveness

Evaluation questions: to what extent was Canada 150 delivered efficiently and cost-effectively (including, Canada 150 Fund, Celebrations and Commemoration Program, the Major Event, Commemoration and Capital Experience Branch [MECCE] of PCH, Communications and Regions)?
To what extent was the FS efficient and cost-effective in its operations?

Key findings: partners and stakeholders agree that the Canada 150 initiative was well planned and efficiently delivered, that the FS was efficient and responsive, but there could have been more coordination with provinces, territories, and other potential partners across the country.

More than three years’ planning would have facilitated delivery. Additional resources within PCH would have helped manage the workload and reduced overtime for staff, and a better distribution of workload between headquarters and regional offices would likely have further improved efficiency. The application and review process with regard to community-driven projects could have been more streamlined, including by delegating Ministerial authority to Directors General and Regional Executive Directors for smaller grants and contributions (under $75,000 in 2016 for most programs).

Efficiency in delivery

Despite delays in decision-making, partners and stakeholders agree that the Canada 150 initiative was well planned and efficiently delivered, that the FS was efficient and responsive, and provided clear guidelines. However, there could have been more coordination with provinces, territories, and other potential partners across the country to ensure awareness and their engagement with Canada 150.

Some PCH senior managers indicated that planning began late for an initiative of this scale; three years was challenging, and created a very high workload for PCH managers and staff. Additional resources within PCH would have helped manage the workload and reduce overtime for staff, specifically in the CCP Special Projects Team.

Table 19: overtime for 2015-16 to 2017-18
-	FS – # of staff	FS – # of days	PCH – # of staff	PCH – # of days
2015-16	23	53.3	1,404	2,381.55
2016-17	22	58	1,306	2,420.78
2017-18	29	120.6	2,053	3,992.32
Totals	74	231.93	4,763	8,794.65

Table 20: paid overtime for 2015-16 to 2017-18
-	FS – # of staff	FS – amount ($)	PCH – # of staff	PCH – amount ($)
2015-16	5	$13,185	713	$967,699
2016-17	20	$68,700	746	$1,292,960
2017-18	17	$26,101	972	$1,638,430
Totals	42	$107,986	2,431	$3,899,089

As found in tables 19 and 20 above, between 2015-16 and 2016-17, the total amounts of overtime claimed by the FS rose, although the amounts claimed (days or money) per FS staff changed little, and remained slightly higher than the average amounts claimed by all PCH staff.

In 2017-18, the total amounts of overtime claimed across PCH increased. Among FS staff who claimed overtime in 2017-18, the average claim was four days per person (in comparison to all PCH staff who claimed an average of 1.9 days per person), and an average of $2,571 per person (in comparison to all PCH who claimed an average of $1,603 per person). This analysis may understate the amount of effort undertaken by Canada 150 staff. As shared by a senior manager, the overtime was often compensated in time informally.

Among the partners, some agree that planning began late and that earlier planning would have facilitated delivery and might have improved cost efficiency as well (they did not specify how). Overall, partner organizations reported a positive experience working with PCH and they reported specific project successes. However, they also indicated that, had they been approached or approved earlier, planning and execution would have been less challenging. This was especially true for those involved in larger projects, such as Signature initiatives.

According to PCH officials, stakeholders, partners, and funding recipients, the change of government in late 2015 created a change in priorities, caused delays in delivery and ultimately was detrimental to efficiency. The writ was dropped in August 2015 and, according to some key informants, a holding pattern lasted as late as June 2016. Decisions on funding were delayed, and several applications submitted during that period were rejected because they were not aligned with the new priority areas, which caused some to resubmit, and others to abandon. PCH officials and funding applicants also indicated a lack of capacity, time, and resources to develop strong funding applications; to solicit applications from underrepresented communities, work with applicants to strengthen their proposals, and then support them in building connections with potential partners.

PCH officials also indicated that a better distribution of workload between headquarters and regional offices would likely have resulted in more time to inform and work with applicants, assess applications, and make recommendations. Initially, the plan was to assign two full-time equivalents (FTE) per regional office for Canada 150 and have work distributed evenly among regional teams. In fact, the Department innovated in redistributing the workload associated with applications across regions – they were not necessarily processed where they originated – in order to achieve efficiencies and prevent bias. However, officials who were interviewed indicated this did not work as planned. Some regional offices were faced with a greater demand and were overwhelmed^{Footnote 25}, yet limited redistribution of work was possible due to limitations in the GCIMS software. A central authority would have been helpful in order to redistribute workload and resources as the demand increased in certain parts of the country. In addition, PCH key informants indicated that the public release of funding decisions in batches was particularly burdensome on smaller regional offices that were inundated with follow-up queries immediately after a decision release.

Senior managers and other PCH officials indicated that if there had been delegation of authority below the Ministerial level for the Canada 150 Fund, it would have improved timely delivery and overall efficiency. In 2016, Ministerial authority was delegated to Directors General and Regional Executive Directors for decisions on grants and contributions (under $75,000 in 2016 for most programs). However, that did not apply to the Canada 150 Fund, and the notification of decisions could happen/be announced months after the date of application. The centralized approval process had an impact on the delivery and implementation of funded projects.

Cost-effectiveness

A majority of senior managers and officials within PCH indicated that, in their view, the Canada 150 initiative was very cost-effective. They indicated that costs were relatively low since the initiative relied on a fairly small coordinating Secretariat and existing programs. The total overall planned funding from fiscal year 2015-16 to fiscal year 2018-19 was $210 million complemented by $17.4 million from existing funds, for a total of $227.4 million. Based on information from the Financial Management Branch of PCH, total actual spending was $237.1 million, with $28.7 million – or 12.11% – in operations, maintenance, and salary over that period.

Table 21 describes budgeted versus actual spending for the FS.

Table 21: budgeted versus actual spending for Canada 150 FS, fiscal years 2014-15 to 2018-19

Fiscal year	budgeted	actual	difference
2014-15	$678,721	$609,215	$69,506
2015-16	$3,306,782	$3,198,742	$107,095
2016-17	$6,097, 096	$5,868,298	$228,089
2017-18	$3,986,317	$3,727,648	$258,668
2018-19	$708,689	$605,338	$103,351
Total	$14,777,605	$14,009,241	$766,709

Source: (Canadian Heritage, 2019).

Evaluation reports of other PCH secretariats and the final report on the Montréal 375 Secretariat provide a point of comparison among similar initiatives with regard to the cost of administration:

2015 Pan and Parapan Am Games: the Government of Canada committed to invest $500 million to support the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games toward sport infrastructure, 2015 Games legacy, essential federal services, federal cultural strategy, and Team Canada preparation. The FS, structured within PCH’s Hosting Program and FS Division, managed the federal investment. The FS’s budget for 2011-12 to 2015-16 was $9.47 million (salaries, operating, employee benefits payments, and accommodations), or just under 2% of the total federal investment of $500 million.

Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812: the FS for the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, located within PCH, administered the $11.5 million 1812 Commemoration Fund available for community-based bicentennial projects. A total of $1.8 million was allocated for federal coordination and management of the FS, which represents 14% of the total funds when combined with the $11.5 million Commemoration Funds.

Montréal 375: the Montréal 375th anniversary celebration had total expenses of $107 million, of which administration accounted for $6.3 million or 6%.

This comparison seems to indicate that the proportion of spending attributed to the FS was not uncommon among the few comparable initiatives.

The requirement for cost-sharing of Canada 150 Fund projects (multiple funders) was perceived by partners as a way to be cost-effective and to build momentum and capacity among recipient organizations. That said, targets for other funding were not met in 11 of the 40 Signature initiatives. Partners also indicated that, considering that most federal departments and agencies participated in or funded Canada 150 activities from their existing resources, they were very cost-effective.

4.3.2. Resource optimization

Evaluation question: to what extent were Canada 150 resources optimized while maintaining appropriate quantity, quality, and timeliness?

Key findings: the initiative largely met its targets in terms of the number of communities participating and the number of participants. Unused funds were carried over into subsequent years and a balance of $4.4 million was reinvested.

Processes established and tools developed for the Canada 150 Fund contributed to an efficient use of resources, with regard to applications, triage, and recommendations.

Canada 150 came in under budget and the remaining funds were allocated to legacy funds.

Underlining the high level of interest in the Canada 150 Fund, in total, $818 million was requested. Over $250 million was recommended, and just over $195 million was allocated. Tables 22 through 24 provide a breakdown of the funding by region for Signature initiatives, Major Events and Community-driven project funding.

