Departmental Plan 2021-22 — Canadian Heritage

This publication is available upon request in alternative formats.

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Canadian Heritage

The Honourable Bardish Chagger, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages

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Departmental Plan 2021-22 [PDF version - 1.59 MB]

Message from the Ministers

Steven Guilbeault
Bardish Chagger
Mélanie Joly

As ministers, we are pleased to present the 2021–22 Departmental Plan for the Department of Canadian Heritage. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all Canadians, and disproportionately certain segments of our population, including equity-seeking communities. On top of that, it is taking a huge toll on all sectors of society and on our economy, and it is in this context that Canadian Heritage is preparing for the next fiscal year. There are many challenges ahead of us, and we will continue to work together to build on the Department’s various programs and mitigate the effects of the pandemic in our sectors. The Fall Economic Statement includes robust funding and actions to support the cultural, heritage and sports sectors in 2021–22, as these sectors are among the hardest hit by the pandemic and will likely be some of the last to recover fully.

In the area of arts and culture, Canadian Heritage will keep working to ensure that Canadian creators have the resources they need to tell our stories—the stories of not only Francophones, Anglophones and Indigenous Peoples, but also those of the people and communities that enrich the diversity found from coast to coast to coast. We will work with content providers and social media platforms to ensure that the diversity of Canadian voices is showcased in a digital space that is respectful, fair and stimulating for Canada’s creative and news publishing sectors.

The Department will continue to support and encourage the celebration of important historic milestones and significant annual events such as Canada Day. This year we will focus on the 25th anniversary of National Indigenous Peoples Day, the 50th anniversary of Canada’s multiculturalism policy, the 75th anniversary of Viola Desmond’s stand against racial segregation, and the centennial of the discovery of insulin.

Diversity and inclusion are essential to building a Canada in which every person is able to participate fully in society and reach their full potential. To this end, Canadian Heritage intends to develop the first-ever federal LGBTQ2 action plan, led by the LGBTQ2 Secretariat. The Anti-Racism Secretariat will continue to advance Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and promote a government-wide approach to fighting all forms of racism and discrimination, including anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia. Canada’s Youth Secretariat will continue to implement Canada’s Youth Policy and we expect to release the first report on the state of youth in Canada.

Canadian Heritage will support the sports community as it awaits the return to safe sport in the aftermath of the health crisis. This will include supporting Team Canada’s preparations for the Tokyo Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021 and other international events, such as the upcoming Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We will continue to implement the pan-Canadian Concussion Strategy and promote safe, welcoming and inclusive sports environments. Our goal, as always, is to promote the benefits of sport for everyone’s health, well-being and personal development, including Indigenous Peoples and youth.

The Department will continue to implement the Indigenous Languages Act. In particular, we will work with Indigenous partners to develop an appropriate, sustainable, long-term funding model that supports the reclamation, revitalization, maintenance and strengthening of Indigenous languages in Canada. Canadian Heritage will also support the establishment of the independent Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages, and work with various Indigenous organizations and UNESCO to prepare for the launch of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032).

Canadian Heritage is dedicated to promoting both official languages everywhere in Canada. We will prioritize the modernization and strengthening of the Official Languages Act, taking into account the unique reality of French in Canada, including in Quebec. We will continue to implement the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023, and will work with CBC/Radio-Canada to develop content for and ensure the delivery of Mauril, a program to help people learn and maintain both official languages, English and French.

As ministers, we invite you to read this plan to learn more about Canadian Heritage’s activities and responsibilities over the coming year.

The Honourable
Steven Guilbeault

Minister of
Canadian Heritage

The Honourable
Bardish Chagger

Minister of Diversity and
Inclusion and Youth

The Honourable
Mélanie Joly

Minister of Economic
Development and
Official Languages

Plans at a glance

In 2021–22, the Department of Canadian Heritage will support Minister Guilbeault, Minister Chagger and Minister Joly in carrying out their mandatesFootnote 1 and in achieving results to advance the Department’s five core responsibilities, as outlined in its Departmental Results Framework.

Core Responsibility 1: Creativity, arts and culture

Core Responsibility 2: Heritage and celebration

Core Responsibility 3: Sport

Core Responsibility 4: Diversity and inclusion

Core Responsibility 5: Official languages

Internal Services

United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

As Canadian Heritage and its portfolio organizations continue to play a vital role in the cultural, civic and economic life of Canadians, the Department is uniquely positioned to advance the United Nations 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development. The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future.

Canadian Heritage will support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through direct and indirect contribution in the areas of No poverty (SDG 1); Good health and well-being (SDG 3); Quality education (SDG 4); Gender equality (SDG 5); Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8); Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9); Reduced inequalities (SDG 10); Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11); Responsible consumption and protection (SDG 12); Climate Action (SDG 13); Peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16) and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).

Key risks

The impacts related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remain the major risk that could limit the ability of the Department to advance planned activities. While these impacts will continue to be important in 2021-22, they provide the Department with unique opportunities to experiment and advance on priorities differently.

For more information on Canadian Heritage’s plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks” section of this report.

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks

This section contains detailed information on the Department’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.

Core responsibility 1: Creativity, arts and culture

Description

Ensures that a wide range of Canadian artistic and cultural content is accessible at home and abroad. Provides opportunities for Canadians to participate and engage in Canada’s creative life, fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion. Fosters creativity, innovation, growth and employment opportunities in Canada’s cultural sector, and in the creative economy. Support policy, legislative and regulatory measures; deliver funding programs that support creation, professional training, cultural infrastructure and arts presentation; business development and marketing initiatives; and the establishment of partnerships in Canada and abroad.

Planning highlights

The Department contributes to Core Responsibility 1 through several programs: Arts; Cultural Marketplace Framework; and Cultural Industries Support and Development. At a high level, Canadian Heritage supports marketplace conditions for a strong, innovative, competitive and equitable cultural sector through policy development and advice to ensure a responsive legislative and policy framework. This includes advice on horizontal fields like discoverability of Canada’s creative industries internationally to help creators reach their export potential, and matters related to the digital environment, including advice on content providers in the digital age and disinformation. The Department fosters a vibrant Canadian artistic sector by increasing opportunities for Canadians to connect with the arts, explore artistic excellence and become full partners in supporting a resilient arts sector. Canadian Heritage also encourages the creation of and access to Canadian cultural content, as well as fosters the competitiveness of Canada’s music, book publishing and periodical industries, and film and video. For more details on Canadian Heritage programs, please consult the Supplementary information tables associated with this report.

Since March 2020, programs pivoted and reprioritized their activities to help support the arts and culture sector and to combat disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. They will continue to demonstrate flexibility and support departmental efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and culture sector and combat disinformation. Among other activities, in 2021–22, the Department and the Canada Council for the Arts will expand their funding programs and deliver $181.5 million of additional funding to support the planning and presentation of the arts and COVID-19-safe events and to provide work opportunities in these sectors.

The planned budget allocated to this core responsibility is $495,939,870 and supported by a total of 423.7 planned full-time equivalents.

Creative industries are successful in the digital economy, foster creativity and contribute to economic growth.

The Department will undertake the following notable activities in 2021–22 towards achieving this departmental result by:

Canadians are able to consume Canadian content on multiple platforms.

In 2021–22, the Department will undertake the following notable activities towards achieving this departmental result by:

Creative industries are successful in global markets.

The Department will undertake the following notable activities in 2021–22 towards achieving this departmental result by:

Canadians have access to cultural facilities in their communities; and festivals and performing arts series that reflect Canada’s diversity.

In 2021–22, the Department will undertake the following notable activities towards achieving these departmental results, through:

Canadians have access to more safe, diverse and secure digital environment and are resilient to disinformation.

The Department will undertake the following activities in 2021–22 towards this objective by:

Gender-based analysis plus

In 2021–22, programs under Core Responsibility 1 Creativity, arts and culture will be assessing their performance measurement information against GBA+ and diversity and inclusion considerations. To further support the collection and analysis of quality data, the Department will be conducting research and developing methodologies for GBA+ data collection for programs, in collaboration with other partners. While this list is not exhaustive, some specific GBA+ activities related to the 2021–22 core responsibility’s key priorities include the following:

Broadcasting
International activities
Disinformation
United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Canada’s creative industries are key drivers of economic growth and employment for the middle class, and they make an important contribution to Canada’s gross domestic product. Cultural entrepreneurs are increasingly looking to global markets to remain viable and competitive. Through funding for export-ready projects and creating trade opportunities (SDG 9), the Government’s Creative Export Strategy aims to maximize the export potential of Canada’s creative industries and to provide in-market support (SDG 8).

The Department’s Arts, Cultural Industries and International Trade programs contribute directly to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals by supporting individual, artistic and cultural expression as well as cultural entrepreneurs and innovators; and ensuring access to and promoting participation in arts and culture. Funding supports specialized training to artists and cultural creators for professional national or international artistic careers at the highest levels, leading to productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8).

Arts programs support the improvement of physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (SDG 11).

The Department funds projects aimed at providing Canadians with access to reliable information about the pandemic and ensuring that Canadians can navigate the Canadian information ecosystem in an informed and secure manner. Activities also include opportunities to deepen Canadians’ knowledge of digital media literacy, information literacy, and civic literacy to be more resilient in the face of disinformation and quality education (SDG 4).

Sustainable development is at the heart of the TV5MONDE Strategic Plan for 2021–2024. The various stakeholders of the TV5 partnership, including the Government of Canada, will confirm their commitment to promoting sustainable development and to ensuring that it is taken into account in all of the responsibilities related to this international multilateral forum (SDG 17).

