Global Affairs Canada: Departmental Results Report 2019-20

Government of Canada Catalogue Number: FR2-25E-PDF
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2561-2182

Table of Contents

• Ministers’ message
• Results at a glance and operating context
• Results: What we achieved
  • Core responsibility 1: International advocacy and diplomacy
  • Core responsibility 2: Trade and investment
  • Core responsibility 3: Development, Peace and Security Programming
  • Core responsibility 4: Help for Canadians abroad
  • Core responsibility 5: Support for Canada’s presence abroad
  • Internal Services
• Analysis of trends in spending and human resources
  • Actual expenditures
  • Explanation of variances by programs
  • Actual human resources
  • Expenditures by vote
  • Government of Canada spending and activities
  • Financial statements and financial statements highlights
• Additional information
  • Organizational profile
  • Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
  • Key risks
  • Reporting framework
  • Supporting information on the program inventory
  • Supplementary information tables
  • Federal tax expenditures
  • Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions
• Endnotes

Ministers’ message

The emergence of COVID-19 as a full-blown pandemic capped a year marked by heightened international instability, amplifying and accelerating trends toward a fragmented global order. In this context, Canada delivered on a dynamic and responsive foreign policy in 2019 to 2020, seeking to shape the evolving international landscape in a way that supports the values and interests of Canadians, not just for today but for the long term.

In this era of challenge and change, Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC’s) efforts remain focused on strengthening and supporting a Canadian advantage on the world stage. This past year, the department continued to manage key relationships and reinforce ties with traditional allies while actively pursuing new collaborations with emerging partners. It worked to strengthen multilateral institutions that are crucial for the global commons and for Canada’s interests and also worked collaboratively with international partners to ensure that these organizations remain relevant and work for everyone. It pursued opportunities for Canadian leadership in the world and rallied partners around a common cause, such as the response to continued instability in Venezuela or to the tragic events involving Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752. At the outset of the pandemic, GAC created the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad to help ensure Canadians could get home safely. The department also effectively deployed international assistance to reduce poverty and increase opportunities for people around the world, saving lives, reinforcing sustainable livelihoods and bolstering peace and security.

At the heart of these efforts stood Canada’s feminist foreign policy. It found expression in numerous policies, programs and initiatives, including the Feminist International Assistance Policy; the Trade Diversification Strategy; the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security; and Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s Defence Policy. Through the Ministerial Coordination Group on COVID-19 and the Alliance for Multilateralism, Canada took a leadership role in ensuring that responses to the pandemic protect and advance gender equality and human rights. Respect for international law and for institutions such as the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice is essential for a more just, inclusive world, and Canada continued to act on their behalf.

Canadians also benefit from diverse trade and investment ties—open, rules-based trade creates opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs, ensures people have access to essential goods and services like food and medicine and creates well-paying jobs for Canadians across the country. In 2019 to 2020, Canada worked to enhance market access and increase opportunities that flow from trade agreements. The department worked with Canadian exporters and innovators to make trade and investment opportunities more accessible and more attractive. In the context of COVID-19, Canada sought to maintain open supply chains—especially for essential goods and medicines—through bilateral and multilateral engagement. The World Trade Organization and the Ottawa Group are two examples of where Canada has continued to champion rules-based international trade. GAC also continued to advance inclusive trade policies that ensure the benefits of free trade are widely shared—including among women, Indigenous peoples, racialized Canadians, LGBTQ2+ communities and young people.

Around the world, Canada has worked to reduce poverty, promote gender equality, increase economic opportunities for the most vulnerable, alleviate suffering and foster peace and security. The department’s focus has been on supporting progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and making a real difference in people’s lives. Enhanced empowerment and rights for women and girls was a key part of Canada’s efforts. This occurred through advocacy—for example, by hosting 8,000 delegates at the June 2019 Women Deliver global conference in Vancouver, the world’s largest gathering on gender equality and the health, rights and well-being of women and girls. Empowerment also took place through program actions: the historic commitment to invest $1.4 billion annually in women, children and adolescent health; the launch of the innovative Equality Fund to support women’s organizations and movements in developing countries; and the reinforcement of women’s participation in peacebuilding and peacemaking.

In 2019 to 2020, GAC’s efforts also reflected Canadians’ deep interest in and engagement with the wider world. Whether supporting Canada’s global diplomatic presence or providing information and services to Canadians working, studying, volunteering or travelling abroad, the department worked hard to support and encourage that engagement, which is so critical in a globalized world.

In a time of profound change, complex challenges and considerable opportunities, Canada is deepening and broadening its engagement, delivering thought leadership and seeking to play a constructive role in shaping the rapidly evolving global order for the benefit of all Canadians.

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne
Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Honourable Mary Ng
Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade

The Honourable Karina Gould
Minister of International Development

Results at a glance and operating context

Text version

Departmental spending by core responsibility

• CR 1: $942,662,171
• CR 2: $350,954,383
• CR 3: $4,488,445,128
• CR 4: $76,510,527
• CR 5: $1,049,692,086
• Internal services: $268,638,903
• Actual spending for 2019-20: $7,176,903,198

Text version

Full-time equivalents by core responsibility

• CR 1: 2,319
• CR 2: 2,038
• CR 3: 1,097
• CR 4: 398
• CR 5: 4,482
• Internal services: 1,824
• Actual FTEs for 2019-20: 12,158

Core responsibility 1: International advocacy and diplomacy

• Canada developed and launched Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation, or EMPOWER—an alliance of private sector champions to support women’s economic empowerment and private sector leadership.
• Canada hosted the Canada-EU Leaders’ Summit in Montréal, Quebec, where leaders committed to enhancing cooperation to deliver inclusive growth, protect the environment, advance international peace and security, promote gender equality and foster innovation.
• Global Affairs Canada released its Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, which helps empower northern communities, deepens international Arctic cooperation, protects the fragile Arctic environment and maintains the Arctic as an area of peace and stability. 
• Canada demonstrated strong international leadership on the Venezuela crisis, in collaboration with its Lima Group partners and others, in an effort to peacefully restore democracy in Venezuela while addressing the humanitarian and migration crisis provoked by the Maduro regime.
• Canada demonstrated strong, early international leadership to enable a coordinated global COVID-19 crisis response, including within the G7 and the G20 and in establishing a foreign ministers’ coordination group.

Core responsibility 2: Trade and investment

• Global Affairs Canada effectively led Canada’s efforts on key free trade agreements, including ratifying and implementing the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), advancing ongoing negotiations with the Pacific Alliance and other partners, and concluding exploratory discussions with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• Global Affairs Canada effectively led Canada’s efforts on World Trade Organization (WTO) reform, including Canada’s leadership of the Ottawa Group and successful efforts to preserve Canada’s rights to effective dispute settlement.
• The Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) facilitated 128 new or expanded foreign investments and 235 investor visits to Canada, and had 16,942 active Canadian business clients, with a satisfaction rate of 91%. Annual foreign direct investment flows into Canada were $67 billion.
• The TCS supported the fight against COVID-19 by vetting international suppliers to facilitate procurement of critical medical supplies, helping to identify Canadian companies capable of supplying domestic needs, and establishing a website to assist Canadian companies navigate the uncertainties created by the pandemic.
• Canada launched a new five-year international education strategy and welcomed a record 829,405 international students who contributed an estimated $24 billion to the Canadian economy.

Core responsibility 3: Development, peace and security programming

• Canada hosted the Women Deliver global conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, the world’s largest gathering on gender equality and the health, rights and well-being of women and girls, resulting in new community networks, innovative partnerships and resources being mobilized to drive transformative change.
• Global Affairs Canada improved the lives of more than 97.1 million people through humanitarian assistance support to United Nations (UN) partners, non-governmental organizations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
• Global Affairs Canada advanced efforts to achieve peace and stability in fragile and conflict-affected states by disbursing $152 million to projects, including country-specific stabilization initiatives for countries such as Afghanistan, Colombia, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.
• Canada cemented its role as a global leader on financing for development, including through co-facilitating the first High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, as well as establishing new approaches for the deployment of innovative financing within the department.
• Early and on-going departmental reporting on COVID-19-related implications, impacts and consequences included enhanced assessments of how diverse groups experience the pandemic differently and how policies, programs and initiatives might be conceived in order to best address their needs and improve overall outcomes.

Core responsibility 4: Help for Canadians abroad

• Global Affairs Canada managed more than 170,241 new consular and routine cases, including more than 12,489 cases concerning Canadians who required urgent consular assistance while travelling or residing abroad.
• Global Affairs Canada launched a renewed innovative and evidence-based consular strategy that provides a framework for modernized consular services that deliver enhanced assistance for Canadians requiring help abroad.
• Global Affairs Canada supported the families of the 85 Canadian and permanent resident victims of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, establishing a dedicated consular case management unit, sending Standing Rapid Deployment Team members to Iran, Turkey and locations across Canada, and launching the PS752 Emergency Family Assistance Fund.
• Global Affairs Canada undertook complex repatriation efforts to help 343 Canadians evacuate from Wuhan, China, and 357 from the Princess cruise ships in Japan and California early in the pandemic.
• Global Affairs Canada created the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad to help ensure that Canadians could get home safely during the pandemic. More than 5,000 cases were opened in the first two weeks of the program’s existence in March 2020.

Core responsibility 5: Support for Canada’s presence abroad

• Global Affairs Canada strengthened security measures at Canadian embassies, high commissions and consulates through 22 projects that upgraded closed-circuit television systems, perimeter walls, safe haven rooms, consular booths and other security elements.
• Global Affairs Canada ensured the safety and security of its staff in missions abroad in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic by evacuating approximately 1,300 employees and their dependents while ensuring continuity of services for Canadians during this unprecedented time.

Operating context

Fiscal year 2019-20 was marked by continued global uncertainty and volatility, which was further amplified by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

International relations continued in a period of heightened instability, marked by increased geopolitical competition, a resurgence of authoritarianism and nationalism, and new strains on the current rules-based international system. Established institutions, alliances and practices are being challenged by renewed ideological competition and the emergence of alternative development models. International security is increasingly undermined, as are efforts to maintain respect for human rights, gender equality and democratic institutions. Various state and non-state actors have sought to disrupt established systems and traditional international relationships, straining the existing system of international laws, norms and institutions, with some states increasingly deploying hard and sharp power.

At the same time, the international community has agreed to the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals as the roadmap to a more inclusive and resilient future. Working against achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals is growing inequality, protracted conflict, humanitarian crises, the impact of climate change and the return of intense competition for power. Increased economic growth has helped drive down rates of extreme poverty and contributed to creating a larger global middle class, however the momentum to liberalize international trade has stalled, as evidenced by protracted disagreements and challenges faced by the WTO and rising protectionism. Increasingly, globalization, commerce and the accelerated pace of technological change have reshaped economic and social life around the world as well as global power relationships. Non-state actors, such as multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations have taken on steadily expanding roles. Cyber threats, originating from both state and non-state actors, continue to become more sophisticated. The consequences of this turmoil mean that Canada’s foreign policy must be agile and responsive to emerging trends and active in shaping the evolving global order to Canada’s advantage.