Table 22: Community-driven project funding (including Skating Day): requested versus recommended and approved ($ 000)

Region	Amount requested in funding applications ($ 000)	Amount requested in funding applications (%)^{Table 22 note **}	Recommended for funding ($ 000)	Recommended for funding (%)^{Table 22 note **}	Approved for funding ($ 000)	Approved for funding (%)^{Table 22 note **}
West^{Table 22 note *}	$128,912	19%	$24,645	18%	$13,638	16%
Prairies and North	$35,704	5%	$9,079	6%	$7,723	9%
Ontario	$278,591	41%	$52,092	37%	$32,950	38%
Québec	$193,133	28%	$43,415	31%	$23,314	27%
Atlantic	$47,555	7%	$11,489	8%	$8,572	10%
All regions	$683,897	100%	$140,722	100%	$86,198	100%

Source: Canadian Heritage. (2019e, July 2019). Download of grant and contribution admin data (GCIMS).

Table 22 notes

Table 22 note *

West region includes BC, AB, and YK. Prairies and North include SK, MB, NT, and NU.

Return to table 22 note * referrer

Table 22 note **

Column percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Return to table 22 first note ** referrer

Table 23: Signature initiatives: requested versus recommended and approved ($ 000)^{Table 23 note ***}

Region	Amount requested in funding applications ($ 000)	Amount requested in funding applications (%)^{Table 23 note **}	Recommended for funding ($ 000)	Recommended for funding (%)^{Table 23 note **}	Approved for funding ($ 000)	Approved for funding (%)^{Table 23 note **}
West^{Table 23 note *}	$6,047	6%	$5,996	8%	$5,996	8%
Prairies and North	$1,025	1%	$1,025	1%	$1,025	1%
Ontario	$64,697	69%	$48,768	64%	$48,768	64%
Québec	$19,454	21%	$19,409	25%	$19,409	25%
Atlantic	$2,318	2%	$1,500	2%	$1,500	2%
All regions	$93,542	100%	$76,700	100%	$76,700	100%

Source: Canadian Heritage. (2019e, July 2019). Download of grant and contribution admin data (GCIMS).

Table 23 notes

Table 23 note *

West region includes BC, AB, and YK. Prairies and North include SK, MB, NT, and NU.

Return to table 23 note * referrer

Table 23 note **

Column percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Return to table 23 first note ** referrer

Table 23 note ***

Signature initiatives were pan-Canadian in scope.

Return to table 23 note *** referrer

Table 24: Major project funding (including Acadian Day): requested versus recommended and approved ($ 000)

Region	Amount requested in funding applications ($ 000)	Amount requested in funding applications (%)^{Table 24 note **}	Recommended for funding ($ 000)	Recommended for funding (%)^{Table 24 note **}	Approved for funding ($ 000)	Approved for funding (%)^{Table 24 note **}
West^{Table 24 note *}	$4,600	14%	$4,465	14%	$4,465	14%
Prairies and North	$4,482	13%	$4,482	14%	$4,482	14%
Ontario	$16,362	48%	$16,362	50%	$16,362	50%
Québec	$5,799	17%	$5,099	16%	$5,099	16%
Atlantic	$2,558	8%	$2,475	8%	$2,475	8%
All regions	$33,802	100%	$32,886	100%	$32,886	100%

Source: Canadian Heritage. (2019e, July 2019). Download of grant and contribution admin data (GCIMS).

Table 24 notes

Table 24 note *

West region includes BC, AB, and YK. Prairies and North include SK, MB, NT, and NU.

Return to table 24 note * referrer

Table 24 note **

Column percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Return to table 24 first note ** referrer

Table 25 shows the allocated funds and approved project funds for the three project streams (Vote 5 grants and contributions only), annually from 2015-16 to 2017-18, as well as the total allocated and approved project funds and the overall balance for the three-year period. While project funds approved was well below funds allocated in 2015-16, funds were carried over into subsequent years, such that overall project funds approved was $2.5 million below allocated funds. Returned funds amounted to $1.9 million, resulting in a balance of $4.4 million (i.e. $2.5 million and $1.9 million). Of this $4.4 million, $2 million was allocated for the Canada 150 Legacy Arctic Foundation, and the remaining was reallocated toward Canada 150 Legacy or to other programs within the Department.

Table 25: Canada 150 Vote 5 allocated and approved project funds, 2015-16 to 2017-18 ($ 000)

Category	2015-16 Allocated	2015-16 Approved	2016-17 Allocated	2016-17 Approved	2017-18 Allocated	2017-18 Approved	Total Allocated	Total Approved	Total Balance
signature initiatives	$10,755	$12,755	$25,550	$32,347	$35,250	$29,925	$71,555	$75,087	-$3,531
major events	-	-	$11,415	$8,424	$17,217	$21,013	$28,632	$29,841	-$1,209
community-driven projects	$12,000	$500	$38,367	$32,657	$44,751	$54,727	$95,118	$87,884	$7,233
Total	$22,755	$13,255	$75,332	$73,428	$97,218	$105,665	$195,305	$192,812	$2,493

Source: (Canadian Heritage, 2018c).

The initial approximate allocation of funds at the national and regional level based on share of the population led to certain regions that were overwhelmed with demand to get the lion’s share. For example, 64% of the funding awarded to pan-Canadian Signature projects was awarded in Ontario. The remainder of the funding, provided to Major and community-driven projects, was awarded such that all Regions received close to a per capita amount (based on 2016 Census) and some areas with small populations (Atlantic, and Prairies and Northern Regions) received in excess of strict per capita funding.

In terms of the Fund, key informants reported that processes contributed to an efficient use of resources, with regard to applications, triage, and recommendations. Many tools were also developed specifically for the Canada 150 Fund: terms and conditions of the Fund, guidelines and application forms for applicants, contribution agreement templates, a Ministerial approval form (for headquarters and all regional offices), a visibility plan, a template for recipient planning regarding the integration of both official languages, a performance measurement strategy, and templates for reporting on results and financial reporting.

Key informants within PCH and partner organizations were divided as to whether the resources focused on the Canada 150 initiative and managing grants and contributions from the Fund impeded or not on the delivery of other existing PCH programs.

Finally, according to key informants within PCH and partner organizations, the main factor that affected timeliness of delivery was the delay in Canada 150 Fund funding decisions as a result of the election period followed by the change in government and priority areas (see section 4.3.1 above).

4.4. Effectiveness of design and delivery

4.4.1. Effective delivery by programs and regions

Evaluation question: to what extent was Canada 150 delivered effectively by PCH programs (CCP Special Projects Team, MECCE), other programs (Official Languages Programs, Youth Takes Charge), and Regions?

Key findings: the level of adherence to service standards was very high for the timely processing of applications relative to the Canada 150 Fund, less high for notification of funding decisions in 2015-16. As for satisfaction with delivery, satisfaction was high at both ends – PCH senior managers and recipients.

The Canada 150 launch date may have compressed the demand, which included a high number of first-time applicants who needed support and had an effect on the resources for the Federal Secretariat. Issues with communications led to missed opportunities. Several alternative delivery models were suggested.

Adherence to service standards

PCH established service standards for the timely processing of applications and the notification of funding decisions relative to the Canada 150 Fund. Applications that were acknowledged within 14 days were considered to have met the standard, while a notification of a funding decision within 182 days (26 weeks or six months) was deemed within the desired standard. Between 2015-16 and 2017-18, receipt of almost all applications (95.5%) was acknowledged in a timely manner.

Overall, between 2015-16 and 2017-18, most applicants received notice of the funding decision in a timely manner – that is, 2,815, or 86% of the 3,272 applications that were received, although there were differences among the years. In 2015-16, the year of the federal election, 74.5% of 436 applications received notice of the funding decision within the standard, with an average wait of 125 days. In 2016-17, 88% of 2,796 applications received funding decisions within the service standard, with an average wait of 117 days. In 2017-18, 100% of 39 applications received notice within the service standard, with an average wait of 39 days.

The survey conducted for this evaluation indicated that funding recipients were very satisfied with the Department’s adherence to its service standards. In summary:

88% reported being somewhat or very satisfied with the timely notification about the funding decision for their projects, while 10% were somewhat or very dissatisfied.
95% reported being somewhat or very satisfied with the amount they received relative to the amount they requested, and 3% were somewhat or very dissatisfied.
95% reported being somewhat or very satisfied with the timely receipt of funds relative to when they were required, and 2% were somewhat or very dissatisfied.
96% reported being somewhat or very satisfied with the interaction with the program officer assigned to their project, and 1% were somewhat or very dissatisfied.

