Prairies Economic Development Canada 2026–2027 Departmental Plan
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© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience, 2026
Catalogue Number: Iu98-1/1E-PDF
ISSN: 2816-296X
Aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Plan ministériel 2026–2027 Développement économique Canada pour les Prairies (PrairiesCan)
At a glance
This departmental plan details Prairies Economic Development Canada’s priorities, plans and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years.
These plans align with the priorities outlined in the Mandate Letter, as well as Prairies Economic Development Canada’s Vision, mission, raison d’être and operating context.
Key priorities
Prairies Economic Development Canada identified the following key priorities for 2026–27:
- Trade and Competitiveness - assist Prairie small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) become more productive, strengthen domestic supply chains, and diversify trade globally and within Canada.
- Building One Canadian Economy - develop and invest in impactful regional economic projects that support job creation, exports, and have the potential to become nation-building projects. This includes using a multi-departmental Prairie Partnership Project Table, continued investment in the Port of Churchill, and advancing work towards the Port of Churchill economic corridor.
- Defence and Industrial Capabilities - strengthen the Prairie defence industrial base by making investments in SMEs that create jobs and produce goods and services needed by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and allied forces.
- Innovative Housing Solutions - leverage departmental programs that support SMEs to develop innovative construction practices and technologies that drive productivity and reduce the cost of home construction.
Comprehensive Expenditure Review
The government is committed to restraining the growth of day-to-day operational spending to make investments that will grow the economy and benefit Canadians.
As part of meeting this commitment, Prairies Economic Development Canada is planning the following spending reductions:
- 2026–27: $15,175,000
- 2027–28: $20,595,880
- 2028–29: $30,351,000
It is anticipated that these spending reductions will involve a decrease of approximately 10 full-time equivalents by 2028-29. PrairiesCan will achieve these reductions by doing the following:
- To achieve the 15 per cent savings target over three years, the department will recalibrate its programming suite to focus on our mandate to promote long-term economic development.
- The Tourism Growth Program will end after 2025-26.
- PrairiesCan will also modernise its operations and internal services to reflect its funding going forward and will implement targeted process improvements by optimizing workflows and reducing duplication.
- Through digital transformation, integrating artificial intelligence (AI), and simplifying processes, PrairiesCan will increase efficiency and minimize the impact of the reductions on client service.
The figures in this departmental plan reflect these reductions.
Highlights for Prairies Economic Development Canada in 2026–27
Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) is the department responsible for diversification and economic development in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The department assists businesses, communities, and not-for-profit groups achieve economic resilience, job growth, and competitiveness. SMEs are central to the Prairie economy, accounting for 99.8% of businesses and 88% of employment. These SMEs are our key clients and partners through which the department promotes economic growth.
PrairiesCan’s four priorities, listed above, are directly based on the Government of Canada Missions, as set out by the Prime Minister in his Mandate Letter to Cabinet Ministers. These priorities will support a transformational change in the Canadian and Prairie economies to respond to new global changes and trade issues. PrairiesCan will assist tariff-impacted businesses adapt, grow, and build resilience with new programs announced in Budget 2025.
Furthermore, PrairiesCan took an important step to advance the Building a Green Prairie Economy Act, which was passed in Parliament in 2022, to create the Prairie Partnership Initiative (PPI) in late 2025. The PPI provides a single, collaborative mechanism for governments, Indigenous partners, industry, and communities to advance transformative projects that strengthen the Prairie economy.
PrairiesCan employees are locally based in the Prairies and focus on excellent client service to our partners and provide local evidence for national policy and program development.
To learn more and see other examples of PrairiesCan’s work, click on the website links below.
- News releases
- Success stories
- Departmental Plans, Departmental Results Reports, and other information
In 2026-27, total planned spending (including internal services) for Prairies Economic Development Canada is $334,683,876 and total planned full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) is 331.
Summary of planned results
The following provides a summary of the results the department plans to achieve in 2026–27 under its main areas of activity, called “core responsibilities.”
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Core responsibility: Economic Development in the Prairies
Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) promotes growth and diversification in the economy of the Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta) by enhancing innovation, improving business competitiveness, promoting the adoption of clean technologies, and inclusive growth.
The department’s core responsibility is complemented by three departmental results:
- Businesses are growing in the Prairies.
- Communities are developing economically in the Prairies.
- Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting it in the Prairies.