In this context, Canada has a great interest in ensuring an international order based on rules and open markets that can benefit all, including the poorest and most vulnerable. Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy has guided Canada’s efforts in this regard, putting the emphasis on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment as critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Canada continued over the past year to seek opportunities to promote bilateral and multilateral engagement, advance its national interests and values and work with a range of stakeholders to confront cross-border challenges that impact all global citizens. Amid rising protectionist sentiments abroad, Canada played a leadership role in 2019-20 in promoting progressive approaches to diplomatic action, trade and international collaboration. Recognizing the urgency and significance of the climate change challenge, the Government of Canada has undertaken initiatives both domestically and internationally to confront this critical issue.

The emergence of COVID-19 at the end of the fiscal year amplifies many of the trends highlighted above. While the pandemic response has driven international cooperation and promoted the goal of building back better, it has also heightened protectionism, geopolitical competition and challenges to democratic values. As Canada contributes to fighting the pandemic and promoting a global economic recovery, it must seize opportunities to shape the global order in a manner that supports its values and long-term national interests.

Results: What we achieved

Core responsibility 1: International advocacy and diplomacy

Description

Global Affairs Canada promotes Canada’s interests and values through policy development, diplomacy, advocacy and effective engagement.

Results

Global Affairs Canada worked with a wide range of partners to protect, reform and renew the current rules-based international order and to achieve common global goals that advance Canadian values and interests internationally. Through effective advocacy and diplomacy, global influence was expanded and progress continued to be made on priority issues, including growth that works for everyone, peace and security, democratic and inclusive governance, human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, respect for diversity and environmental sustainability.

Canada builds and maintains constructive relationships that advance Canada’s interests

In 2019-20, Canada continued to strengthen its long-standing relationships through active engagement with international organizations, such as the UN, NATO, the G7, the G20, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Commonwealth, La Francophonie and regional organizations. Global Affairs Canada also collaborated with other government departments and agencies, domestic and international industry, civil society organizations, think tanks, research centres and academic experts to advance Canada’s priorities at home and abroad.

Collaboration with the World Economic Forum, the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation and the International Economic Forum of the Americas advanced Canada’s economic policy positions and priorities, including on issues related to trade and investment diversification, inclusive trade and sustainable economic growth. By promoting Canada’s own actions in building a resilient economy supported by inclusive and diversified trade, and ensuring small and medium businesses succeed, Canada has expanded its influence and strengthened relationships with key partners and within international bodies. In addition, through its advocacy work with the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, Canada has fostered the use of gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) analysis in the alliance’s projects and enhanced the focus on furthering access by women-led businesses to international trade for new projects.

Given the critical role of the WTO in supporting the rules-based trading system and Canadian national interests, Canada continued to lead international efforts on WTO reform through its leadership of the Ottawa Group, with the objective of identifying concrete, realistic and pragmatic ideas that would strengthen and reform the organization. This included working with like-minded countries to finalize a multi-party interim appeal arbitration arrangement to be used by parties until the impasse in appointments to the WTO Appellate Body is resolved.

Canada also successfully utilized G7 and G20 platforms to advance its values and interests, including by securing strong outcomes on rules-based trade, climate action, inclusive growth, gender equality and education. In addition, Canada developed, advocated for and achieved G20 support for the launch of a new EMPOWER alliance of private sector champions to support women’s economic empowerment and private sector leadership at the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit. At the G7, rigorous engagement by Canada resulted in, among other achievements, the endorsement of a compendium of best legal practices on gender equality from the Gender Equality Advisory Council. As well, during the 2019 G7 Development Ministers’ Meeting and Joint Education and Development Ministers’ Meeting, Canada contributed to the successful adoption of important G7 commitments, including on financing for development and tackling fragility.

North America

Canada continued to strengthen relations with its key allies, partners and neighbours to the south—the United States and Mexico. In coordination with provinces and territories, Global Affairs Canada deepened its engagement with both countries at the federal level, as well as with state and local officials, the private sector and civil society organizations. As part of these efforts, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries, premiers and provincial and territorial ministers undertook more than 150 high-level visits to the United States.

One year after the signing of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the Deputy Prime Minister met with her counterparts in Mexico and successfully negotiated important amendments to the agreement. These amendments, which made the agreement more progressive and included improved labour protections, further strengthened this important trilateral economic relationship.

Canada and the United States also continued to work together on border efficiency and security. This included the implementation of the entry/exit initiative, which ensures a strong, secure and efficient border with the United States while protecting individual privacy and rights, and the ongoing construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit, a critical crossing for the busiest commercial gateway between the United States and Canada.

These enhanced relationships across North America were critical to Canada’s ability to respond rapidly and effectively to the challenges posed by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global Affairs Canada and other government departments worked collaboratively with U.S. and Mexican authorities to share information, coordinate efforts and provide mutual assistance in repatriating each country’s respective citizens right from the start of the pandemic. There was also close cooperation on border management measures, such as facilitating the entry of seasonal agricultural workers and safeguarding critical supply chains, including for the production and procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential goods.

Europe

Global Affairs Canada worked closely with its long-standing partners in Europe on a range of foreign affairs, trade and security matters. For instance, in July 2019, Montréal hosted the Canada-EU Leaders’ Summit with the Prime Minister of Canada and European Council President. During the event, leaders committed to deepening cooperation to deliver economic growth that benefits everyone, combat climate change, protect the environment, advance international peace and security, promote gender equality and women’s empowerment and foster innovation. Importantly, this led to the signing of the Canada-EU Ocean Partnership Declaration. Implementation of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is also well underway, with Canada having hosted a meeting of the CETA Committee on Agriculture in September 2019.

Through ministerial and senior official visits to Ukraine, as well as Canada’s co-hosting of the Ukraine Reform Conference in July 2019, Canada advanced its commitment to Ukraine’s reform efforts, including engaging women in peace and security, strengthening the capacity of the National Police of Ukraine and standing up for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression. These efforts were bolstered by a $45-million commitment to support the country’s reform process and development and to protect its sovereignty. To this end, in concert with the United States and the EU, Canada announced sanctions on six individuals involved in the illegitimate September 2019 elections in Russian-occupied Crimea. Canada also supported the adoption of measures in the Ukrainian parliament and Cabinet of Ministers that will help increase inclusivity, gender equality and the empowerment of women in Ukraine’s civic and political processes. In July 2019, the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of Ukraine announced their intention to expand the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, further enhancing this important relationship.

Global Affairs Canada supported the Governor General’s visits to the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and to Poland. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also visited Latvia in March, 2020, as well as Lithuania in October 2020, where he met with his counterpart from all three Baltic states. These visits, along with our continued NATO leadership role in Latvia, reinforced our commitment to NATO and security in the region and promoted increased science and technology cooperation.

In the context of Brexit, Global Affairs Canada continued to coordinate Canadian efforts to work with the United Kingdom to transform certain Canada-EU agreements into bilateral Canada-U.K. agreements. This will ensure continuity in Canada’s relationship with the United Kingdom, one of its most important global partners.

Arctic

In September 2019, Canada released its Arctic and Northern Policy Framework which positions Canada to shape international responses to new challenges and opportunities to empower northern communities while protecting the fragile Arctic environment and maintaining the Arctic as an area of peace and stability. The framework, co-developed with Canada’s northern communities, demonstrates Canada’s commitment to reconciliation, a strong rules-based international order and global Arctic engagement. Through diplomacy, international cooperation and international advocacy, Canada continued to champion the integration of diversity and gender equality considerations into projects and initiatives in all areas of circumpolar cooperation, guided by Canada’s feminist foreign policy.

Through the Canadian International Arctic Centre, Global Affairs Canada has leveraged our vast network of Arctic partners and Canadian embassies abroad to drive international Arctic cooperation and promote key priorities for Canadians, including sustainable economic development in the North. Global Affairs Canada responded swiftly in assessing the particular effects of COVID-19 in the Arctic region, including initiating circumpolar impact scans, which are contributing to the Arctic Council’s ongoing COVID-related efforts.

Canada continued its leadership role in the Arctic Council’s ongoing work on sustainable development and environmental protection. Global Affairs Canada made progress on issues such as the exercise of Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic, the ongoing negotiation of outstanding boundaries with Denmark (Greenland), the conduct of marine scientific research in the Arctic and International Maritime Organization negotiations to ban the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic. In May 2019, Canada tabled its continental shelf submission for the Arctic Ocean at the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Throughout 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada maintained its focus on advancing Canada’s political, development, security and economic interests through country-to-country and multilateral engagements. For instance, engagement with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states at leader and ministerial levels, including participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in February 2020, led to increased collaboration in support of climate and economic resilience and the establishment of a permanent Canada-CARICOM consultations mechanism.

Canada further strengthened its relationships in the region following the successful conclusion of negotiations toward a social security agreement with Argentina and support for the Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission to Bolivia in the fall of 2019. This included deploying two forensic experts to Bolivia for the audit of the election results.

At the same time, Canada responded to various political, economic and humanitarian crises across the region. As a member of the High Level Commission of the OAS on Nicaragua, Canada reported on the weakening of democratic institutions and the worsening of the human rights situation in that country. Canada worked with partners at the UN Human Rights Council and the OAS to maintain multilateral pressure on the Government of Nicaragua to address ongoing human rights concerns. In June 2019, Canada imposed new sanctions on nine individuals responsible for gross and systematic human rights violations in Nicaragua.

Canada demonstrated strong international leadership on the Venezuela crisis, notably in collaboration with its Lima Group partners, but also working with European countries, the United States, and other countries, with the goal of helping to peacefully restore democracy in Venezuela, while addressing the humanitarian and migration crisis provoked by the Maduro regime. In February 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs again hosted a ministerial meeting of the Lima Group, which brings together countries from Latin America and the Caribbean to lead regional efforts supporting a peaceful solution to the political, economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

Asia-Pacific

Canada strengthened close bilateral relationships in the Asia-Pacific region through a number of high-level engagements. Canada hosted the Prime Minister of Japan in April and the India Minister of External Affairs in December 2019, and met with President of South Korea on the margins of the G20 Osaka Summit in June 2019. Engagement across all sectors and levels of government in the region, including the Pacific Islands, has allowed Canada to advance key objectives on a number of issues, including climate change, water management, education, health, gender equality, good governance, two-way trade and investment, regional security and human rights.

Continued implementation of Canada’s Response Strategy to the Rohingya Crisis focused on alleviating the suffering of the Rohingya in Bangladesh and Myanmar while working on creating a conducive environment for return in Rakhine State in Myanmar. Moreover, Canada worked collaboratively with the Government of Bangladesh on championing accountability for the Rohingya, contributed to efforts to improve conditions of refugee camps and played a key convening role to support longer-term development programming to help address the needs of host communities and Rohingya refugees.

Global Affairs Canada continued to stand up for Canadian values and interests in its engagement with China. Canada defended and advanced its economic and commercial interests, including by securing the restoration of market access for Canadian pork and providing advice and guidance to Canadian companies pursuing business opportunities in China. Canada also continued its strong advocacy for the protection and promotion of human rights and democracy, with a particular emphasis on freedom of association, freedom of religion or belief, rule of law and freedom from ethnic discrimination and arbitrary detention. This included sustained advocacy for the release of arbitrarily detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and a push for clemency for Canadians facing the death penalty. In response to the detention of members of Uighur and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Canadian advocacy has included joint statements and letters with more than 20 other countries in international forums, such as the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly. In support of ongoing domestic dialogue, Global Affairs Canada has made key contributions to the work of the House of Commons’ Special Committee on Canada-China Relations.