Satisfaction with design and delivery aspects of Canada 150

The general consensus among PCH senior managers and officials was that, while not a perfect model, the FS and other PCH programs delivered Canada 150 as well as could be expected.^{Footnote 26} By and large, senior managers thought the design and delivery were a success because of the flexible structure, all the prescribed money that was invested, there was a good thematic and geographic distribution of funded projects, and the national and regional division of labour was appropriate. However, the few internal Regional key informants indicated they occasionally struggled with program delivery, and reported a lack of support and communication from PCH headquarters, uncertainty over the roles and responsibilities of the various programs involved in delivery,^{Footnote 27} and insufficient resources to adequately deal with the volume of applications and projects. One of the most consistent statements made by PCH senior managers and other officials was that the FS was set up relatively late for an initiative of this nature and scale, and it was perceived to be under-resourced, thus impeding its effectiveness. The launch date may have compressed the demand, which included a high number of first-time applicants who needed support. Internally, there was a high turnover of individuals on assignment with Canada 150, leading to gaps in corporate memory; there should have been more extensive use of the regional offices’ expertise, strategic intelligence, and delivery capacity; and better coordination and communication between the FS and other parts of PCH.

The Communications Strategy for Canada 150 led to partnerships with sport franchises, major Canadian organizations and social media platforms to promote brand visibility and engagement. Most paid advertising was on social media, contributing to a social media reach of nearly four billion people. Communications were identified as an important issue in the Canada 150 delivery model. PCH senior managers shared that the Canada 150 initiative was too large and evolved too quickly for communications to adapt to the changing environment. Communication delays or gaps meant that there were missed opportunities to undertake specific events and larger projects integration, which would have made the overall initiative more successful. Specifically, delays due to wait for approval before posting to social media lessened the potential or desired impact and reach of the initiative. PCH senior managers also indicated that these issues had a negative impact on staff involved with the initiative. Different solutions were proposed for future initiatives, including giving the Communications Branch more resources, allowing the PCH marketing team direct access to social media accounts, and transferring the management of social media and marketing to a third party^{Footnote 28}. Also, as public engagement can be hard to generate with new marketing products and new social media accounts, proposed solutions included government working with organizations and accounts that already have a significant reach; marketing year-round initiatives with consistent and constant messaging; making greater use of geolocalization on social media to inform the public of what was happening in their area; allowing for and encouraging more consumer-generated content; and retaining marketing experts up front to study which type of engagement would work well with which audience.

As for recipient organizations, across the country, they expressed a very high level of satisfaction with regional PCH program officers.^{Footnote 29} These program officers were characterized as knowledgeable, patient, and supportive. When issues arose (e.g. needing to amend contribution agreements or address discrepancies in reported data), program officers were noted to be flexible and helpful. Communications with the program officers were deemed professional, timely, and clear. Recipient organizations indicated that the application process was straightforward, relatively easy and, in cases where applicants had questions, the responses they received from PCH were helpful and timely.

Some of the partners surveyed did indicate lessons with regard to delivery, and a few others emerged from partner interviews. The key points from partners were as follows:

More lead time for planning and implementation was needed.
Dedicated resources are required for such an initiative (as opposed to resources loaned).
There were challenges with visibility and/or promotion of the federal investment.
In order to achieve a longer-term impact of the federal investment, projects with tangible legacy aspects should be supported.
Greater care should be taken to develop ecologically responsible merchandising and promotional material, especially since respecting the environment was a priority policy area.

Suggestions for alternate delivery models

The following are views expressed by key informants (senior managers, officials, and partners), as well as over the course of case studies and the partner survey, regarding improvements to delivery and alternatives in terms of design.

Mixed views were expressed in terms of the organizational structure, as to whether it is best to establish an arm’s-length secretariat external to PCH (but under the Government of Canada umbrella) managing the initiative with its own staff; a dedicated secretariat structure, remaining within the Department, with its own staff, such as communications and the web; or, as actually was the case, to have a relatively small secretariat team embedded in the Department, drawing on the resources of several other branches and regional offices as needed. Two options were repeatedly recommended as alternatives. The first option was an arm’s-length secretariat, similar to what was done for the Vancouver Olympics. The advantages of this model are an increased resilience to changes in the federal government, dedicated resources and personnel, as well as the ability to work directly with significant sponsors and other stakeholders. The second option was to have dedicated corporate resources for the initiative as opposed to drawing them from other branches as needed. Under this model, communications would have been internal to the FS with dedicated staff throughout the initiative. Partners (mostly other government departments and agencies) who were surveyed added that for similar initiatives, a secretariat staffing model that includes both national and regional employees is a good practice.

Key informants were not in agreement over the delivery model. Some reported that it was effective and streamlined; others indicated that it was not effective because the FS was the lead, yet the Special Projects Team of the CCP was responsible for the administration of the Canada 150 Fund, and the Minister’s office was overseeing all projects.

For the Community-based fund, the open intake was a critical element of success. Applications had to be grouped and reviewed in batches regardless of continuous intake.^{Footnote 30} PCH officials and stakeholders indicated that once final deadlines for applications were imposed later in the process, it caught many potential recipients off-guard, and caused a large influx of fairly rushed applications. PCH officials throughout the country also suggested a tiered application process, which could see smaller, one-time community projects apply using a simplified form and addressing fewer criteria, while organizations applying for funding on a more significant scale (e.g. province-wide or year-long events) would have to submit more detailed proposals.

4.4.2. Official language requirements

Evaluation question: were all official language requirements met?

Key findings: funding recipients and partner organizations were satisfied with the information and services available in both official languages from PCH. A very small percentage (6%) of funding recipients did not meet their obligations with regard to official languages.

None of the key informants identified issues with regard to the integration of both official languages. More specifically, key informants within PCH and partner organizations indicated that all committee meetings were bilingual and that information and tools distributed by PCH and partner organizations were available in both official languages (websites, applications material, marketing, etc.).

Furthermore, as part of the surveys undertaken for the evaluation, partners and funding recipients had the opportunity to rate their satisfaction with the availability of information in both official languages, either at the overall, Canada 150-level, or in the case of funding recipients, at the project level. Almost three quarters (74%) of the partners who completed the survey (n=27) reported that they were satisfied to a moderate or great extent with the availability of information and services in both official languages as part of the Canada 150 Initiative, and one (4%) indicated that they were not at all satisfied. Another 15% did not know about this topic, and one (4%) indicated that it did not apply to their project. Funding recipients (n=172) were also largely positive, with 95% of the respondents reporting that they were satisfied to a moderate or great extent with the information and services available in both official languages from PCH.

For the most part, Canada 150 Fund recipients had access to material in English and French, however, the use of both official languages varied based on the location and the organization delivering the activity or event. In their final reports, funding recipients were evaluated on the basis of whether they met their obligations regarding, among other things, official languages. Of the 552 projects for which final reporting data is available through GCIMS (July 2018), 35 (6%) indicated that they had not met their obligations (e.g. the recipient did not acknowledge funding in both official languages, no efforts were made to engage with the OLMC in a given region, or promotional material was only available in English), while 465 (84%) reported that they had. Data was not available for the remaining 52 projects (9%).

Finally, as part of the case study on the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, concerns were noted with regard to meeting official languages obligations; more specifically, the inconsistent ability of individual community foundations to deliver comparable services in both official languages, and to promote their activities in both official languages. Measures were recommended either to ensure that these requirements are met if a similar initiative were to be undertaken in the future, or that requirements are re-examined to ensure that they are appropriate, and that organizations have the capacity to meet them. The relevance and necessity of such requirements were questioned with respect to projects in communities with very small or no OLMCs, and with respect to small grants of $2,000.

4.5. Effectiveness of Federal Secretariat oversight and coordination

4.5.1. Coordination and oversight

Evaluation question: was the FS coordination and oversight of the Canada 150 Initiative effective?

Key findings: documents indicated ongoing coordination, strategic planning, information sharing, and dialogue between the FS or PCH programs and external partners and stakeholders. Partners and stakeholders expressed satisfaction with the collaboration and communication. PCH officials, partners, and stakeholders were largely satisfied with the types of tools that were provided to them.

Documents indicated ongoing coordination, strategic planning, information sharing, and dialogue between the FS or PCH programs and external partners and stakeholders. Documents also indicated that strategic policy advice was provided by and to the FS regarding: Indigenous Peoples, OLMCs, and Canadians living with a disability. For example, various documents point to advice provided by the FS to federal institutions to ensure linguistic duality in festivities marking Canada 150; the FS circulated information and resources on how communities and organizations could plan accessible and inclusive events; and so forth.

The general consensus among PCH officials, partners, and stakeholders who were interviewed was that the FS was effective given its resources. Specifically, among partners who were surveyed, 59% reported that they were satisfied to a moderate or great extent with FS oversight and coordination. Partners found the regular opportunities for collaboration and communication with PCH to be helpful; they kept each other informed about their various projects. Stakeholders also noted a satisfactory and ongoing dialogue with PCH (in general, not specifically the FS).