Experimentation

In a fast-evolving cultural environment, it is vital that the Department build and nurture a more iterative process of testing and measuring novel approaches. Some key planned 2021–22 experimentation activities for this core responsibility include the following:

Key risks

Small and medium businesses, freelancers and gig workers form the backbone of the creative sector. Looking forward to 2021–22, program areas in this core responsibility will continue to pivot, as necessary, to maximize support for the creative sector and Canadians and deliver world-class services and programs. However, some planned departmental initiatives or commitments may be disrupted in order to enable programs to focus on the Department’s COVID-19 response. To mitigate the risks, programs will prioritize activities that are in direct and immediate support of the sector and of its stakeholders.

In addition, many delivery partners and clients may be unable to achieve their goals in terms of program expenses as a result of activities on the ground being unable to move forward to completion (e.g., productions, performing arts). The Department will work closely with its delivery partners and clients to mitigate this risk, to monitor the situation and to adjust its intervention accordingly. This may include considering additional flexibility to respond to the needs of the sector.

There is also a risk that insufficient financial resources will be available to support Canada’s one-year extension of Canada as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair throughout 2021. To mitigate the risk, Canadian Heritage will continue to develop partnerships in order to collaborate in the successful delivery of the event.

Planned results for Creativity, Arts and Culture
Departmental result Departmental result indicator Target Date to achieve target 2017–18 actual result 2018–19 actual result 2019–20 actual result
Creative industries are successful in the digital economy, foster creativity and contribute to economic growth. Gross domestic product (GDP) of the Canadian cultural sector. $55 billion March 2022 $53.8 billionFootnote 3 $53.1 billionFootnote 4 n/aFootnote 5
Number of jobs in the cultural sector. 673,138 March 2022 652,406Footnote 6 666,474Footnote 7 n/aFootnote 5
Canadians are able to consume Canadian content on multiple platforms. Number of video games (entertainment software) produced by Canadian-based studios.Footnote 8 n/aFootnote 8 n/aFootnote 8 n/aFootnote 8 n/aFootnote 8 n/aFootnote 8
Number of Canadian Television productions. 1,190 March 2022 1,222 1,098 n/aFootnote 9
Number of Canadian theatrical feature films produced. 110 March 2022 105Footnote 10 105Footnote 11 n/aFootnote 9
Number of Canadian-authored books published. 6,000 March 2022 6,401 6,764 n/aFootnote 12
Number of magazines in Canada producing Canadian content. 1,300 March 2022 1,549 1,457 1,380
Number of non-daily newspapers in Canada producing Canadian content. 1,000 March 2022 1,032 1,026 1,047
Market share of Canadian artists on top 2,000 domestic album sales chart. 20 December 2022 19 19 22
Market share of Canadian artists on top 20,000 domestic streaming chart. 15 December 2022 10 10 10
Creative industries are successful in global markets. Value of creative exports. $18 billion March 2022 n/a n/aFootnote 13 n/aFootnote 14
Canadians have access to cultural facilities in their communities. Number of communities with improved cultural facilities. 80 March 2022 n/a 93 96
Percentage of Canadians with access to improved cultural facilities. 40 March 2022 n/a 41 40
Canadians have access to festivals and performing arts series that reflect Canada’s diversity. Percentage of funded festivals and performing arts series whose programming promotes diversity. 70 March 2022 n/a 65 63
Planned budgetary financial resources for Creativity, Arts and Culture
2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
495,939,870 495,939,870 495,149,612 471,403,509
Planned human resources for Creativity, Arts and Culture
2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
423.7 420.7 420.7

Financial, human resources and performance information for Canadian Heritage’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.Footnote 15

Core responsibility 2: Heritage and celebration

Description

Offers opportunities for Canadians to participate in celebrations and commemorations of national significance, and in local festivals and heritage events. Invests in the development of learning materials and experiences that give Canadians opportunities to enhance their understanding of Canada’s history. Facilitates access to heritage and provides support to heritage institutions to preserve and present heritage to all Canadians. Delivers projects, programs and services; grants, contributions and tax incentives; conducts research; provides authoritative information and expertise; and supports the implementation of heritage-related legislation.

Planning highlights

The Department contributes to Core Responsibility 2 through several programs: National Celebrations, Commemorations and Symbols; Community Engagement and Heritage; Preservation of and Access to Heritage; and Learning about Canadian History. Canadian Heritage offers opportunities for Canadians to participate in celebrations and commemorations of national significance, recognizes notable people, places, symbols, anniversaries and accomplishments of national significance across Canada, offers events and activities in the National Capital Region, and promotes and protects Canadian symbols. The Department provides funding in support of local festivals, community anniversaries and capital projects. Canadian Heritage ensures that Canada’s cultural heritage is preserved and accessible to Canadians today and in the future, assists Canadian museums in documenting and managing their collections, provides Canadians access to Canadian and international heritage through the circulation of artefacts and exhibitions in Canada, and helps Canadian heritage institutions compete with foreign institutions for the loan of prestigious international exhibitions. Finally, the Department encourages Canadians to learn about Canada’s history, civic life and public policy. For more details on Canadian Heritage programs, please consult the Supplementary information tables associated with this report.

The planned budget allocated to this core responsibility is $99,828,478 and supported by a total of 295.1 planned full-time equivalents.

Canadians feel a strong sense of belonging to Canada.

Central to these programs and to the Department as a whole is the objective of providing Canadians with opportunities to experience dynamic cultural expressions, celebrate our history and heritage and build strong communities. By providing these opportunities, the Department contributes to the departmental result: Canadians feel a strong sense of belonging to Canada. This result is measured through the General Social Survey, which gathers data on and monitors social trends and the well-being of Canadians.

Canadians are engaged in celebrations and commemorations of national significance.

In 2021–22, the Department will undertake the following notable activities towards achieving this departmental result by:

Canadians across the country are engaged in their communities through local arts and heritage.

The Department will undertake the following notable activities in 2021–22 towards achieving this departmental result by:

The public is provided with access to cultural heritage.

In 2021–22, the Department will undertake the following notable activities towards achieving this departmental result by:

Heritage objects and collections are preserved by heritage organizations for current and future generations.

The Department will undertake the following notable activities in 2021–22 towards achieving this departmental result by:

In addition, the following planned activities in 2021–22 under the Canada History Fund contribute to this core responsibility:

Gender-based analysis plus

Celebrations and commemorations funded by the Department encourage broad participation. Canadians of all identities across the country, including those living in remote areas, have opportunities to participate in community events that are open to the public and free of charge. Events are open to all Canadians regardless of identity factors and promote and showcase Canada’s linguistic, cultural and regional diversity.

The Canada History Fund encourages applicants to address areas or themes, namely the history of official-language minority communities, the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the learning needs of young Canadians. The Canada History Fund will continue working with a diverse community of recipients who are enriching Canadian history with a variety of inclusive perspectives.

United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Major Events, Commemorations and Capital Experience recognizes Canadians’ shared values and celebrate the diversity of people and events that shape Canada. Activities and events focus on encouraging positive connections between Canadians by promoting inclusive celebrations and commemorations particularly for promoting the inclusion of all, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, age, mental or physical disability, and a multitude of other factors. This relates to the goal of reduced inequalities (SDG 10).

Similarly, the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage Program fosters inclusive communities by supporting diverse local organizations. This principle is directly linked to the fact that the arts sector operates mostly outside of the mainstream economy, populated largely by self-employed and often financially vulnerable artists and cultural workers. It encourages productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8).

The Heritage Group helps Canadians to connect with their vibrant shared heritage, and, in doing so, allows for opportunities that will enrich the quality of life for all. Young Canada Works-Heritage focuses on providing work experiences for Canadian youth in the heritage and culture sectors (SDG 8).

The Canadian Conservation Institute and the Canadian Heritage Information Network in collaboration with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and other international partners will contribute to the Our Collections MatterFootnote 18 initiative, which aims to ensure that heritage institutions play their fullest part in environmental, economic and social sustainability. Also coinciding with the start of the 2030 Agenda, the ICCROM will launch Our Collections Matter project, to promote the conservation and the sustainable use of heritage collections for the benefit of present and future generations.

Experimentation

The Celebration and Commemoration Program will provide more flexibility to their clients, such as developing virtual events. Discussions are underway to coordinate with other programs to develop a guide to help beneficiaries explore new ways of delivering events.

The Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Program is testing a new application form that seeks responses that are more focused on adherence to accepted museum principles, practices and museum standards rather than on specific details. This would allow claimants to complete forms more easily and quickly and the Program to more easily analyze the requests received while reducing significantly the use of paper.

In collaboration with the Canadian Conservation Institute and the Canadian Heritage Information Network, the Museums Assistance Program will continue to explore the use of project-based learning to enhance the dissemination of tools and capacity building within the cultural sector.

Key risks

The Centre Block on Parliament Hill is an important national symbol and is host to many national celebrations. As the Centre Block undergoes significant rehabilitation, the Canada Day national celebrations will need to move to a new location. Efforts will be made to work with partners to ensure that the visitor experience at the new location, LeBreton Flats, is maximized and meets Canadian Heritage’s event production standards.

Although the pandemic remains at the forefront of Canadians’ concerns, events will need to be adapted to public health directives. Partially or temporarily shut down businesses across the country are affected by contractors’ ability to deliver goods and services as scheduled, and may lead to possible delays in project timelines. The Department will strive to enable as many Canadians as possible to participate in person and/or virtually, working with broadcasters and media to ensure maximum reach. Planning and flexibility will be built into schedules to enable a successful delivery of events; additional resources will be sought as required.