Canada advocated bilaterally and in multilateral forums in support of a diplomatic solution to the threat to international peace and security posed by North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile program. Canada joined international efforts to urge the North Korean government to respect human rights through a number of forums and facilitated the contribution of more than $3.5 million to strengthen international capacity to implement UN Security Council resolution sanctions against North Korea.

Africa

Canada developed and maintained constructive relationships with key partners in the African region in 2019-20. In December 2019, the Minister of Foreign Affairs participated in the first Aswan Forum in Egypt, attended by leaders from across the continent. The forum enabled Canada to actively promote its women, peace and security agenda and learn how best to support African priorities as the incoming chair of the UN Peacebuilding Commission in 2020. As chair, Canada led meetings to advance national conflict prevention and peacebuilding goals in Burkina Faso, Burundi and Guinea-Bissau. Furthermore, in March 2020, Canada convened dialogues on the emerging COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on building and sustaining peace in fragile and conflict-affected states.

In February 2020, the Prime Minister led a delegation to Ethiopia and Senegal that included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade and the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. The visit coincided with the 33rd Summit of the African Union—the continent’s foremost multilateral institution. This first-ever visit by a Canadian prime minister during the African Union’s summit of African leaders enabled enhanced political engagement on African priority issues, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, investment and economic relations, and peace and security. Global Affairs Canada also supported the launch of a new economic empowerment initiative in Africa, Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa, in conjunction with other G7 leaders and the African Development Bank. While visiting Senegal, the Prime Minister and Canada’s first Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, joined with Senegalese women peacekeepers and the Senegalese Minister of the Armed Forces to highlight collaboration on the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations.

Global Affairs Canada leveraged a Canada Council for the Arts initiative in Côte d’Ivoire to amplify Canada’s visibility in West Africa. Marché des Arts du Spectacle d’Abidjan became a cultural diplomacy opportunity to advance Canada’s values and priorities by coordinating and ensuring the coherence of multiple Government of Canada cultural initiatives and the participation of more than 100 Canadian artists.

Middle East

Global Affairs Canada continued to build and maintain constructive bilateral relationships in the Middle East in an effort to promote peace, democracy, and respect for international human rights, humanitarian law and gender equality. The Prime Minister demonstrated our support to the region during his February 2020 trip to Kuwait, where he met with Canadian Armed Forces members deployed to the region.  The department also supported Canada’s leadership on global issues within the region, notably through the COVID-19 global response and engagements made as part of Canada’s UN Security Council campaign.

With the renewal of Canada’s Middle East Strategy (2019 to 2021), Canada continued its $3.5‑billion, whole-of-government effort to promote the rights of women and girls, establish the conditions for security and stability and support governance and resilience in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Canada pressed for the investigation into the use of chemical weapons and accountability for war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law in Syria through sanctions legislation and efforts in multilateral forums, including the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

In February 2020, Canada hosted the second edition of FemParl for the Middle East and North Africa region in Tunis, a high-visibility event organized in partnership with the Forum of Federations and the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research. The initiative brought together 13 women parliamentary leaders and activists from nine countries and governments in the region (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Palestinian Territories). The event helped to strengthen their knowledge and capacity to advance sustainable development goals, address violence against women in peace and conflict, and utilize social media as a tool for women’s empowerment.

After the downing of Flight PS752 on January 8, 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs created the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752. The group comprises Afghanistan, Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The Minister has also taken steps to ensure accountability and justice to help the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy find closure, including calling on Iran to complete a transparent investigation and to make full reparations to the victims and the affected states.

Canada’s leadership on global issues contributes to a just and inclusive world

In 2019-20, Canada played a leadership role in championing actions that contribute to a just and inclusive world. By advocating for the application of a feminist approach in multilateral discussions and helping to ensure that gender equality considerations and commitments are included in international statements and agreements, Global Affairs Canada made a notable contribution to strengthening gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls worldwide.

Canada’s feminist foreign policy has been operationalized through a suite of complementary international policies, programs and initiatives, including Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy^{Endnote i}, Canada’s Trade Diversification Strategy^{Endnote ii}, Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security^{Endnote iii} and Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s Defence Policy^{Endnote iv}.

Canada has also continued to play a leadership role in the advancement of human rights, inclusion and respect for diversity, including through Canada’s actions in international forums such as the UN Human Rights Council, the UN General Assembly, the OAS, the G7 and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe—Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

Canada played a central role in the Equal Rights Coalition, a partnership of countries, civil society organizations and multilateral agencies focused on promoting the full and equal enjoyment of rights by LGBTQ2+ persons worldwide.

Canada made progress on the international promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including through co-chairmanship of the International Contact Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief. This also included strong statements speaking out against all forms of racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and other xenophobic and hateful attitudes and behaviours. Through active membership in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and other international forums, Canada helped support vital efforts as we witnessed a rise in xenophobic attitudes and actions globally in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada has taken concerted steps to play a leadership role in ensuring that global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic protect and advance gender equality and human rights and are informed by feminist principles. This includes within the Ministerial Coordination Group on COVID-19, the Alliance for Multilateralism and in interactions with a multitude of states and civil society organizations.

In an increasingly digital world, Canada is playing a proactive role in supporting good digital governance. As a key contributor to the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap on Digital Cooperation, Canada championed a rights-based and inclusive approach to the governance of digital technology. Canada was also an active member and a friend of the chair of the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of 32 governments working together to advance Internet freedom.

Canada also contributed to the OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence, an international framework for the development of responsible and human-centred artificial intelligence. Together with France, international cooperation in this area was furthered by laying the foundation for the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, which now has 15 founding members. In addition, Canada’s leadership of the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism and proven ability to leverage open-source analytics to provide unique insight into foreign interference in the digital context have strengthened Canada’s ability to safeguard its own democracy from foreign threats online—including the 2019 federal election—and influence global discussions about protecting democracy by countering disinformation.

In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada contributed to international peace and security through continuing efforts on conflict prevention, stabilization and peacebuilding and through countering radicalization to violence, terrorism and crime. As part of Canada’s Middle East Strategy, Canada continued to be a leading contributor of military and civilian resources to the Global Coalition against Daesh. This investment includes one of Canada’s largest international military deployments, with up to 850 Canadian Armed Forces personnel serving under the coalition umbrella and in NATO Mission Iraq. As co-chair of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, Canada worked to improve collaboration, information sharing and the integration of human rights, gender considerations and the Women, Peace and Security agenda into counterterrorism work at national, regional and local levels, including with civil society, academia, think tanks and the private sector. Canada also continued its active and constructive engagement in the Financial Action Task Force to combat money laundering and terrorist financing and encouraged global compliance with Financial Action Task Force standards.

Canada helps build strong international institutions and respect for international law

Upholding the international legal framework remained a key area of focus in Canada’s engagement with international institutions such as the UN, the WTO, the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. For example, Canada came to the aid of Canadians abroad subjected to human rights violations and actively supported the International Criminal Court’s mandate to hold perpetrators of serious international crimes to account. In 2019-20, Canada indicated its support for the case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar for its alleged violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide at the International Court of Justice.

The department continued to provide strategic international legal advice to the Government of Canada on complex issues, such as strengthening multilateral institutions, the Arctic, climate change, the fight against corruption, international sanctions, Indigenous rights and international humanitarian law. Significant outreach was undertaken with other government departments, the private sector and civil society on Canadian sanctions policy, compliance and enforcement while relationships were deepened with key international partners on sanctions coordination and best practices through participation in the informal 4EYES sanctions coordination group (Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom the United States). Canada also initiated and chaired the legal working group seeking to hold Iran accountable for the downing of Flight PS752 and to seek reparations for the victims.

Throughout 2019, Canada led efforts in the OPCW to ban the use of chemicals from the Novichok group, including those used in an assassination attempt in the United Kingdom in 2018. In November 2019, the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention agreed to a proposal developed by Canada, the Netherlands and the United States that subjects these toxic chemicals to scrutiny by the OPCW, the first addition to the list of chemicals controlled under the Chemical Weapons Convention since the signing of the convention more than two decades ago. Canada also reaffirmed its position as a top national donor to the OPCW and spearheaded efforts within the G7-led Global Partnership to prioritize support for the OPCW, including its investigative and attribution work in Syria and establishment of a new Centre for Chemistry and Technology.

The department continued to advance key disarmament initiatives. As part of Canada’s support for a stronger and more rigorous export control system, the government joined the Arms Trade Treaty in June 2019. The Arms Trade Treaty is an international treaty that establishes common standards for the international trade of conventional weapons and seeks to reduce illicit arms trade and human suffering. Joining the Arms Trade Treaty gives Canada an opportunity to formalize its current export control practices while increasing the rigour and transparency of its export control regime.

Canada also contributed to the development and implementation of environmental and law-of-the-sea instruments on climate change, biodiversity, management of wastes and chemicals, ocean pollution, the protection of endangered species and transboundary waters. For example, Global Affairs Canada led the negotiation of a new UN Treaty on Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction and continued its active engagement in the Commonwealth Blue Charter adopted by leaders at the 2018 London Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to help solve ocean-related challenges and achieve sustainable ocean development.

In 2019-20, Canada helped secure the unanimous adoption of the Affirmation by Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth on its 70th Anniversary, a statement whereby Commonwealth foreign ministers reaffirmed their dedication to Commonwealth values and principles, including democracy, diversity and inclusion, and commitment to the rules-based international order.

Canada’s global influence is expanded and strengthened

Global Affairs Canada’s constructive engagement with regional, bilateral and multilateral partners led to positive action on many global issues and served to revitalize and reinforce a rules-based international order. In partnership with France and Germany, Canada contributed to the creation of the Alliance for Multilateralism, an informal network of countries dedicated to advancing multilateralism, supporting international institutions and promoting multilateral solutions to common challenges. Positioned to influence the alliance’s evolution, Canada is helping ensure that its membership is diverse and representative and that the activities of the group support strong, effective, rules-based multilateralism.

Canada’s leadership in the area of refugee policy continued in 2019. At the first ministerial-level Global Refugee Forum in December 2019, Canada reaffirmed its strong commitment to implementing the Global Compact on Refugees and advancing the principles of more predictable and equitable sharing of responsibility for the world’s refugees. Canada was the first donor country to include a refugee as an adviser to its official delegation, demonstrating its commitment to the meaningful participation of refugees in processes and decisions that directly affect their lives. Further, Canada pledged continuing support for inclusive, quality education for refugee children and youth, comprehensive refugee responses, the needs of women and girls, and resettlement and complementary pathways.

Canada also continued its work as the global lead of the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies. Canada welcomed new local and national partners and women’s organizations to the call to action and hosted representatives of local organizations at the November 2019 Annual Partners’ Meeting. Canada also conducted multiple consultations with partners to finalize the 2021-2025 Road Map—a foundational document to strategically shape how the humanitarian sector responds to gender-based violence in emergencies.

Canada has been a thought leader at the forefront of global discussions around innovative financing and is now putting these innovative ideas into practice. In September 2019, Canada co-facilitated the first High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, cementing Canada’s role as a global leader in the UN regarding financing for development efforts. The event received significant praise for its innovative format, including a session that brought together both private sector representatives and heads of state on “Moving the Money,” and a roadmap to improve transparency in the use of blended finance instruments by development actors.

