PacifiCan’s 2025–2026 Departmental Plan

Key risks

Global markets are already highly competitive. At the same time, supply chain disruptions, labour disruptions, high input costs and talent shortages are creating challenges. Increasingly frequent and severe weather events, such as flooding and wildfires associated with climate change, also pose risks by disrupting the economy and damaging communities and critical infrastructure. Furthermore, any changes to international and North American trade policy and system (e.g., tariffs) could adversely affect the Canadian economy, including ours. These uncertainties and disruptions can cause delays, scaling back and canceling of projects by PacifiCan’s funding recipients, which could impede the department’s ability to deliver results as planned.

To mitigate these risks, PacifiCan will work with applicants and recipients early to identify solutions and to structure projects in ways that respond to challenges and mitigate associated risks.

In terms of PacifiCan’s internal operations, staff recruitment and retention are affected by the high cost of living in the Lower Mainland, the bilingual position requirements in a unilingual region, and the demands of delivering a wide range of temporary programs. The department will monitor risks and allocate resources to priority functions to mitigate risks on the delivery of our mandate.

Planned resources to achieve results

Table 4 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Table 4: Planned resources to achieve results for Economic Development in British Columbia

Resource	Planned
Spending	$130,927,630
Full-time equivalents	132

Complete financial and human resources information for PacifiCan’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Related government priorities

Gender-based analysis plus

PacifiCan is committed to gender-based diversity and inclusion. Gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) guides us in understanding the impacts our programs and services have on all groups in British Columbia. This includes people from different geographic regions and underrepresented groups, such as women, Indigenous peoples, youth, persons with disabilities, and official language minority communities. We apply a GBA Plus analysis to existing programs and the development of new programs.

Last year, PacifiCan launched an Indigenous Economic Inclusion Framework (the Framework) that outlines priority areas for growing Indigenous inclusion in the department’s workplace, culture, and programs. To advance the Framework, the department is adopting a three-phased approach. The department is entering the second phase - undertaking targeted engagement with Indigenous peoples that focuses on building relationships, deepening the department’s understanding of Indigenous economic priorities and seeking Indigenous input on ways to make PacifiCan’s programs and services more beneficial and inclusive of Indigenous communities across British Columbia.

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

PacifiCan continues to contribute to Canada’s efforts to advance the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The department is investing in clean technology and clean resources projects that support sustainable development and sustainable jobs. Furthermore, the department is adopting procurement practices that promote inclusivity of under-represented and marginalized populations.

The department’s programs and initiatives support and advance the following UN SDGs:

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – supporting workers, businesses and communities to transition to a greener and more inclusive economy
• SDG 10: Reducing Inequalities – supporting the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 13: Climate Action – greening internal operations and procurement practices to support sustainable development

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

Additional information related to the program inventory for Economic Development in British Columbia is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Summary of changes to reporting framework since last year

• No change.

Internal Services

In this section

• Description
• Plans to achieve results
• Planned resources to achieve results
• Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

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

This section presents details on how the department plans to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

Pacifican continues to strengthen our internal services to deliver our mandate of supporting economic development in communities across British Columbia.

PacifiCan will support our staff by:

• delivering training to build a highly skilled and adaptable workforce, that has the knowledge and skills to advance the department’s mandate. Specifically, the department will develop a Learning Framework and review our Performance Assessment and Talent Management frameworks.
• building a workforce that reflects the people of British Columbia, is guided by our shared public service values and ethics, and is committed to excellence, curiosity and kindness.
• implementing the Government of Canada’s Direction on the Prescribed Presence in the Workplace. This will ensure a safe, healthy, accessible and flexible hybrid work environment.

