Prairies Economic Development Canada 2023–2024 Departmental Plan
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ISSN 2816-296X
Table of contents
- From the Minister
- From the President
- Plans at a glance
- Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks
- Internal services: planned results
- Planned spending and human resources
- Corporate information
- Supporting information on the program inventory
- Supplementary information tables
- Federal tax expenditures
- Organizational contact information
- Appendix: definitions
From the Minister
The Honourable Daniel Vandal
Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
As Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, I am pleased to present the 2023–24 Departmental Plan for Prairies Economic Development Canada.
People living on the Prairies are strong and resilient. They are innovators and they believe in building a strong, sustainable economy for future generations. The Prairies is an economic and energy powerhouse that supports job creation, exports, and the Canadian economy. Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) and the Government of Canada have assisted communities, businesses, and organizations through the challenges faced during the pandemic and are poised to support more growth and prosperity in the year ahead.
One of PrairiesCan’s planned initiatives for 2023–24 is leading the implementation of the Building a Green Prairie Economy Act (formerly known as Bill C-235). This Act requires the Government of Canada to develop a framework for local cooperation and engagement in the implementation of federal programs across various sectors that will contribute to a sustainable Prairie economy that creates jobs, respects the environment, and leaves no one behind. In the coming months, my officials and I will be engaging in discussions with provincial government partners, Indigenous leaders, communities, industry, small businesses, and labour across the Prairies to build the framework.
No one knows how best to implement innovative solutions in communities than the people who live there. PrairiesCan invests strategically and wisely, and will leverage new service locations opened last year in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta to reach stakeholders where they are to develop collaborative approaches and solutions to inclusive economic development that works in their communities.
This is the second departmental plan for PrairiesCan. It outlines an approach to economic development that prioritizes a sustainable economy, new value and competitiveness, and inclusivity across the Prairie provinces.
As the first Minister responsible for PrairiesCan, I look forward to the continued progress and investment PrairiesCan is implementing in every corner of the Prairies, making PrairiesCan the go-to federal department for businesses, communities, and organizations in seeking to grow their local economies and making their communities an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.
From the President
Diane Gray
President, Prairies Economic Development Canada
Since joining PrairiesCan as President last fall, I have been energized by so many people in different sectors of the economy who are passionate about making a meaningful, positive impact on citizens, communities and organizations across the Prairies.
PrairiesCan will focus on helping our clients’ achieve growth and seize economic opportunities across the Prairies. Some of these strengths and opportunities are in traditional sectors such as energy resources, new areas of value such as agri-food and clean technology to move towards a more green economy, and that we have a young, growing, and resilient talent pool.
In its second year, PrairiesCan continues supporting the region pursue economic growth opportunities by building on four key roles: Investing, Pathfinding, Convening, and Advising. This, PrairiesCan’s second departmental plan, demonstrates our dedication to ensuring that communities and businesses across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, can recover, thrive, and grow in 2023–2024 and beyond.
Through our strategic priorities, our roles, and our mandate, PrairiesCan is working hard to pursue new economic opportunities and growth across the Prairies.
Plans at a glance
Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) is the Regional Development Agency (RDA) responsible for economic development in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The department’s mandate is to support economic growth and diversification in the Prairie provinces and advance the interests of the region in national economic policy, programs, and projects. PrairiesCan assists businesses, communities, and not-for-profit groups across the Prairies achieve job growth, diversification, competitive businesses, and thriving communities.
After our recent expansion, PrairiesCan now has 12 service locations in: Winnipeg, Brandon, and Thompson, Manitoba; Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Regina, Saskatchewan; Edmonton (headquarters), Calgary, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, and Lethbridge, Alberta; and Ottawa, Ontario. These new locations allow the department to assist more people where they live and work with local and regional knowledge.
Priorities for 2023–24
As we look towards 2023–24, the Prairie provinces continue to find new opportunities to build resilience and diversify the economy. The department will assist clients to seize these opportunities and achieve the PrairiesCan mandate by focusing on three priorities:
- New Value and Competitiveness – accelerating economic growth through new sources of value and innovation in traditional sectors;
- Green Economy – enabling success in a net-zero future; and
- Inclusivity – fostering a more equitable and inclusive economy by supporting the economic participation of marginalized populations such as Indigenous Peoples, black Canadians, women, and youth.
