2024-2025 Departmental Plan

Key risks

Supply chain disruptions, challenges of maintaining a global edge in competitive markets, high input costs and talent shortages continue to cause difficulties for some businesses, innovators, and communities in British Columbia. In addition, extended periods of drought and higher than average temperatures have resulted in wildfires, disrupting the economy and damaging communities and critical infrastructure. This has lasting economic impacts, particularly in rural communities.

PacifiCan will continue to be agile and responsive to our clients’, partners’, and communities’ needs. Economic uncertainty can pose risks for PacifiCan’s program recipients, as our partners may seek to delay, scale back, or cancel project activities to address financial or business challenges that arise. We will also be winding down our temporary economic relief and recovery programs while simultaneously reducing our workforce. A reduction in resources could impact our ability to successfully assist businesses to conclude their projects and fulfil their reporting and loan repayment obligations.

PacifiCan will mitigate these risks by analyzing business requirements and processes and pivot available resources to work with recipients to identify challenges early and propose solutions to help mitigate these risks.

Snapshot of planned resources in 2024–25

• Planned spending: $111,806,519
• Planned full-time resources: 122 FTEs

Related government priorities

Gender-based Analysis Plus

PacifiCan accelerates inclusive growth in British Columbia by advancing the economic participation of underrepresented groups. This goes beyond gender to include Indigenous peoples, youth, 2SLGBTQI+ people, persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, and members of official language minority communities.

Our programming supports organizations owned or led by underrepresented groups by providing funding, business services, and training. As an agency we collect information on the identities of owners and leaders of the organizations that apply to PacifiCan programs. This data, in aggregate and with personal identifiers removed, will be used to inform program and policy development. This includes identifying and assessing program design and monitoring and reporting on outcomes. For some programs, we may request supplemental information on identity to assess whether proposals provide direct support to underrepresented groups.

PacifiCan continues to build capacity to integrate Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) into all aspects of the agency’s work. This includes promoting GBA Plus training and developing internal resources to help staff understand how identity factors, such as gender, age, race, ethnicity, mental or physical disability, and sexual orientation, influence people’s experiences with, access to, and outcomes from programs and services.

We are also working to better understand the opportunities to contribute to and support Indigenous economic development in British Columbia. Specifically, work is underway to identify approaches and practices to better serve and increase the number of Indigenous clients that access and benefit from our programs and services. We are also building internal capacity and knowledge.

PacifiCan is committed to creating a safe, respectful, healthy workplace, and building an inclusive workforce that reflects Canada’s population. As outlined in our Accessibility Plan, we are building a diverse workforce where women, Indigenous people, and members of racialized communities are reflective of the general population. We are consulting with experts on recruitment, accessibility, and accommodation strategies to remove barriers faced by persons with disabilities. The agency will also put in place an Employee Resource Group to accelerate our progress on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. This group will be employee-led and will recognize, support, and celebrate cultural diversity and foster inclusion in the workplace.

The BCICEI supports the development of clean energy projects in First Nations communities throughout British Columbia, while ensuring ownership, revenue sharing, local employment and business development benefits are built into the process. The initiative helps communities increase self-sufficiency while reducing dependency on conventional diesel power generation. On June 1, 2023, PacifiCan and Indigenous Services Canada announced an additional $3.9 million to help 14 more Indigenous communities develop new clean energy projects through BCICEI. Since 2016, Western Economic Diversification Canada, and subsequently PacifiCan, has supported the program through the Strategic Partnerships Initiative alongside the Province of British Columbia. Through this partnership, the BCICEI has delivered $26 million in funding to 73 First Nations to administer nearly 100 clean energy projects. Based on this successful partnership, the Province announced an additional $140 million for the initiative.  

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

PacifiCan supports the Government of Canada’s commitments to address the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We contribute to four of the UN’s 17 SDGs by supporting British Columbia’s transition to a greener and more sustainable economy. We accomplish this through program investments in clean technology and clean resources projects, through green procurement, and through our support for Indigenous economic development.