PacifiCan will enhance organizational efficiency and communications by:

• implementing a dedicated financial management system that will provide customization and automation to process financial transactions while accurately tracking client accounts. The department will then be able to quickly implement and deliver new or improved programs while maintaining strong client service.
• evaluating new social media platforms to target those used by our audiences so we can extend our reach to provide information to our clientele, including under-represented groups and rural communities.
• using short-form videos, and leveraging AI technologies as appropriate, to create engaging and accessible social media and website content to maximize engagement on our social channels and increase awareness of PacifiCan programs and services.
• developing new analytical tools (e.g., dashboards) to support evidence-based policy and program decisions.

Planned resources to achieve results

Table 5 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Table 5: Planned resources to achieve results for internal services this year

Resource	Planned
Spending	9,363,663
Full-time equivalents	58

Complete financial information for PacifiCan’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Government of Canada departments are to meet a target of awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses each year. This commitment is to be fully implemented by the end of 2024-25.

Pacifican set a target of 6.25% for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses in 2025-26. This year we will implement our Indigenous Procurement Strategy and develop a Social Procurement Strategy, which will be incorporated into our broader procurement strategy. The primary objective of PacifiCan’s Indigenous Procurement Strategy is to increase departmental contracts with Indigenous businesses by providing staff with the information and know-how on engaging, working and assessing potential Indigenous suppliers throughout the procurement process.

Table 6 presents the current, actual results with forecasted and planned results for the total percentage of contracts the department awarded to Indigenous businesses.

Table 6: Percentage of contracts planned and awarded to Indigenous businesses

5% Reporting Field	2023-24 Actual Result	2024-25 Forecasted Result	2025-26 Planned Result
Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses	30.02%	5%	6.25%

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 2025-26 with actual spending from previous years.

In this section

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

Spending

This section presents an overview of the department's planned expenditures from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Budgetary performance summary

Table 7 presents how much money PacifiCan spent over the past three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date.

Table 7 Three-year spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

Core responsibilities and Internal services	2022-2023 Actual Expenditures	2023-24 Actual Expenditures	2024-2025 Forecast Spending
Economic Development in British Columbia	214,814,825	180,430,991	130,780,220
Subtotal(s)	214,814,825	180,430,991	130,780,220
Internal services	7,268,222	10,278,989	11,146,614
Total(s)	222,083,047	190,709,980	141,926,834

Analysis of the past three years of spending

PacifiCan was established in August 2021. Most of the expenditures for the temporary programs announced in Budget 2021 occurred in 2022-23. The decrease in expenditures in 2023-24 and 2024-25 was due to the wind down of these temporary programs.

More financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

Table 8 presents how much money PacifiCan plans to spend over the next three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services.

Table 8 Planned three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

Core responsibilities and Internal services	2025-26 Planned Spending	2026-27 Planned Spending	2027-28 Planned Spending
Economic Development in British Columbia	130,927,630	116,011,959	111,256,633
Subtotal	130,927,630	116,011,959	111,256,633
Internal services	9,363,663	8,637,511	8,627,297
Total	140,291,293	124,649,470	119,883,930

Analysis of the next three years of spending

PacifiCan estimates budgetary expenditures of $140.3 million in 2025-26. This represents a net increase of $19.5 million from the 2024-25 Main Estimates. This is due to increases in contributions and other transfer payments of $20.3 million, and a decrease in operating costs of $0.8 million. The increase is a result of the approval of new temporary programs.

More detailed financial information on planned spending is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.

Graph 1 summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Analysis of statutory and voted funding over a six-year period

The decrease in voted and statutory funding from 2022-23 to 2024-25 is mostly due to the conclusion of Budget 2021 programs. The decrease from 2024-25 to 2026-27 reflects the wind down of other temporary programs (e.g. RHII and TGP) for which PacifiCan received funding in 2024-25.

For further information on PacifiCan’s departmental appropriations, consult the 2025-26 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of PacifiCan’s operations for 2024-25 to 2025-26.

Table 9 summarizes the expenses and revenues which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers for 2024-25 to 2025-26. 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.