Canada also played a convening role in global efforts to address challenges to media freedom, including the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity for crimes committed against them. In July 2019, Canada and the United Kingdom hosted the inaugural Global Conference for Media Freedom in London, United Kingdom. The conference outcomes included the formation of the Media Freedom Coalition, the establishment of a new global media defence fund housed at UNESCO and the creation of a panel of legal experts tasked with looking into solutions.

In 2019-20, Canada continued to run a strong campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council. The department deployed a broad set of diplomatic tools, and listened to and learned from other countries, opening new doors for cooperation to address global challenges and creating new partnerships that enhanced Canada’s place in the world. While the bid was ultimately unsuccessful, the engagement contributed to Canada’s broader efforts to tackle the most important challenges of our time, including the continued threats to the international system heightened by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and acted as a foundation for Canada’s further cooperation with other states on key global issues.

Early in the response to the COVID-19 crisis, Canada led efforts within the G7 and G20 that included two G7 virtual leaders’ meetings, a foreign ministers’ meeting, and a virtual Summit of G20 Leaders. Canadian leadership aimed to ensure strong and unified support for the pandemic response and the maintenance of global supply chains, support for vulnerable countries, the promotion of democratic values and a sustainable and green recovery from the crisis.

Results achieved

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Financial, human resources and performance information for Global Affairs Canada’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote v}

Core responsibility 2: Trade and investment

Description

Global Affairs Canada supports increased and more diverse trade and investment to raise the standard of living for all Canadians, to enable Canadian businesses to grow internationally and to create economic opportunities.

Results

Global Affairs Canada strengthened international trade agreements, worked with Canadian exporters and innovators to leverage international business opportunities and strived to make investing in Canada simpler and more attractive. The department pursued modern and inclusive approaches to trade aiming to increase the representation of women-, Indigenous-, visible minority-, LGBTQ2+, and youth-owned firms in Canada’s overall international trade negotiations, agreements and programs.

Canada helps to build and safeguard an open and inclusive rules-based global trading system.

Canada made strong contributions to building and safeguarding an open and inclusive rules-based global trading system. By integrating GBA+ into trade negotiations, Canada is changing the way it does trade policy and helping ensure benefits and opportunities resulting from free trade agreements are more widely shared, including among under-represented groups in Canada’s international trade, such as businesses led by women, Indigenous peoples and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Global Affairs Canada strengthened its institutional leadership and capacity to integrate GBA+ into trade policy and negotiations through, for instance, a senior level GBA+ champion, gender equality specialists and advisers, and mandatory GBA+ training for all staff.

In support of the Canadian Deputy Prime Minister’s mandate commitment to “lead the conclusion of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement legislative process,” the department delivered on the NAFTA modernization negotiations process and effectively supported the government’s efforts to ratify and implement CUSMA. The new agreement modernizes the North American partnership for 21st-century trade and reinforces our strong economic relationships with the United States and Mexico by providing enhanced opportunities, predictability and stability for Canadian workers and businesses. The department also worked to resolve trade barriers imposed by the United States, including through the Canada-United States joint statement in May 2019, which led to the removal of U.S. national security tariffs against imports of steel and aluminum from Canada.

Under CETA, Canada and the EU committed to facilitating an annual Civil Society Forum, an important mechanism for Canadian and European stakeholders to exchange views between themselves and with governments on the implementation of the sustainable development, labour and environment chapters. Canada hosted the second Civil Society Forum in Ottawa in November 2019, with more than 100 leaders from business and civil society, Indigenous leaders and youth ambassadors from across Canada and Europe joining in person or via web streaming.

The Minister of International Trade Diversification, led a successful trade mission to Japan and South Korea, with a focus on promoting the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement. Canada co-organized an event celebrating the fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the agreement, held a meeting of the Canada-Japan Joint Economic Committee and engaged with Australian government, business and civil society leaders via the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum. In addition, the mission to Japan focused on promotions of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in key sectors.

Canada made significant progress toward a potential free trade agreement with ASEAN and concluded exploratory discussions in October 2019. Canada also advanced its free trade agreement negotiations with the trade blocs of the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela).

Canadian exporters and innovators are successful in their international business development efforts.

Global Affairs Canada works closely with its partners to ensure that its global agreements are maximizing relationship and partnership opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers. For instance, the expanded CanExport SME program directly supported the market diversification efforts of 1,208 Canadian SMEs in 2019-20, with nearly half of all projects supporting women-, Indigenous- and youth-owned companies. Additionally, the CanExport Innovation program supported 169 Canadian innovators to establish international research and development collaborations, 53 of which found international commercial success.

Through the TCS, the department continues to promote and educate SMEs on free trade agreements, particularly CETA and CPTPP, to enable them to benefit fully from these agreements. In addition to raising awareness through digital channels, the TCS organized 11 workshops across the country for SMEs, trade commissioners and export partner organizations.

In 2019-20, the TCS expanded its footprint in select international markets and across Canada, deploying 36 additional trade commissioners abroad and 17 to its domestic network of regional offices. These resources have enabled the TCS to reach more clients, provide additional and targeted support to SMEs owned by members of under-represented groups, enhance its service offering in important areas like intellectual property and e-commerce and increase the success of high-impact firms pursuing high-potential markets.

Building on more than 20 years of support provided to Business Women in International Trade, the TCS introduced new structural changes to develop deeper engagement with national and regional stakeholders and generate export opportunities for women-, Indigenous-, visible minority-, LGBTQ2+- and youth-owned firms across Canada. This included establishing a network of dedicated inclusive trade “champions” in regional offices across Canada. This champions network is focused on engagement with women-owned clients and clients from other inclusive trade groups, as well as engagement with regional business chambers and associations, to coordinate local initiatives.

The TCS global network served 37% more women-owned businesses and 71% more Indigenous-owned businesses, facilitating 175% and 800% more commercial agreements compared to the previous year, respectively. Additionally, the TCS coordinated an array of initiatives to promote international trade among inclusive groups, including:

• 25 initiatives in 22 international markets in support of 253 women-owned or -led exporting businesses, including delegations to women-focused supply diversity conferences in the United States and a delegation to France and Belgium to leverage CETA
• six initiatives in six international markets in support of 48 Indigenous-owned businesses, including a delegation to Oklahoma and Texas to participate in an international inter-tribal trade conference
• four initiatives in support of 27 LGBTQ2+ exporters, including a delegation to the largest LGBTQ2+ multisector supply diversity conference in the United States
• three initiatives in support of 53 visible minority exporters, including the first-ever delegation to the premier minority multisector supply diversity conference in the United States
• a minister-led infrastructure and clean technologies trade mission to Ethiopia and Kenya; most of the firms represented were owned by visible minority Canadians

From the onset of the pandemic, the TCS supported the Government of Canada’s efforts to combat COVID-19 by vetting international suppliers to facilitate procurement of critical medical supplies to meet Canada’s needs. Additionally, the TCS assisted in identifying Canadian companies capable of supplying domestic needs and, for those with sufficient capacity to also serve international markets, created a Canadian COVID Capabilities Guide featuring over 150 Canadian companies with products or services that can contribute to the global fight against COVID-19. A dedicated website was established to assist Canadian companies in navigating the uncertainties created by the pandemic and to easily access additional support resources. The TCS also transitioned to virtual service and program delivery models quickly to ensure continued support for Canadian exporters.

Global Affairs Canada’s International Science, Technology and Innovation Network successfully facilitated 159 Science, Technology and Innovation partnerships established among 124 Canadian companies, centres of excellence, research institutions and universities. Additionally, the Canadian International Innovation Program selected seven research and development projects in 2019-20, with an allocation of $3.16 million over two years.

To help fund and support international businesses, the Canadian Technology Accelerator initiative helped high-potential, high-growth Canadian companies with existing technologies, products or services to explore opportunities in foreign markets. In an effort to support Canada’s Export Diversification Strategy, the Canadian Technology Accelerator initiative expanded its global footprint from eight to 12 major tech hubs in 2019. Of the 76 companies that participated in this initiative in 2019-20, 11 companies together reported more than $5.3 million in capital raised, $2.5 million in new revenue, 17 strategic partnerships and 29 new jobs created. Participating companies overwhelmingly cite the benefits of program participation. Last year, 88% of participating companies reported that the initiative helped them meet global partners and customers relevant to the business, 84% cited an improvement in their international business strategy and 91% credited the program with helping their business grow overall.

Canada launched a new international education strategy in 2019. This strategy provides a framework to support diversification in Canada’s international education sector by attracting students from a greater number of countries to study at a broader range of Canadian institutions. It will also support increased exports of Canadian educational services and products.

Through its Corporate Social Responsibility Fund, the TCS delivered 36 Responsible Business Conduct-related initiatives in 26 countries to support the promotion of Responsible Business Conduct guidelines, spur constructive multi-stakeholder engagement and bolster efforts to combat corruption in order to increase awareness and further the implementation of responsible business practices.

Foreign direct investment is facilitated, expanded or retained

The TCS works closely with Invest in Canada and all levels of government to make Canada the top destination for global investment by simplifying the process for foreign investors to invest in Canada. Foreign direct investment is a critical component of Canada’s economy, with benefits that stimulate growth, create middle-class jobs, spur innovation, improve productivity and facilitate access to international markets. Foreign direct investment flows into Canada were $67 billion in 2019-20, compared to the 10-year average of $51 billion, representing an increase of 19%.

With an enhanced network of 44 investment-focused Trade Commissioners working in strategic markets, the TCS reported 128 wins in 2019-20, representing over more than $2.7 billion and creating more than 4,000 new jobs. In addition, the TCS facilitated 235 exploratory company visits to Canada by prospective foreign investors to pursue specific investment projects.

Results achieved

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Financial, human resources and performance information for Global Affairs Canada’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote vi}

Core responsibility 3: Development, Peace and Security Programming

Description

Global Affairs Canada programming contributes to reducing poverty, increasing opportunity for people around the world, alleviating suffering in humanitarian crises and fostering peace and security. In so doing, the programming advances the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Results

Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy^{Endnote vii} remained the guiding framework for Canada’s efforts to eradicate poverty, contribute to progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals and build a more peaceful, inclusive and prosperous world. To further advance the objectives of the Feminist International Assistance Policy, the department published a suite of policies^{Endnote viii} this year that provide more detail to employees, partners and Canadians on the objectives and priorities under each of the six action areas for Canada’s international assistance while enabling flexibility for country and institutional contexts.

In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada made significant progress toward key programming commitments set out in the Feminist International Assistance Policy, including reaching and surpassing its target of ensuring that at least 95% of its bilateral international development assistance advanced gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls by 2021-22. At 42%, Canada is working to meet its goal to allocate at least 50% of its bilateral international development assistance toward sub-Saharan Africa by 2021-22.^{Footnote 5}

Improved physical, social and economic well-being for the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly for women and girls, in countries where Canada engages

Global Affairs Canada collaborated with key multilateral partners to improve health and nutrition outcomes and make progress on Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good health and well-being. In 2019-20, Canada provided $261.7 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has saved more than 32 million lives since 2002, and $84 million to the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), which has helped immunize more than 760 million children against disease and 3.9 million adolescent girls against cervical cancer since 2000. Canada is also the principal donor to Nutrition International, the leading organization in micronutrient supplementation worldwide; Canada provided $50 million in 2019-20. In 2019, Nutrition International reached more than 5 million girls with weekly iron and folic acid supplements and almost 2 million additional women with iron and folic acid supplements during pregnancy.