Planned results for Heritage and celebration
Departmental result Departmental result indicator Target Date to achieve target 2017–18 actual result 2018–19 actual result 2019–20 actual result
Canadians feel a strong sense of belonging to Canada. Percentage of Canadians who report feeling a strong sense of belonging to Canada. 90 March 2022 90 90 90Footnote 19
Canadians are engaged in celebrations and commemora-tions of national significance Number of Canadians who participate in events and activities by attending or volunteering. 8,500,000 March 2022 n/a 10,618,349 9,763,947
Number of Canadians who participate in events and activities by viewing traditional and new media broadcasts or downloading related information materials. 12,000,000 March 2022 n/a 14,140,000 19,071,892
Canadians across the country are engaged in their communities through local arts and heritage. Number of performers and volunteers in Building Communities through Arts and Heritage funded arts and heritage projects each year. 173,674 March 2022 n/a 190,855 204,698Footnote 20
Total attendance for Building Communities through Arts and Heritage funded arts and heritage projects each year. 18,088,538 March 2022 n/a 21,207,443 20,295,082
The public is provided with access to cultural heritage. Number of in-person and online visits to cultural heritage rendered accessible through heritage programs and services. 1,000,000 March 2022 2,205,169 2,263,910 1,504,563
Heritage objects and collections are preserved by heritage organizations for current and future generations. Number of heritage objects and collections whose preservation has been supported by heritage programs and services. 100,000 March 2022 325,362 446,436 169,836
Planned budgetary financial resources for Heritage and celebration
2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
99,828,478 99,828,478 96,445,114 97,072,959
Planned human resources for Heritage and celebration
2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
295.1 295.1 294.1

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department of Canadian Heritage’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.Footnote 15

Core responsibility 3: Sport

Description

Promotes and enhances Canadian participation in sport, from initial introduction to sport to the highest levels through transfer payments and policy leadership. Ensures that all Canadians have access to quality aligned sport programs in a safe and welcoming environment regardless of race, gender or physical disability. Fosters the development of high-performance athletes, coaches, officials, leaders and organizations within the Canadian Sport System. Assists Canadian communities in hosting the Canada Games and international sport events.

Planning highlights

The Department contributes to Core Responsibility 3 through the Sport Development and High Performance Program. Sport Canada aims to establish Canada as a leading sport nation at home and abroad, where all Canadians and their communities enjoy, value and celebrate the benefits of active participation and excellence in sport. It contributes to advancing the goals of the Canadian Sport Policy, funds eligible organizations to deliver sport for social development projects in Indigenous communities in Canada, and supports and promotes gender equity in Sport. The Department further provides direct support to Canadian athletes to foster the development of high-performance athletes, and assists sport organizations to host the Canada Games and international sport events in Canada. For more details on Canadian Heritage programs, please consult the Supplementary information tables associated with this report.

The planned budget allocated to this core responsibility is $248,100,659 and supported by a total of 97.2 planned full-time equivalents.

Canadian athletes succeed at the highest levels of competition.

In 2021–22, the Department will undertake the following notable activities towards achieving this departmental result by:

Canadian children and youth are enrolled in a sport activity.

The Department will undertake the following notable activities in 2021–22 towards achieving this departmental result by:

Canadians, regardless of gender, physical ability and cultural background, who participate in sport activities are satisfied with the manner in which the activity is provided.

In 2021–22, the Department will undertake the following notable activities towards achieving this departmental result by:

Gender-based analysis plus

The Department is mandated to promote healthier Canadians through sport and recreation and to ensure that the Canadian sport system provides all Canadians with the chance to get involved in sport at all levels—playground to podium—and in all forms of participation.

Studies over recent years have revealed that women and girls, people with disabilities and racialized communities remain underrepresented in sport and recreation as participants, coaches and leaders. Sport Canada’s Gender Equity Strategy aims to achieve gender equality in all facets of sport by 2035. This strategy helps to guide the Department’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. In particular, the work of the Gender Equity in Sport Research Hub will be supported to improve the availability of research and data to support evidence-based decision-making.

Based on the results of GBA+ analysis of current programming and results, the 2021–22 Innovation initiative call for concepts (launched in October 2020) will focus on projects that address sport participation challenges for priority populations such as women and girls, youth facing barriers and racialized communities. Pilot projects intended to address sport participation issues for individuals with added intersecting identity factors (e.g., Indigenous, age, LGBTQ2, official language minority communities, newcomers, persons with a disability) will also be eligible for consideration.

The Initiative was designed to bridge gaps in diversity and inclusion and encourage sport organizations to bring forward innovative ideas and projects aimed at reducing barriers to sport participation focusing on the themes of diversity and inclusion. The Innovation Initiative includes $840,000 for projects specifically dedicated to girls and women to help advance the Department’s Gender Equity in Sport Strategy.

Data including feedback from consultation with the sport community has driven the key activity of leading safe and welcoming return-to-play strategies, based on the needs of the specific community (Indigenous culturally appropriate programming, women and girls, racialized communities) and the needs of the sport.

Research and media reports have revealed that harassment, abuse and discrimination in sport have negatively affected the perception of a safe and welcoming environment and has reduced levels of participation across many levels of sport. Further to consultations with the national level sport community, the Department will support the introduction of an independent entity to administer the implementation of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport for federally funded national sport organizations. The implementation of the Code, coherent with the shared goals of the Red Deer Declaration, is intended to facilitate access to participants associated with federally funded sport organizations at the national level to an independent third-party mechanism that will accept and process reports of maltreatment in sport including harassment, abuse and discrimination.

United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Sport Canada initiatives, policies, and funding programs support Canada’s efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda, specifically in the areas of Good health and well-being (SDG 3); Quality education (SDG 4); Gender equality (SDG 5); Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8); Reduced inequalities (SDG 10); Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11); Peace Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16); and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).

The current Canadian Sport Policy, effective from 2012 to 2022, sets a direction for all governments, institutions and organizations to make sure sport has a positive impact on the lives of Canadians. This enables Canadians to progress from early safe and welcoming sport experiences to high performance excellence. Among the objectives sought by the policy is the opportunity for Canadians to participate in sport for fun, health, social interaction and relaxation and to contribute to the good health and well-being (SDG 3).

The implementation of the Gender Equity in Sport Strategy and funding support the participation and leadership development of women and girls (SDG 5). It strives to ensure that girls, Indigenous Peoples, members of the LGBTQ2 community, persons with disabilities and newcomers have access to quality sport activities (SDG 10). Sport Canada provides funding to implement projects that expand the use of sport for social development in Indigenous communities, ensuring community driven sport-related programs, which address the self-identified social development needs of Indigenous communities and sustainable development outcomes (SDG 10). Support to the sport community for return to play strategies allow organizations to adapt to their new realities due to COVID-19 and to maintain employment and volunteer opportunities, providing decent work and sustaining economic growth (SDG 8).

Sport Canada also gives support to eligible athletes to continue to prepare for international competitions, even in cases of event cancellation to maintain competition opportunities for Canadian athletes (SDG 4).

Sport Canada is leading federal government coordination and preparations for the North American Indigenous Games, the Tokyo Summer Paralympic Games and the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games. This builds on the belief that sport can contribute to peace and to the harmonious development of all (SDG 16). Hosting Program funding is a tool to support the overall community including upgraded and new infrastructure that supports sport and other community-based programming, as well as enhanced hosting capacity for future events (SDG 11).

Experimentation

Sport Canada’s Innovation Initiative, managed by the Gender Equity, Innovation and Inclusion Unit, has launched an innovation call for concepts as an experimentation activity. The objectives of this initiative are to test new or adapted quality sport approaches that align with the Canadian Sport Policy goals, evaluate and document successes and failures of the approach, and share results for nationwide use and implementation. The expected result is to improve sport participation by contributing to many outcomes including increased accessibility to sport programs, reduced or eliminated barriers to participation in sport, and achievement of social goals through the intentional use of sport.

Key risks

Some of the key planned initiatives to provide Canadians with access to sport as part of a healthy and active lifestyle, and help high-performance athletes participate and succeed in competitions, rely on delivery by provincial governments, both provincial and national sport organizations and multi-sport service organizations. Given the complexity of multi-jurisdictional involvement, program recipients may not all have equitable experience or benefits to federal initiatives. In addition, sport-programming post-COVID-19 may be subject to jurisdictional interpretation based on unanticipated prolonged lockdowns, local realities and local safety risk levels. Sport Canada will adapt sport programming to the post-COVID-19 pandemic reality in order to better align with public health guidelines, local realities and local safety risk levels.

Planned results for Sport
Departmental result Departmental result indicator Target Date to achieve target 2017–18 actual result 2018–19 actual result 2019–20 actual result
Canadian athletes succeed at the highest levels of competition. Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Combined Ranking Index for Olympic Sport. 7 June 2021 9 9 9
Ranking of Canada relative to other countries in Combined Ranking Index for Paralympic Sport. 12 June 2021 13 13 10
Canadian children and youth are enrolled in a sport activity. Number of Canadian children and youth enrolled in a sport activity. 5,000,000 June 2021 4,594,540 4,594,540 4,594,540Footnote 21
Canadians, regardless of gender, physical ability and cultural background, who participate in sport activities are satisfied with the manner in which the activity is provided. Percentage of Canadians reporting that they experience sport in a welcoming environment. 90 June 2021 86 86 82
Percentage of Canadians reporting that they experience sport in a safe environment. 80 June 2021 73 73 82
Planned budgetary financial resources for Sport
2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
248,100,659 248,100,659 230,507,513 231,436,475
Planned human resources for Sport
2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
97.2 97.2 97.2

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department of Canadian Heritage’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.Footnote 15

Core responsibility 4: Diversity and inclusion

Description

Focuses on celebrating Canada’s diversity, identity and multicultural heritage, promoting resilient communities and reinforcing the rights of Canadians, as a means to foster diversity and inclusion. Supports legislation on multiculturalism. Promotes and supports domestic implementation of international human rights treaties, constitutional and quasi-constitutional rights in Canada. Works in collaboration with a variety of Governmental and non-governmental organizations to support the provision of programs and services on matters of diversity and inclusion. Supports the engagement, participation and inclusion of Canadian youth in their communities and in exchange activities. Revitalizes, preserves and promotes Indigenous languages and cultures and celebrates achievements, and strengthens Indigenous communities through investments in a variety of initiatives.