PrairiesCan roles
PrairiesCan works to achieve its mandate and priorities through the following four roles:
- Investor – create jobs and growth through investments and targeted initiatives using funding programs for businesses, communities, and organizations;
- Pathfinder – helping businesses and communities navigate federal economic and job creation programs and services;
- Convenor – connecting key economic stakeholders with federal departments and other partners, to drive collaboration, innovation, and growth; and
- Advisor – providing place-based advice and economic expertise to assist clients and partners, to inform decisions for clients and the department, and to advocate for Prairie interests in national policy discussions.
News releases, success stories, and other publications
To read more about PrairiesCan work, click on the links below.
- Building a Green Prairie Economy Act
- News releases
- Success stories
- PrairiesCan’s other departmental reports, strategies, and evaluations
- Policy and economic development publications from PrairiesCan
- Past Departmental Plans
- Past Departmental Results Reports
PrairiesCan will continue to assist businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and communities as they grow, innovate, and work towards long-term success while contributing to the Prairies economic potential.
For more information on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s plans, see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks” section of this plan.
Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks
This section contains information on the department’s planned results and resources for its core responsibility. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.
Core responsibility: economic development in the Prairies
Description
Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) promotes growth and diversification in the economy of the Prairies (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) by:
- enhancing innovation;
- improving business competitiveness;
- promoting the adoption of clean technologies, and
- inclusive growth.
PrairiesCan’s core responsibility, Economic Development in the Prairies, is complemented by three improved departmental results:
- Businesses are growing in the Prairies;
- Communities are developing economically in the Prairies; and
- Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting it in the Prairies.
As part of the department’s ongoing efforts around performance and results, PrairiesCan has recently amended its Departmental Results Framework (DRF) to focus on indicators directly attributable to the department’s investments. This includes indicators at both the departmental results level and the program inventory level. For more information see the planned results table and the reporting framework table below.
Planning highlights
PrairiesCan will achieve its mandate by working with clients and partners in our four roles as investor, pathfinder, convenor, and advisor. The department’s clients are businesses, not-for-profit organizations, such as business accelerators, and incubators, and Indigenous communities and other partners such as women-led businesses, academic institutions, and municipalities.
PrairiesCan’s expanded presence into 12 locations means being closer to our clients, partners, and the communities we serve. Our employees use knowledge of the local and regional economy to advise clients and partners on funding programs, policy, advocacy and coordination information, publications, and economic data.
PrairiesCan programs
PrairiesCan invests in businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and communities through long-term core programs and time-limited programs focused on economic diversification, innovation, job growth and retention, and supports small and medium-sized businesses. Details of all PrairiesCan programs can be found on the department website.
Core programs
PrairiesCan’s core programs are:
- Regional Economic Growth through Innovation;
- Economic Development Initiative;
- Community Economic Development and Diversification; and the
- Western Canada Business Service Network (WCBSN).
The WCBSN helps entrepreneurs start or expand small businesses and supports community economic development. The Network provides comprehensive support and resources for rural areas and underrepresented groups with lower economic participation rates.
Time-limited programs
PrairiesCan also delivers one-time or short-term programming to respond to urgent regional and community needs, including a suite of programs that helped businesses and communities rebound from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. A few examples of PrairiesCan time-limited programs are:
- Jobs and Growth Fund;
- Black Entrepreneurship Program;
- Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative, and
- Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.
Aerospace, defence, and marine opportunities
PrairiesCan works with organizations and governments to facilitate access to aerospace, defence, and marine opportunities. The department supports these organizations by connecting Prairie companies and research institutions to defence-related business and investment opportunities through the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy. Read more about this on the PrairiesCan website.
Gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus)
PrairiesCan is committed to gender diversity and inclusion. The Policy on GBA Plus guides us in aligning department practices and strategies with GBA Plus goals when looking at new and existing programs and services.
The department develops all programs and services with consideration of the impacts on marginalized groups including Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, 2SLGBTQQIA+, persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, and members of official language minority communities.