Canada’s bilateral contributions also supported improved health and nutrition outcomes. For example, Canada’s $3.5-million contribution helped Marie Stopes Tanzania exceed its annual targets to avert 377 maternal deaths, 175,982 unintended pregnancies and 43,828 unsafe abortions. Marie Stopes Tanzania provides 30% of Tanzania’s contraceptives, focusing on rural and poor urban/peri-urban women and girls. The department’s international assistance programming in Uganda resulted in 575,000 women and more than 270,000 children under two years of age having benefited from nutrition education and promotion sessions as part of the Multisectoral Food Security and Nutrition Project.

Global Affairs Canada has made great progress in fulfilling Canada’s maternal, newborn and child health commitments and its sexual and reproductive health and rights commitments. In 2019-20, Canada reached two key milestones representing more than a decade of global leadership in health and nutrition: the completion of Canada’s commitment of $3.5 billion from 2015 to 2020 toward maternal, newborn and child health and the Her Voice, Her Choice commitment of $650 million from 2017 to 2020 toward sexual and reproductive health and rights. The hundreds of projects funded under these commitments have helped make a difference in the lives of millions of women, adolescents and children around the world.

To eradicate poverty, all girls, adolescent girls and women must have equal access to quality education and learning opportunities. In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada launched many projects across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East in support of Canada’s $400‑million pledge to the Charlevoix Declaration on Quality Education for Girls, Adolescent Girls and Women in Developing Countries. These projects focus on reducing barriers and improving access to quality education and skills training, improving the resiliency of education systems, gathering data and evidence to better understand the issues and key challenges for girls’ and women’s education, and advocating for continued and increased investments in education for girls and women in situations of fragility. While it is still too early to see many results from these initiatives, nearly 4 million girls, adolescent girls and women are expected to be reached.

Canada has established itself as a leading donor to Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). With Canada’s support of $50 million over three years (2018-19 to 2020-21), the GPE continues to mobilize global and national efforts to achieve equitable, quality education in close to 70 developing countries and fragile states. GPE grants have supported an estimated 24.8 million students since 2015, of which 18.5 million or 75% were in countries affected by fragility and conflict and 11.8 million or 48% were girls. This helped to address gaps in capacity, coordination and financing for education in emergencies, conflict and fragile situations. ECW activities include providing learning materials, teacher training (including on how to provide psychosocial support to children and youth) and building and rehabilitating WASH facilities and classrooms. Since its inception in 2016, ECW has reached 3.5 million children, of whom 30% are refugees, 15% are displaced children and youth and 34% are girls. In 2019-20 alone, ECW reached 2.6 million children, of whom 48% were girls, 92% were in primary school, 5% were in pre-primary education and 3% were in secondary school.

Canada worked with the UN Girls’ Education Initiative, Gender at Work and Education International to address school-related gender-based violence, with the help of national and regional teacher unions. In 2019-20, through the Teachers Take Action initiative, 571 union staff and members directly engaged in actions to address school-related gender-based violence, reaching more than 69,787 individuals. In Senegal, as part of the Strengthening Child Protection in Education project and in partnership with UNICEF, Plan International and Senegal’s Ministry of National Education, Canada helped local educational and child protection institutions to promote a healthy environment for every child—in and around school. The project trained 1,947 principals, school leaders, teachers and supervisors on policies and codes of conduct related to child protection.

Global Affairs Canada implemented transformative approaches to promoting women’s economic empowerment and full participation in economic decision making by seeking to help women become more competitive and innovative, increase employment and market opportunities and strengthen financial security and economic resilience. For example, the Equitable Prosperity-Maendeleo Sawa project in Kenya has supported equitable economic growth by addressing specific barriers that women entrepreneurs faced. Canada’s $3.1‑million contribution to the project in 2019-20 has helped increase the leadership and control over resources by women entrepreneurs, and improve their market access and incomes. Through its focus on developing competitive and sustainable SMEs in agriculture, construction and natural resources, the project has increased revenues by 53% for SMEs including by 48% for small enterprises, and increased employment by 28% and 56%, respectively. In the West Bank, the Future Entrepreneurs and Leaders in Innovation and Technology project empowered young women entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. With support from the Leaders Organization, a local Palestinian organization, 21 women-led start-ups were successfully established.

Canada committed, in 2015, to providing $2.65 billion over five years to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change and to transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies. In continued support of this commitment, in February 2020, Canada made a second contribution of $2 million to the National Adaptation Plan Global Network, managed by Canada’s International Institute for Sustainable Development, to assist with adaptation planning in developing countries, particularly vulnerable countries of sub-Saharan African and small island developing states. In March 2020, Canada contributed $275 million to the World Bank to create the Energy Transition and Coal Phase-Out Program, which will assist a select number of developing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, to mitigate climate change by slowing the rapid growth of coal in the power sector and accelerating the scale-up of low-carbon alternatives.

Canada has also committed an additional $300 million to the Green Climate Fund, the world’s largest climate finance facility for developing countries. It provides essential climate finance and capacity building for the poorest and most vulnerable in least developed countries, small island developing states and African states. Through Green Climate Fund investments, it is expected that 1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be reduced or avoided and that 394 million people will have improved resilience to the effects of climate change.

Demonstrating Canada’s strong support for inclusive development, Global Affairs Canada co-hosted the Global Action on Disability Network annual meeting in partnership with Inclusion International and the World Blind Union. More than 100 Global Action on Disability members attended, including donors, organizations of persons with disabilities and the private sector. The meeting advanced members’ shared commitment to, and accountability for, disability-inclusive development and humanitarian action.

Enhanced empowerment and rights for women and girls in countries where Canada engages

In June 2019, Canada hosted the Women Deliver global conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, the world’s largest gathering on gender equality and the health, rights and well-being of women and girls. The conference brought together more than 8,000 delegates from more than 165 countries, including world leaders, influencers, academics, activists and journalists, with an additional 100,000 people joining virtually. Participants left the conference with new knowledge, inspiration and networks to drive change in their communities. As a result of Canada’s leadership, new funding commitments were made, resources mobilized and innovative partnerships developed.

Global Affairs Canada provided women’s organizations and networks with direct funding and institutional support to promote women’s rights and participation in decision making and help address the funding gap they often experience. For example, Canada’s $19-million contribution in 2019-20 to the Women’s Voice and Leadership program is implementing 32 projects to meet the needs of local women’s rights organizations all over the world. In Tanzania, local partners of the Women’s Voice and Leadership initiative helped develop the Women’s Election Manifesto, which became a rallying cry for improving women’s political participation and contributed to increasing the interest of women and girls in running for leadership positions. The country’s five main political parties embraced the Manifesto and added key women’s issues to their party platforms for the October 2020 national elections. Canada also supported grassroots-level empowerment of women and girls through mechanisms such as the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, which supported 199 projects led by women’s rights organization in more than 100 countries.

Global Affairs Canada supported a number of key initiatives with multilateral organizations and international civil society aimed at eliminating sexual and gender-based violence, including harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting. Canada is supporting the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, a global multilateral, grant-making mechanism that supports efforts to prevent and end violence against women and girls. In 2019, Canada’s contribution helped the trust fund support 79 civil society and mainly women-led organizations deliver projects in 47 countries to prevent and end violence against women and girls. This included projects focused on violence against women and girls with disabilities. One of these projects is with the Nepal Disabled Women Association, which is working as part of a consortium to confront the growing violence against women and girls with disabilities in the country and to empower women and girls with disabilities to prevent violence and achieve justice.

In addition, Canada provided $5 million in support for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage and tackled child marriage in 12 of the most high-prevalence or high-burden countries: Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The program promotes the rights of adolescent girls to avert marriage and pregnancy and enables them to achieve their aspirations through education and alternative pathways. In 2019-20, more than 3.4 million adolescent girls from 10 to 19 years of age participated in at least one of the program’s targeted programs (health information, life skills, economic empowerment, social protection interventions) and 337,373 adolescent girls were supported to enrol and remain in formal and non-formal education. Canada also continued its advocacy toward building global momentum to end child, early and forced marriage and joined international partners in obtaining consensus for the UN Human Rights Council resolution on the consequences of child, early and forced marriage.

Reduced suffering and increased human dignity in communities experiencing humanitarian crises

Global Affairs Canada continued to focus its gender-responsive humanitarian action on saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining the dignity of those affected by conflicts or natural disasters, including by responding to the differentiated needs of women, men, girls and boys, and ensuring their meaningful participation in humanitarian responses. In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada provided more than $847 million^{Footnote 6} in humanitarian assistance support through UN partners, non-governmental organizations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which improved the lives of more than 97.1 million people.

In an effort to address the unmet needs of women and girls, the department continued to integrate gender equality considerations across its humanitarian assistance. In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada’s work in gender-responsive humanitarian action included more than $74.4 million in support of sexual and reproductive health services, helping prevent death, disease and disability related to unwanted pregnancies, obstetric complications, reproductive disorders and gender-based violence. With Canada’s support, the UNFPA provided high-quality comprehensive and culturally sensitive gender-based violence services to more than 30,000 newly displaced women and girls in Syria and an additional 30,000 women and girls in Jordan and supported 47 gender-based violence service delivery points in Iraq.

The department also supported capacity building of local organizations to deliver and improve critical interventions in humanitarian crises and ensure the sustainability of humanitarian assistance. UNFPA, for instance, trained 40 local service providers and established 21 gender-based violence mobile teams in Syria, trained 185 service providers and/or governmental personnel on gender-based violence in Jordan and reached more than 85,000 men, women and adolescent girls with awareness raising on gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Canada-supported training of service providers on critical topics has enhanced the overall capacity of organizations to deliver quality services. These topics include clinical management of rape, gender-based violence referral and standard operating procedures, newborn resuscitation protocols and other reproductive health protocols.

Global Affairs Canada supported UNICEF’s Makani program in Jordan, which targets the most vulnerable children with access to learning support services and community-based child protection services. In 2019-20, with the support of Canada and other donors, 150 Makani centres were able to provide enhanced holistic services to more than 184,000 vulnerable people, including 141,500 children, contributing to efforts to improve the quality of education system-wide.

Canada supported a coordinated comprehensive response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, (DRC), which spread to three provinces, including by providing $11.5 million in humanitarian assistance in 2019-20 to directly address the outbreak. With Canada’s support to Médecins Sans Frontières, more than 50,000 primary health care and emergency consultations were provided, more than 6,000 patients were hospitalized and four Ebola treatment centres were implemented. Canada also helped to ensure that women were targeted for specific psychosocial support, community outreach and awareness and health promotion activities.

Additionally, delivering on the Prime Minister’s commitment to support Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the Andean region, Canada provided $16 million in humanitarian assistance, with an emphasis on refugee and migrant women and girls, undocumented migrants and refugees and female-headed households. This support contributed to providing gender-sensitive nutrition, WASH and health services to more than 10,000 pregnant and lactating women and adolescent girls, as well as children under five, in Colombia. It also served to increase protections services, such as psychological and legal care, for gender-based violence survivors and LGBTQ2+ people, through the establishment and rehabilitation of six safe spaces and shelters for vulnerable migrants and refugees.

