Archived: Spending and human resources

This section of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 2020–21 Departmental Plan describes the spending and human resources by programs through which the Department delivers its mandate.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2017–18 to 2022–23

For fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19, the amounts shown represent the actual expenditures as reported in the Public Accounts.

For fiscal year 2019-20, the forecast spending represents the planned budgetary and statutory expenditures as presented in the Estimates documents (Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates), the Operating and Capital Budget carry forward, the approved reprofiles of funds to future years, the compensation allocations from Treasury Board Secretariat for adjustments made to terms and conditions of service employment of the federal public administration for collective agreements, and other adjustments from central agencies.

For the period of 2020-21 to 2022-23, the planned spending reflects approved funding by Treasury Board to support departmental priorities.

Environment and Climate Change Canada's actual spending for 2018–19 was $1,393.4 million, a year-over-year increase of $228.6 million (19.6%) from the 2017–18 actual spending. This increase is mainly due to activities related to temporary initiatives such as: the Low Carbon Economy Fund, Protecting Canada’s Nature, Parks and Wilds Spaces, the revitalization of meteorological services, the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan and Canadian Centre Climate Services.

The increase of $596.4 million from 2018-19 actual expenditures of $1,393.4 million to 2019-20 forecast spending of $1,989.7 million (42.8%) is mainly due to the reprofile of funds for the Low Carbon Economy Fund and the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan; and new funding announced in Budgets 2018 and 2019 to address priorities in support of the:

• Climate Action Incentive Fund;
• Protecting Canada’s Nature, Parks and Wild Spaces;
• Strong Arctic and Northern Communities;
• Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan; and
• Adapting Canada's Weather and Water Services to Climate Change.

For explanation of the variance between 2019-20 forecast spending and 2022-23 planned spending, please see the Budgetary planning summary section.

Budgetary planning summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)

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

*Totals may differ within and between tables due to rounding of figures.

Budgetary planning summary

Excluding funding announced in Budget 2020, approximately $1,983.0 million in total funding is anticipated for 2020−21. The decrease of $6.7 million from 2019−20 forecast spending to 2020−21 planned spending is mainly due to a decreasing funding profile of Budget 2018 and 2019 initiatives, such as the Youth Employment Strategy, the Climate Action Incentive Fund, Strong Arctic and Northern Communities, and the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan. This decrease is partially offset by an increasing funding profile of Budget 2018 and 2019 initiatives, such as the Low Carbon Economy Fund; the National Zero Waste Plastic Strategy; Protecting Canada’s Nature, Parks & Wild Spaces; and Adapting Canada's Weather and Water Services to Climate Change.

Overall, there is a decrease in planned spending over the 2020−21 to 2022−23 planning horizon presented in the summary table. This is the result of sunsetting initiatives with temporary funding. Funding requests for such initiatives are subject to government decisions and will be reflected in future Budget exercises and Estimates documents.

Major initiatives whose funding profile will decrease in 2021−22 include the:

• the Low Carbon Economy Fund; and
• the Climate Action Incentive Fund.

Major initiatives whose funding profile will decrease in 2022–23 include:

• the Low Carbon Economy Fund;
• the Freshwater Action Plan;
• the National Zero Waste Plastic Strategy;
• the Protecting Canada's Nature, Parks and Wild Spaces; and
• the Adapting Canada’s Weather and Water Services initiative.

*Totals may differ within and between tables due to rounding of figures.

Environment and Climate Change Canada's major sources of revenues netted against expenditures are the following:               

• Provinces who receive water quantity monitoring services;
• Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers who funds the Joint Canada-Alberta implementation Plan for Oil Sands;
• NAVCAN to whom Environment and Climate Change Canada provides aviation weather services;
• Department of National Defence who receives detailed weather services in support of its military operations; and
• Canadian Coast Guard who receives ice and marine monitoring forecasts and services.

Planned human resources

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) for each core responsibility in Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Departmental Results Framework and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

*Totals may differ within and between tables due to rounding of figures. The FTE numbers throughout this document include students.

One FTE equals one person working a 37.5-hour work week for the entire year, or any number of part-time employees whose combined hours of work equal one FTE. For fiscal years 2017−18 and 2018−19, the amounts shown represent the actual FTEs as reported in the Departmental Results Report. The total forecast and planned FTE for fiscal years 2019−20, 2020−21, 2021−22 and 2022–23 are calculated using average salary.

ECCC’s overall increase of 220 FTEs between the 2018−19 actual and the 2019-20 forecast FTEs is mainly due to new funding announced in the Budgets 2017 and 2018 to address priorities in support of the:

• Climate Action Incentive Fund;
• Protecting Canada's Nature, Parks and Wild Spaces;
• Low Carbon Economy Fund; and
• Initiatives supporting Clean Growth and Climate Change.

The overall decrease of 19 FTEs between the 2019−20 forecast and the 2020−21 planned FTEs is mainly due to the decrease in funding profile related to the Climate Action Incentive Fund.

Overall, there is a decreasing trend in planned FTEs over the 2020−21 to 2022−23 planning horizon. This is the result of sunsetting initiatives with temporary funding. Funding requests for such initiatives are subject to government decisions and will be reflected in future Budget exercises and Estimates documents.

The overall decrease of 179 FTEs between the 2020−21 and 2021−22 planned FTEs is mainly due to the projected reduction in funding profile related to the:

• Chemicals Management Plan, under the Preventing and Managing Pollution Core Responsibility.

The overall decrease of 237 FTEs between the 2021−22 and 2022−23 planned FTEs is mainly due to the projected reduction in funding profile related to the:

• Low Carbon Economy Fund, under the Taking Action on Clean Growth and Climate Change Core Responsibility;
• Carbon Pricing, under the Taking Action on Clean Growth and Climate Change Core Responsibility;
• Great Lake Ecosystem Initiatives, under the Preventing and Managing Pollution Core Responsibility;
• National Zero Waste Plastic Strategy, under the Preventing and Managing Pollution Core Responsibility;
• Canada's Marine Safety Response, under the Preventing and Managing Pollution Core Responsibility; and
• Oceans Protection Plan, under the Predicting Weather and Environmental Conditions Core Responsibility.

Estimates by Vote

Information on Environment and Climate Change Canada’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2019–20 Main Estimates.

Condensed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations

The Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations provides a general overview of Environment and Climate Change Canada’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 Environment and Climate Change Canada’s transparency page.

Total expenses are expected to increase by $12.0 million in 2020–21 in comparison with the forecast results of 2019–20. The overall increase in mainly due to an increasing funding profile of Budget 2018 and 2019 initiatives, such as the Low Carbon Economy Fund, the National Zero Waste Plastic Strategy, Protecting Canada’s Nature, Parks and Wild Spaces, Adapting Canada’s Weather and Water Services to Climate Change and Clean Growth and Climate Change. This increase is partially offset by reductions in planned spending for the Youth Employment Strategy and the Climate Action Incentive Fund.

Based on fiscal year 2019–20, total revenues for 2020–21 are expected to increase by $1.3 million mostly due to an increase in revenues from the Cost Sharing Agreement for the Randle Reef Remediation Project.

For comparative purposes, planned results are based on historical data and trends, and include 2020–21 Main Estimates. 2019-–0 forecast results give the reader information on 2019–20 estimated spending based on historical data and trends, the 2019–20 Main Estimates, the Budget Implementation Vote, Supplementary Estimates B, carry-forward and funding received from Treasury Board for compensation adjustments.