To enhance data collection and ensure consistency of gender and diversity data for PrairiesCan applicants, a diversity and inclusion section is included on application forms. This allows the department to compile aggregate information for diverse groups on the ownership and/or leadership of the organizations applying for funding. PrairiesCan uses this data to identify potential access issues, make evidence-based decisions, and monitor progress towards improved access to programs and services.
Furthermore, PrairiesCan supports research and study of entrepreneurial data to identify gaps, and better understand unique challenges faced by certain underrepresented groups to inform future program design.
United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
PrairiesCan supports Canada’s efforts to address the UN 2030 Agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes helping communities diversify their economies through investments in clean technology and clean resources projects and supporting the creation of sustainable jobs across the Prairies. The department also adopts practices that promote sustainable development in PrairiesCan internal operations. As a fundamental component to department policies and programs, PrairiesCan’s inclusivity priority is in place to increase economic participation of underrepresented and marginalized groups.
The department’s programs and services advance the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
- SDG Goal 8 – promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all (SDG targets 8.2 and 8.3).
- SDG Goal 9 – build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation (SDG target 9.4).
- SDG Goal 12 – ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG targets 12.2 and 12.7).
Innovation
PrairiesCan is committed to a respectful workplace culture that supports an innovative and creative approach to program and service delivery to ensure clients, stakeholders, and communities are best supported in their objectives to boost economic growth and job creation.
PrairiesCan will continue to support this approach through the following initiatives:
- Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) studies across the Prairies to gain insight on the experience of women and youth entrepreneurs.
- Providing internal and external clients with secure digital access to services such as our online portal for program funding applications.
- Strengthening research and data analytics to support evidence-based programs and decision-making.
- Being a trusted partner through our new and existing locations to enable people of the Prairies to access local service more easily.
Key risks
Communities and businesses across the Prairies continue to demonstrate resilience to changing economic conditions by developing innovative solutions and activating partnerships to grow the economy. PrairiesCan recognizes this versatility and continue to help firms and communities navigate challenges as they work to increase productivity and remain competitive.
PrairiesCan is adaptive and responsive to our clients’ needs. The department has created a strategic plan that sets out three priorities, actions to help achieve these priorities, and planned outcomes for our work. These priorities and actions will help mitigate risks and better allow the department and our clients to seize current and future opportunities. Our three priorities are:
- New Value and Competitiveness
- Green Economy
- Inclusivity
Based on our priorities, PrairiesCan will take the following actions to help the department and our clients seize new and existing economic opportunities:
- Accelerating economic growth through new sources of value and traditional sector innovation for businesses, communities, and organizations.
- Improving the green economy by enabling success in a net-zero future.
- Fostering a more equitable and inclusive economy.
- Investing in projects with businesses and organizations to improve critical supply chains for goods and services.
- Helping small and medium-sized businesses to increase and diversify their exports.
- Using outreach, collaboration, and feedback to improve PrairiesCan program delivery and services.
Long-term approach for results
While many positive outcomes are reported in initial progress reports across PrairiesCan suite of programs, some investments are multi-year in duration which will provide results and economic outcomes in the medium to long-term. As a result, PrairiesCan conducts independent studies to understand the longer-term impacts of investments in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. These studies confirm that substantial and sustainable economic development can take some time while reaffirming the important role of PrairiesCan in supporting strong industry partnerships and community engagement.
As mentioned above, the new Departmental Results Framework (DRF) will allow the department to show an even more impactful and transparent performance report to the public – one that demonstrates in more detail how the department directly benefits the Prairie economy and its clients. Since 2023–24 is the first year for PrairiesCan’s new DRF, past results are not available for most of the indicators in the table below.
The following table shows, for Economic Development in the Prairies, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.
| Departmental result | Departmental result indicator | Target | Date to achieve target | 2019–20 actual result | 2020–21 actual result | 2021–22 actual result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Businesses are growing in the Prairies | Number of jobs created | 3,824 | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Value of exports | $298.2M | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Number of PrairiesCan-assisted entities that are majority-led by underrepresented groups | 50 | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Revenue growth rate of firms supported by PrairiesCan programs | 10.0% | March 31, 2024 | 6.4% | 20.3% | 13.5% | |
| Communities are developing economically in the Prairies | Number of jobs created | 1,370 | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Number of contributing partners engaged in advancing community-based projects (i.e. providing financial or in-kind support) | 86 | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Value of PrairiesCan community economic development investments | $10.0M | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Amount leveraged per dollar invested by PrairiesCan in community projects | 1.1 | March 31, 2024 | 1.1 | 1.08 | 1.2 | |
| Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting it in the Prairies | Number of jobs created | 934 | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Value of exports | $50.3M | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Number of technologies to market | 106 | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Value of business sales growth resulting from technology commercialization or adoption | $17.9M | March 31, 2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Note 1: 2023–24 will be the first year for PrairiesCan’s new Departmental Results Framework (DRF), so past results are not available (n/a) for most new indicators.