Table 9: Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ended March 31, 2026 (dollars)

Financial information	2024-25 Forecast results	2025-26 Planned results	Difference (Planned results minus forecasted)
Total expenses	97,708,526	119,016,911	(21,308,385)
Total revenues	0	0	0
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers	97,708,526	119,016,911	(21,308,385)

Analysis of forecasted and planned results

PacifiCan has planned total expenses of $119.0 million in 2025-26, compared to the forecasted $97.7 million by year-end in 2024-25. The $21.3 million difference in total expenses is primarily due to increases in temporary programming including RAII, RHII, Black Entrepreneurship Program and PacifiCan's Lytton programs.

A more detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated Notes for 2025-26, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, is available on PacifiCan’s website.

Human resources

This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Table 10 shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents, for PacifiCan’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.

Table 10: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibilities and internal services	2022-23 Actual full-time equivalents	2023-24 Actual full-time equivalents	2024-25 Forecasted full-time equivalents
Economic Development in British Columbia	123	140	135
Subtotal	123	140	135
Internal services	41	51	59
Total	164	191	194

Analysis of human resources over the last three years

The increase in FTEs from 2022-23 to 2024-25 is a result of hiring to reach our full staff complement and the introduction of new temporary programs.

Table 11 shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents, for each of PacifiCan’s core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for the next three years.

Table 11: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibilities and internal services	2025-26 Planned full-time equivalents	2026-27 Planned full-time equivalents	2027-28 Planned full-time equivalents
Economic Development in British Columbia	132	123	123
Subtotal	132	123	123
Internal services	58	55	55
Total	190	178	178

Analysis of human resources for the next three years

The decrease in FTEs from 2025-26 to 2027-28 is due to the completion of certain temporary programs, including RHII and TGP.

Corporate information

Departmental profile

Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable Gregor Robertson
Institutional head: Naina Sloan
Ministerial portfolio: Housing and Infrastructure and Pacific Economic Development Canada
Enabling instrument(s): Western Economic Diversification Act, R.S.C. 1985, C. 11, (4th Supplement)
Year of incorporation / commencement: 2021
Other:
Offices – Surrey, Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, Cranbrook, Fort St. John, Prince Rupert and Campbell River, British Columbia. Ottawa, Ontario.
Headquarters – Surrey, British Columbia

Departmental contact information

Mailing address:
Pacific Economic Development Canada
13401 108 Ave, 5th Floor
Surrey, British Columbia, V3T 5T3

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

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on PacifiCan’s website:

• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based analysis plus

Information on PacifiCan’s departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on PacifiCan’s website.

Federal tax expenditures

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

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.

This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

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, departments 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 an appropriated department over a three year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

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 quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its 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.

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. For a particular position, the full-time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person’s collective agreement.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

Is 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 (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

Using GBA Plus involves taking a gender- and diversity-sensitive approach to our work. Considering all intersecting identity factors as part of GBA Plus, not only sex and gender, is a Government of Canada commitment.

government priorities (priorités gouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2025-26 Departmental Plan, government priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the most recent Speech from the Throne.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where two or more federal departments are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)

For the purpose of the Directive on the Management of Procurement Appendix E: Mandatory Procedures for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses and the Government of Canada’s commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses, a department that meets the definition and requirements as defined by the Indigenous Business Directory.

non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Non-budgetary authorities that comprise assets and liabilities transactions for loans, investments and advances, or specified purpose accounts, that have been established under specific statutes or under non-statutory authorities in the Estimates and elsewhere. Non-budgetary transactions are those expenditures and receipts related to the government's financial claims on, and obligations to, outside parties. These consist of transactions in loans, investments and advances; in cash and accounts receivable; in public money received or collected for specified purposes; and in all other assets and liabilities. Other assets and liabilities, not specifically defined in G to P authority codes are to be recorded to an R authority code, which is the residual authority code for all other assets and liabilities.

performance (rendement)

What a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department 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 department, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department 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 that focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

Identifies all the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)

A consequence attributed, in part, to a department, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single department, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the department’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 a department, 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.