Expanded details on PrairiesCan’s three departmental results are in the full departmental plan.
- Planned spending: $319,083,662
- Planned human resources: 229
More information about Economic Development in the Prairies can be found in the full plan.
For complete information on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s total planned spending and human resources, read the Planned spending and human resources section of the full plan.
From the Minister
As Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), I am proud to present the 2026–27 Departmental Plan. The Government of Canada has set priorities to build, protect, and empower Canada. In the year ahead, PrairiesCan will focus on fueling opportunities that power economic prosperity across the Prairies and build Canada strong.
PrairiesCan assists businesses to scale-up and lead in sectors that matter to Canada’s future. My intention is to work with communities throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to turn local strengths into national advantages that benefit the entire country. Four key priorities are guiding our work in 2026–27: trade and competitiveness; building one Canadian economy; defence and industrial capabilities; and innovative housing solutions. Through the Prairie Partnership Initiative (PPI) — a cross federal government collaboration to develop and invest in impactful regional economic projects — we are collaborating with key partners and stakeholders with the shared goal of growing the Prairie economy in a way that is inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable. These priorities emphasize reinforcing supply chains in key sectors, helping companies innovate and adopt new technologies, diversify markets, and strengthening communities.
Collaboration is key to building one Canadian economy and removing barriers to internal trade. A strong and united Prairie economy delivers for our region and helps strengthen our one Canadian economy. By continuing to be present in communities — listening, collaborating, and getting things done, we will drive potential into lasting prosperity for everyone.
The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski
Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada
From the President
I am pleased to invite you to read the Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) 2026–27 Departmental Plan. This plan outlines how the department will work to achieve results and grow the Prairie economy.
Global economies are facing challenges unseen in generations, pushing Canada to redefine our relationships with trading partners at home and abroad. In response, PrairiesCan is working with small and medium-sized enterprises and communities by efficiently and effectively delivering funding programs. These programs prioritize our region’s trade and competitiveness, encourage partnership across levels of government and industry, boost our defence and industrial capacity, and create innovative housing solutions.
At PrairiesCan, meaningful collaboration with our many partners including SMEs, not-for profit organizations, and communities is essential. Our services, advice, and funding programs work to help our clients improve their competitiveness, growth, and economic diversification across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Diane Gray
President, Prairies Economic Development Canada
Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services
Core responsibilities and internal services
Core responsibility: Economic Development in the Prairies
In this section
Description
Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) promotes growth and diversification in the economy of the Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta) by enhancing innovation, improving business competitiveness, promoting the adoption of clean technologies, and inclusive growth.
Quality of life impacts
The department’s core responsibility, Economic Development in the Prairies, contributes mainly to the “Prosperity”domain of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada and, more specifically, four indicators:
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita
- Employment
- Productivity
- Firm growth
The department also contributes to the “environment” domain to a lesser extent, along with the cross-cutting sub-domains of “fairness and inclusion” and “sustainability and resilience” through investments in the clean economy and inclusive economic growth.
PrairiesCan Departmental Results Framework (DRF)
Table 1 shows the DRF for PrairiesCan, which includes the core responsibility, the three departmental results, and the four programs within our program inventory.
| Core responsibility: Economic Development in the Prairies | ||
|---|---|---|
| Departmental Results | ||
| Businesses | Communities | Technologies |
| Businesses are growing in the Prairies | Communities are developing economically in the Prairies | Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting it in the Prairies |
| Number of jobs created (Businesses) | Number of jobs created (Communities) | Number of jobs created (Technologies) |
| Value of exports (Businesses) | Number of contributing partners engaged in advancing community-based projects (i.e. providing financial or in-kind support) | Value of exports (Technologies) |
| Number of PrairiesCan-assisted entities that are majority-led by underrepresented groups | Value of PrairiesCan community economic development investments | Number of technologies to market |
| Revenue growth rate of firms supported by PrairiesCan programs | Amount leveraged per dollar invested by PrairiesCan in community projects | Value of business sales growth resulting from technology commercialization or adoption |
| Program Inventory Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Innovation | Business Growth | Business Services | Community Initiatives |
| Prairie businesses are innovative | Prairie businesses are competitive and export their products/services | Prairie businesses have access to advisory services and capital | Prairie community economic development is supported |
| Clean technology exports from Innovation projects | Clean technology exports from Business Growth projects | Number of underrepresented clients served | Number of jobs maintained from Community Initiatives projects |
| Value of incremental private sector investment attracted | Number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) assisted through Business Growth projects | Employment growth of PrairiesCan supported firms | Number of SMEs assisted through Community Initiatives projects |
| – | – | Value of loans disbursed | – |
Additional information related to the program inventory for Economic Development in the Prairies is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.
