Global Affairs Canada: Departmental Results Report 2020–21

ISSN: 2561-2182

Table of contents

• From the Ministers
• Results at a glance
• 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
• Corporate 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

From the Ministers

Throughout the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year, Global Affairs Canada was at the heart of Canada’s concerted efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, end global poverty, address climate change, reduce insecurity and support a strong, inclusive, sustainable recovery through international trade. We have been working with international partners from the beginning because we know global problems require global solutions. International cooperation is key, and Canada has been front and centre in the effort to ensure an equitable end to and shared recovery from the pandemic, which has affected every dimension of international relations, from diplomacy to trade to development to consular affairs.

In 2020 to 2021, Canada played a global leadership role in this uncertain and rapidly changing context. We were an early partner and significant donor to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a World Health Organization-led initiative to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines. Canada committed a total of $940 million to partners of the ACT-Accelerator in support of the global health response to COVID-19. This initiative also supported people working in health systems and community networks on the pandemic’s front lines. Canada also strongly supported the ACT-Accelerator’s COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility with a $220 million commitment to buy vaccine doses for low- and middle-income countries and further commitments to develop, deliver and distribute vaccines and therapeutics. Despite severe global supply constraints, COVAX shipped more than 37 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 53 countries worldwide during the fiscal year.

Working as one Team Canada, we also provided consular assistance—often urgently—and crucial timely advice to Canadians abroad. Early in the pandemic, we helped tens of thousands of Canadian citizens and permanent residents from over 100 countries return home safely—representing the largest repatriation effort in Canadian history. Emergency loans adding up to more than $20 million helped Canadians return or shelter in place while making arrangements to return. More than 7,000 travel advice updates provided the latest details—including on COVID-19 testing facilities—to Canadians in more than 230 destinations worldwide. No matter where they were, Canadians could count on up-to-date information about country conditions and travel restrictions related to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, we continued to advance Canadian interests and values on the world stage through Canada’s Feminist Foreign Policy, Feminist International Assistance Policy and a steadfast commitment to bilateral and multilateral partnership and action.

In 2020 to 2021, Canada stood up against human rights abuses in Belarus, China, Nicaragua, Russia and Venezuela. We supported the development of the African Union’s first strategy for gender equality and women’s empowerment. We advocated on behalf of journalists, media freedom and the right to information. And we continued to push for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, arbitrarily detained in China. Canada advocated for clemency for all Canadians facing the death penalty abroad. We also worked closely with our partners to demand transparency and justice for the victims of Flight PS752 and their families, as well as to hold Iran accountable. On February 15, 2021, Canada launched the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations. With endorsements during the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year from 60 countries around the world and the European Union, the Declaration and associated Partnership Action Plan aim to help put an end to arbitrary arrest, detention and sentencing for diplomatic leverage.

Climate change, humanitarian assistance and development efforts were ongoing priorities in 2020 to 2021. Canada delivered on its 2015 climate finance commitment of $2.65 billion over 5 years to help developing countries become low-carbon and climate-resilient, support that is expected to help almost 6 million people adapt to the effects of climate change. Following the Beirut port explosion in August 2020, Canada provided $30 million in immediate humanitarian assistance and early recovery efforts. Canada’s contributions to the Lebanon Matching Fund helped families and children meet basic food, medical and housing needs and to recover physically and emotionally from the disaster. Furthermore, the majority of Canada’s contributions to United Nations and Red Cross humanitarian appeals allowed those organizations the flexibility to direct funding to urgent needs, including those related to COVID-19. Spearheaded by Canada, the Development Ministers’ Contact Group on COVID-19 worked to preserve hard-won development gains in priority sectors such as nutrition, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and education, and to stimulate the recovery through innovative financing. Canada fulfilled a $400 million pledge related to the Charlevoix declaration to support education and skills training for girls. We also worked to reduce poverty and suffering among people living in the world’s most vulnerable situations. All of this formed part of Canada’s continued push for action on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Canada is a trading nation, and in 2020 to 2021 we continued to pursue inclusive trade agreements and improve global trade ties. We have been working with international partners through multilateral organizations including the World Trade Organization and our leadership of the Ottawa Group to address trade barriers and accelerate the production and equitable distribution of lifesaving medical supplies including vaccines, and ensure a strong global recovery. We implemented the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and began negotiating a new trading relationship with the United Kingdom. We didn’t let the pandemic stop us from trading, and were able to create growth opportunities for businesses through virtual trade missions around the world including France, Singapore, and South Korea, attended by hundreds of diverse entrepreneurs.