Planning highlights

The Department contributes to Core Responsibility 4 through several programs: Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism; Human Rights; Indigenous Languages and Cultures; and Youth Engagement. Through these programs, the Department seeks to build an integrated, socially cohesive society, by supporting communities confronting racism, engaging in discussions on multiculturalism, and by strengthening research and evidence to better understand disparities and challenges faced by racialized and religious minority communities. Canadian Heritage also seeks to strengthen and maintain one of the core values relating to Canadian identity—respect for human rights—by addressing barriers to active participation that arise from a lack of awareness, understanding and access to rights. The Department aims to increase awareness among youth of the importance of being active and engaged citizens, increase youth knowledge and understanding of Canada, and strengthen their sense of belonging to Canada, thereby strengthening their sense of shared Canadian identity. Canadian Heritage also focuses on keeping Indigenous languages and Indigenous identity as living elements of Canadian society. By providing investments, it contributes to the efforts of Indigenous communities to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen their Indigenous languages and develop and deliver innovative and culturally appropriate projects under the Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program, Northern Aboriginal Broadcasting, Territorial Language Accords, National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and Indspire.

Furthermore, three secretariats report under this core responsibility. The Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, reporting to the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Branch, continues to lead work across government to coordinate federal action and identify and develop further areas for action through engagement with racialized and religious minority communities and Indigenous Peoples, stakeholders and other levels of government. The Youth Secretariat is responsible for the federal implementation of the Youth Policy and supporting the Prime Minister’s Youth Council. The Secretariat engages across the federal government to provide advice on youth initiatives and to encourage the inclusion of youth voice in government decision-making. As one of the Youth Policy commitments, the Secretariat is also responsible for the State of Youth Report, which will explore how young people in Canada are doing. The first report is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2021 and subsequent reports will be published every four years. The LGBTQ2 Secretariat works to further LGBTQ2 inclusion, promote equality and protect rights. It does so by supporting other federal departments and agencies in the design and delivery of innovative and inclusive policies and programs, building and maintaining positive relationships with community stakeholders to identify and address issues facing LGBTQ2 communities, and creating knowledge through research, information gathering and public engagement. The latter includes a comprehensive community engagement process launched on November 27, 2020, to inform the upcoming LGBTQ2 Action Plan, a key LGBTQ2 mandate commitment.

For more details on Canadian Heritage programs, please consult the Supplementary information tables associated with this report.

The planned budget allocated to this core responsibility is $153,821,012 and supported by a total of 180.5 planned full-time equivalents.

Canadians value diversity.

The Department will undertake the following notable activities in 2021–22 towards achieving this departmental result by:

Reversal of the current downward trend in the use and fluency of Indigenous languages.

In 2021–22, the Department will undertake the following notable activities towards achieving this departmental result by:

Youth enhance their appreciation of the diversity and shared aspects of the Canadian experience.

The Department will undertake the following notable activities in 2021–22 towards achieving this departmental result by:

Individuals or groups have access to funding to initiate or participate in test cases pertaining to rights and freedoms covered by the Court Challenges Program.

In 2021–22, the Department will undertake the following notable activities towards achieving this departmental result by:

Canadians value human rights.

The Department will undertake the following notable activities in 2021–22 towards achieving this departmental result by:

Gender-based analysis plus

Programs and initiatives reporting under this core responsibility integrate GBA+ into their key priorities and core business processes.

The Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program advances the Government of Canada’s commitment to addressing the complex challenges of racism and discrimination through new initiatives, with a view to increasing social inclusion and removing the barriers to full participation in Canadian society, particularly for racialized communities, Indigenous Peoples, and religious minorities.

All of the Department’s work under the Anti-Racism Strategy is designed to allow for as much intersectional analysis as possible to build a strong foundation for future policy development, programming and coordination. The new data and evidence approach under the Strategy will consider intersectionalities such as race, culture, gender, age and religious affiliation, and performance and impact measurement tools will be developed to collect relevant data and information on the effectiveness of federal policies and programming.

The implementation of the Indigenous Languages Act will consider the diversity of languages and the plurality of linguistic situations. The Department will also seek to ensure that activities to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen Indigenous languages target Indigenous communities on reserves, on the territories of Indigenous governments and other governing bodies, and in urban areas, to take into account the variety of places of residence and the increasing urbanization of Indigenous Peoples. The collaborative process to support the implementation of the Act will engage national Indigenous organizations, self-governing Indigenous governments and other Indigenous governing bodies, and other Indigenous organizations in order to take into account a diversity of perspectives and achieve more inclusive outcomes.

Moreover, the Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program takes into account the distinction (First Nation, Inuit and Métis) and place of residence (province or territory) in allocating its funding. The funded activities are aimed at different age groups and are equally accessible to women, men and people with other gender identities. The program results will contribute to the Government’s broader objectives towards the well-being of young Canadians and the economic development of rural, remote and northern communities.

Participants of projects supported by the Exchanges Canada and Youth Take Charge programs will reflect the geographic and demographic context of the Canadian youth population. The Youth Take Charge Program will assess applications against the reach, diversity and number of youth involved in the proposals. The Exchanges Canada Program will require funded organizations to deliver projects on a geographic and demographic scope and scale reflective of the overall Canadian youth population.

Youth as a population represents the full spectrum of Canadian diversity, where individuals all have multiple and intersecting identities, such as ethnicity, religion, age, physical or intellectual disability, among others. For this reason, a youth lens is applied to documents, analyses and policy initiatives that are developed or reviewed by the Youth Secretariat to ensure that age and youth considerations are taken into account in policy and program analysis. Stakeholder engagement approaches continue to focus on developing approaches to reach youth furthest from opportunity, racialized youth, and First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth.

The Youth Secretariat is also developing a Youth Impact Analysis tool, a component of the federal government policy development cycle, to support federal policy-makers in applying a youth lens throughout the GBA+ process and overall decision-making process. This tool allows one to examine impacts on youth at an early stage of policy design and implementation.

The tool aligns with the implementation of Canada’s first Youth Policy and draws inspiration from several locally and internationally recognized methodological frameworks for assessing social, youth impacts and anti-oppression practices. It intersects with GBA+ by identifying barriers and negative impacts of policies related to gender and other variables. Overall, the tool’s main purpose is to enhance current methodologies and deepen analysis.

The Court Challenges Program funds individuals and groups who seek access to the courts because they feel their rights have been infringed upon. In doing so, the program contributes directly to advancing the rights of women, diverse and vulnerable groups, and all Canadians.

The activities of the Human Rights Program are directed at all Canadians. Greater awareness and understanding of human rights and increased access to the Canadian justice system contribute to the promotion of gender equality, diversity and inclusion indirectly.

Planned results are directed towards greater LGBTQ2 inclusion in Canada, protecting the rights of LGBTQ2 individuals, and bridging inequities between LGBTQ2 and non-LGBTQ2 Canadians, and therefore directly support government-wide priorities of gender equality, diversity and inclusiveness. Gender equality is addressed through these initiatives by incorporating considerations around gender identity and expression in policy development and program delivery across federal departments and agencies.

The LGBTQ2 Action plan engagement will help to identify barriers and issues facing trans and non-binary communities with the potential for identifying concrete federal actions that address inequities in outcomes when compared with cisgender Canadians. The Action Plan engagement activities are and will continue to be informed by an intersectional framework, which is consistent with the purpose of GBA+ analysis. In particular, the national online survey contains a breadth of demographic questions to equip the LGBTQ2 Secretariat with the information needed to disaggregate the data collected and gain insights into the realities and needs of a diversity of LGBTQ2 communities, including those who are also impacted by racism, ableism and ageism. Additionally, community engagement sessions will include community-specific roundtables to provide a dedicated space for learning about the lived experiences of a diversity of LGBTQ2 communities, and learning from their knowledge to inform potential federal actions for an Action Plan that reaches those most marginalized within LGBTQ2 communities.

United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Canadian Heritage believes that diversity and inclusion is essential to serving Canadians. The Department builds on the multi-facets of social identity to ensure no one is left behind. This core responsibility delivers its mandate through several programs and initiatives, namely Indigenous Languages and Cultures, Youth Engagement, Multiculturalism and Human Rights.

The Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program contributes to advancing equality, advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and fostering an inclusive Canadian society. Consistent with the Government of Canada’s commitment to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, the program supports multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including No poverty (SDG 1); Quality education (SDG 4); Gender equality (SDG 5); and Reduced inequalities (SDG 10). The number of participatory activities and the number of resource development activities are proxy indicators used by the ILCP to help measure access to quality education (SDG 4). The ILCP invests in Indigenous language learning and cultural activities and resources, including language nests, language training for instructors, mentorship and immersion programs, audio and video recordings of fluent speakers of the languages and written materials, to restore and maintain the number of speakers (SDG 10). Indigenous men and women have equal access to language learning and cultural activities and resources (SDG 1-5).