In response to natural disasters, Global Affairs’ Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund was activated in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ghana, India, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sudan. It responded to earthquakes, flooding, cyclones Fani and Kenneth and typhoon Kammuri, reaching more than 185,000 people. The fund, established to respond to smaller-scale rapid onset crises, enables Canada’s Humanitarian Coalition member agencies to respond quickly where there are unmet humanitarian needs, particularly by providing emergency food, water, sanitation and hygiene, emergency health care and shelter.

Improved peace and security in countries and regions where Canada engages

Canada continues to demonstrate its commitment to building peace in fragile and conflict-affected states. It collaborates with key partners on the prevention and mitigation of terrorism, radicalization to violence and transnational organized crime and addresses threats posed by weapons of mass destruction.

Through its long-standing partnerships with international organizations, such as INTERPOL, the OAS and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as other Canadian government departments, the department’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program contributed to enhancing border security and preventing the smuggling of migrants in Southeast Asia, West Africa and Latin America. The program also supported enhanced cooperation in the global fight against cybercrime and drug trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The department has helped establish national cyber security strategies and computer security incident response teams in OAS member states. Through support to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime-World Customs Organization Container Control Programme, more than 50,000 kilograms of illicit drugs and 5,000 litres of chemical precursors were seized across 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries in 2019. In its continued efforts to support the Global Coalition against Daesh, Global Affairs Canada’s Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Program strengthened the Lebanese and Jordanian armed forces’ border security in vulnerable areas susceptible to terrorist and other illicit activities through large-scale infrastructure enhancements, such as the rehabilitation of border towers in Jordan. The department also engaged with communities and civil society on issues related to the prevention of radicalization to violence as well as cyber crime.

In 2019-20, Canada’s Peace and Stabilization Operations Program disbursed $152 million in support of efforts to achieve peace and stability in fragile and conflict-affected states, including country-specific stabilization initiatives for Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Guyana, Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Ukraine, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. Funding targeted crosscutting thematic areas of intervention. These areas included women, peace and security, the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations, support to peace operations, conflict prevention, and mediation and peacebuilding. The program also funded a number of projects to support UN peacekeeping. This included funding gender advisers in the Central African Republic and Mali and deploying correctional officer trainers who trained 74 international experts going to UN peace operations on effective prison management as well as gender-responsive treatment of women prisoners. Additionally, Canada supported online peacekeeper training through the Peace Operations Training Institute, helping ensure that those who are deployed have the necessary skills and knowledge.

Through the Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion’s programming mechanism, Canada disbursed $11.6 million toward promoting and protecting democratic values, institutions and processes. This included global as well as country-specific initiatives in Armenia, Bolivia, Colombia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Myanmar and Syria. Specifically, programming initiatives helped to promote media freedom and to protect journalists and address impunity for attacks against them. The initiatives also helped to create inclusive, accountable and gender-sensitive public institutions as well as promote and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief and human rights. For example, Canada provided support to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief for targeted emergency assistance to survivors of religious persecution and defenders of religious freedom. Support also went to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Words Into Action program to provide education and foster coalition-building among targeted communities to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.

To address threats posed by weapons and materials of mass destruction, Global Affairs Canada worked to enhance the rules-based international order for non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament. Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program provided an additional $2 million to the International Atomic Energy Agency, for a total of $15 million overall, to support its efforts to monitor and verify Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which aims to constrain Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons.

Canada provided an additional $2.6 million in 2019-20 to strengthen international capacity to implement UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea and to counter the country’s efforts to evade sanctions and develop its illicit weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile program. These contributions have produced numerous investigations into North Korean proliferation networks and ship-to-ship transfers of suspected contraband items identified by Canadian and allied military assets.

Canada’s international assistance is made more effective by leveraging diverse partnerships, innovation and experimentation

Canada is playing a leadership role in promoting and supporting pioneering solutions to development challenges and enhancing overall effectiveness of its international assistance. Global Affairs Canada is investing in locally driven solutions, facilitating experimentation and responsible risk-taking and supporting a growing portfolio of projects adopting innovative solutions, including game-changing innovations in health and food security.

To facilitate implementation, the department released a suite of guidance notes^{Endnote ix} on how Canada will shift its international assistance processes and practices to be more effective, integrated, responsive and innovative. These guidance notes focus on innovative financing for sustainable development, innovation in international assistance, transparency and open dialogue, and how to apply a feminist approach. Global Affairs Canada also champions the integration of innovation into the work of multilateral partners, including support for the OECD Development Assistance Committee 2020 peer learning exercise on innovation for development impact.

In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada continued to engage with a diverse range of partners. These partnerships are helping to implement programming in support of new and innovative approaches, business models, policy practices, technologies and ways of delivering projects and services that benefit and empower the poorest and most vulnerable in developing countries. For example, the department’s partnership with the Fund for Innovation and Transformation supported nine Canadian small and medium organizations to test innovative solutions to locally identified development problems, with the aim of identifying promising innovations to scale up for greater impact. Canada also partnered with the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, an institution inspired by the Global Counterterrorism Forum and created as the first global effort to support local, community-level initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience against violent extremism, with programming reaching grassroots sub-recipients in Kenya and Nigeria.

In addition, with funding from Global Affairs Canada, Grand Challenges Canada committed $35 million for 42 transition-to-scale and 97 proof-of-concept innovations in 54 countries to address challenges in maternal, newborn and child health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and early childhood development. Through the Innovation Platform for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in 2019-20, for example, Grand Challenges Canada has supported Hewatele Limited, a Kenyan social enterprise, to cost-effectively produce and deliver medical oxygen to 141 health care facilities across Kenya with a unique public-private partnership model. As of end-March 2020, 18,547 women of reproductive age and children have received oxygen in the facilities served by Hewatele, resulting in 8,784 lives saved and an additional 9,841 lives improved.

Canada has been at the forefront of global discussions around innovative financing, working to maximize international assistance investments while attracting additional resources. In 2019-20, Canada continued to advance new approaches to financing for development, establishing new procedures and processes that enable Global Affairs Canada to deploy innovative financing instruments, and began business development for an initial pipeline of investments. Through inventive finance programs, the department has also launched work on an innovative impact system to allow donors like Canada to better model and measure the development impact of investments using new financing tools.

Demonstrating further leadership within the G7 on implementing the Charlevoix Commitment on Innovative Financing for Development, Canada has supported the AgResults Vietnam GHG Emissions Reduction Challenge Project. This four-year US$8-million prize competition challenges businesses to promote the use of improved rice and farm management practices that help smallholder farmers reduce GHGs. The competition also incentivizes the private sector to invest in high-impact agricultural innovations that help reduce food insecurity, improve nutrition and increase agricultural productivity for smallholder farmers. Now in its final year, the innovative prize-based design of the project has already reached more farmers than other traditional GHG reduction development programs in Vietnam and expects to help reduce carbon dioxide-equivalent GHG emissions by more than 375,000 tonnes by the end of 2020.

Experimentation, otherwise known as testing and comparing, is one of the methods Global Affairs Canada employs to help verify that projects and services are achieving the best results for partners and Canadians. By rigorously testing an approach before it is rolled out on a larger scale, there is greater confidence and evidence that the approach works—thereby reducing risk and maximizing impact. Global Affairs Canada’s use of experimentation has been expanding over recent years and the department is continuously working to strengthen its institutional and partner capacity to support and encourage experimentation.

Results achieved

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Financial, human resources and performance information for Global Affairs Canada’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote x}

Core responsibility 4: Help for Canadians abroad

Description

Global Affairs Canada provides effective and efficient consular services for Canadians abroad, contributing to their safety and security.

Results

Significant world events in 2019-20 reaffirmed the department’s ability to provide high-quality consular and emergency management services to Canadians working, studying, volunteering or travelling abroad when they needed it most, especially, in an increasingly complex and volatile global context. The department ably provided consular services in support of Canadians across the world in 145 countries for unexpected situations, ranging from arrest and detention to assistance for medical-related issues, passport services for those travelling abroad, situations of parental child abduction and forced marriage, and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

Canadians have timely access to information and services that keeps them safer abroad

Global Affairs Canada continued to provide high-quality, uninterrupted emergency consular assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to Canadians faced with unexpected situations abroad through its Emergency Watch and Response Centre and a highly trained and capable team of core responders. The department coordinated communications with other government departments and central agencies, and sustained outreach efforts with travel industry stakeholders to promote travel advice, tools and services. This helped ensure Canadians received timely and relevant information, which was essential to respond to large-scale consular events.

When the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, the Emergency Watch and Response Centre was activated to coordinate complex evacuation operations from Wuhan, China. The Interdepartmental Task Force was subsequently expanded with more than 750 volunteers from across the department to facilitate the repatriation of Canadians abroad and address the magnitude of the COVID-19 emergency response. In March 2020, Global Affairs Canada began global COVID‑19 repatriation operations and within the first few weeks, more than 7,586 Canadians and permanent residents of Canada had returned on 47 facilitation flights organized in 31 countries. Through coordination with cruise lines, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency, Global Affairs was also able to assist the return of 4,078 Canadian passengers and crew stranded aboard cruise ships.

In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada managed more than 170,241 new consular and routine cases, including more than 12,489 cases concerning Canadians who required urgent consular assistance while travelling or residing abroad. The creation of a dedicated program, the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad, led to the important growth of new consular cases in 2019-20 compared to previous years.

Global Affairs Canada’s response to the tragic downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in Iran required significant coordination and the development of new initiatives to address the unique situation, as Canada does not have a diplomatic presence in Iran. The department developed new services to support the families of the 85 Canadian and permanent resident victims of the disaster. These initiatives included establishing a dedicated consular case management unit at headquarters and sending Standing Rapid Deployment Team members to Iran and, for the first time ever, across Canada to provide consular services and support to affected families. In January 2020, the department created a secured family web portal for the victims’ families. This platform shared up-to-date information on services provided to families on behalf of all relevant Government of Canada departments and agencies, promoting innovation to improve access to information for Canadians.

Timely information is critical to ensure that Canadians receive the best possible consular assistance. In 2019-20, the department continued to inform Canadians regularly on travel advice and advisories, crises and significant events through its travel.gc.ca website and Canadian mission social media pages. Canadians were provided with up-to-date information during emergencies abroad, such as hurricane Dorian in August 2019, the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in January 2020 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global Affairs Canada also enhanced its external communications outreach through targeted multi-platform campaigns and the promotion of safe travel tools and resources, such as the Registry of Canadians Abroad, the Travel Smart app and travel advice and advisories. The department maintained continuous coverage on social media channels and responded to queries from the public through Facebook, Twitter and now Instagram to ensure Canadians stayed informed and received the necessary support and information while abroad.

Additionally, the department strengthened and expanded international partnerships to advance Canada’s consular policy objectives. The department deepened its engagement with familiar and new partners through active engagement and constructive dialogues, such as the Canada-Australia Consular Services Sharing Agreement (CACSSA), the European Union, India and the United Arab Emirates. Global Affairs Canada also engaged with multilateral organizations, including serving as the secretariat for the Global Consular Forum and as Canada’s co-chair in the Malta Process on child abductions.

Canadians abroad receive timely and appropriate government services

The conduct of consular relations on behalf of Canada is a cornerstone of Canada’s foreign policy. In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada launched a renewed consular strategy^{Endnote xi} that is evidence-based and innovative. The strategy lays out the framework for modernizing consular services that deliver enhanced assistance to Canadians requiring help abroad. It is comprised of a crosscutting theme of consular diplomacy in action and is built on three pillars: client-focused services, active engagement and targeted partnerships.