Indicators, results and targets
This section presents details on the department’s indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates for Economic Development in the Prairies. Details are presented by departmental result.
The targets outlined below were estimated using: (1) expected results from active multi-year projects that started in prior years and will continue to be supported by PrairiesCan in 2026–27; and (2) expected results from new projects supported by PrairiesCan in 2026–27. Departmental targets and results also fluctuate due to the level of funding available in each fiscal year, lifecycle of the portfolio of projects that are underway, and the anticipated economic landscape, such as trade disruptions and economic uncertainties, facing small and medium-sized enterprises.
Table 2: Businesses are growing in the Prairies
Table 2 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Economic Development in the Prairies.
| Departmental Result Indicators | Actual results | 2026–27 target | Date to achieve target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of jobs created |
|
5,000 | March 31, 2027 |
| Value of exports |
|
$490.0M | March 31, 2027 |
| Number of PrairiesCan-assisted entities that are majority-led by underrepresented2 groups |
|
100 | March 31, 2027 |
| Revenue growth rate of firms supported by PrairiesCan programs |
|
15% | March 31, 2027 |
| Note 1: Fiscal year 2023–24 was the first year for PrairiesCan’s new Departmental Results Framework, therefore, past results are not available (NA) for most new indicators in 2022–23. Note 2: Underrepresented groups include: members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, members of a Black community, women, Indigenous peoples, newcomers to Canada and immigrants, members of an Official Language Minority Community, persons with disabilities, members of a racialized community, and youth. |
|||
Table 3: Communities are developing economically in the Prairies
Table 3 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Economic Development in the Prairies.
| Departmental Result Indicators | Actual results | 2026–27 target | Date to achieve target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of jobs created |
|
2,000 | March 31, 2027 |
| Number of contributing partners engaged in advancing community-based projects (i.e. providing financial or in-kind support) |
|
250 | March 31, 2027 |
| Value of PrairiesCan community economic development investments |
|
$35.0M | March 31, 2027 |
| Amount leveraged per dollar invested by PrairiesCan in community projects |
|
1.0 | March 31, 2027 |
| Note 1: Fiscal year 2023–24 was the first year for PrairiesCan’s new Departmental Results Framework, therefore, past results are not available (NA) for most new indicators in 2022–23. Note 2: In fiscal year 2023-2024, there was an outlier project that added nearly 4,500 more contributing partners than expected. Hence, the actual result was much higher than the original target. |
|||
Table 4: Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting it in the Prairies
Table 4 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Economic Development in the Prairies.
| Departmental Result Indicators | Actual results | Target | Date to achieve target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of jobs created |
|
1,700 | March 31, 2027 |
| Value of exports |
|
$150.0M | March 31, 2027 |
| Number of technologies to market |
|
100 | March 31, 2027 |
| Value of business sales growth resulting from technology commercialization or adoption |
|
$150.0M | March 31, 2027 |
| Note 1: Fiscal year 2023–24 was the first year for PrairiesCan’s new Departmental Results Framework, therefore, past results are not available (NA) for most new indicators in 2022–23. | |||
Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Prairies Economic Development Canada’s program inventory is available on GC Infobase
Plans to achieve results
The following section describes the planned results for Economic Development in the Prairies in 2026–27.
Economic Development in the Prairies is the core responsibility for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan). The department will achieve this core responsibility by assisting businesses, communities, and not-for-profit groups through funding programs, services, and providing advice.
Priorities for 2026–27
PrairiesCan’s four priorities for 2026–27 are (1) trade and competitiveness, (2) building one Canadian economy, (3) defence and industrial capabilities, and (4) innovative housing solutions. These priorities align to the Missions stated in the Prime Minister’s Mandate Letter to Ministers.
- Trade and Competitiveness - assist Prairie small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) become more productive, strengthen domestic supply chains, and diversify trade markets globally and within Canada.