Note 2: Underrepresented groups for the indicator “Number of PrairiesCan-assisted entities that are majority-led by underrepresented groups” include: 2SLGBTQQIA+, members of a Black community, women, Indigenous peoples, newcomers to Canada and immigrants, members of an OLMC, persons with disabilities, members of a racialized community, and youth.
The financial, human resources and performance information for the Prairies Economic Development Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
The following table shows, for Economic Development in the Prairies, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.
| 2023–24 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2023–24 planned spending | 2024–25 planned spending | 2025–26 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| $356,980,281 | $356,980,281 | $221,136,219 | $163,906,576 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for Prairies Economic Development Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.
| 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents | 2024–25 planned full-time equivalents | 2025–26 planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 220 | 198 | 193 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for Prairies Economic Development Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Internal services: planned results
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
Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
PrairiesCan planned that contracts with Indigenous businesses would amount to at least 5% of the total dollar value of contracts awarded by the department for fiscal year 2022–2023. The department is currently on track to exceed that target by fiscal year-end, March 31, 2023. The forecasted percentage for 2022–23 is 10.4% of contracts being awarded to Indigenous businesses.
The planned target for fiscal year 2023–24 is lower than the forecasted target for 2022–23. The difference between the 2023–24 planned target and the 2022–23 forecasted target is primarily due to an overall decrease in planned spending and the type of spending planned across the department. Some of the key highlights affecting next year’s planned target are office equipment, IT hardware, and IT software.
The methodology for calculating the forecasted target for fiscal year 2023–2024 uses:
- the department’s Annual Procurement Plan and its accompanying Schedule of Planned Procurements; and
- the department’s forecasted available operations and maintenance (O&M) budget available for procurement in fiscal year 2023–2024.
| 5% reporting field description | 2021–22 actual % achieved | 2022–23 forecasted % target | 2023–24 forecasted % target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses | n/a | 10.4% | 6.0% |
The following table shows, for internal services, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.
| 2023–24 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2023–24 planned spending | 2024–25 planned spending | 2025–26 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| $13,759,398 | $13,759,398 | $12,832,650 | $12,479,745 |
The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to carry out its internal services for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.
| 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents | 2024–25 planned full-time equivalents | 2025–26 planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 98 | 89 | 86 |
Planned spending and human resources
This section provides an overview of the department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2023–24 with actual spending for the current year and the previous year.
Planned spending
The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.
Text version: Departmental spending graph
Fiscal year
2020–21
2021–22
2022–23
2023–24
2024–25
2015–26
Statutory
$477,776
$5,092
$5,743
$4,570
$4,173
$4,067
Voted
429,722
426,762
580,978
366,170
229,796
172,319
Total
$907,498
$431,854
$586,721
$370,740
$233,969
$176,386
The overall decrease in voted spending relates to the decrease in program spending for time-limited pandemic recovery programs launched in 2021 such as the Budget 2021 Tourism Relief Fund, Canada Community Revitalization Fund, and Jobs and Growth Fund. The decrease is also partially caused by the sunsetting of Regional Economic Growth Initiative announced in Budget 2018.