The Youth Take Charge and the Exchanges Canada programs bring together diverse youth, including those from low-income households, to learn about Canada and each other. By connecting youth and engaging them in a wide variety of exchange experiences and youth-led projects, the programs help reduce the undermining of social cohesion brought about by economic inequality, and support actions to eradicate poverty (SDG 1). While the Youth Take Charge and Exchanges Canada programs’ experiences are outside of formal educational institutions, they are key to helping youth learn and grow by raising their awareness around issues such as reconciliation, climate action, gender equality, civic education and promoting active engagement in communities (SDG 4). Educating Canada’s youngest citizens helps instill value for active citizenship and build confidence in Canada’s democratic institutions, which helps create more transparency in processes by encouraging active participation, thereby promoting a peaceful, inclusive society (SDG 11 and SDG 16).

The Projects component of the Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program provides funding for community development, anti-racism initiatives, and engagement projects that promote diversity and inclusion by encouraging interaction among community groups. This responds directly to the goal of reducing inequalities by offering support to racialized and equity-deserving communities (SDG 10).

The activities of the Human Rights Program are directed at all Canadians. Greater awareness and understanding of human rights and increased access to the Canadian justice system foster greater gender equality (SDG 5), and reduce inequalities (SDG 10). Ensuring Canadians have access to information on their rights and on the steps that governments across the country have taken to protect them is a crucial component of fostering a domestic culture of human rights in Canada (SDG 16).

Canadian Heritage is home to the Youth Secretariat, the LGBTQ2 Secretariat and the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat. The work performed by the secretariats ensures a whole-of-government approach to addressing issues such as homelessness, mental health, food security, education, employment, family and gender-based violence, poverty reduction, health, environment and climate, and anti-discrimination and anti-racism with more targeted approaches (SDG 10).

Youth Secretariat: The implementation of Canada’s Youth Policy is guided by principles drawn from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The Youth Secretariat is committed, through this Policy, to supporting youth-related programs and policies and for ensuring they are designed in such a way that multiple demographic groups benefit from an intersectional approach, with a particular focus on those facing barriers (SDG 10).

LGBTQ2 Secretariat: The Federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan will identify measures to ultimately bridge, through the engagement process, current inequities faced by LGBTQ2 communities (albeit at different levels and in different ways) in areas including health, employment, housing and homelessness, and safety. The engagement process furthers the political inclusion of LGBTQ2 communities by providing mechanisms through which LGBTQ2 Canadians can draw on their experiences and unique insights to inform Action Plan measures (SDG 10).

Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat: The Anti-Racism Secretariat works with federal departments and agencies to address racism and the effects of discrimination. The Secretariat coordinates with the provinces and territories and engages and works with non-governmental partners, Indigenous Peoples and communities to identify and develop further areas for action (SDG 16). It focuses on increasing awareness of the historical roots of racism and discrimination, and its different impacts on diverse communities, including Black Canadians, as well as on taking initial measures to address online disinformation and hate speech furthering the goal of Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16).

Experimentation

The first-ever federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan reflects an ongoing shift towards proactive rather than reactive LGBTQ2 policy making at the federal level. As part of the Action Plan engagement process, the national online survey was developed and deployed from within the Department with the support of the Policy Research Group. Virtual community engagement roundtables are being planned.

The Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat has developed and will institutionalize an anti-racism lens for all departments and agencies. This tool will assist in the development of programs and policies that respond more directly to the needs of Indigenous Peoples, racialized communities and religious minorities. This lens will complement the work led by Women and Gender Equality on GBA+.

In support of the implementation of the new Indigenous Languages Act, investments in 2021–22 will be made through the new Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program, with more flexible terms and conditions. At the same time, the Department is working with Indigenous organizations to put in place a long-term funding model for Indigenous languages. This new funding model will include a variety of flexible approaches and funding mechanisms to support a wide range of revitalization efforts by various Indigenous organizations and governing bodies. The development of this new funding model with Indigenous partners to support a distinctions-based approach for First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation will represent a new and innovative approach to better meet the needs of Indigenous communities.

The Program is working to advance two pathfinder agreements under sections 8 and 9 of the Indigenous Languages Act. These multi-year agreements are aimed at furthering the purposes of the Act and will serve to pilot new approaches to funding and inform whether they can be scaled and tailored to support other communities in the revitalization of their Indigenous languages.

Key risks

The Indigenous Languages Act recognizes that Indigenous Peoples are best placed to take the leading role in reclaiming, revitalizing, maintaining, strengthening and promoting Indigenous languages. Indigenous partners and stakeholders have expressed that single-year funding is ineffective for language revitalization and that there is a need for resources for longer than one year in order to achieve meaningful results.

The Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program is working with Indigenous partners to develop a new funding model that would expand Indigenous control over allocation of funding through Indigenous review committees, expand third party delivery, streamline processes, and move to multi-year funding.

Equity-deserving communities and organizations may still not be able to access new investments under both initiatives due to their small organizational and human resource capacity. The Multiculturalism Program will look at re-examining the resourcing model to allow funding access to the most impacted and racialized communities.

The Human Rights Program’s key partners, the provinces and territories, Indigenous groups and civil society organizations may be dissatisfied with the results achieved or the timelines associated with the achievement of results. The Program is putting in place measures to incorporate the views and comments of key partners.

COVID-19 has deepened existing inequalities for groups differently depending on existing vulnerabilities and extent of exclusion within communities, now more than ever, the work performed by the Canadian Heritage secretariats is essential to Canadians.

As the demand continues to increase, the Youth and LGBTQ2 Secretariats will continue to enhance program and policy functions and to align their capacity with current and expanding roles and responsibilities.

There is also a risk that the Anti-Racism Strategy may be perceived as the sole Government response to valid concerns raised by Indigenous Peoples, religious minorities and racialized communities. The amount of funding provided for the Strategy may be perceived as low relative to the funding amounts provided to other program areas within Canadian Heritage; however, it should be looked as part of a trend of increased funding. For example, in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, an additional $50 million was allocated for the Community Support, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Initiatives as well as the Anti-Racism Secretariat.

A robust communication strategy will be developed to mitigate this risk. The high profile communications approach will focus on the fact that this three-year initiative is the first phase of a larger plan that is intended to identify best practices and test innovative approaches, and enhance data collection and research as well as education and awareness, which could then be used to inform future actions.

Planned results for Diversity and inclusion
Departmental result Departmental result indicator Target Date to achieve target 2017–18 actual result 2018–19 actual result 2019–20 actual result
Canadians value diversity Percentage of Canadians who feel that ethnic and cultural diversity is a shared value. 85 December 2021 85 85 n/aFootnote 22
Number of unique visitors to and downloads from the Multiculturalism Program’s websiteFootnote 23 230,000 March 2022 n/a 164,817 209,183
Reversal of the current downward trend in the use and fluency of Indigenous languages. Percentage of First Nations people who can conduct a conversation in an Indigenous language that is not their mother tongue. 4% increase in the number of First Nations people who can conduct a conversation in an Indigenous language that is not their mother tongue 2021 26.7Footnote 24
(Census 2016)
26.7
(Census 2016)
26.7
(Census 2016)
Percentage of Métis people who can conduct a conversation in an Indigenous language that is not their mother tongue. 4% increase in the number of Métis people who can conduct a conversation in an Indigenous language that is not their mother tongue 2021 41.7Footnote 25
(Census 2016)
41.7
(Census 2016)
41.7
(Census 2016)
Percentage of Inuit speaking in an Inuit language 63.3 2021 64.3
(Census 2016)
64.3
(Census 2016)
64.3
(Census 2016)
Number of participants in language-learning activities.Footnote 26 20,000 March 2022 4,131 9,039Footnote 27 12,223Footnote 28
Youth enhance their appreciation of the diversity and shared aspects of the Canadian experience. Percentage of participants in the Exchanges Canada Program who report having a better understanding of what Canadians have in common. 80 February 2023 80 82 82Footnote 29
Percentage of participants in the Exchanges Canada Program who report having a greater appreciation of how diverse Canada is. 87 February 2023 87 87 87Footnote 30
Individuals or groups have access to funding to initiate or participate in test cases pertaining to rights and freedoms covered by the Court Challenges Program. Number of cases pertaining to Canadians’ rights and freedoms funded by the Court Challenges Program. 70 March 2022 Non-existing program 30 78
Canadians value human rights. Percentage of Canadians who feel that human rights are a shared value. 90 March 2022 n/a n/a n/aFootnote 31
Number of Canadians accessing the Government of Canada’s website on human rights. 100,000 March 2022 428,066 390,429 684,994
Planned budgetary financial resources for Diversity and inclusion
2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
153,821,012 153,821,012 154,938,994 183,318,748
Planned human resources for Diversity and inclusion
2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
180.5 178.0 178.0

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department of Canadian Heritage’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.Footnote 15

Core responsibility 5: Official languages

Description

Supports the promotion of Canada’s two official languages in Canadian society as well as the development of official-language minority communities by collaborating with voluntary organizations and provincial and territorial governments. Fosters a coordinated approach to ensure participation from across the federal government in the implementation of the Official Languages Act, and the coordination of related horizontal initiatives.

Planning highlights

The Department contributes to Core Responsibility 5 through the Official Languages Support Programs. These Programs support the promotion of both official languages in Canadian society, as well as the development of official-language minority communities, by collaborating with community organizations and provincial and territorial governments. They foster a coordinated approach to ensure participation from all institutions of the federal government in the implementation of the Official Languages Act, and the coordination of whole-of-government initiatives on Official Languages. The Department also coordinates the implementation of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023: Investing in our futureFootnote 32, a horizontal Government of Canada strategy for official languages. Since March 2020, Official Languages Support Programs pivoted and reprioritized their activities to help support recipients, including the arts and culture organizations in Official Language Minorities Communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021–22, they will continue to demonstrate flexibility and support departmental efforts to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more details on Canadian Heritage programs, please consult the Supplementary information tables associated with this report.