In addition, updated standards for consular services^{Endnote xii} came into effect. The new service standards are clear, measurable and achievable and prioritize fair treatment for Canadians under local laws. These service standards make it easier for Canadians to know what to expect when they ask for consular services abroad.

Global Affairs Canada continued to provide passport and citizenship services to Canadians abroad on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In 2019-20, the department’s network of missions abroad delivered more than 116,870 passports to Canadians. These services were provided in accordance with published service standards more than 97% of the time. Moreover, Canadians who completed a client service feedback form reported high levels of satisfaction with routine consular services, with 95% indicating that they were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied.”

The department explored innovative training opportunities to ensure consular officers receive dedicated training on arrest and detention cases throughout their careers. To improve the undertaking of prison visits and help manage the personal safety and security of consular officials, the department developed dedicated, specialized online training. Employee access to consular case management operating systems is contingent on completion of this mandatory training program.

The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development report Strengthening the Canadian Consular Service Today and for the Future highlighted the exceptional work done by Canada’s consular officers, especially the outstanding contribution of locally engaged staff (LES) on behalf of Canadians. To enhance service delivery at missions abroad, Global Affairs Canada continued to roll out its online reservations tool, which allows Canadian citizens to book appointments with consular employees in missions abroad for a range of consular services. In 2019-20, this service was available in 80 missions; as of March 31, 2020, more than 100,000 appointments had been booked online by consular clients, resulting in more efficient and timely service delivery to Canadians abroad.

Results achieved

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Financial, human resources and performance information for Global Affairs Canada’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote xiii}

Core responsibility 5: Support for Canada’s presence abroad

Description

Global Affairs Canada manages and delivers resources, infrastructure and services enabling Canada’s presence abroad, including at embassies, high commissions and consulates.

Results

In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada provided critical support for Canada’s presence abroad through the management and delivery of resources, infrastructure, data and services, through the strengthening of common services (services delivered to multiple federal departments located at missions) and through increasing investments in support of security at missions.

Sound management and delivery of resources, infrastructure and services enables Canada’s presence abroad

In support of the sustainability of Canada’s missions abroad, the department continued to strengthen integrated business and investment planning, including completing a pilot project to develop five-year plans for each mission. The five-year plans will enable holistic oversight and improved long-term decision making to ensure investments in the network are made where the need is greatest and support the achievement of Government of Canada’s international objectives. Global Affairs Canada will continue developing tools to improve the monitoring and reporting of resources abroad, which will help improve long-term planning of its network and footprint.

In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada continued to optimize the management and delivery of common services. In support of improving large property investment decisions, the department modernized the approach to analysis, planning and oversight to facilitate investments that are the best value for Canada.

To support its workforce at home and abroad, Global Affairs Canada modernized its departmental mobility and collaboration capabilities and updated its information technology (IT) infrastructure. Working with Shared Services Canada, the department completed the global rollout of a new secure smartphone platform. It also completed the first wave of upgrades to improve global mission connectivity, network resiliency and bandwidth (92 sites) and expanded mission WiFi capabilities (72 sites). The department is making progress toward next-generation secure voice capabilities and mobile C6 (secure network) connectivity internationally through incremental improvements to infrastructure and the testing of new secure mobile platforms.

The department was able to deliver results and provide critical support to Canadians right from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key to this success was the rapid upgrade of IT systems and applications, both at headquarters and abroad. In response to the unprecedented number of teleworkers due to the pandemic, Microsoft Office 365 was released in partnership with Shared Services Canada to provide employees with access to collaboration tools while teleworking. As well, 4,444 additional remote access licences were acquired and significant improvements were made to the department’s bandwidth. The department responded rapidly to ensure the continuity of the critical services that Canadians depended on during this time, particularly those trying to get home from abroad.

LES are members of Canada’s mission teams and vital to the delivery of services to Canadians. They make up more than 70% of all Global Affairs Canada staff working abroad and 45% of the department’s workforce. In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada strengthened engagement with LES through a symposium event as well as a focus on improving communications. Through implementation of the LES Framework Reform Project, progress was made on reforms related to LES employment and terms and conditions policy instruments. As well, a global review of the LES Pension, Insurance and Social Security Program was completed, with implementation activities anticipated to commence in 2020-21. These reforms are key milestones toward improving how this important workforce is managed.

The department also enhanced services for all Government of Canada employees at missions. Global Affairs Canada successfully rolled out additional supports and continued to modernize business processes and tools, including those related to the foreign service directives, a system of allowances and benefits that ensures Canada is able to recruit, retain and deploy qualified employees in support of programs outside Canada. Decreasing the client-to-foreign service directives adviser ratio, which allowed for more efficient and effective client service delivery, was a key success. So, too, was the continued development of foreign service directives online information for staff, targeted outreach and focused training programs for Canada-based staff and dependents, and increased monitoring and implementation of audit recommendations.

Personnel are safe, missions are more secure, and government and partner assets and information are protected

Global Affairs Canada strengthened the safety and security of its people and assets abroad through a number of initiatives in 2019-20. Using the newly established Global Security Framework, the department has put in place a five-year plan, the Departmental Security Investment Plan, to ensure that funding is allocated to the highest priority initiatives based on risk and vulnerability assessments in order to mitigate the most pressing threats at missions.

In 2019-20, Global Affairs Canada strengthened security measures at embassies, high commissions and consulates. This included upgrades to closed-circuit television systems, perimeter walls, safe haven rooms, consular booths, X-ray screening and other security elements. In addition, the department continued to enhance the capacity and certification of high security zones, as well as the ongoing provision of technical expertise and advice regarding physical security and counter-measures in the mission network.

The department also implemented a number of strategies to improve the health and safety of personnel and assets abroad. For instance, the department conducted seismic assessments on several chanceries and official residences located in high seismic zones. In 2019-20, six studies were finalized, bringing the Seismic Assessments Program to almost 50% completion. Health and safety efforts also included environmental site investigations, drinking water risk assessments for Rabat (in Morocco), Cairo (in Egypt), Dar es Salaam (in Tanzania) and Harare (in Zimbabwe) and indoor air quality screenings at 12 missions abroad.

Tangible infrastructure upgrades led by the department included the purchase of a secure multi-use property compound upgraded with safety, seismic and security enhancements. In Moscow, a new official residence was secured and an agreement signed between Canada and the United Kingdom for co-location in the chancery.

In addition to the achievements above, Global Affairs Canada reinforced mandatory trainings for staff being posted abroad. For critical threat missions, full compliance was achieved in hazardous environment training by mission staff. For high-threat missions, a contract was secured to deliver hazardous environment training abroad (in Jordan and the Philippines) and pilot personal security seminars were conducted in two missions (Ukraine and Mexico).

Results achieved

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Financial, human resources and performance information for Global Affairs Canada’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote xiv}

Internal Services

Description

Internal services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support program delivery in the organization, regardless of the internal services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:

• Acquisition Management Services
• Communication Services
• Financial Management Services
• Human Resources Management Services
• Information Management Services
• Information Technology Services
• Legal Services
• Material Management Services
• Management and Oversight Services
• Real Property Management Services

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Analysis of trends in spending and human resources

Actual expenditures

The above graph presents the department’s planned (voting and statutory) spending from 2017-18 to 2022-23, divided into two spending categories:

• statutory spending (in orange), for expenditures mandated by legislative regulations; and
• voted spending (in blue), which is provided by the Parliament of Canada to support program delivery and for managing the department’s resources.

The increase of $482.6 million in actual spending between 2017-18 and 2018-19 is attributable to additional funding for:

• supporting the International Assistance Envelope aligned with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy;
• the 2015 to 2020 strategy for maternal, newborn and child health;
• initiatives to help developing countries address the impact of climate change;
• supporting Canada’s minimum annual commitment under the Food Assistance Convention;
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments;
• Canada hosting the 2018 G7 Summit, ministerial meetings and other events associated with Canada’s presidency;
• supporting responses to the crises in Iraq and Syria, including impacts on the region (the Middle East Strategy), received from the National Defence;
• development assistance and security sector support to Afghanistan; and
• duty of care at missions abroad.

These increases in spending were offset by sunsetting funding from the International Assistance Envelope, which ended March 31, 2018.

From 2018-19 to 2019-20, an increase of $120.0 million in actual spending is attributable to additional funding include:

• supporting Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy;
• initiatives to help developing countries address the impact of climate change;
• pandemic responses related to COVID-19;
• the Export Diversification Strategy;
• development assistance and security sector support to Afghanistan;
• Canada’s future participation in the postponed Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; and
• transfers from other government departments to provide support to departmental staff located at missions abroad.

These increases were offset by sunsetting funding such as Canada’s G7 presidency, the New York Chancery’s Relocation Project and the Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Program in the Sahel region of Africa, which ended on March 31, 2019. The Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Program was renewed in 2020-21.

From 2019-20 to 2022-23, Global Affairs Canada’s spending profile varies from $7.2 billion in 2019-20 to $6.7 billion in 2022-23. A decrease of $445.3 million is attributable to the following initiatives that are planned to sunset or increase their authorities between 2019-20 and 2022-23:

• a decrease of $361.7 million to support initiatives related to climate change, such as helping developing countries to address the impact of climate change;
• a decrease of $261.5 million to address the Middle East Strategy; funding will end on March 31, 2021;
• a decrease of $107.5 million for Gavi’s maternal, newborn and child health project; funding ended on March 31, 2020;
• a decrease of $55 million for development assistance and security sector support to Afghanistan; funding will end by March 31, 2021;
• a decrease of $21.3 million for Canada’s future participation in the postponed Expo 2020 Dubai; funding will end by March 31, 2022;
• a decrease of $19.6 million for UN Peace Operations; and
• a decrease of $18.1 million for the LES pension benefits.

These decreases were offset by the following funding:

• an increase of $387.6 million for the International Assistance Envelope aligned to Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy; and
• an increase of $26.7 million for the Export Diversification Strategy.

Budgetary performance summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)

The above table provides an overview of the department’s financial activities over the past three years. It also includes anticipated spending through to the 2021-22 fiscal year.

The table includes main estimates (initial financial resources for the delivery of departmental programs), planned spending (actual anticipated spending over the course of the fiscal year), total authorities available for use (total amount the department received in spending authority during the year) and actual spending (amount the department actually spent in the specified fiscal year).

In 2017-18, Global Affairs Canada transitioned from its Strategic Outcome and Program Alignment Architecture, which was required under the Government of Canada’s previous Policy on Management, Resources and Results Structures, to a Departmental Results Framework, as per the new Policy on Results. As such, the actual spending for 2017-18 was aligned with the departmental results for illustration purposes only.

Following the required changes in the 2018-19 Departmental Plan, anticipated sunset program renewals have been excluded from planned spending amounts; therefore, the main estimates and planned spending are listed as the same amount.

The variance of $1.2 billion between planned spending ($6.5 billion) and total authorities ($7.7 billion) in 2019-20 is related to supplementary funding received during the fiscal year, including:

• helping developing countries address the impact of climate change;
• renewing Canada’s Middle East Strategy;
• international humanitarian assistance through the Crisis Pool Quick Release Mechanism (CP-QRM);
• operating and capital budget carry forward from the previous year;
• International Assistance Envelope aligned with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy;
• pandemic response related to COVID-19;
• funding for the Export Diversification Strategy;
• Canada’s future participation in the postponed Expo 2020 Dubai, United Arab Emirates;
• a transfer from Shared Services Canada for the cost of providing core information technology services to missions abroad;
• addressing retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments; and
• transfers from other government departments to provide support to departmental staff located at missions abroad.