In line with our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, we supported hundreds of women-owned and Indigenous businesses through our Trade Commissioners Service and Export Solutions. We know that supporting businesses and workers will be key to our recovery, and over the past year our trade commissioners helped Canadian exporters secure 1,340 contracts and commercial agreements worth more than $4 billion and bring in foreign direct investments worth over $2 billion. Through international trade we have worked hard to finish the fight against COVID-19, and continue to work with global partners to ensure critical supply chains remain open and resilient.

Canada’s responsibilities in this time of global pandemic, change and uncertainty in international affairs are many. Ours is a country that values equality, prosperity, sustainability and security for all. This report tells the story of Canada’s creative and cooperative approach to building a better world.

The Honourable Mélanie Joly
Minister of Foreign Affairs

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

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan
Minister of International Development

Results at a glance

Departmental spending by core responsibility

Text version

• CR 1: $899,031,725
• CR 2: $331,958,395
• CR 3: $6,675,018,497
• CR 4: $135,456,113
• CR 5: $982,828,418
• Internal services: $317,413,748
• Actual spending for 2020-21: $9,341,706,896

Full-time equivalents by core responsibility

Text version

• CR 1: 2,342
• CR 2: 2,077
• CR 3: 1,134
• CR 4: 405
• CR 5: 4,345
• Internal services: 1,873
• Actual FTEs for 2020-21: 12,176

Core responsibility 1: International advocacy and diplomacy

• Through its proactive advocacy and convening of partners at the highest levels, Canada played a leadership role in establishing and coordinating a united global health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s advocacy was bolstered by international assistance investments, including a $940-million commitment to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, led by the World Health Organization and partners, to increase equitable access for all countries to safe and effective tests, treatments and vaccines.
• Global Affairs Canada continued its international advocacy on the arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, culminating in a demonstration of solidarity by international partners at their trials in March 2021. Canada led the development of and hosted the launch of the Declaration against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State relations, endorsed by 60 countries and the European Union.
• Guided by its Feminist Foreign Policy, Canada supported the development of the African Union’s first strategy for gender equality and women’s empowerment, helping to mainstream gender considerations throughout African Union programs.
• Canada played a leadership role in support of journalist protection, media freedom and countering disinformation through its support to UNESCO’s Global Media Defence Fund and leading the adoption of a Human Rights Council resolution on freedom of expression and opinion. It also co-hosted with Botswana the Second Global Conference for Media Freedom in November 2020.
• Canada continued to be an outspoken advocate for human rights, freedoms and accountability in response to gross and systematic human rights violations in countries such as Belarus, China, Russia and Venezuela, including through sanctions.

Core responsibility 2: Trade and investment

• Global Affairs Canada ensured continuity in Canada’s largest trade relationship with the United States, including by implementing the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and engaging the new U.S. administration on trade priorities and policies.
• Global Affairs Canada successfully concluded negotiations for the Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement, thereby ensuring seamless transition of trade relations with the United Kingdom following its exit from the European Union.
• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) COVID-19 Task Force supported Canada’s vaccine procurement effort, coordinated requests for personal protective equipment and other medical supplies to Canada, and identified Canadian companies with the capacity to respond to international needs.
• The TCS helped bring in $2.1 billion in foreign direct investment, facilitated 1,340 commercial agreements valued at over $4 billion, helped raise $185 million in foreign venture capital and facilitated 148 new science, technology and innovation partnerships.
• The TCS advanced diversity and inclusion by serving 546 women-owned and 64 Indigenous-owned businesses and supporting initiatives that impacted 121 businesses owned and/or led by women, Indigenous peoples and visible minorities.