The planned budget allocated to this core responsibility is $454,761,725 and supported by a total of 150.9 planned full-time equivalents.

Canadians recognize and support Canada’s official languages.

In 2021–22, the Department will undertake the following notable activities towards achieving this departmental result by:

Federal institutions develop and implement policies and programs in accordance with Section 41 of the Official Languages Act.

The Department will undertake the following notable activities in 2021–22 towards achieving this departmental result by:

Gender-based analysis plus

Under the core responsibility of Official Languages, the Official Languages Branch uses GBA+ to ensure that developed policies and programs are implemented in an inclusive manner. More specifically, GBA+ assesses the potential impact of policies and programs on multiple groups of people, taking into account gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, mental or physical disability, and a multitude of other factors.

In 2021–22, the Official Languages Branch will undertake the annual update of its generic GBA+, which is the basis of the GBA+, for any specific policy or program development process. The generic GBA+ presents the analysis of differentiated data on various topics relevant to the field of Official Languages (e.g., the demography of linguistic communities, the socio-economic performance of linguistic communities, the number of student enrollments in schools).

United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023 contributes to reducing inequalities by supporting and promoting our two official languages, which are at the heart of Canadian identity and an essential platform for the inclusion of all Canadians (SDG 10).

The Department also promotes quality education (SDG 4) through its work to implement the upcoming Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction, beginning in April 2023; through the conclusion of bilateral agreements with provincial and territorial governments for minority-language education and second official language learning; as well as through the implementation of numerous initiatives to support education, such as:

The Department will continue to collaborate with CBC/Radio-Canada for content development and distribution of Mauril, a web and mobile application to learn and maintain both official languages, French and English (SDG 4).

Experimentation

As the Official Languages Branch focuses on the modernization and strengthening of the Official Languages Act and its related instruments, several innovative measures represent worthy opportunities for experimentation as part of innovative, agile and flexible program management such as the improvement of programs “by” and “for” the communities, the transfer of funds allocated from one fiscal year to another and the addition or extension of deadline for project proposals.

Key risks

Canada’s two official languages, English and French, are at the heart of who we are as Canadians. While these populations are vibrant and continue to grow, some of the trends are concerning. The increasing number of Canadians reporting a language other than English or French as their mother tongue or speaking another language at home, and the growing number of Francophones able to speak English, could challenge the vitality of French in Canada.

The modernization and strengthening of the Official Languages Act, and its related instruments, take into consideration the unique reality of French in Canada, including within Quebec. The modernization of the Act will be an opportunity for the Government of Canada to emphasize and reaffirm the status of French and English as Canada’s official languages, their importance in building Canadian identity and their essential role as a vehicle for integration into Canadian society.

Planned results for Official languages
Departmental result Departmental result indicator Target Date to achieve target 2017–18 actual result 2018–19 actual result 2019–20 actual result
Canadians recognize and support Canada’s official languages. Percentage of Canadians who agree that Canada’s two official languages (English/French) are an important part of what it means to be Canadian. 60 March 2022 70 60 60Footnote 33
Number of Canadians who can conduct a conversation in their second official language. 6,200,000 March 2022 6,216,070 6,216,070 6,216,070Footnote 34
Maintenance of the 85% base-line of Official-Language Minority Communities who live within a 25 km radius of a cultural/artistic organization. 85 March 2022 89.8 89.8 89.8
Maintenance of the 85% base-line of Official-Language Minority Communities who live within a 25 km radius of a regional/local community development organization that offers services in the minority language. 85 March 2022 86 86 86
Federal institutions develop and implement policies and programs in accordance with Section 41 of the Official Languages Act. Percentage of federal institutions that report concrete results in their annual review in support of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act. 80 March 2022 100 100 n/aFootnote 35
Planned budgetary financial resources for Official languages
2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–2023 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
454,761,725 454,761,725 454,201,158 438,156,424
Planned human resources for Official languages
2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
150.9 149.9 148.4

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department of Canadian Heritage’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.Footnote 15

Internal Services: planned results

Description

Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of Programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct services that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. These services are:

Planning highlights

Management and oversight services

With public discourse on racism, gender discrimination and accessibility becoming increasingly dominant, Canadian Heritage has been called upon to ensure that its programs are reaching the full diversity of the Canadian population, including equity-deserving groups that have been historically excluded and underfunded. The Department intends to carry out a program review to identify and help remove systemic barriers to accessing programming for equity-deserving communities and support sectors in developing their own approaches to improve equity, diversity and inclusion.

In addition and to further enhance the Department’s work in equity, diversity and inclusion, a number of complementary and intersecting initiatives are planned for 2021–22, detailed in the supplementary information table on Gender-based analysis plus. Measures include working to improve data collection, collaboration with internal and external partners, and support to advisory committees’ activities, for example.

Canadian Heritage’s Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy for 2020 to 2023 was tabled in October 2020. This Strategy was developed in the context of the Prime Minister’s announcement that Canada will pursue a green economy recovery plan in response to COVID-19, thus accelerating Canada’s environmental shift. The initiatives are set out in the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Over the course of September and October 2020, the Department supported a stakeholder engagement process focused on the post-pandemic recovery of the cultural, heritage and sport sectors. Hundreds of stakeholders participated in town halls and roundtables hosted by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Parliamentary Secretaries. Through this engagement, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Parliamentary Secretaries asked stakeholders to put forward ideas about how to best advance the resiliency of their sectors. In addition to economic viability, participants were specifically asked to think about how environmental sustainability, equity, diversity and inclusion can be advanced in their sectors. Additionally, a dedicated roundtable on the “green recovery” of the cultural, heritage and sport sectors allowed participants from various industries (e.g. television and film, theatre, sporting events, tourism) to discuss environmental challenges and opportunities. These discussions generated valuable feedback and will be taken into account as the Department continues to explore how upcoming policy and planning initiatives could prioritize the environment as a central objective.

The Department will carry out the Data Strategy Implementation Plan, pivoting our attention and resources to focus on priorities through the four pillars of the Data Strategy. The Data Strategy activities are inclusive of all five of Canadian Heritage’s core responsibilities. The Department will work on issues around data collection such as having them reflect on current needs or addressing data gaps, particularly in relation to diversity and inclusion and disaggregated data. It will also launch an Online Diversity Scan, presenting key data findings and holdings related to diversity and inclusion, which will be updated regularly to ensure that this critical information is available and accessible.

The Department has many projects underway to measure and monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on our sectors as well as on all Canadians. Statistics Canada and Canadian Heritage will explore options for ongoing solutions for timelier data sources for the Culture Satellite Account and other relevant data, and surveys on federal pandemic programs. In addition, the Department will pursue projects that include measurement of COVID-19’s social impacts on our sector and around the five core responsibilities, such as a Well-being App allowing voluntary users (Canadians) to report their well-being relative to their activity at a given time. The data gathered can be used to quantify well-being generated by culture and sport relative to other activities. Also, the Arts’ Civic Impact: Researchers in Residence will explore how the arts can help address civic issues in innovative ways, creating tools to articulate the civic impacts of arts has on communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also inevitably had an impact on the timelines of ongoing and future departmental evaluations required under the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Policy on Results. The Evaluation Services Directorate plans to launch six evaluations in 2021–22, in addition to ongoing projects. These new studies will include the evaluation of the Department’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is planned to begin in the summer of 2021. The Directorate will continue to focus on two overarching priorities: GBA+ and Diversity and Inclusion, including Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ2 communities and accessibility.

With the adoption of the Accessible Canada ActFootnote 36 and the launch of Nothing Without Us: An Accessibility Strategy for the Public ServiceFootnote 37 in 2019, the Department’s Accessibility Office will deliver on the following activities in 2021–22:

The Accessibility Office will work with internal services and programs to integrate accessibility considerations into their policies, practices and processes, while starting in 2022–23 each program will be responsible for documenting how they will address access barriers and identify how it will satisfy the Department’s responsibilities under the Act and the Nothing Without Us strategy.

Towards a national action plan

As the lead Department for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) culture theme, one of four themes of the federal response to the MMIWG report, Canadian Heritage will continue work started in fall 2020 to engage representatives of Indigenous communities and organizations, including families and survivors, through a working group structure established by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. The objective of the engagement is to co-develop the federal portion of the National Action Plan to end violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.Footnote 38 Canadian Heritage, Indigenous partners, portfolio organizations, and other federal departments will work together to design, develop and implement initiatives in the short, medium and long term to advance the Plan’s goals of ending violence against and improving outcomes for Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

Financial management services

Canadian Heritage’s financial management services continue to improve results for the Department by: modernizing financial processes to maintain a high performing and client focused financial management and planning function by investing in systems, digitization and analytics; and continue to promote and implement a standardized data model, supported by sound information architecture, to support the continued delivery and administration of transfer payment programs.

Human resources management services

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021–22, the Department will support its human resources, health and safety, as well as real property and accommodations-related activities. Employees will continue to be supported while working remotely by ensuring they have the equipment, tools and resources they need.

The Human Resources and Workplace Management Branch will work with partners, monitor results, and report on progress of the implementation of the Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy’s action plan.

Canadian Heritage is also planning and implementing the necessary structure, resources and framework to meet the requirements and obligations pertaining to the prevention of harassment and violence in the workplace, with the coming into force of the Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (harassment and violence)Footnote 39 on January 1, 2021.

The Department will contribute in the Next Generation Human Resources and Pay Project, led by Shared Services Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat, to assist in efforts to find a reliable and permanent solution to human resources and payroll management within of the Public Service of Canada.

The Office of Values and Ethics continues to offer increasing and ongoing support in well-being and mental health to all employees, including continuing a departmental subscription with LIFESPEAK, a comprehensive and confidential virtual wellness platform. It will also offer facilitated virtual group discussions on specific personal and organizational challenges upon demand, such as resilience, life balance, loneliness and stress management among managers.