In addition, internal key informants, partners (including other government departments [OGDs]), as well as stakeholders were largely satisfied with the types of tools that were provided to them. Fifty-two percent of the partners who were surveyed (n=27) indicated that the coordination, support, and other outputs provided by the FS were effective. The outputs of the FS and PCH were found to be appropriate as they engaged many stakeholders and partners regularly without creating a significant workload. Tools, templates, and guidelines were developed to help ensure coherence in the presentation and delivery of Canada 150 throughout the country. Internal key informants were satisfied with tools such as templates for contribution agreements and budgets. Partners and stakeholders were largely satisfied with the tools, including clear and appropriate guidelines for the infrastructure fund, the branding strategy, and guidance on how to align projects with federal priorities. OGDs were also largely satisfied with the tools to guide project funding, including the regular reports and briefing documents, however, some key informants from OGDs expressed an interest in having fewer but longer meetings to allow for more meaningful discussion and thus greater cohesion among funded projects. Key informants from OGDs also indicated that some of the templates (e.g. reporting templates or performance measurement) did not align with information they were collecting. In these cases, discussions with PCH were found to be helpful and, where necessary, PCH adjusted the templates accordingly. The tools would have been more helpful if they had been developed and shared earlier in the process, especially for the branding strategy and how to coordinate sponsorships.

It is worth noting that a 2016 audit had spurred the development of:

the single-page Dashboard to integrate operational, performance, and risk information, which was shared with all the initiative’s partners through the Canada 150 ADM committee, as well as a SharePoint site, and presented to the executive on a monthly basis;
the Operational and Performance Dashboard to support internal reporting to senior management; and
the extensive Canada 150 Risk Registry, to monitor the initiative and to mitigate associated risks, used by both the FS, as well as by partners.

Risk assessment was integrated into monthly reporting to the Executive Committee of PCH. As for other internal tools, such as the SharePoint document management system, PCH key informants were divided in their estimations of how helpful those were; senior management tended to view these tools more favourably than officials, who viewed them as cumbersome.

4.5.1.1. Governance framework

Evaluation question: to what extent was the governance framework effective?

Key findings: the various governance bodies were largely found to support efficient program delivery and the achievement of intended outcomes. Initially, there was some confusion over roles and responsibilities among participants, but this improved over time.

The ADM committee was cited as the most successful and useful; the Interdepartmental Committee on Commemoration (ICC) was also well established, well run, and could have been relied on even more relative to Canada 150. The federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) Working Group struggled to generate engagement from the provinces and territories.

Working groups internal to PCH supported decision-making. Specifically, the national review working group worked well and allowed for a large volume of applications for community-driven projects to be reviewed in a short period of time.

The effectiveness of the FS has already been discussed above (Section 4.5.1). The current section focuses on committees and working groups that were part of the governance framework for Canada 150 (Figure 1, section 2).

While the ICC existed prior to the initiative, most of the horizontal committees were created as part of the vision of networked governance for Canada 150. While integrating existing committees and groups was viewed as a good way to leverage existing expertise, several of the newer committees were established later in the planning cycle, and despite documents that outlined the roles and responsibilities of the various governance bodies as well as their relationship to one another, numerous key informants noted that there was a lack of understanding among most participants in these groups. Understanding of roles improved over time among most participants, allowing for resource sharing, workload distribution, and collaboration.

The various bodies were largely found to support efficient program delivery and the achievement of intended outcomes. The networked governance model allowed for organic growth, the horizontal sharing of resources, the promotion of good collaboration, a distribution of the workload, and a way to amplify the overall messaging and reach of Canada 150. The electronic tools and templates that were developed helped support the various decision-making bodies. Participants also indicated that partnerships were formed as a result of their involvement in these committees.

Regional offices and provincial partners indicated that there were few opportunities to provide input throughout the initiative. That said, the FPT Working Group struggled to generate engagement from representatives of provinces and territories, largely because Canada 150 was not as important in some regions. Some did not have the funding necessary to participate fully in Canada 150 without significant support from the federal government.

Among partners who responded to the survey (n=27), 63% reported that the FS governance framework was somewhat or very effective, and that the decision-making structures and processes including DM and ADM-level committees and working groups were somewhat or very effective.^{Footnote 31} With respect to individual committees, in interviews, the ADM committee was cited as the most successful and useful. It was set up early in the process, met regularly, had excellent participation from OGDs, and proved to be a helpful avenue to engage departments and foster collaboration. The success of this committee relative to others may be due to the fact that it was centred on collaboration and information sharing more so than decision-making. According to key informants, the ICC was well established; it held regular meetings, sent relevant documents to participants in a timely manner, and was well run. Working groups internal to PCH also supported decision-making. The national review working group worked well, as it allowed for a large volume of applications for community-driven projects to be reviewed in a short period of time, and for consistent decisions to be made.

4.5.2. Marketing and outreach

Evaluation question: to what extent did marketing and outreach activities of the FS and PCH programs contribute to awareness of activities funded through Canada 150?

Key findings: the marketing strategy was multi-pronged, and included a presence at high visibility events and locations; partnerships with large, high-visibility organizations; enlisting CBC/Radio-Canada as official media partner; and orchestrating several visual media campaigns, mainly for the Web and social media. There was a high level of agreement among key informants from all groups that the marketing and outreach activities of PCH and the FS were effective. Key informants were divided: some stressed that the mostly digital campaign was the best way to create high levels of participation and generate a good return on investment, while others expressed that reach was limited because social media was relied upon too heavily.

The marketing strategy was divided into a three-phased approach: building momentum (March 2016 to December 2016), engaging participation (January 2017 to June 2017), and sustaining momentum (July 2017 to December 2017). Brand visibility and engagement were heightened by using key sport franchises, broad-reaching sport networks and events, as well as hosting activities and events at recognizable landmarks, buildings, and National Historic Sites. Marketing partnerships were also integral to outreach and communication activities. As a result, partnerships were formed with large Canadian organizations (e.g. the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train), major Canadian airports, influencers with significant social media following, and media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.^{Footnote 32}

One of the more notable projects funded was Passport 2017, “an event-discovery website and free mobile app” that featured daily event recommendations and stories about Canada and Canadians. The app featured nearly 16,000 events and was downloaded over 71,000 times. In terms of visual media campaigns, PCH oversaw several outreach campaigns to raise awareness of Canada 150 and specific activities. The Tank Media, a creative agency, was hired to produce creative products for the Canada 150 campaign while Cossette Media, the Agency of Record for the Government of Canada, was responsible for recommendations concerning advertising media, planning, and purchasing of ad space. In total, Tank created 192 videos of various lengths and formats between mid-December 2016 and mid-January 2018. Seminal campaigns such as the Kick Off, Ombrelle, targeted millennials (ages 20 to 35), families (especially those with children), Indigenous people, and Baby Boomers (ages 50 to 69). The Skating Day advertisement campaign was largely aimed at families as well as mobile users more broadly. The wrap-up campaign, meanwhile, focused on reaching Canadians ages 18 through 65. A report compiled by The Tank Media indicates that, of the videos produced, 13 focused on youth, 11 on diversity, eight on our environment, and five on reconciliation.

As for the use of the logo, by January 2018, three out of four Canadians surveyed reported having seen the Canada 150 logo or brand. The Operational Dashboards indicate 9,761 brand requests and 16,060 brand downloads. There were 575 Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) preapproved downloads between November 2016 and December 2017, peaking from January to June 2017, reaching as high as 1,930 in June alone. The Branding and Logo Management Report indicated that “the Canada 150 brand was adopted quickly and widely by Canadians, public organizations and private entities” and that the logo was “featured at tens of thousands of events and celebrations, and generated millions of dollars’ worth in sales of Canada 150-branded merchandise.” Examples of the use of the logo included on signage, event websites, and in promotional videos. Among the approved licences for the Canada 150 logo, there was a near 50% split between commercial and non-commercial applications.

The Operational Dashboards indicate that Canada.ca/150 received over 3.14 million page views over the same period, and was searched organically (i.e. by using an Internet search engine such as Google) 722,614 times. The same data also shows that Canada 150’s social media reached nearly four billion people. When broken down by month (see Figure 9), most social media activity took place in June and July of 2017. Significant social media activity occurred in the lead-up to Canada Week 2017 and more specifically on or around Canada Day.

**Figure 9: monthly social media reach of Canada 150 (in millions)**

Month	Reach
Jan 2017	92
Feb 2017	118
March 2017	173
April 2017	160
May 2017	157
June 2017	888
July 2017	1681
Aug 2017	119
Sept 2017	76
Oct 2017	83
Nov 2017	49
Dec 2017	128

At the national level, the FS partnered with CBC/Radio-Canada as official media partner of the Canada 150 Countdown. This partnership was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2016. $150,000 was provided by the FS to CBC/Radio-Canada in order to cover various Canada 150 activities through its broadcast, social media, and digital assets; created content and told stories of “Canadian communities, organizations, and people that exemplify unique facets of Canadian identity, optimism, creativity and community spirit;” and leverage their social media and other digital platforms to create a meaningful narrative of Countdown activities.^{Footnote 33} Funding recipients throughout the country also formed media partnerships with print, television, radio, and online-only partners. Several projects had a partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada, and numerous projects partnered with local radio stations and newspapers. Both French and English media sources are listed in recipient reports.