Explanation of variances by programs

The variance of $726.8 million between planned spending ($6.5 billion) and actual spending ($7.2 billion) in 2019-20 is explained by program below.

Core responsibility 1: International advocacy and diplomacy

Actual spending was $69.0 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+7.9%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• renewing Canada’s Middle East Strategy;
• strengthening Canada’s Sanctions Capacity;
• revising salaries for LES;
• utilizing the operating and capital budget carry forward received from the previous year; and
• making compensation adjustments, including those relating to retroactive collective bargaining obligations.

Core responsibility 2: Trade and investment

Actual spending was $23.8 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+7.3%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• the Export Diversification Strategy;
• Canada’s participation in the postponed Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates;
• the International Education Strategy;
• the salary revision for LES;
• the operating and capital budget carry forward received from the previous year;
• the Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy for the Canadian business operating abroad; and
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments.

Core responsibility 3: Development, peace and security programming

Actual spending was $567.5 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+14.5%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• helping developing countries address the impact of climate change;
• renewing Canada’s Middle East Strategy;
• supporting the implementation of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy;
• increasing spending authority for the International Financial Institutions transfer payment;
• a transfer from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to support the UN High Commissioner for Refugees; and
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments.

Core responsibility 4: Help for Canadians abroad

Actual spending was $25.5 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+50.0%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• the COVID-19 pandemic response;
• the operating and capital budget carry forward received from the previous year; and
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments.

Core responsibility 5: Support for Canada’s presence abroad

Actual spending was $17.8 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+1.7%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• a transfer from Shared Services Canada for the cost of providing core IT services to missions abroad;
• transfers from other government departments to provide support to departmental staff located at missions abroad;
• renewing Canada’s Middle East Strategy;
• the salary revision for Locally Engaged Staff;
• inflation on foreign service allowances;
• the operating and capital budget carry forward received from the previous year; and
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments.

Internal services

Actual spending was $23 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+9.4%) is attributable to:

• additional funding received for the COVID-19 pandemic response;
• the Export Diversification Strategy;
• Canada’s Middle East Strategy;
• Canada’s participation in the postponed Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates;
• an internal transfer received for duty of care;
• the operating and capital budget carry forward received from the previous year;
• the Strengthening Canada’s Sanctions Capacity initiative; and
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments;

Actual human resources

Human resources summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Full-time equivalents for previous, current and future years have been realigned to the core responsibilities within Global Affairs Canada’s new Departmental Results Framework (effective FY 2018-19).

From FY 2017-18 to FY 2021-22, Global Affairs Canada’s total full-time equivalents have increased by 804 (+7 percent) to deliver new funded programs and initiatives in support of the department’s mandate and priorities.

In 2019-20, the actual number of full-time equivalents exceeded the planned full-time equivalents by 219.

The variance between 2019-20 and 2021-22 reflects the anticipated full-time equivalents for newly funded initiatives as well as sunset initiatives. These include the Export Diversification Strategy, Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, the Strengthening Canada’s Sanctions Capacity initiative and the International Education Strategy. Full-time equivalents for these new initiatives are offset by sunsetting initiatives such as Canada’s Middle East Strategy, Advancing Clean Technology and Canada’s participation in the postponed Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Expenditures by vote

For information on Global Affairs Canada’s organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2019–2020.^{Endnote xv}

Government of Canada spending and activities

Information on the alignment of Global Affairs Canada’s spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote xvi}

Financial statements and financial statements highlights

Financial statements

The Global Affairs Canada^{Endnote xvii} financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2019, are available on the departmental website.

Financial statement highlights

The financial statement highlights presented within this departmental results report are intended to serve as a general overview of the department’s financial position and operations. The department’s financial statements (unaudited) are prepared in accordance with accrual accounting principles. The detailed financial statements of the department can be found on the web page of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.^{Endnote xviii}

The table below illustrates the March 31, 2020, ending balances for each major financial statement grouping along with the corresponding change from the planned results and the previous fiscal year.

Condensed statement of operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2020 (dollars)

The 2019-20 planned results information is provided in Global Affairs Canada’s Future-oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2019-2020.^{Endnote xix}

Expenses

The Department’s total expenses increased by $178.1 million (+3 percent) during 2019-20 compared to 2018-19. Higher spending in transfer payments and operating expenses, including salaries and employee benefits are the main source of this difference.

The variance between Global Affairs Canada’s actual expenses and planned results is 15%. The difference is primarily a result of additional authorities approved by the Parliament of Canada late in the fiscal year (supplementary estimates B and C) related to development, peace and security programming ($691.1 million). These new authorities translated into additional actual expenses that were not considered in the determination of the planned results.

The remainder of the variance can be explained by differences resulting from estimates and assumptions used for the preparation of the Future-oriented Statement of Operations with the subsequent actual results.

The distribution of actual expenses by program is presented in the following chart.

Expenses by Core Responsibility – 2019-20

Revenues

The department’s total revenue decreased by $241.7 million (-86 %) during 2019-20 compared to 2018-19. The decrease is mainly due to an accounting gain related to the Paris real property transaction in 2018-19. The Paris Chancery Relocation Project was delivered through an exchange of real property assets between the Government of Canada and a private developer.

The variance between the actual and planned total net revenues is minimal—$0.6 million (-1 %). This is primarily explained by differences resulting from estimates and assumptions used for the preparation of the Future-oriented Statement of Operations with the subsequent actual results.

The distribution of departmental revenues by type is presented in the following chart.

Revenue breakdown

Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of March 31, 2020 (dollars)

Liabilities

The department’s total liabilities decreased by $93.7 million (-6%) in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19. This is mainly the result of a net decrease in accounts payable to third parties resulting from timing differences in the settlement of the payables.

Liability Breakdown

Assets

The department’s total assets decreased by $121.1 million (-4%) in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19. The difference is due to a decrease in financial assets, more specifically, the amount due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund and in non-financial assets. The decrease in liabilities (including accounts payables) caused a decrease in the current year balance of the amount due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The increase in non-financial assets is mainly explained by the transfer of finalized projects for buildings and acquisition of properties.

Asset breakdown

Additional information

Organizational profile

Appropriate ministers: François-Phillippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade and Karina Gould, Minister of International Development.

Institutional heads: Marta Morgan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; John F. G. Hannaford, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Leslie MacLean, Deputy Minister of International Development.

Ministerial portfolio: Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service. The following federal entities operate at arm’s length and report to Parliament through the Global Affairs Canada ministers: the Canadian Commercial Corporation, Export Development Canada, the International Development Research Centre, and Invest in Canada.

Enabling instrument(s): Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, S.C. 2013, c. 33, s. 174.^{Endnote xx}

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1909

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

“Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do”^{Endnote xxi} is available on Global Affairs Canada’s website.

For more information on the department’s organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Ministers’ mandate letters^{Endnote xxii}.

Key risks

Risk 1 – International security landscape

With over half of its employees working abroad, Global Affairs Canada treats the safety and security of mission staff, their dependents, and all mission visitors as a top priority. As a result of the evolving and varied nature and location of threat and instability, the international security landscape remained a prominent part of the department’s risk response framework in 2019-20.

Risk 2 – Cyber threats

Governments, companies, institutions and civil society around the world rely increasingly on technology to underpin their operations, coordinate their work across national boundaries and connect to the world. However, this reliance carries risks due to increasingly organized and constantly evolving cyber threats. Global Affairs Canada continued to work with inter-departmental partners that have a cyber security mandate to improve its understanding and to respond to these evolving threats and vulnerabilities, particularly in the context of remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Risk 3 - Simultaneous emergencies

Climate change has contributed to adverse conditions, such as more frequent and severe natural disasters, and it will continue to do so. Global Affairs Canada’s international mandate also means that emergencies, such as infectious diseases and civil unrest, have the potential to disrupt the department’s operations at missions abroad and strain the resources at headquarters that help coordinate emergency management activities. Accordingly, the department identified emergency management as a priority risk.

Risk 4 - Fund management and fiduciary oversight

The department’s global responsibilities necessitate working in inherently risky environments, including the operation of its global network of missions and partners. These risks include a potential for the mismanagement of funds, theft or violation of trust. Such acts against the department can undermine the achievement of results and diminish public confidence in the organization’s operations. In response to this risk, the department focused on improved fraud prevention and training, monitoring and detection, and mitigation and response.

For more information on the Global Affairs Canada’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: what we achieved” section of this report.

Reporting framework

Global Affairs Canada’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2019–20 are shown below.

Departmental Results Framework

Supporting information on the program inventory

Financial, human resources and performance information for Global Affairs Canada’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.^{Endnote xxiii}

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables^{Endnote xxiv} are available on Global Affairs Canada’s website^{Endnote xxv}:

• Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
• Details on transfer payment programs of $5 million or more
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Horizontal initiatives
• Status report on transformational and major Crown projects
• Up-front multi-year funding

Federal 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.^{Endnote xxvi} This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs. The tax measures presented in this report are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.

Organizational contact information

Global Affairs Canada
Tel.: 1-800-267-8376 (toll-free in Canada)
613-944-4000 (National Capital Region and outside Canada)
TTY: 1-800-394-3472 (toll-free from the U.S. and Canada only); 613-944-1310 (National Capital Region and outside Canada)
Fax: 613-996-9709
www.international.gc.ca

Enquiries Services
Global Affairs Canada
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2
Email: enqserv@international.gc.ca
Tel.: 1-800-267-8376 (toll-free in Canada)
613-944-4000 (National Capital Region and outside Canada)
Fax: 613-996-9709

Other Portfolio Related Contacts

Canadian Commercial Corporation
350 Albert Street, 7th Floor
Ottawa, ON K1A 0S6
Tel.: 1-800-748-8191 (toll-free in Canada)
613-996-0034 (National Capital Region and outside Canada)
Fax: 613-995-2121
www.ccc.ca

Export Development Canada
150 Slater Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 1K3
Tel.: 1-800-229-0575 (toll-free North America)
613-598-2500 (local)
TTY: 1-866-574-0451
Fax: 613-598-3811
www.edc.ca

International Development Research Centre
150 Kent Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 0B2
Postal Address: P.O. Box 8500
Ottawa, ON K1G 3H9
Tel.: 613-236-6163
Fax: 613-238-7230
www.idrc.ca

International Joint Commission (Canadian Section)
234 Laurier Avenue West, 22nd Floor
Ottawa, ON K1P 6K6
Tel.: 613-995-2984
Fax: 613-993-5583
www.ijc.org

Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission
459 Route 774
Welshpool, NB E5E 1A4
Tel.: 1-877-851-6663 (toll-free); 506-752-2922 (local)
Fax: 506-752-6000
www.fdr.net

Invest in Canada
www.investcanada.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 report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a three‑year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité ministériel)

A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

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.

experimentation (expérimentation)

The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

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+) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])

An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2019–20 Departmental Results Report, those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2019 Speech from the Throne, namely: fighting climate change; strengthening the middle class; walking the road of reconciliation; keeping Canadians safe and healthy; and positioning Canada for success in an uncertain world.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where 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.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)

The process of communicating evidence‑based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.

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 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 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.