Key Actions include:- Deliver the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) to support businesses and not-for-profit organizations adapt to trade disruptions and advance economic growth across the Prairie provinces
- Develop new domestic trade missions to improve internal trade, increase demand for local products and services, and strengthen domestic supply chains
- Support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies
- Building One Canadian Economy - use the multi-departmental Prairie project table to develop and invest in impactful regional economic projects that support job creation, exports, and have the potential to become nation-building projects. This priority will also include continued investment in the Port of Churchill and Port of Churchill economic corridor.
Key Actions include:- Engage with other key federal departments to supercharge the Prairie Project Table within the Prairie Partnership Initiative (PPI)
- Deliver the $50 million investment in the Port of Churchill and advance work towards the Port of Churchill economic corridor
- Improve capacity building for community economic development initiatives that enhance major projects in the Prairies in value-added agriculture, critical minerals, clean technology, energy, and advanced manufacturing
- Support Indigenous economic development by advancing partnerships and creating opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs
- Defence and Industrial Capabilities - strengthen the Prairie defence industrial base by making investments in SMEs that create jobs and produce goods and services needed by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and allied forces.
Key Actions include:- Develop and deploy the Regional Defence Investment Initiative (RDII), as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS)
- The RDII aims to accelerate the integration of Prairie businesses, focusing on SMEs, and regional ecosystems, into domestic and international defence supply chains. This program will also work to increase their industrial and innovation capacity.
- Enhance PrairiesCan’s longstanding role supporting the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy
- Support Indigenous SMEs through investments and/or pathfinding to seize opportunities in the defence sector
- Support community economic development opportunities surrounding defence installations and bases
- Moving forward, PrairiesCan will also work with a wider range of partners with aligned interests in the Prairies, across Canada, and internationally, to secure defence-related business and investment opportunities for our stakeholders.
- Innovative Housing Solutions - leverage departmental programs that support SMEs to develop innovative construction practices and technologies that drive productivity and reduce the cost of home construction.
Key Actions include:- Deliver the Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative (RHII) and other departmental funding programs to support local innovative housing solutions across the country
- Identify key SMEs, pathfind stakeholders, and strengthen the development of community capacity to bring forward innovative housing solutions
Focusing on our four priorities will allow PrairiesCan to achieve our departmental results and core responsibility, Economic Development in the Prairies.
The three departmental results PrairiesCan works to achieve are:
- Businesses are growing in the Prairies.
- Communities are developing economically in the Prairies.
- Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting it in the Prairies.
More details on each departmental result are listed below.
Departmental Result 1: Businesses are growing in the Prairies
PrairiesCan’s investments in this area help businesses to grow, increase their productivity, diversify their trade markets, and adapt to the rapidly evolving economic landscape (see Table 1 and Table 2 above). The overall outcome of this departmental result is to help Prairie Canadians generate wealth, increase their quality of life, and grow successful businesses.
The department delivers funding programs in two ways – directly to businesses and indirectly through not-for-profit organizations.
Results we plan to achieve:
Through this departmental result, PrairiesCan-supported projects are expected to generate the following results:
- Support thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- Job creation, including jobs for highly qualified personnel (HQP)
- Revenue and export growth for supported firms
- Attract incremental private sector investment
The results in Table 2 above will be achieved through the delivery of the following programs:
- Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) - for businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that support businesses. This program helps businesses adapt to trade disruptions and advance economic growth across the Prairie provinces.
- Regional Defence Investment Initiative (RDII) - for businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that support businesses. This program helps businesses working in Canada’s defence and security sector to increase their industrial and innovation capacity and to accelerate their integration into regional defence ecosystems and defence supply chains.
- Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) - for businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that support businesses. This program helps businesses to responsibly adopt or commercialize artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
- Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative (RHII) - for businesses to enhance local and regional housing supply chains and advance innovation in the residential construction sector.
- Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program - for high-growth businesses (predominately SMEs) to scale-up operations and produce innovative goods, services, or technologies.
- Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program - for not-for-profit organizations to support businesses in priority sectors to innovate, grow and compete globally. This program also helps underrepresented groups more fully participate in the innovation economy.
- The department increases access and participation of Indigenous clients in PrairiesCan’s core programs and assists them in finding other federal government supports.
Departmental Result 2: Communities are developing economically in the Prairies
PrairiesCan helps communities across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba improve their economic development through funding programs and services. (see Table 1 and Table 3 above). This can mean responding to economic emergencies, diversifying traditional economies, and helping introduce new opportunities for growth. Some of our economic development support can be a result of environmental emergencies such as floods or wildfires.