Through our programming and operations, PacifiCan advances the following UN SDGs:

• SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10 – Reducing Inequalities
• SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 13 – Climate Action

More information on PacifiCan’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Program inventory

Economic Development in British Columbia is supported by the following programs:

• Innovation
• Business Growth
• Business Services
• Community Initiatives

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to PacifiCan’s program inventory is available on GC Infobase.

Summary of changes made to reporting framework since last year

Starting in 2024-25, PacifiCan will implement a revised DRF that more accurately reflects the agency’s role in, and impact on, the British Columbian economy and communities. Indicators in the Departmental Results and Program Inventory use data collected from PacifiCan-assisted clients, our network partners (i.e., the PBSN), and Statistics Canada, as applicable. The following is a summary of changes to our DRF, which comes into effect April 1, 2024.

Core responsibility

• No change.

Departmental results

PacifiCan’s DRF has been revised to focus our reporting on what is most important to British Columbians: what we do, how we do it and how our work impacts communities and British Columbia’s economy. Below is a summary of changes made to our departmental results.

Businesses

• Departmental Result description changed from “Businesses are innovative and growing in British Columbia” to “Businesses are growing in British Columbia.”
• Added indicators:
  • Number of jobs created (Businesses)
  • Number of highly qualified personnel jobs (HQP) created (Businesses)
  • Value of exports (Businesses)
  • Number of directly assisted PacifiCan recipients that are majority-led by under-represented groups
• Removed indicators:
  • Value of exports of goods from British Columbia
  • Value of exports of clean technologies from British Columbia
  • Number of high growth firms in British Columbia

Communities

• Departmental Result description changed from “Communities are economically diversified in British Columbia” to “Communities are growing in British Columbia”.
• Added indicators:
  • Number of jobs created (Communities)
    • Number of HQP jobs created (Communities)
    • Number of contributing partners engaged in advancing community-based projects (e.g., providing financial or in-kind support)
    • Value of PacifiCan community economic development investments
• Removed indicators:
  • Percentage of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that are majority owned by women, Indigenous people, youth, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities in British Columbia

Technologies

• Departmental Result description changed from “Businesses invest in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in British Columbia” to “Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting technology in British Columbia”.
• Added indicators:
  • Number of jobs created (Technologies)
  • Number of HQP jobs created (Technologies)
  • Value of exports (Technologies)
  • Number of technologies to market
  • Value of business sales growth resulting from technology commercialization or adoption
• Removed indicators:
  • Value of business expenditures in research and development by firms receiving PacifiCan program funding
  • Percentage of professional jobs (including science and technology) in British Columbia
  • Percentage of companies engaged in collaborations with higher education institutions in British Columbia 

Program inventory

PacifiCan has four programs that support our departmental results, and our core responsibility of Economic Development in British Columbia. Please see below for changes made to our program inventory.  

Innovation

• Added indicators:
  • Value of incremental private sector investment attracted
  • Clean technology exports from Innovation projects
• Removed indicators:
  • Business sales growth resulting from commercialization
  • Number of HQP (including stem jobs created)

Business Growth

• Added indicators:
  • Number of SMEs assisted through Business Growth projects
  • Clean technology exports from Business Growth projects
• Removed indicators:
  • Export sales growth
  • Number of jobs created

Business Services

• Added indicators:
  • Number of clients served
  • Number of under-represented clients served

Community Initiatives

• Program description changed from “British Columbia communities have necessary public infrastructure and adjustment support to promote economic growth” to “British Columbia communities’ economic development is supported”.
• Added indicators:
  • Number of jobs maintained from Community Initiatives projects
  • Number of SMEs assisted through Community Initiatives projects
• Removed indicators:
  • Number of communities benefitting from infrastructure projects
  • Number of businesses created, maintained, or expanded
  • Number of jobs created or maintained

Internal Services

In this section

• Description
• Plans to achieve results
• Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25
• Related government priorities

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

• management and oversight services
• communications services
• legal services
• human resources management services
• financial management services
• information management services
• information technology services
• real property management services
• materiel management services
• acquisition management services

Plans to achieve results

Important progress has been made in establishing PacifiCan since August 2021. For the year ahead, our internal services will focus on continuing that development. In addition to the recently established offices across the province, we are working with Public Services and Procurement Canada to establish PacifiCan’s head office in Surrey in fall 2024.