Other activities planned by the Office of Value and Ethics include: quick surveys and annual surveys on wellness and mental health to analyze qualitative and quantitative results as well as to develop strategies that meet the needs of persons employed within the Department; and reviewing and updating the Canadian Heritage Workplace Well-being Action Plan to include new realities of work and the Accessible Canada Act.

Meanwhile, the Department will ensure that its workplaces are safe for employees who must work on site. Canadian Heritage will develop a plan on the future of workplaces in spaces occupied by the Department by focusing on consultations with various stakeholders within the Department and central agencies. In parallel, the Department will take part in the Terrasses de la Chaudière’s modernization project, which will enable it to develop a long-term strategy.

Information management, information technology and security services

The Chief Information Officer Branch will focus on strengthening management decision-making by enhancing and leveraging data analytics across the Department; enabling and supporting the Canadian Heritage workforce to support the Government of Canada Digital and Data Strategy; increasing the number and percentage of the Department’s open datasets and information available online and participate in a more open and transparent Government; and strengthening management of information resources and promote sound record-keeping practices within the Department.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department is devoting more resources in the areas of workforce enablement, such as the acceleration of a migration project to the GC Cloud-based email system, the implementation of a platform for virtual public engagement and consultation, and supporting policy research, program performance measurement and reporting by the development and implementation of Enterprise Data Management Solution Architecture, platforms and tools.

In modernizing the grants and contributions system, the My PCH Online project is building an online portal for funding applicants, which aims to improve client service through improving program operations via simplified and streamlined funding applications, and enhancing program administration.

United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Canadian Heritage works on responding to the MMIWG call for justice (CfJ) related to culture. Works aim to improve outcomes for Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people in that it is a core component of the federal portion of the upcoming National Action Plan to end violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. Canadian Heritage’s work creates conditions where cultural identities are celebrated, respected and promoted, and self-esteem and general well-being are strengthened (SDG 3).

Current and future initiatives will work to create conditions in which Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA peoples’ role in Indigenous communities and in Canadian society as a whole are valued and respected, and where they can have increasing opportunities to fulfill their life goals, through cultural, employment and other projects (SDG 5).

The CfJ is a call for a transformation of institutions at all levels in order to end enduring discriminatory and racist practices and to ensure inclusion of Indigenous people with a focus on Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. Initiatives as part of Canadian Heritage’s work aim to eliminate long-standing inequities, discrimination and violence faced by Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people and perpetuated at the institutional level (SDG 16).

In Canada, Canadians with disabilities also experience higher rates of poverty than those without disabilities. Poverty seems to increase with the severity of disability.Footnote 40 Improving the Department’s recruitment, retention and promotion of persons with disabilities will directly create income-generating possibilities for Canadians with disabilities. Designing disability inclusive programs for the arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors will generate eventual positive impacts and income opportunities for deaf and disability artists and other culture workers from the disability community (SDG 10). Improving the access of those with disabilities working within the arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors will improve the quality of life, their sense of belonging and their well-being (SDG 3).

The Office of Values and Ethics (OVE) at Canadian Heritage was created to provide an impartial and safe venue to all persons employed at the Department, wishing to discuss issues related to unconscious bias, racism, discrimination or harassment (SDG 16).

With the provisions of the Canada Labor Code, Canadian Heritage has revised the Departmental Policy for the Prevention of Psychological Harassment at Work and established a new complaint management process to be implemented in 2021. The OVE will update its tools and resources accordingly in order to contribute to awareness raising related to the prevention of harassment and discrimination in the workplace (SDG 3).

As the Department engages on these issues, the Policy Research Group provides applied research support services that inform policy and program initiatives, using the GBA+ lens. Other projects include assessing the Social and Economic Impacts of COVID-19 (SDG 10); well-being (SDG 3); and measuring the impact of COVID-19 on sectors served by Canadian Heritage (SDG 8).

The Human Resources and Workplace Management Branch uses innovative and collaborative approaches to cope with and respond to an ever-changing environment and achieve excellence in client service and strategic advice. It supports employees in continuing to work remotely, ensuring they have the equipment, tools and resources they need to accomplish their work. Maintaining a high proportion of employees working remotely helps to reduce the carbon footprint, therefore reducing the carbon footprint in accordance with Climate Action goals (SDG 13).

Canadian Heritage will continue to enhance decision-making, improve efficiency and providing effective digital services by efficient management of our data and informational resources. This means contributing to efforts relating to industry, innovation, and infrastructure by focusing on mobile services that increase the connections between people and strengthens the ties of sharing and collaboration (SDG 9).

Planned budgetary financial resources for Internal Services
2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
84,128,073 84,128,073 79,318,600 79,239,461
Planned human resources for Internal Services
2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
712.6 708.6 708.6

Spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the Department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three consecutive fiscal years and compares planned spending for the upcoming year with the current and previous years’ actual spending.

Planned spending

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

Departmental spending 2018–19 to 2023–24
Departmental spending 2018–19 to 2023–24 – text version
2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Statutory 26 26 448 28 28 27
Voted 1,384 1,525 1,571 1,509 1,483 1,474
Total 1,410 1,551 2,019 1,537 1,511 1,501

The increase observed in 2019–20 is a result of new funding received by the Department. This additional funding supports the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023: Investing in Our Future, namely through the Development of Official-Language Communities and Enhancement of Official Languages programs. Furthermore, it enables new projects in the Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program, which are helping preserve, promote and revitalize Indigenous languages. New temporary funding to support artists and cultural events in order to foster a more cohesive Canadian identity also explains part of the increase. Funding was also received to allow the Sport Program to successfully launch new initiatives for social development in Indigenous communities, Gender equality and Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Sport System. Moreover, the Anti-Racism Strategy and the Young Canada Works temporary funding also contributed to this increase in funding.

The steep increase observed in 2020–21 forecast spending is a result of payments made by the Department for the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations as well as payments to support students and youth impacted by COVID-19. This temporary statutory funding is a relief measure to meet the financial needs of cultural, heritage and sport organizations and youth facing significant losses due to COVID-19. The increase in the forecast spending for 2020–21 is also explained by funds transferred from 2019–20 to 2020–21 for various initiatives because of delays resulting from external factors, such as the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The most significant in terms of value pertains to enhancing support for minority-language education in Canada under the Development of Official-Language Communities Program. Finally, new funding was received to support two Pathfinder Agreements under sections 8 and 9 of the Indigenous Languages Act and for recently signed collective agreements.

For future years, the planned spending decreases mainly due to the funding confirmed in Budget 2018 for the Canada Media Fund to compensate for the decline in funds from Canada’s Broadcasting Distribution Undertakings. Undertakings is not yet reflected in future years’ authorities. This amount is only confirmed and expended on a yearly basis. The decrease in planned spending is also explained by the sunsetting of funds: the end of the two-year funding to support artists and cultural events in order to foster a more cohesive Canadian identity (2020–21); Gender Equality and Anti-Racism Action Program (2021–22); Enhancing support for minority-languages education in Canada, Protecting Democracy and Canada Creative Export Strategy (2022–23). These decreases are partially offset by yearly increase in funding for the Preservation, Promotion and Revitalization of Indigenous Languages starting in 2021–22.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned spending for each of Canadian Heritage’s core responsibilities and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

Core responsibilities and Internal Services 2018–19 expenditures 2019–20 expenditures 2020–21 forecast spendingFootnote 41 2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2021–22 planned spending 2022–23 planned spending 2023–24 planned spending
Creativity, arts and culture 486,408,233 542,853,062 814,725,424 495,939,870 495,939,870 495,149,612 471,403,509
Heritage and celebration 120,649,174 123,860,201 166,236,254 99,828,478 99,828,478 96,445,114 97,072,959
Sport 228,061,688 243,114,183 331,626,986 248,100,659 248,100,659 230,507,513 231,436,475
Diversity and inclusion 96,275,855 132,989,704 123,810,093 153,821,012 153,821,012 154,938,994 183,318,748
Official languages 392,962,335 423,334,498 483,808,345 454,761,725 454,761,725 454,201,158 438,156,424
Subtotal 1,324,357,285 1,466,151,648 1,920,207,102 1,452,451,744 1,452,451,744 1,431,242,391 1,421,388,115
Internal Services 85,206,936 84,423,303 98,688,986 84,128,073 84,128,073 79,318,600 79,239,461
Total 1,409,564,221 1,550,574,951 2,018,896,088 1,536,579,817 1,536,579,817 1,510,560,991 1,500,627,576
Creativity, arts and culture:

The overall increase in spending starting in 2018–19 is due to new funding confirmed in Budget 2018 for the Canada Media Fund to compensate for the decline in funds from Canada’s Broadcasting Distribution Undertakings. This is reflected in actuals and forecast spending but not yet in future years’ authorities as the amount is only confirmed on a yearly basis. The increase in 2019–20 actual spending is also explained by time-limited funding received to support the production of original civic journalism for underserved communities, to enhance the production and distribution of accessible digital books by Canadian independent book publishers, to expand support for artists through the Canada Music Fund and Canada Arts Presentation Fund and Protecting Canada’s Democracy Project to address online disinformation and funding to invest in a Francophone digital platform TV5MONDEplus (TV5).

The steep increase observed in 2020–21 forecast spending is a result of payments made by the Department for the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations.

For future years, planned spending is decreasing due to the end in 2020–21 of the two-year funding to support artists and cultural events in order to foster a more cohesive Canadian identity, the sunsetting in 2022–23 of the five-year investment to support Canada’s Creative Export Strategy, which aims to foster the export of Canadian creative works and the end of the funding for Protecting Canada’s Democracy Project to address online disinformation.