Results we plan to achieve:
PrairiesCan-supported projects in this departmental result are expected to generate the following results:
- Create and maintain jobs
- Support thousands of SMEs
- Collaborate with hundreds of economic development partners engaged in advancing community-based projects
The results in Table 3 above will be achieved through the delivery of the following programs:
- Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD) program - for not-for-profit organizations that support communities, Indigenous, and other organizations. This program funds economic development initiatives to help communities across the Prairies grow and diversify. This core program enables communities to leverage their capacity and strengths to respond to economic development opportunities and difficult or changing economic conditions.
- Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) Ecosystem Fund - for Black-led businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that support businesses. This program helps businesses to strengthen local business ecosystems to support Black-led businesses and entrepreneurs.
- Prairies Business Service Network (PBSN) - for network partners in the PBSN to deliver services throughout Prairie communities to SMEs. The PBSN is a network of over 70 independent organizations including Community Futures (CF), Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP), the Women’s Enterprise Initiative (WEI), the Francophone Economic Development Organizations (FEDO), and Indigenous Business Development Services (IBDS). These organizations receive PrairiesCan funding to help Prairie Canadians start or grow their businesses.
- Departmental support to the Prairies Business Service Network (PBSN) will help achieve the following results:
- Serve thousands of clients by providing business advisory and information services
- Tailor support to businesses that are starting or expanding their operations
- Train thousands of participants in skills development opportunities
- PBSN business supports help increase economic participation of underrepresented groups such as rural entrepreneurs, Indigenous peoples, women, youth, persons with disabilities, and members of Official Languages Minority Communities (OLMC).
- Economic Development Initiative (EDI) - for SMEs and communities within Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) to improve and promote Francophone cultural products and institutions, creative spaces, and tourism infrastructure. The EDI is currently delivered as a further offering through the community-focused Francophone Economic Development Organizations (FEDO).
Departmental Result 3: Businesses are commercializing technology and adopting it in the Prairies
PrairiesCan supports firms to commercialize new technologies, scale-up operations, and improve productivity (see Table 1 and Table 4 above). Much of our work for this departmental result involves direct funding for businesses to accelerate innovation and commercialization. The department also assists technology development and adoption through strategic investments and by connecting businesses with important opportunities in key sectors.
Results we plan to achieve:
Through this departmental result, PrairiesCan-supported projects are expected to generate the following results:
- Job creation, including jobs for highly qualified personnel (HQP)
- Revenue and export growth for PrairiesCan-supported firms
- Commercialization of new technologies
The results in Table 4 above will be achieved through the delivery of the following programs:
- Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) - for businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that support businesses. This program helps businesses adapt to trade disruptions and advance economic growth across the Prairie provinces. RTRI will strengthen the competitiveness of impacted SMEs by helping them diversify their markets, create new export revenue sources, adopt innovative technologies to boost productivity, and build more resilient supply chains.
- Regional Defence Investment Initiative (RDII) - for businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that support businesses. RDII helps businesses working in Canada’s defence and security sector to accelerate their integration into regional defence ecosystems and defence supply chains. This program helps improve defence supply chains by helping businesses boost production and innovation capacity, enhance productivity and competitiveness, and implement commercialization strategies. Some of these strategies include defence contractor certification and the adoption, adaptation, and deployment of technologies with both civilian and defence applications.
- Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program - for high-growth businesses (predominately SMEs) to scale-up operations and produce innovative goods, services, or technologies.
- Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program - for not-for-profit organizations to support businesses in priority sectors to innovate, grow and compete globally. This includes collaborating with key economic development partners to stimulate innovation growth and to help underrepresented groups more fully participate in the innovation ecosystem.
- Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) - for businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that support businesses. This program helps businesses to responsibly adopt or commercialize artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
- RAII, RIE, and BSP are part of the Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) Program.
- Regional Quantum Initiative (RQI) - for businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that support businesses, to help advance and commercialize quantum products and solutions for domestic and global markets.
Service locations
PrairiesCan has 12 service locations in: Edmonton (headquarters), Calgary, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, and Lethbridge, Alberta; Winnipeg, Brandon, and Thompson, Manitoba; Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Regina, Saskatchewan; and Ottawa, Ontario. This increased presence is improving support to local partners, clients, and stakeholders in, or close, to their own communities. PrairiesCan employees use knowledge of the local and regional economy to advise clients and partners on funding programs, policy, advocacy, publications, and economic data.