PacifiCan is committed to connecting British Columbian communities, entrepreneurs, and innovators to economic opportunities. The Agency will use various communication tools, such as our website and social media platforms, to facilitate two-way dialogue to better understand and respond to the needs of businesses, innovators, and communities across the province. We will ensure that our digital communications tools meet accessibility requirements. We will also support public announcements and events, media relations, and stakeholder engagement to maintain and expand external communication about our programs and services. Supporting our own team through strong internal communications is also a priority.

As we work towards the launch of our new head office in Surrey, we will engage community partners including Indigenous organizations and leaders in the design and launch of our new workspace.

Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25

• Planned spending: $8,964,534
• Planned full-time resources: 48 FTEs

Related government priorities

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

PacifiCan’s target for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses in 2024-25, not including IT hardware and software purchases, is five per cent. We will implement a PacifiCan Indigenous Procurement Strategy in 2024-25 and develop a Social Procurement Strategy, the principles of which will be incorporated into our broader procurement strategy. A primary objective of this strategy is to raise awareness of Indigenous businesses that PacifiCan can engage with on procurement opportunities. 

Table [4]: Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

5% reporting field description	2022–23 actual result	2023–24 forecasted result	2024–25 planned result
Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses	14.52%	6%	5%

Note: The methodology used for calculating the target for fiscal year 2024-25 uses 1) the agency’s Annual Procurement Plan and accompanying Schedule of Planned Procurements; and 2) the forecasted available O&M budget available for procurement in fiscal year 2024-25.

Planned spending and human resources

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

In this section

• Spending
• Funding
• Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
• Human resources

Spending

Table [5]: Actual spending summary for core responsibility and internal services ($ dollars)  

The following table shows information on spending for each of PacifiCan’s core responsibility and for our internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Amounts for the 2023-2024 fiscal year are forecasted based on spending as of January 3, 2024. 

Core responsibility and internal services	2020–21 actual expenditures	2022–23 actual expenditures	2023–24 forecast spending
Economic Development in British Columbia	164,985,169	214,814,825	184,003,163
Subtotal	164,985,169	214,814,825	184,003,163
Internal Services	3,720,617	7,268,223	9,393,665
Total	168,705,786	222,083,047	193,396,828

Explanation of table [5]
PacifiCan was established in 2021-22. Most of the expenditures for the temporary programs announced in Budget 2021 occurred in 2022-23. The decrease in expenditures in 2023-24 was due to the beginning of the wind down of these programs. 

Table [6]: Budgetary planning summary for core responsibility and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for PacifiCan’s core responsibility and for our internal services for the upcoming three fiscal years.

Core responsibility and internal services	2024–25 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates)	2024-2025 planned spending	2025-2026 planned spending	2026-2027 planned spending
Economic Development in British Columbia	111,806,519	111,806,519	107,080,242	101,410,753
Subtotal	111,806,519	111,806,519	107,080,242	101,410,753
Internal Services	8,964,534	8,964,534	7,267,057	7,241,517
Total	120,771,053	120,771,053	114,347,299	108,652,270

Explanation of table [6]

PacifiCan estimates budgetary expenditures of $120.8 million in 2024–25. This represents a net decrease of $55.3 million from the 2023-24 Main Estimates. Factors contributing to the decrease in contributions and other transfer payments of $53.7 million, and the decrease in operating costs of $1.6 million. These decreases are a result of the conclusion of temporary programs.