The following table shows information on spending for Prairies Economic Development Canada’s core responsibility and for its internal services for 2023–24 and other relevant fiscal years.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2020–21 actual expenditures | 2021–22 actual expenditures | 2022–23 forecast spending | 2023–24 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2023–24 planned spending | 2024–25 planned spending | 2025–26 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic development in the Prairies | $892,802,350 | $418,106,043 | $569,867,549 | $356,980,281 | $356,980,281 | $221,136,219 | $163,906,576 |
| Internal services | 14,695,596 | 13,747,877 | 16,853,430 | 13,759,398 | 13,759,398 | 12,832,650 | 12,479,745 |
| Total | $907,497,946 | $431,853,920 | $586,720,979 | $370,739,679 | $370,739,679 | $233,968,869 | $176,386,321 |
PrairiesCan planned spending in 2023–24 is $370.7 million, compared to the 2022–23 forecast spending of $586.7 million. This represents a net decrease in spending of ($216.0 million), which includes a net decrease in contributions and other transfer payments of ($205.4) million and a decrease in operating costs of ($10.6) million. Factors contributing to the net decrease in spending in 2023–24 include:
- an increase of $37.1 million in funding to support Canada’s biomanufacturing and life sciences sector;
- a net increase of $0.5 million in funding for transfers, reprofiles, and other minor adjustments;
- a net decrease of $71.0 million in cashflow for the Tourism Relief Fund announced in Budget 2021;
- a decrease of $47.6 million in cashflow for the Canada Community Revitalization Fund announced in Budget 2021;
- a decrease of $36.4 million in funding for the Jobs and Growth Fund announced in Budget 2021, which is in the final year of its three-year pandemic relief program;
- a decrease of $24.6 million in funding for the completion of the Innovation and Skills Plan announced in Budget 2018;
- a decrease of $19.9 million in cashflow for the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization announced in Budget 2021;
- a decrease of $17.1 million in funding for the Regional Economic Growth through Innovation;
- a decrease of $12.9 million related to the timing difference for reinvestment of receipts from repayable contributions;
- a net decrease of $7.6 million in funding for the Canada Coal Transition Initiative announced in Budget 2018;
- a decrease of $5.1 million in funding for the completion of the Regional Air Transportation Initiative;
- a decrease of $4.6 million in funding for the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy announced in Budget 2018;
- a decrease of $2.6 million in funding for a transfer from the Department of Canadian Heritage to support the RCMP Heritage Centre;
- a decrease of $2.2 million in funding for the operating budget carry forward;
- a decrease of $0.8 million in cashflow for the Black Entrepreneurship Fund;
- a decrease of $0.7 million in cashflow for the Quantum Strategy announced in Budget 2021; and
- a decrease of $0.5 million in funding for the Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative announced in Budget 2021.
Planned human resources
The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for Prairies Economic Development Canada’s core responsibility and for its internal services for 2023–24 and the other relevant years.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2020–21 actual full‑time equivalents | 2021–22 actual full‑time equivalents | 2022–23 forecast full‑time equivalents | 2023–24 planned full‑time equivalents | 2024–25 planned full‑time equivalents | 2024–25 planned full‑time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic development in the Prairies | 284 | 279 | 259 | 220 | 198 | 193 |
| Internal services | 102 | 107 | 116 | 98 | 89 | 86 |
| Total | 386 | 386 | 375 | 318 | 287 | 279 |
The overall decline in FTEs from 2022–23 to 2023–24 mostly relates to the decrease in program spending under initiatives such as the Budget 2021 Tourism Relief Fund, Canada Community Revitalization Fund, and Jobs and Growth Fund, and the sunsetting of Regional Economic Growth Initiative announced in Budget 2018. The base human resource levels continue to be stable. Fluctuations that occur at the program level reflect resource realignment in support of priorities and projects. The department will continue to achieve its results by allocating its human resources to best support its programs.
Estimates by vote
Information on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2023–24 Main Estimates.
Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
The future‑oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of Prairies Economic Development Canada’s operations for 2022–23 to 2023–24.
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 Prairies Economic Development Canada’s website.
| Financial information | 2022–23 forecast results | 2023–24 planned results | Difference (2023–24 planned results minus 2022–23 forecast results) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | $502,988,531 | $333,751,942 | ($169,236,589) |
| Total revenues | 481 | 325 | (156) |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | $502,988,050 | $333,751,617 | ($169,236,433) |
PrairiesCan’s total expenses are expected to be $333.8 million in 2023–24, compared to $503.0 million in 2022–23. There is an overall net decrease of $169.2 million primarily based on the following factors.