Overall, there was a high level of agreement among key informants that the marketing and outreach activities of PCH and the FS were effective, and 81% of funding recipients who were surveyed (n=172) reported that marketing and outreach activities undertaken to foster awareness and promote activities and events overall were somewhat or very effective. Stakeholders, other government departments, partners, and funding recipients indicated that they appreciated the branding products, as well as the information packages designed to support and encourage their use.

There was less consensus, however, as to whether these outreach activities were the most appropriate. Senior managers stressed that the mostly digital media campaign was a viable way to create high levels of participation, was amplified by OGDs, and created a good return on investment. However, other senior managers thought that social media was relied upon too heavily, and that insufficient funds were dedicated to other promotion and outreach activities.

5. Conclusions

5.1. Relevance

The initiative was aligned with departmental outcomes and federal government priorities, roles, and responsibilities. All four priority policy areas were addressed.

Activities were relevant and important to many Canadians. Interest in the Canada 150 Fund was high, and activities deemed worthwhile by Fund recipients, including for creating or strengthening partnerships.

Reconciliation was among the priority areas of the initiative. The positive media coverage of projects in the spirit of reconciliation undertaken by the Canadian professional arts sector demonstrates that artists can be in the forefront of key social changes. Statements by Indigenous Peoples and others rejected celebrating, or that the respect for reconciliation expressed through Canada 150 might not lead to action on the recommendations of the TRC, were frequently reported in the media. However, the media coverage analysis also indicates that influential events featuring reconciliation were funded by Canada 150, showing that Canada 150’s broad eligibility enabled the conversation about reconciliation among Canadians.

5.2. Effectiveness – Achievement of expected outcomes

Major events and signature initiatives were mostly successful at marking and recognizing Canada 150 on a larger scale, and with a higher profile. Community-driven projects also contributed significantly to engagement – they had large numbers of participants, right across the country, and represented the largest share of volunteers.

Most evidence demonstrated that the initiative contributed to a sustained sense of pride.

The general consensus is that communities benefitted economically mostly from tourism, and from short-term employment. However, economic impact was not measured systematically.

Almost seven in ten Canada 150-funded projects created a lasting legacy, including websites, plaques, video archives, murals and permanent or recurring exhibits. Unexpected positive outcomes were, at almost every level of outcomes of the initiative, capacity development and new partnerships.

There was a high level of agreement in interviews and among surveyed recipients that the marketing and outreach activities of PCH were appropriate and effective. The evidence confirms that the FS led ongoing strategic planning, internal and external information-sharing, and provided strategic advice. PCH personnel and partners were satisfied with the tools provided to them. The networked governance model, with various levels of committees and working groups, was well suited to this type of initiative. The ADM committee was deemed the most useful. The electronic tools and templates that were developed helped support the various committees and decision-makers.

The branding strategy achieved high visibility. By January 2018, three out of four Canadians surveyed reported having seen the Canada 150 logo or brand. That said, participants in the evaluation were divided on whether the mostly digital marketing campaign was a viable way to create high levels of participation relative to its cost, or whether reach was limited because social media was relied upon too heavily.

5.3. Effectiveness – Design and delivery

The level of adherence to service standards was very high for the timely processing of applications (95%) relative to the Canada 150 Fund, but lower for notification of funding decisions in 2015-16. As for satisfaction with delivery, satisfaction was high at both ends – PCH senior managers and recipients.

The evidence indicates differing opinions on the model of the Secretariat, and national versus regional resources and roles.

More time for planning and delivery, specifically for outreach, and Ministerial delegation of authority to Directors General and Regional Executive Directors for decisions regarding smaller grants and contributions (under $75,000 for most programs in 2016) could have contributed to a more efficient process.

The national review committee process for applications was perceived as very efficient, and regional office intelligence and relationships were important in identifying key proponents and projects, and ensuring an appropriate distribution of funding.

5.4. Effectiveness – Federal Secretariat

Partners and stakeholders agree that the Canada 150 initiative was well planned and effectively delivered, and that the FS was efficient and responsive.

Further simplification of the applications process for the Fund, and streamlining of both application and reporting systems, as well as improved reporting on participation and attendance in order to better assess impact would have improved effectiveness.

5.5. Efficiency

Additional resources provided to PCH would have helped manage the workload and reduce overtime for existing staff. Having Regions administer other Regions’ application was an innovation, though the workload among headquarters and regional offices could have been more efficiently distributed.

Canada 150 was delivered under budget: total actual spending for the initiative was lower than planned. The initiative was considered very cost-effective from an administrative cost ratio perspective (systems experimentation costs that were not assigned to the initiative are excluded from consideration). The participation of federal departments and agencies from their existing resources, and the requirement for cost-sharing of Canada 150 Fund projects (multiple funders), contributed to the cost effectiveness of the initiative.

5.6. Small and micro-grants

Small grants (locally assessed, in the case of the CFC) were well suited to the types of initiatives represented by Skating Day and the CFC’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, given that, in many communities, the organizations receiving grants were often small in size. Payment processes (validation of vendor, direct deposit) used for Canada 150 were not well suited to smaller, less formal recipient groups, and are in the process of being adapted by PCH and could be tailored for other funding opportunities.

6. Lessons Learned and best practices

The following are best practices and lessons learned from the Canada 150 initiative that could be useful to future large, one-time, cultural, commemorative, or sporting events.

6.1. Governance

6.2. Partnership

Collaboration between the private sector, OGD, partners, stakeholders, and delivery organizations was highlighted as a key contribution to the success of the initiative. Enabling such cross-sector relationships should be a central feature of any future similar initiatives.

An ADM-level committee can be very effective in engaging OGDs in a large-scale horizontal initiative.

6.3. Objectives, Planning and Reporting

In the case of an event with significant funding, legacy projects are seen as having high value.

Should economic objectives be assigned to an event, a pre-established methodology and systematic data collection are needed to assess economic impact.

With regard to reporting, more accurate participation and attendance estimates need to be developed and used consistently across the country to allow for a better analysis of impact.

6.4. Design and Delivery

Consideration should be given to developing an application process where the level of effort involved in application and payment is proportionate to the size of the amount being awarded.

6.5. Small and micro-grants

In the case of small or micro-grants, an easy and short online application form can increase interest and participation at the grassroots level and reduce the administrative burden on PCH.

Evaluation of applications for small and micro-grants should be tailored, since the capacity of charitable or less formal organizations varies.

Annex A: evaluation framework

Relevance – issue #1: assessment of the extent to which Canada 150 addressed a demonstrable need and is responsive to the needs of Canadians
Questions	Indicators	Data sources	Methods of data collection	Target
1) To what extent were PCH Canada 150 (Canada 150 Fund) activities relevant to Canadians? How supportive were Canadians of Canada 150 activities? Was supporting Canada 150 activities worthwhile?	1.1. # of POR respondents who indicated an intent to participate in Canada 150 activities 1.2. Level of participation in Celebrate Canada Week activities compared to previous years 1.3. # of applications for funding 1.4. Perceptions of key informants on the importance to Canadians of Canada 150 community projects, signature projects and major events (Bringing Canadians Together) 1.5. Perceptions of key informants on whether Canada 150 activities were worthwhile	Canadians Program documents GCIMS or other program data PCH officials Partners Stakeholders Funding recipients	Public opinion research Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews Survey	-

Relevance – issue #2: alignment of the linkages between program objectives and federal government priorities and departmental strategic outcomes
Questions	Indicators	Data sources	Methods of data collection	Target
2a) How did Canada 150 activities align with the four policy priority areas: Diversity* and inclusion Supporting efforts toward National Reconciliation of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Canadians Engaging and Inspiring Youth; and Our Environment * Diversity of Canadian society includes official language minority communities, Indigenous peoples, ethno-cultural groups and youth	2a.1. # and type of projects that champion one or more of the Canada 150 policy priority areas 2a.2. # of projects that engaged youth 2a.3. Extent to which funded projects are inclusive and reflect the diversity of the Canadian population (# and type of target populations reached (OLMCs, Indigenous peoples, ethno-cultural groups and youth) 2a.4. # of projects focusing on linguistic duality or OLMCs 2a.5. # of projects supporting national reconciliation of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Canadians 2a.6. # of projects with an environmental theme 2a.7. Perceptions of the level of inclusiveness of Canada 150 projects 2a.8. Extent to which Canada 150 projects have promoted the Canada 150 policy priority areas 2a.9. Perceptions of the extent to which Canada 150 projects have promoted the Canada 150 policy areas	GCIMS or FS database (Monster Tracker) DPR/DRR or RPP/DP Program documents (including “Placemats”) Funding recipients Partners PCH officials Stakeholders Budgets and Speeches from the Throne Canadians	Document and administrative data review Survey Key informant interviews Public opinion research	-
2b) How did Canada 150 activities align with the PCH objectives of Canada 150 (Bringing Canadians Together) Based on the Governance Framework and PMF, ‘Bringing Together’ appears to be about the level of engagement and participation	2b.1. # and type of Canada 150 events and projects that brought Canadians together	GCIMS or FS database (Monster Tracker) Funding recipients	Document and administrative data review Survey	-
2c) How did Canada 150 activities contribute to departmental priorities and outcomes?	2c.1. Evidence of alignment with priorities and strategic outcomes 2c.2. Perception of alignment with PCH priorities and outcomes	DPR/DRR or RPP/DP PCH officials	Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews	-

