Summary of the Evaluation of the Celebration and Commemoration Program 2016-17 to 2020-21

Evaluation Services Directorate
September 27, 2024

On this page

• List of acronyms and abbreviations
• Overview
• Evaluation findings
  • Relevance
  • Effectiveness
  • Efficiency
• Recommendations

List of acronyms and abbreviations

CCP

Celebration and Commemoration Program

PCH

Canadian Heritage

Alternate format

Summary of the Evaluation of the Celebration and Commemoration Program 2016-17 to 2020-21 [PDF version - 1.01 MB]

Overview

The Celebration and Commemoration Program (CCP) aims to support Canadians’ pride and sense of belonging to the country and to each other. The evaluation focused on the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of CCP activities from 2016-17 to 2020-21, with a focus on specific days for each of its two components:

1. Celebrate Canada
   • Canada Day (July 1)
   • National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21)
   • Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24)
   • Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27)
2. Commemorate Canada
   • National Acadian Day (August 15)

Evaluation findings

Relevance

Overall, there is evidence of need and alignment with government priorities. Changing societal and organizational contexts present opportunities to strengthen relevance moving forward.

Distribution of applications for Celebrate Canada funding by day of significance:

• Canada Day, 76% (receives the most applications by far)
• National Indigenous Peoples Day, 8%
• Celebrate Canada Period, 8% (applications for more than 1 day of significance)
• Canadian Multiculturalism Day, 5%
• Saint-Jean-Baptiste, 4%

Source: Administrative data (GCIMS)

Strong demand for funding generally outweighs available resources.

Celebrate Canada (2016-21)

• Amount requested: $104.5M
• Amount granted: $45.0M
• Applications received: 8,851
• Applications approved: 8,033

The program adapted to new needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 by supporting funding recipients to:

• Deliver more virtual activities
• Comply with social distancing guidelines

The purpose and admissibility of the Canadian Multiculturalism Day applications may not be clear for potential recipients as it had:

• The lowest approval rate
  • potentially related to a lack of understanding of its objectives and the submission of ineligible applications
• The second lowest number of funding applications
  • potentially linked to the timing of the day being outside of the school calendar

The program has begun to adapt to emerging needs and societal expectations.

• The program has taken steps to support reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
  • The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was incorporated into CCP activities in 2019-20 and has supported more than 200 events.
  • Canada Day funding was provided to some recipients to undertake meaningful collaboration and consultations with Indigenous community representatives.
  • The program took actions to remove barriers to program access for Indigenous organizations and governments.
• While there is no duplication, there are now other programs and departments with relevant expertise related to official languages, multiculturalism and reconciliation.

Effectiveness

The Celebration and Commemoration Program made progress in achieving its expected outcomes:

• Achieved its short-term intended results by improving access for Canadians to relevant events and activities.
  • Celebrate Canada funded 7,405 events
  • Commemorate Canada funded 393 events including 117 National Acadian Day events in 2019-20 and 2020-21
• Achieved the majority of medium term expected participation outcomes.
• Contributed to the long term expected result of Canadians feeling connected to Canada and each other.

There are opportunities to better collect and report on results:

• Short and medium-term results occur at the same time
• The data source used to measure the achievement of long-term results is not compiled annually

Efficiency

The CCP is generally delivered in an efficient manner:

• Operational costs are reasonable
• Management practices are appropriate
• Most service standards are respected

Funding recipients found My PCH Online application process to be efficient and easy to use. However, challenges remain:

• Accessibility
• Client services
• Administrative inefficiencies

In 2018-19, CCP implemented a rapid assessment process called Track-1. It improved efficiency in delivering Celebrate Canada funding by:

• Simplifying the assessment process for applications of $5,000 and under
• Expediting funding decisions
• Decreasing operational costs in all regions

Recommendations

To better achieve CCP and broader PCH expected outcomes, the evaluation recommends that the Assistant Deputy Minister, Sport, Major Events and Commemorations:

1. Engage with other PCH programs and external stakeholders to review roles and responsibilities regarding providing support for the celebrations of days of significance.
2. Review the program logic model and performance measures to ensure that they are relevant to the cultural context of Canada, measurable, and attributable to CCP activities.

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Canadian Heritage, 2024
Catalogue No.: CH7-16/2025-1E-PDF
ISBN: 978-0-660-75269-3