- Reduction in spending is expected as time-limited programming completes for:
- Budget 2021 initiatives including the Tourism Relief Fund, Canada Revitalization Fund, and the Jobs and Growth Fund; and
- The Innovation and Skills Plan (Budget 2018).
- Reduction in spending for the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (Budget 2021).
- The net decrease is partially offset by an expected increase in spending to support Canada’s biomanufacturing and life sciences sector.
Corporate information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister: The Honourable Daniel Vandal, P.C., M.P.
Institutional head: Diane Gray
Ministerial portfolio: Prairies Economic Development Canada
Enabling instrument(s): Western Economic Diversification Act, R.S.C. 1985, c.11, (4th Supplement)
Year of incorporation / commencement: 2021
Other:
Headquarters – Edmonton, Alberta
Offices – Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, and Lethbridge, Alberta
Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Regina, Saskatchewan
Winnipeg, Brandon, and Thompson, Manitoba
Ottawa, Ontario
Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
Information on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s raison d’être, mandate and role is available on the PrairiesCan website.
Information on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s mandate letter commitments is available in the Minister’s mandate letter.
Operating context
Information on the operating context is available on the PrairiesCan website.
Reporting framework
Prairies Economic Development Canada’s approved departmental results framework and program inventory for 2023–24 are as follows.
| Departmental Results Framework | Core Responsibility: Economic development in the Prairies |
Internal Services | |
| Departmental result: Businesses are growing in the Prairies |
Indicator: Number of jobs created | ||
| Indicator: Value of exports | |||
| Indicator: Number of PrairiesCan-assisted entities that are majority-led by underrepresented groups | |||
| Indicator: Revenue growth rate of firms supported by PrairiesCan programs | |||
| Departmental result: Communities are developing economically in the Prairies |
Indicator: Number of jobs created | ||
| Indicator: Number of contributing partners engaged in advancing community-based projects (i.e. providing financial or in-kind support) | |||
| Indicator: Value of PrairiesCan community economic development investments | |||
| Indicator: Amount leveraged per dollar invested by PrairiesCan in community projects | |||
| Departmental result: Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting it in the Prairies |
Indicator: Number of jobs created | ||
| Indicator: Value of exports | |||
| Indicator: Number of technologies to market | |||
| Indicator: Value of business sales growth resulting from technology commercialization or adoption | |||
| Program Inventory | Program: Innovation | ||
| Program: Business Growth | |||
| Program: Business Services | |||
| Program: Community Initiatives | |||
| Structure | 2023–24 | 2022–23 | Change | Reason for change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core responsibility | Economic development in the Prairies | Economic development in the Prairies | No change | Not applicable |
| Departmental result | Businesses are growing in the Prairies | Businesses are innovative and growing in the Prairies | Title change | New indicators |
| Departmental result | Communities are developing economically in the Prairies | Communities are economically diversified in the Prairies | Title change | New indicators |
| Departmental result | Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting it in the Prairies | Businesses invest in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in the Prairies | Title change | New indicators |
| Program | Innovation | Innovation | New indicators | New indicators |
| Program | Business Growth | Business Growth | New indicators | New indicators |
| Program | Business Services | Business Services | New indicators | New indicators |
| Program | Community Initiatives | Community Initiatives | New indicators | New indicators |
Supporting information on the program inventory
Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Prairies Economic Development Canada’s program inventory is available on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s website, and also on GC InfoBase.
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s website:
- Details on transfer payment programs
- Gender-based analysis plus
- Up‑front multi‑year funding
Federal tax expenditures
Prairies Economic Development Canada’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.
Organizational contact information
Mailing address
Prairies Economic Development Canada
Suite 1500, 9700 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4H7
Telephone: (780) 495-4164 / Toll-free: 1 (888) 338-9378
Teletypewriter (TTY): 1 (877) 303-3388
Fax: (780) 495-4557
Email: WD.contactus-contactez-nous.DEO@prairiescan.gc.ca
Website: https://www.prairiescan.gc.ca
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; fighting 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.
- high impact innovation (innovation à impact élevé)
High impact innovation varies per organizational context. In some cases, it could mean trying something significantly new or different from the status quo. In other cases, it might mean making incremental improvements that relate to a high-spending area or addressing problems faced by a significant number of Canadians or public servants.
- 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.
- 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.
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