Relevance – issue #3: assessment of the role and responsibilities for the federal government in delivering the program
Questions	Indicators	Data sources	Methods of data collection	Target
3) Was delivering Canada 150 recognized as an appropriate federal government role and responsibility?	3.1. Perceptions of the federal government’s relevance in delivering Canada 150	PCH officials Partners Stakeholders Canadians	Key informant interviews Public opinion research	-

Performance – issue #4: achievement of Expected Outcomes - Assessment of progress toward expected outcomes (including immediate, intermediate and ultimate outcomes) with reference to performance targets and program reach, program design, including the linkage and contribution of outputs to outcomes
Questions	Indicators	Data sources	Methods of data collection	Target
4 a) What opportunities did Canada 150 provide to Canadians to participate in activities and events?	4a.1. # and location of communities that were funded through Canada 150 (pan-Canadian reach, target populations, sectors of Canadian society) 4a.2. # and type of major events, community projects, and signature projects funded through Canada 150 4a.3. # of grants and contribution projects funded through Canada 150 and delivered by key stakeholders	GCIMS or FS database (Monster Tracker) Program documents	Document and administrative data review	-
4b) To what extent did Canada 150 projects engage Canadians and contribute to vibrant Canadian communities?	4b.1. # of volunteers involved in projects funded through Canada 150 and associated volunteer hours 4b.2. # and type of partnerships and collaborative arrangements (private and not-for-profit sectors, schools, and other levels of government, etc.) who provided financial and in-kind support to Canada 150 projects 4b.4. Level of financial support provided by funding partners (private and not-for profit sectors, schools, other levels of government, etc.) 4b.5. Amount and type of in-kind support provided by funding partners (private and not-for profit sectors, schools, other levels of government etc.) 4b.6. Level of participation by Canadians in Canada 150 funded activities (by target groups, including youth) 4b.7. Perceptions of the extent to which Canada 150 activities contributed to vibrant communities (economic impact, community engagement, volunteering, partnerships, participation in events, inclusive of the diversity of Canadian society)	PCH officials Stakeholders Funding recipients Stakeholders Partners Canadians	Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews Case studies Surveys Public opinion research	-
4c) To what extent did Canada 150 activities contribute to a sustained sense of pride and attachment to Canada and to local communities?	4c.1. Increase in intensity of Canadians’ sense of belonging to Canada as demonstrated by an increase in the % of Canadians who feel a very strong sense of belonging to Canada, while maintaining the over 90% of Canadians who feel a strong or somewhat strong sense of belonging 4c.2. Increase in the % of Canadians who feel a very strong sense of pride in Canada while maintaining the overall 84% of Canadians who feel a strong or somewhat strong feeling of pride in Canada 4c.3. Increase in the % of Canadians who feel a very strong sense of belonging to their community while maintaining the overall 79% of Canadians who feel a strong or somewhat strong sense of belonging to a community 4c.4. Perceptions of key informants of the extent to which Canada 150 projects contributed to sustained sense of pride in Canada	Canadians PCH officials Stakeholders Funding recipients Partners	Public opinion research Key informant interviews Case studies Survey	As per PMF: 3% increase nationally from the 2015 baseline
4d) How and to what extent did Canadians benefit from the economic impacts generated by Canada 150 projects?	4d.1. Evidence of economic benefits generated through Canada 150 projects 4d.2. Perceptions of the extent to which communities benefited economically as a result of Canada 150 events and projects	GCIMS, final reports Statistics Canada’s statistics on tourist Funding recipients Stakeholders	Media coverage review Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews Case studies Survey	-
4e) How and to what extent did Canadians benefit from Canada 150 investments in lasting tangible legacies*? *Tangible legacies may include for example, plaques, monuments, but also websites, brochures re. legacies	4e.1. Canadians’ level of awareness of legacy projects 4e.2. Extent to which Canada 150 created lasting legacies - # and type of legacy projects funded (including e.g. plaques, monuments, but also websites, brochures re. legacies) 4e.3. # of communities in which legacy projects took place 4e.4. Perception of the extent to which tangible legacies were created and the benefits of these tangible legacies	Canadians GCIMS or FS database (Monster Tracker) Final project reports PCH officials Stakeholders Funding recipients Partners	Public opinion research Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews Case studies Survey	As per PMF SO4.1, 50% of Canadians are aware; SO4.2 (extent to which investments led to legacies, no target); SO4.3, 80% of Canadians are aware of and view investments positively
4f) Were there any unexpected outcomes (either positive or negative) associated with Canada 150?	4.f.1. Perceptions as to the nature and scale of unexpected outcomes Evidence as to the nature and scale of unexpected outcomes	PCH officials Stakeholders Funding recipients Partners Final project reports	Key informant interviews Case studies Survey Document and administrative data review	-
4g) To what extent did Canada 150 bring Canadians together through participation in: Major events Community projects; and Signature projects?	4g.1. # of participants in large-scale Canada 150 celebrations and commemorations, community and signature projects funded by Canada 150 4g.2. Television viewership for selected large-scale Canada 150 celebrations and commemorations 4g.3. Attendance at community-based, anchor and signature events 4g.4. Extent to which events were accessible to Canadians (free of charge) 4g.5. Geographic distribution of Canada 150 activities and events (P/Ts, regions, major centres, internationally) 4g.6. Perception of the extent to which Canada 150 brought Canadians together	GCIMS or performance reports and final project reports Final project reports GCIMS or FS database (Monster Tracker) Program documents PCH officials Stakeholders Funding recipients Partners Canadians	Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews Case studies Survey Public opinion research	-

Performance – issue #5: assessment of resource utilization in relation to the production of outputs and progress toward expected outcomes
Questions	Indicators	Data sources	Methods of data collection	Target
5a) To what extent was Canada 150 delivered efficiently and cost-effectively (including, Canada 150 Fund, Special Projects team Fund, MECCE, Communications and Regions)?	5a.2. Evidence that PCH delivered the required outputs 5a.3. Canada 150 operational cost in relation to overall budget (administrative ratio) (Canada 150 Fund and its three components signature, community and major events projects), and Special Projects Team, MECCE) 5a.4. Perceptions of key stakeholders and delivery partners regarding the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of Canada 150 delivery 5a.5. Perceptions of PCH officials and partners on ways the efficiency or cost-effectiveness of Canada 150 (including Canada 150 Fund, Special Projects Team, MECCE, Communications and Regions) could have been improved	FS database (Monster Tracker) Financial and performance reports PCH officials Partners Funding Recipients	Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews Case studies (on micro-grants)	-
5b) To what extent was the FS efficient and cost-effective in its operations?	5b.1. FS operational costs in relation to overall budget (administrative ratio) 5b.2. Comparison of administrative costs of the FS to other PCH secretariats (e.g., 2015 Pan and Parapan Am Games, War of 1812, Montreal 375, etc.) 5b.4. Perceptions on efficiency and cost-effectiveness of FS operations and services, and whether they could have been improved	Financial and performance reports FS database (Monster Tracker)s/documents Financial and performance reports Evaluation Reports PCH officials Partners	Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews Survey	-
5c) To what extent were Canada 150 resources optimized while maintaining appropriate quantity, quality and timeliness?	5c.1. Difference between planned and utilized financial resources 5c.2. Perspectives of key informants on the extent to which funding allocated to program areas was optimized	Financial and performance reports FS documents PCH officials	Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews	-

Design and delivery – issue #6: effectiveness of the design and delivery
Questions	Indicators	Data sources	Methods of data collection	Target
6a) To what extent was Canada 150 delivered effectively by PCH programs (Special Projects Team, MECCE) and other programs (Official Languages Programs, Youth Takes Charge) Regions	6a.1. Degree of adherence to service standards – i.e., timely processing of applications, notification of funding decisions, and disbursement of funds 6a.2. Level of satisfaction with design and delivery aspects of Canada 150 projects by Special Projects Team, MECCE and Regions 6a.4. Views regarding alternate, potentially more effective design or delivery models	GCIMS or FS database (Monster Tracker) DPR/DRR or RPP/DP Funding recipients PCH officials Partners	Document and administrative data review Survey Key informant interviews	-
6b) Were all official language requirements met?	6b.1. Number of documents with references to both official languages 6b.2. Number of events with both official languages 6b.3. Proportion of Canada 150 promotions and other materials in both official languages 6b.4. Level of satisfaction with availability of information and services in both official languages	Performance reports or other program documents GCIMS or FS database (Monster Tracker) Final project reports Funding recipients Partners	Document and administrative data review Survey Key informant interviews	-