Funding

Figure [4]: Departmental spending 2021–22 to 2026–27

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

The decrease in voted and statutory spending from 2023-24 to 2024-25 is mostly due to the conclusion of Budget 2021 programs, including the JGF, the CCRF, the TRF, and the ARRI.

Estimates by vote

Information on PacifiCan ’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2024–25 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of PacifiCan’s operations for 2023–24 to 2024–25.

The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts 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 with the requested authorities, are available on PacifiCan’s website.

Table [7]: Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2025 (dollars)

Financial information	2023–24 forecast results	2024–25 planned results	Difference (2024–25 planned results minus 2023–24 forecast results)
Total expenses	$118,192,458	$86,172,832	($32,019,626)
Total revenues	$90	$65	($25)
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers	$118,192,368	$86,172,767	($32,019,601)

Explanation of table [7]

PacifiCan has planned total expenses of $86.2 million in 2024-25, compared to the forecasted $118.2 million by year-end in 2023-24. The $32.0 million difference in total expenses is primarily due to the time-limited programs providing targeted aid to support pandemic relief and recovery that was announced in Budget 2021, all of which will be ending in 2023-24. These projects are included in the CCRF, the TRF, the ARRI, and the JGF, leading to the reduced planned expenses for the next fiscal year.

Human resources

Table [8]: Actual human resources for core responsibility and internal services

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for PacifiCan’s core responsibility and for our internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the 2023-2024 fiscal year are forecasted based on spending as of January 3, 2024.

Core responsibility and internal services	2021-22 actual FTEs	2022-23 actual FTEs	2023-24 forecasted FTEs
Economic Development in British Columbia	69	125	144
Subtotal	69	125	144
Internal Services	8	41	54
Total	77	166	198

Explanation of table [8]

The increase in FTEs from 2021-22 to 2023–24 was for staff needed to establish the agency and to deliver time-limited pandemic response programs. The time-limited programs announced in Budget 2021 conclude in 2023-24. Human resource levels are expected to stabilize in 2026–27, as the agency will be fully established and time-limited programs will conclude.

Table [9]: Human resources planning summary for core responsibility and internal services

The following table shows information on human resources, in FTEs for our PacifiCan’s core responsibility and for our internal services planned for 2024–25 and future years.

Core responsibility and internal services	2024-25 planned fulltime equivalents	2025-26 planned fulltime equivalents	2026-27 planned fulltime equivalents
Economic Development in British Columbia	122	122	115
Subtotal	122	122	115
Internal Services	48	48	48
Total	170	170	163

Explanation of table [9]

Human resource levels will fully stabilize in 2026–27, as the agency will be fully established and time-limited programs will conclude.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan
Institutional head: Dylan Jones
Ministerial portfolio: President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, Emergency Preparedness, and Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
Enabling instrument(s): Western Economic Diversification Act, R.S.C. 1985, C. 11, (4th Supplement)
Year of incorporation / commencement: 2021
Other:
Offices – Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, Surrey, Cranbrook, Fort St. John, Prince Rupert and Campbell River, British Columbia
Ottawa, Ontario

To be established:
Headquarters – Surrey, British Columbia

Organizational contact information

Mailing address

Pacific Economic Development Canada
1300-300 West Georgia St.
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 6B4

Telephone: 604-666-6256

TTY: 1-877-303-3388

Fax: 604-666-2353

Email: info@pacifican.gc.ca

Website(s): https://www.pacifican.gc.ca

Federal tax expenditures

PacifiCan’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

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

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

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

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

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department’s actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities and expected results set out in its Departmental Plan for that year. Departmental Results Reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.

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

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

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2023–24 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the Government’s agenda in the 2021 Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fighter harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation and fighting for a secure, just, and equitable world.

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

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

non‑budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

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

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

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

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

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
An inventory of a department’s programs that describes how resources are organized to carry out the department’s core responsibilities and achieve its planned results.

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

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

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

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