News releases, success stories, and other publications
To learn more and see other examples of PrairiesCan’s work, click on the website links below.
- News releases
- Success stories
- Past Departmental Plans
- Past Departmental Results Reports (includes more success stories)
- PrairiesCan evaluations: PrairiesCan undertakes evaluations to better show how the department helps Prairie Canadians and the economy. These evaluations provide an evidence-based, neutral assessment of the value for money of our programs.
Gender-based Analysis Plus
PrairiesCan is committed to the delivery of inclusive and responsive programs, policies, and services through the use of GBA Plus. In 2025, PrairiesCan completed an internal review to inform future updates to its GBA Plus framework to ensure policies, training, and resources effectively support the use of GBA Plus across the department.
The department develops all programs and services with consideration of the impacts on underrepresented groups including Indigenous Peoples, Black Canadians, women, youth, members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, and members of official language minority communities.
The department also offers tailored programs that specifically target certain underrepresented groups. These programs include:
- Women’s Enterprise Initiative (WEI)
- Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP)
- Economic Development Initiative (EDI)
- Francophone Economic Development Organizations (FEDOs)
- Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP)
- Indigenous Business Development Services (IBDS)
PrairiesCan includes a voluntary diversity and inclusion section on funding application forms. This information allows the department to compile aggregate information for diverse groups on the ownership and/or leadership of the organizations applying for funding and the diverse groups who may benefit from the project. This information is used to show results, improve program design, and help make project approval decisions.
Furthermore, PrairiesCan supports research and study of entrepreneurial data to identify gaps and better understand the unique challenges faced by certain underrepresented groups.
Planned resources to achieve results
Table 5: Planned resources to achieve results for Economic Development in the Prairies
Table 5 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.
| Resource | Planned |
|---|---|
| Spending | $319,083,662 |
| Full-time equivalents | 229 |
Complete financial and human resources information for Prairies Economic Development Canada’s program inventory is available on GC Infobase.
Internal services
In this section
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:
- acquisition management services
- communications services
- financial management services
- human resources management services
- information management services
- information technology services
- legal services
- materiel management services
- management and oversight services
- real property management services
Plans to achieve results
This section presents details on how the department plans to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.
The department works hard to continuously improve its internal services to ensure internal and external clients, partners, stakeholders, and communities are supported.
PrairiesCan encourages this approach with many initiatives that improve our internal services as seen below.
- The department strives to improve grants and contributions program delivery. This includes regular reviews of programs for best practices and areas for improvement.
- PrairiesCan is exploring the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to improve efficiency, enhance service delivery, and support its mandate.
- The department provides clients with secure digital access to services such as our online portal for program funding applications.
- We offer user-friendly online interactions to clients, applicants, and stakeholders.
- The department continually works to improve funding applications, assessment, approval, monitoring of funding projects, and overall client service.
- PrairiesCan service standards are used to identify areas of improvement for client service. External departmental service standards are on the PrairiesCan website.
- The department uses technology such as secure remote access, video conferencing, web-based tools, wireless connectivity, and height adjustable work surfaces to improve well-being of employees and their efficiency at work.
- PrairiesCan engages employees to improve problem-solving and to optimize internal processes using continuous improvement principles.
- The department encourages a welcoming and inclusive work environment for all.
- PrairiesCan regularly examines our staffing assessment methods to identify and reduce any bias and/or barriers.
- The department has targeted recruitment campaigns for members of underrepresented employment equity groups.
- PrairiesCan informs employees of important commemorative or cultural days to support inclusive learning and development.
- The department continues our Sponsorship Program to link executives with employees who identify with an employment equity group with a goal to support their visibility and development.
- Values and ethics remain very important to the department. Values and ethics, inclusion, responsible use of AI and social media, are integrated into employee onboarding, training, team discussions, and town halls. Managers and employees also participate in learning sessions on unconscious bias, inclusive decision-making, and respectful workplace behaviour.
- PrairiesCan increases awareness of our programs and services with an increasing presence on social media platforms. Our digital communications strategy delivers creative, cost-effective products and services such as internal news, intranet, external website, electronic publications, translation, and ministerial support.
Planned resources to achieve results
Table 6: Planned resources to achieve results for internal services this year
Table 6 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.
| Resource | Planned |
|---|---|
| Spending | $15,600,214 |
| Full-time equivalents | 102 |
Complete financial and human resources information for Prairies Economic Development Canada’s internal services is available on GC Infobase.
Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
The Government of Canada is committed to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and to improving socio‑economic outcomes by increasing opportunities for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis businesses through the federal procurement process. Due to this commitment, Government of Canada departments will now meet a target of awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses each year. This commitment has been fully implemented by PrairiesCan.
The department has not sought any deputy head-approved exceptions. Most of the department’s procurement activity exists within standing offers and supply arrangements, which often have Indigenous set-asides incorporated into them.
Table 7: Percentage of contracts planned and awarded to Indigenous businesses
Table 7 presents the current, actual results with forecasted and planned results for the total percentage of contracts the department awarded to Indigenous businesses.
| 5% reporting field | 2024–25 actual result | 2025–26 forecasted result | 2026–27 planned result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses | 6.66% | 7.0% | 7.0% |
Department-wide considerations
In this section
Related government priorities
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
PrairiesCan continues to support 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, which supports the creation of sustainable jobs across the Prairies. The department also adopts practices that promote sustainable development in PrairiesCan internal operations.
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)
More information on Prairies Economic Development Canada’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.
Planned spending and human resources
This section provides an overview of Prairies Economic Development Canada’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and of planned spending for 2026–27 with actual spending from previous years.
Spending
This section presents an overview of the department’s planned expenditures from 2023–24 to 2028–29.
Budgetary performance summary
Table 8: Three-year spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table 8 presents Prairies Economic Development Canada’s spending over the past three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services. Amounts for the 2025–26 fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2023–24 Actual expenditures | 2024–25 Actual expenditures | 2025–26 Forecast spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Development in the Prairies | $358,651,850 | $348,775,546 | $420,328,826 |
| Internal services | $18,955,684 | $13,918,602 | $15,597,884 |
| Total (s) | $377,617,534 | $362,694,148 | $435,926,710 |
Analysis of past three years of spending
The overall change in funding is related to the completion of Budget 2021 and Budget 2024 programs. Includes Tourism Growth Program and projects for Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization and the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative.
More financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.
Table 9: Planned three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table 9 presents Prairies Economic Development Canada’s planned spending over the next three years by core responsibilities and for internal services.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2026–27 Planned spending | 2027–28 Planned spending | 2028–29 Planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Development in the Prairies | $319,083,662 | $296,794,837 | $204,818,768 |
| Internal services | $15,600,214 | $15,488,652 | $14,083,926 |
| Total | $334,683,876 | $312,283,489 | $218,902,694 |
Analysis of the next three years of spending
Total planned spending in 2026-27 is $334.7 million, compared to the 2025-26 forecast spending of $435.9 million. This represents a net decrease in spending of ($101.2) million, which includes a net decrease in contributions and other transfer payments of ($101.0) million and a decrease in operating costs of ($0.2) million.
Funding decreases between 2025-26 and 2026-27 are related to the completion of Budget 2021 and Budget 2024 programs. This includes the ending of the Tourism Growth Program and projects for Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization and the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative. Funding increases include Budget 2025 announcements for Regional Tariff Response Initiative and Regional Defence Investment Initiative.
More detailed financial information on planned spending is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.
Table 10: Budgetary gross and net planned spending summary (dollars)
Table 10 reconciles gross planned spending with net spending for 2026–27.
| Core responsibilities and Internal Services | 2026–27 Gross planned spending | 2026–27 Planned revenues netted against spending | 2026–27 Planned net spending (authorities used) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Development in the Prairies | $319,083,662 | $0 | $319,083,662 |
| Internal services | $15,600,214 | $2,600,000 | $13,000,214 |
| Total | $334,683,876 | $2,600,000 | $332,083,876 |
Analysis of budgetary gross and net planned spending summary
PrairiesCan receives revenues netted against expenditures for various internal support services it provides to Pacific Economic Development Canada.
Information on the alignment of Prairies Economic Development Canada’s spending with Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available on 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 2023–24 to 2028–29.