Federal Secretariat oversight and coordination – issue #7: effectiveness of the Federal Secretariat’s oversight and coordination of the Canada 150 Initiative
Questions	Indicators	Data sources	Methods of data collection	Target
7a) Was the FS coordination and oversight of the Canada 150 Initiative effective?	7a.1. Effectiveness of tools to guide delivery of project funding 7a.2. Evidence of provision of strategic policy advice by FS including on issues of diversity and inclusiveness (youth, Indigenous Canadians, ethno-cultural groups, official language minority communities) and regions 7a.3. Perceptions on utility of strategic policy advice provided by FS, including effectiveness in ensuring diversity and inclusiveness (youth, Indigenous Canadians, ethno-cultural groups, official language minority communities) and regions 7a.4. # and type of partnerships, range of organizations, groups and individuals and level of support from all sectors of the Canadian economy in the Canada 150 Initiative through facilitation efforts of the FS 7a.5. # and type of in-kind services and partnerships from the private and not-for-profit sectors 7a.6. Extent to which the FS innovated in its design of the Canada 150 Initiative 7a.7. % of Federal departments and agencies that provide performance information as scheduled 7a.8. Evidence of coordination, strategic planning, information sharing, ongoing dialogue with PCH programs and external partners and stakeholders 7a.9. # and type of coordination mechanisms in place 7a.10. Level of satisfaction with the oversight and coordination role of the FS 7a.11. # and type of interdepartmental committee and working group meetings 7a.13. Perceptions and level of satisfaction with the participation and commitment of federal department and agency representatives	Representatives of OGDs PCH officials Partners FS documents GCIMS or FS database (Monster Tracker) Final project reports Stakeholders Funding recipients Performance reports Minutes of interdepartmental committees and working groups; other FS documents	Key informant interviews Survey Document and administrative data review Case studies	-
7b) To what extent did marketing and outreach activities of the FS and PCH programs contribute to awareness of activities funded through Canada 150?	7b.1. # and type of marketing and outreach/communications products/tools/activities created, distributed and supported by the FS, PCH programs and funding recipients for Canada 150 events 7b.2. # and type of marketing and outreach/communications products/tools/activities that focused on outreach to target groups for Canada 150 7b.3. Consistent use of Canada 150 Logo 7b.4. # of website visits 7b.5. # of media partners, including minority official language media 7b.6. Level of media coverage of large-scale events and Canada Day celebrations 7b.7. Perceptions of the effectiveness of PCH and FS marketing and outreach activities, including social media campaigns	GCIMS Program documents Final project reports Performance reports or other program documents Canadians Performance reports, FS database (Monster Tracker), or other source of web analytics Program documents FS Documents PCH officials Stakeholders Partners Funding recipients Minutes of interdepartmental committees and working groups; other FS documents	Document and administrative data review Public opinion research Media coverage review Key informant interviews Survey	-
7c) To what extent was the governance framework effective?	7c.1. Perceptions of the effectiveness of the decision-making structures, such as the DM and ADM committees and working groups, internal to PCH and other federal institutions 7c.2. Evidence of timely consideration of issues and decisions	PCH officials Partners Minutes of interdepartmental committees and working groups; other FS documents	Key informant interviews Survey Document and administrative data review	-

Other evaluation questions – Issue # 8: lessons learned
Questions	Indicators	Data sources	Methods of data collection	Target
8) What lessons have been learned from the implementation of the Canada 150 Initiative and the Canada 150 FS?	8a.1. Evidence of lessons learned from the implementation of the Canada 150 initiative and the Canada 150 FS 8a.2. Perceptions of lessons learned from the implementation of the Canada 150 initiative and the Canada 150 FS*****	Performance reports FS database (Monster Tracker) PCH and FS officials Partners	Document and administrative data review Key informant interviews *****Draw from C150 Oral History Project interviews Survey	-
9) What lessons have been learned from the micro-grant experiment?	9.1. Perception of the lessons learned in the design and delivery of the micro-grant(s) 9.2. Evidence of lessons learned in the design and delivery of the micro-grant(s)	PCH and FS officials Funding Recipients Program documents or performance reports, final project reports	Key informant interviews Case studies Document and administrative data review	-

Annex B: bibliography

Campbell, M. (2017, June 29) “A broken relationship”: PM speaks about Indigenous issues while on P.E.I. Retrieved February 13, 2019,

Canada 150 Federal Secretariat. (2016, June 9). Canada 150 Governance Framework.

Canada 150 Federal Secretariat, & Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada. (2016, August 1). Memorandum of Understanding.

Canadian Heritage. (2014, November). Hosting Program and Federal Secretariat Division (2015 Pan and Parapan American Games Federal Secretariat) Audit. Office of the Chief Audit Executive Audit and Assurance Services Directorate.

Canadian Heritage. (2016a). Audit of the Management Control Framework for the Canada 150 Federal Secretariat.

Canadian Heritage. (2016b). Canada 150 – Wave 1 Baseline Study - Final Report.

Canadian Heritage. (2016c). Canada 150 Governance Framework - C150 FS.

Canadian Heritage. (2016d). Operational and Performance Dashboard December 2016.

Canadian Heritage. (2017a). Canada 150 – Wave 2 (July 2017 - Midpoint Survey) - Final Report.

Canadian Heritage. (2017b). Canada 150 Federal Secretariat Internal Database.

Canadian Heritage. (2017c). Canada 150 Public Opinion Research Wave II Highlights.

Canadian Heritage. (2017d). Operational and Performance Dashboard April 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017e). Operational and Performance Dashboard August 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017f). Operational and Performance Dashboard December 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017g). Operational and Performance Dashboard February 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017h). Operational and Performance Dashboard Highlights - December 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017i). Operational and Performance Dashboard January 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017j). Operational and Performance Dashboard July 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017k). Operational and Performance Dashboard June 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017l). Operational and Performance Dashboard March 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017m). Operational and Performance Dashboard May 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017n). Operational and Performance Dashboard November 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017o). Operational and Performance Dashboard October 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2017p). Operational and Performance Dashboard September 2017.

Canadian Heritage. (2018a). CANADA 150 FAITS SAILLANTS – HIGHLIGHTS.

Canadian Heritage. (2018b, April 6). Audit of the Management Control Framework for the Canada 150 Federal Secretariat: Follow-up Report.

Canadian Heritage. (2018c, April 26). Canada 150 Fund: Summary.

Canadian Heritage. (2018d, May 7). Canada 150.

Canadian Heritage. (2018e, May 15). GCIMS Extract: Canada 150 Decisions and Acknowledgements by Fiscal Year.

Canadian Heritage. (2018f, July 24). Evaluation of the Celebration and Commemoration Program. September 10, 2018,

Canadian Heritage. (2019, January 14). Canada 150 Corporate Secretariat.

Canadian Heritage. (2019a, January 25). Amounts by region (approved and not approved) - Map.

Canadian Heritage. (2019b, January 25). Amounts by region (approved and not approved) - Table.

Canadian Heritage. (2019c, January 25). C150 Totals.

Canadian Heritage. (2019d, January 25). Trends in Applications (approved only) by commitment id #.

Canadian Heritage. (2019e, July 2019). Download of grant and contribution admin data (GCIMS).

Canadian Heritage. (n.d.-a). Final Report - Canada 150 Skating Day Micro-grants Program Delivery.

Canadian Heritage. (n.d.-b). Microgrant Report- Chapter 2: Program and Project Overview notes.

Canadian Heritage. (n.d.-c). Previous attendance at Celebrate Canada events.

Capital Experience Branch, Canadian Heritage. (2017, July). Canada Day in the Capital and Celebrate Canada (Canada150): Broadcast & New Media.

Capital Experience Branch, Canadian Heritage. (2018a). Christmas Lights Across Canada: Broadcast & New Media: Evaluation Report.

Capital Experience Branch, Canadian Heritage. (2018b). Winterlude 2018: Broadcast & New Media.

Cardinal, C. (n.d.). NYE in Canada (Launch of Canada150): Broadcast & New Media: Preliminary Report. Capital Experience Branch, Canadian Heritage.

Chief Information Officer Branch. (2018, January 5). Lessons Learned Document - C150 Skating Day CIOB Solution.

Clarot, R., & Clarke, R. (n.d.). C150 Final Report (Administrative Report).

Community Foundations of Canada. (2018, June 28). Canada 150 Fund Final Report: Community Foundations of Canada.