Heritage and celebration:

The increase in spending in 2019–20 and considerable increase in the 2020–21 Forecast spending is due in part to the temporary funding to support artists, cultural events and commemorations initiatives. The steep increase observed in 2020–21 forecast spending is a result of payments made by the Department for the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations as well as payments to support students and youth impacted by COVID-19. The sunsetting of these funds explains the decrease in Planned Spending for future years.

Sport:

The increase observed in the 2019–20 actual spending is due to the following items: new funding for Sport for Social Development in Indigenous Communities, increase in funding for Gender Equality in Sport (sunsetting in 2021–22), increase funding to support Indigenous Youth and Sport and new time-limited funding towards Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Sport System (sunsetting in 2023–24).

The significant increase observed in the 2020–21 Forecast spending is a result of payments made by the Department for the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations.

Diversity and inclusion:

The increase observed in the 2019–20 actual spending is due to time-limited funding received to address racism and discrimination, more specifically to provide funding for projects to build capacity in Black Canadian communities (sunsetting in 2020–21), to support the creation of an Anti-Racism Secretariat (sunsetting in 2021–22) and to support the Rideau Hall Foundation (sunsetting in 2020–21). Also contributing to the increase in 2019–20 actual spending as well as the 2021–22 to 2023–24 planned spending is new funding to enable new projects in the Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program, which are helping preserve, promote and revitalize Indigenous languages.

Official languages:

The increase in actual spending starting in 2018–19 and future years is explained by the implementation of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023. This funding will help strengthen official-language minority communities, improve access to services in both official languages, and promote a bilingual Canada. Also contributing to the increase is the four-year funding to Enhance Support for Minority-Language Education in Canada (sunsetting in 2022–23).

The increase in the forecast spending for 2020–21 is also explained by funds being transferred from 2019–20 to 2020–21 for the Enhancing Support for Minority-Language Education in Canada initiative delivered under the Official Languages Programs because of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and delays resulting from external factors. Payments made by the Department for the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations as well as payments to support students and youth impacted by COVID-19 also contributed to the 2020–21 increase.

Internal services:

The actual spending displayed from 2018–19 to 2019–20 is relatively stable. The increase in forecast spending in 2020–21 and decrease in planned spending starting in 2021–22 is in part due to additional funding received by the Department following the ratification of collective agreements, temporary investments to modernize departmental processes and equipment and reprofile of funds from 2018–19 and 2019–20 to 2020–21 and 2021–22 for My PCH Online project. For future years, planned spending decreases and stabilizes.

Planned human resources

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) for each core responsibility in Canadian Heritage’s departmental results framework and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services

Core responsibilities and Internal Services 2018–19 actual full-time equivalents 2019–20 actual full-time equivalents 2020–21 forecast full-time equivalents 2021–22 planned full-time equivalents 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents
Creativity, arts and culture 426.7 423.9 411.7 423.7 420.7 420.7
Heritage and celebration 346.7 319.4 289.6 295.1 295.1 294.1
Sport 104.8 103.5 97.2 97.2 97.2 97.2
Diversity and inclusion 140.3 164.1 191.0 180.5 178.0 178.0
Official languages 151.4 150.8 143.8 150.9 149.9 148.4
Subtotal 1,169.9 1,161.7 1,133.3 1,147.4 1,140.9 1,138.4
Internal Services 693.0 681.6 700.9 712.6 708.6 708.6
Total 1,862.9 1,843.3 1,834.2 1,860.0 1,849.5 1,847.0
Creativity, arts and culture:

Actual FTEs in 2018–19 and 2019–20 are relatively stable and include a five-year investment starting in 2018–19 to support Canada’s Creative Export Strategy, which is also reflected in future years’ planned FTEs and temporary additional support required for the Broadcasting Act Review. 2019–20 and future years FTEs also reflect new temporary funding for Protecting Canada’s Democracy initiative for which funding will sunset in 2022–23. The planned FTEs observed in future years stabilizes to ensure proper support is available to carry out the departmental mandate.

Heritage and celebration:

Funding related to the National Celebrations, Commemorations and Symbols Program, particularly the Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation initiative came to an end in 2018–19, but the work continued in 2019–20 to wind down the files, thus explaining the continued decrease in FTEs until 2020–21. The planned FTEs observed in future years stabilize to ensure proper support is available to carry out activities undertaken in this core responsibility.

Sport:

The increase in 2018–19 and 2019–20 FTEs and then stabilizing in subsequent years is due to the program’s need to ensure enough support is available to carry out its mandate while providing the appropriate level of resources for some of the new initiatives mentioned previously in the budgetary planning summary.

Diversity and inclusion:

A significant portion of the FTE increase observed in 2019–20 actuals and 2020–21 forecast FTEs is due to the Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program whose temporary funding to support the revitalization of Indigenous languages and cultures spans three years starting in 2017–18. Further, new time-limited funding to support the creation of the Anti-Racism Strategy with a related Anti-Racism Secretariat (ending in 2021–22) and new ongoing funding to preserve, promote and revitalize Indigenous languages, both announced in Budget 2019, explain the increase for future years.

Official languages:

FTEs are at a similar level from year to year with a slight decrease in 2020–21 forecast FTEs. The overall FTE profile takes into account new funding received for the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023.

Internal services:

Internal services’ FTEs are slightly fluctuating to ensure proper support is available to carry out the departmental mandate but also to invest in transformation efforts to modernize departmental processes when necessary. The FTEs reaches a peak in 2021–22 and stabilizes in subsequent years.

Estimates by vote

Information on the Department of Canadian Heritage’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2021–22 Main Estimates.Footnote 42

Future-oriented Condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of the Department of Canadian Heritage’s operations for 2020–21 to 2021–22.

The amounts for forecast and planned results in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The amounts for forecast and planned spending presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on Canadian Heritage’s website.

Future-oriented Condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2022 (thousands of dollars)

Financial information 2020–21 forecast results 2021–22 planned results Difference (2021–22 planned results minus 2020–21 forecast results)
Total expenses 2,052,390 1,570,065 (482,325)
Total revenues 8,554 8,693 139
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers 2,043,836 1,561,372 (482,464)

The major increase in 2020–21 forecast results compared to planned results is mainly due to payments made by the Department from the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations as well as payments to support students and youth impacted by COVID-19.

Another portion of the increase in forecast results in 2020–21 compared to planned results in 2021–22 is largely due to payments made to support artists and cultural events to foster a more cohesive Canadian identity, Canada’s Creative Export Strategy, which aims to foster the export of Canadian creative works, and payments for Protecting Canada’s Democracy Project to address online disinformation.

The remainder of the increase in forecast results in 2020–21 compared to planned results in 2021–22 is largely due to increased payments for Enhancing Support for Minority-Language Education in Canada as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate ministers:
  • The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, P.C., M.P.,
    Minister of Canadian Heritage
  • The Honourable Bardish Chagger, PC, M.P.,
    Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth
  • The Honourable Mélanie Joly, P.C., M.P.,
    Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages
Institutional head:
Hélène Laurendeau
Ministerial portfolio:
Department of Canadian Heritage
Enabling instrument:
Department of Canadian Heritage ActFootnote 43
Year of incorporation/commencement:
The Department of Canadian Heritage was created in June 1993. However, the Department of Canadian Heritage Act received Royal Assent in June 1995.

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on the Department of Canadian Heritage’s websiteFootnote 44.

For more information on the Department’s organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Ministers’ mandate letters.Footnote 1

Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on Canadian Heritage’s website.

Reporting framework

The Department of Canadian Heritage’s approved departmental results framework and program inventory for 2021–22 are shown below and are also available in text version.

Canadian Heritage Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory 2021-22

Supporting information on the program inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to the Department of Canadian Heritage’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.Footnote 15

Supplementary information tables

Federal tax expenditures

Canadian Heritage’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures that relate to its planned results for 2021–22.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance, and the Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government-wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.Footnote 45 This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis. The tax measures presented in this report are solely the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.

Organizational contact information

Mailing address

Canadian Heritage
15 Eddy Street
Gatineau QC  K1A 0M5
Canada

Telephone:
819-997-0055
Toll-freeFootnote 46:
1-866-811-0055
TTYFootnote 47 (Toll-free):
1-888-997-3123
Email:
info@pch.gc.ca
Website:
www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage.html

Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
A report on the plans and expected performance of a department over a 3-year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.
departmental priority (priorité ministérielle)
A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Departmental priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.
departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.
departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.
Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
experimentation (expérimentation)
The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare, the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works and what doesn’t. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.
full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person-year charge against a departmental budget. Full-time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.
gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])
An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.
government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2021–22 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2020 Speech from the Throne, namely: Protecting Canadians from COVID-19; Helping Canadians through the pandemic; Building back better—a resiliency agenda for the middle class; The Canada we’re fighting for.
horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit (LGBTQ2) (lesbienne, gai, bisexuel, transgenre, queer et bispirituel [LGBTQ2])
This is the designation used by the Government of Canada to refer to the Canadian community. The internationally recognized designation is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI). LGBTQ2 terminology is continuously evolving. For further information, refer to the LGBTQ2 Secretariat’s webpage for a glossary and common acronyms.Footnote 48
non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.
performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.
performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)
The process of communicating evidence-based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision-making, accountability and transparency.
plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.
planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates.

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

program (programme)
Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
Identifies all of the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.
result (résultat)
An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.
statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
strategic outcome (résultat stratégique)
A long-term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization’s mandate, vision and core functions.
target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2021
Catalogue No. CH1-36E-PDF
ISSN: 2560-8827

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