Text description of graph 1
| Fiscal year | Total | Voted | Statutory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | $377,607,535 | $372,151,001 | $5,456,534 |
| 2024–25 | $362,694,148 | $357,523,146 | $5,171,002 |
| 2025–26 | $435,926,710 | $430,525,989 | $5,400,721 |
| 2026–27 | $334,683,876 | $328,312,715 | $6,371,161 |
| 2027–28 | $312,283,489 | $305,970,524 | $6,312,965 |
| 2028–29 | $218,902,694 | $212,899,632 | $6,003,062 |
Analysis of statutory and voted funding over a six-year period
The overall increase from 2023–24 to 2025–26 is driven by the launch of the Regional Defence Investment Initiative and the Regional Tariff Response Initiative announced in Budget 2025. The completion of Budget 2021 and Budget 2024 initiatives along with the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative, Canada Coal Transition Initiative – Infrastructure Program, Regional Defence Investment Initiative, the Regional Tariff Response Initiative, and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, contribute to the decrease from 2025–26 to 2028–29. Also, the reductions related to the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) exercise contribute to the decrease.
For further information on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s departmental appropriations, consult the 2026–27 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 2025–26 to 2026–27.
Table 11: Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ended March 31, 2027 (dollars)
Table 11: summarizes the expenses and revenues which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers for 2025–26 to 2026–27. 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.
| Financial information | 2025–26 Forecast results | 2026–27 Planned results | Difference (planned results minus forecasted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | $380,381,729 | $303,670,833 | ($76,710,896) |
| Total revenues | $129 | $70 | ($59) |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | $380,381,600 | $303,670,763 | ($76,710,837) |
Analysis of forecasted and planned results
PrairiesCan’s total expenses are expected to be $303.7 million in 2026–27, compared to $380.4 million in 2025–26. There is an overall net decrease of $76.7 million primarily due to less funding for the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative and Comprehensive Expenditure Review reductions.
A more detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated Notes for 2026-27, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, is available on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s website.
Human resources
This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2023–24 to 2028–29.
Table 12: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services
Table 12 shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents, for Prairies Economic Development Canada’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.
| Core responsibilities and Internal Services | 2023–24 Actual full-time equivalents | 2024–25 Actual full-time equivalents | 2025–26 Actual full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Development in the Prairies | 244 | 233 | 229 |
| Internal services | 106 | 104 | 102 |
| Total | 350 | 337 | 331 |
Analysis of human resources over the last three years
The overall change is related to Budget 2021 and Budget 2024 program announcements. It includes Tourism Growth Program and projects for Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization and the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative.
Table 13: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services
Table 13 shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents, for each of Prairies Economic Development Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for the next three years.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2026–27 Planned full-time equivalents | 2027–28 Planned full-time equivalents | 2028–29 Planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Development in the Prairies | 229 | 229 | 229 |
| Internal services | 102 | 102 | 102 |
| Total | 331 | 331 | 331 |
Analysis of human resources for the next three years
The FTE stabilization is related to Budget 2025 funding announcements and funding for collective bargaining settlements.
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s website:
- Transfer Payment Programs with total planned spending of $5 million or more
- Transfer Payment Programs with total planned spending of less than $5 million
- General information on up-front multi-year funding to Primrose Lake Economic Development Corporation
Information on Prairies Economic Development Canada’s departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on PrairiesCan’s website.
Federal tax expenditures
Prairies Economic Development Canada’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.
Corporate information
Departmental profile
Appropriate minister(s):
The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, P.C., K.C., M.P.
Institutional head:
President Diane Gray
Ministerial portfolio:
Emergency Management and Community Resilience, Prairies Economic Development Canada
Enabling instrument(s):
Western Economic Diversification Act, R.S.C. 1985, c.11, (4th Supplement)
Year of incorporation / commencement:
1987 / 2021
Other:
Headquarters:
Edmonton, Alberta
Principal offices:
Calgary, Albertas
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Ottawa, Ontario
Regional locations:
Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, and Lethbridge, Alberta
Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Regina, Saskatchewan
Brandon, and Thompson, Manitoba
Departmental 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:
Website(s):
Definitions
List of terms
- appropriation (crédit)
- Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
- budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
- Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
- core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
- An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
- Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
- A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3 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 2026-27 Departmental Plan, government priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2025 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 (enterprise autochtones)
- Requirements for verifying Indigenous businesses for the purposes of the departmental result report are available through the Indigenous Services Canada Mandatory minimum 5% Indigenous procurement target website.
- 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 a 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 to the expected result.
- planned spending (dépenses prévues)
-
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.
A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
- program (programme)
- Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
- program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
- Identifies all 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 an 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 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.