2024–2025 Departmental Results Report – Supplementary information tables – Gender-based analysis plus
Section 1: Institutional GBA plus capacity
Governance
PrairiesCan has a GBA Plus Champion, GBA Plus Committee, GBA Plus responsibility centre, and GBA Plus subject matter focal points, who keep up-to-date on GBA Plus developments. The department has internal guidance laying out how GBA Plus is integrated and considered in decision-making for all initiatives.
Capacity
PrairiesCan focused on employee development in 2024-25. The department continued to recognize the importance of GBA Plus knowledge as a foundation for all staff. PrairiesCan continues to use the Canada School of Public Service GBA Plus training for employees, supervisors and executives.
Another manner in which the department supports inclusive economic growth is through its research and analysis function. In early 2023, PrairiesCan commissioned The Centre for Innovation Studies (THECIS) to complete a third set of Prairies-focused women and youth reports to complement the reports completed in 2019 and 2021.
In March 2025, the department stood up a working group to review and update our GBA Plus framework. The updated framework will be developed by 2025-26 and aims to address needs identified in the review and ensure that policies, training, and resources more effectively support the implementation of GBA Plus across the department.
Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus
PrairiesCan allocated approximately 0.75 FTEs to GBA Plus activities in 2024-25.
Section 2: Gender and diversity impacts, by program
Core responsibility: Economic development in the Prairies
Program name: Business Growth, Business Services, Community Initiatives, Innovation
Program goals: These programs promote 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. The department aims to increase participation of underrepresented groups in the economy by supporting businesses directly or through not-for-profit organizations by providing funding, business services, and training.
Target population: Specific region (the Prairies region – Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) or sectors of the economy
Distribution of benefits
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | Broadly gender-balanced (third group) |
| By income level | No significant distributional impacts (third group) |
| By age group | No significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors (second group) |
| Scales Gender scale
|
|
Specific demographic group(s) to be monitored
PrairiesCan’s programs support businesses majority-owned or majority-led by underrepresented groups and projects providing supports to underrepresented groups, such as Indigenous peoples, women, youth, persons with disabilities, and members of official language minority communities.
The department also offers tailored programs that specifically target certain underrepresented groups.
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); and
- Indigenous Business Development Services (IBDS).
Key program impacts on gender and diversity
In 2023-24, PrairiesCan introduced a new Departmental Results Framework (DRF), and its accompanying performance indicators. This work considered the inclusion of GBA Plus-related indicators and resulted in PrairiesCan establishing two performance indicators directly related to GBA Plus objectives.
A list of key GBA Plus related indicators can be found in the table below.
Key program impact statistics
| Statistics | Observed Results (2024-25) |
Data source | Comment (maximum 25 words per statistic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of PrairiesCan-assisted entities that are majority-led by underrepresented groups | 120 | PrairiesCan’s internal systems | This indicator has been newly added to PrairiesCan’s DRF in 2023-24. |
| Number of underrepresented clients served | 15,905 | PrairiesCan’s internal systems | This indicator has been newly added to PrairiesCan’s DRF in 2023-24. |
| Number of jobs created (women) | 806 | PrairiesCan’s internal systems | Observed results are self-reported (on a voluntary basis) to PrairiesCan by its clients |
| Number of jobs created (youth) | 678 | PrairiesCan’s internal systems | Observed results are self-reported (on a voluntary basis) to PrairiesCan by its clients |
| Number of jobs created for (Indigenous peoples) | 425 | PrairiesCan’s internal systems | Observed results are self-reported (on a voluntary basis) to PrairiesCan by its clients |
Other key program impacts
Another specific impact was related to PrairiesCan’s support to Indigenous Peoples. Recently, PrairiesCan identified a need to increase access and participation of Indigenous clients in PrairiesCan’s core programs. To address this, a landing page was created on the PrairiesCan website for Indigenous organizations to facilitate in pathfinding to departmental core programs as well as other federal government supports.
GBA plus data collection plan
In 2024-25, PrairiesCan continued to collect GBA Plus related data from its applicants and sought opportunities to improve its collection plan. PrairiesCan’s current data collection exercise gathers diversity and inclusion parameters from applicants who can voluntarily report whether the applicant organization is owned/managed by underrepresented group(s) and whether the project targets support to underrepresented group(s). With this data, PrairiesCan will be able to improve its analytical tools in support of departmental programs and services.