Community Foundations of Canada. (n.d.). Summary Table of Strategic Analysis Placemats (created by PRA Inc.).

Cossette. (2018, February 8). Can(ad)a 150 - Post Mortem.

Gray, C. (2017, December 30). Canada 150, doomed from the start, now ends with a whimper. Globe and Mail.

Kelly, D. (2018, April 30). Passport 2017: Final Activity Report.

Leger. (2016, August 2). Canada 150 - Wave 1 Baseline Study.

Passport 2017. (2017, December 22). Welcome to Passport 2017.July 31, 2018.

Quorus Consulting Group Inc. (2017, October 5). 2017 Canada Day in the Capital Satisfaction Survey.

Quorus Consulting Group Inc. (2018a). Canada 150 Wave 3 - Survey Data.

Quorus Consulting Group Inc. (2018b, March 14). Canada 150 - Wave 3.

Society for the Celebration of Montréal’s 375th Anniversary. (n.d.). Alive 375 - Activity report: Programming and socioeconomic projects.

Statistics Canada. (2017a). CANSIM - 387-0001 - Tourism demand in Canada. January 10, 2019.

Statistics Canada. (2017b). CANSIM - 387-0003 - Employment generated by tourism. January 10, 2019.

Statistics Canada. (2018). Non-resident travellers entering Canada. March 27, 2018.

Tank. (2018, February 8). Bilan Canada 150.

Travel Industry Association of Canada. (2017). New! Canada 150 Diversity Award.

Treasury Board of Canada. (2015a). Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812 (PDF format). March 27, 2018.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015) Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action (PDF format).

Footnotes

Footnote 1

The Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program delivered by Canada’s regional development agencies was separate from the Canada 150 Fund and is not included in this evaluation.

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Footnote 2

The term “partnership” in this document does not constitute an association for the purpose of establishing a legal partnership or joint venture between the Crown and its collaborators and it does not create an agency relationship between them.

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Footnote 3

Staff at some organizations may have been specifically hired for only the Canada 150 period, and unavailable when the survey was conducted in September 2018.

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Footnote 4

Figures from official language minority celebrations. Does not include participation in “La Fête nationale” celebrated the same day in Québec, which receives funding from the Québec provincial government.

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Footnote 5

The Canada Coast to Coast to Coast (Canada C3) event was considered very inspirational, while activities such as Canada Day on Parliament Hill received low satisfaction rates in a Quorus Consulting survey, mainly focused on logistical issues.

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Footnote 6

To promote linguistic duality: “to promote a better understanding and appreciation of the benefits of knowing and using both of Canada’s official languages and encouraging the provision of services in both official languages.”

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Footnote 7

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015, p. 12.

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Footnote 8

Community Foundations of Canada 2017a

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Footnote 9

Percentage totals may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

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Footnote 10

Unless otherwise indicated, data in this section excludes projects funded through the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th and the micro-granting portion of Skating Day.

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Footnote 11

Skating Day also included 17 flagship events organized by Skate Canada (Canadian Heritage, n.d.-a).

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Footnote 12

GCIMS does not include data for micro-grant funded projects.

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Footnote 13

In comparison, about 3% of the population 15 or older volunteered in arts and culture organizations in 2013, and 7% of all volunteers in Canada worked in arts and culture.

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Footnote 14

Based on survey findings, a median of 380 volunteer hours was associated with recipients’ projects (minimum 0, maximum 30,000, n=136); while a median of 100 volunteer hours (minimum 0, maximum 45,000, n=94) would have been associated with the projects without Canada 150 funding.

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Footnote 15

However, due to the relatively small sample size, this effect might have been limited to a very small number of projects.

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Footnote 16

Canadian Heritage 2017h, Community Foundations of Canada 2018

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Footnote 17

Includes 55 Acadian Day projects.

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Footnote 18

Projects reported their participation rates individually. The methodologies used for these estimates is not available.

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Footnote 19

Le Droit, July 3, 2017, “Foule monstre, files interminables”

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Footnote 20

In response to Q7 of the survey of partners: Please indicate the extent to which you believe that PCH’s Canada 150 activities in which your organization was a partner contributed to the following objectives and expected outcomes: Promoting community engagement and encouraging participation and volunteering in events.

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Footnote 21

Proportions do not sum to 100% as “Don’t know,” “No response,” and “Not applicable” responses are not included.

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Footnote 22

Opinion piece by Charlotte Gray in the Globe and Mail, Dec 30, 2017.

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Footnote 23

Partner survey Question 9: To what extent do you believe that PCH’s Canada 150 activities contributed to the following: Generating an economic impact that benefits communities.

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Footnote 24

Question 15 in survey: Please enter the total number of employee and volunteer hours associated with your [name] project and estimate how many hours would have taken place had your project NOT received the Canada 150 funding,

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Footnote 25

A program manager stated there was an insufficient number of FTEs in each regional office relative to the volume of applications, and that it should have been as high as 6 FTE in the Quebec and Ontario regions.

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Footnote 26

While the evaluation question focused on the effectiveness of the delivery by the various PCH program areas and regional offices, there were very few comments from key informants regarding the involvement of specific components of PCH, at least partly because the distinction between the various branches and programs and their respective roles was not always clear to them.

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Footnote 27

Several senior managers acknowledged that a delay in clarifying roles and responsibilities caused problems for PCH staff, especially at the start of the initiative.

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Footnote 28

This last option might present issues as the Government of Canada has to abide by specific policies including the Government of Canada Communications Policy and the Directive on the Management of Communications).

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Footnote 29

Key informants were selected randomly among organizations who were successful in obtaining funding, and unsuccessful applicants were not included in this line of evidence.

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Footnote 30

For community-driven projects, the Department used a continuous intake process beginning in the spring of 2015, but internally, it determined batches for processing based on application volume. Ultimately, there were seven batches. For Signature initiatives, there was a single intake process; proponents initially had six weeks to submit an expression of interest. There were also a handful of applications through the community-driven stream that were transitioned to the Signature stream since they met the criteria. Major project proponents were selected and invited to apply.

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Footnote 31

Of the 27 partners who responded to the survey, 12 were formal PCH program partners, 12 were members of interdepartmental committees; 11 participated in interdepartmental working groups; 9 represented partner organizations; 6 were members of other federal department or agency committees; 5 were members of the federal regional development agency committee; 4 participated in the FPT Working Group; and 3 participated in federal regional councils.

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Footnote 32

Clarot & Clarke, n.d.

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Footnote 33

Canada 150 Federal Secretariat and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada, 2016

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Page details

Date modified:: 2020-12-17

Evaluation of Canada 150 2015-16 to 2017-18

On this page

Alternate format

List of tables

List of figures

List of acronyms and abbreviations

Executive summary

Program description

Evaluation approach and methodology

Evaluation findings and conclusions

Relevance

Effectiveness – Achievement of expected outcomes

Efficiency

Effectiveness of design and delivery

Effectiveness of Federal Secretariat oversight and coordination

Conclusions: best Practices and Lessons Learned

Governance

Partnership

Objectives, Planning and Reporting

Design and Delivery

Small and micro-grants

1. Introduction

2. Program overview

3. Approach and methodology

3.1. Scope and timeline

3.2. Evaluation questions

Table 1: evaluation questions by core issue

3.3. Data collection methods

3.3.1. Document and data review

3.3.2. Interviews with key informants

Table 2 notes

3.3.3. Surveys of recipients and partners

3.3.4. Case studies

3.3.5. Media coverage analysis

3.4. Constraints, limits and mitigation strategies

Stakeholders have a vested interest in the program

Ability to find stakeholders to participate in the evaluation

4. Findings

4.1. Relevance

4.1.1. Assessment of the extent to which Canada 150 addressed a demonstrable need and is responsive to the needs of Canadians

Level of participation

Applications and funded projects

Importance and worthiness of celebrating Canada 150 activities

4.1.2. Alignment of the linkages between program objectives and federal government priorities and departmental strategic outcomes

Table 6 notes

Diversity and inclusion

Linguistic duality and Official Language Minority Communities

Figure 2 table notes

Engaging and inspiring youth

National reconciliation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians

Our environment

4.1.3. Assessment of the role and responsibilities of the federal government in delivering the program

4.2. Effectiveness - Achievement of expected outcomes

Western Region

Ontario Region

Quebec Region

Atlantic Region

Prairies and North Region

Engagement

Volunteerism

Partnerships

Participation

Table 12 notes

Table 13 notes

Contribution to vibrant communities

Table 14 notes

Table 16 notes

Table 17 notes

Level of interest in and profile of Canada 150 activities

New partnerships

Reconciliation

Development of capacity

Table 18 notes

4.3. Efficiency

4.3.1. Efficiency in delivery and cost-effectiveness

Efficiency in delivery

Cost-effectiveness

4.3.2. Resource optimization

Table 22 notes

Table 23 notes