Core responsibility 3: Development, peace and security programming

• To effectively contribute to global efforts, Canada spearheaded the Development Ministers’ Contact Group on COVID-19 to foster joint action, ensure that lessons from past crises are integrated in pandemic mitigation and response approaches, and help focus collective global action on preventing reversals in development gains resulting from the pandemic. As one of the global leaders in the COVID-19 response, Canada pivoted $541M of its own international assistance programming funds to the COVID-19 health response for 2020-21 and the following years.
• Canada fulfilled its $400-million pledge to the Charlevoix declaration on quality education for girls, adolescent girls and women in developing countries, resulting in improved access to quality education and skills training and improved resiliency of education systems, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected situations.
• Canada fulfilled its climate finance commitment to provide $2.65 billion over five years to help developing countries transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies. Canada’s contribution is expected to support approximately 5.9 million people in developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change.
• Canada Chaired the UN Peacebuilding Commission and promoted peace and stability in fragile and conflict-affected states, investing in stabilization initiatives in countries such as Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, South Sudan and Ukraine.
• Canada, along with other donors, provided humanitarian assistance to help meet the needs of over 115 million people, including in response to the Rohingya and Syria crises. Canada’s humanitarian funding allowed for rapid action to provide life-saving assistance in a number of urgent situations, including to respond to the Beirut explosion.

Core responsibility 4: Help for Canadians abroad

• Global Affairs Canada helped protect its citizens abroad and reunite families during the pandemic, including through facilitating the repatriation of 48,725 Canadian citizens and permanent residents from 109 countries. This includes through administration of the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad, which issued 4,809 loans in the amount of approximately $20 million.
• Global Affairs Canada managed 92,915 new consular and routine cases, including 4,798 cases for Canadians who needed urgent consular assistance abroad.
• Global Affairs Canada kept Canadians abreast of rapidly changing conditions in more than 230 destinations worldwide through over 7,000 updates to the Travel Advice and Advisories web pages, including information on COVID-19 testing facilities.

Core responsibility 5: Support for Canada’s presence abroad

• Global Affairs Canada modernized its network of missions abroad through the transformation of its technology infrastructure, including through a modern digital collaboration and communication solution that uses Microsoft 365 to allow work at anytime from anywhere.
• Global Affairs Canada contributed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, by establishing energy metering, electric vehicle charging stations, storm water management, and various green building certifications at missions.
• Global Affairs Canada enhanced the safety and security of its people and assets by developing a five-year Departmental Security Investment Plan to mitigate the most pressing threats at missions based on risk and vulnerability assessments.

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

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

In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Global Affairs Canada worked tirelessly with a wide range of partners to contribute to a globally coordinated response, while continuing to progress toward other common global goals, such as the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Women Peace and Security. Canada remained a strong voice championing the rules-based international system and harnessed innovative and agile advocacy and diplomacy to advance democracy, human rights, gender equality, peace and security, international law and environmental protection.

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

Global Affairs Canada continued to build and maintain constructive relationships with a wide range of partners to protect, reform and renew the current rules-based international order and achieve common global goals. These included partnerships with international organizations, such as the United Nations (UN), the G7, the G20, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the African Union, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth, and La Francophonie. Despite the challenges of the pandemic and the rapid shift toward virtual diplomacy, the department continued to build relationships with new partners and collaborate closely with regional organizations, domestic and international businesses, civil society organizations, universities and think tanks.

Global Affairs Canada played an integral leadership role in the global collaborative effort to mitigate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging its engagement in key multilateral forums to support equitable access to diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines and other health services. At the World Health Assembly in May 2020, Canada played an influential role in finding common ground with other member states, co-sponsoring a pivotal resolution on the COVID-19 response, which included a call for universal, timely, and equitable access to health technologies and products.

Additionally, Canada actively contributed to shaping the November 2020 G20 Health Ministers’ Declaration, which recognized the need for global solidarity in responding to COVID-19 and in achieving universal health coverage. The department actively supported the G7’s leadership on the health response to COVID-19 through the G7 Leaders’ Statement endorsed in February 2021, reaffirming its commitment to multilateral action, partnership and building back better for all. Canada also provided more than $100 million in temporary debt service relief for the poorest countries through the G20 and Paris Club agreed Debt Service Suspension Initiative.

Canada demonstrated an unprecedented level of engagement and support for the World Health Organization’s Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, through a $940-million commitment to the Accelerator, through ministerial participation on the ACT-Accelerator’s Facilitation Council, and as co-chair of the COVAX Advance Market Commitment Engagement Group. The ACT Accelerator facilitated the development, production and equitable distribution of affordable COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. As part of the Vaccines Pillar, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations invested in research and development that fostered a portfolio of 12 vaccine candidates. Three of these candidates showed clinical efficacy in preventing severe disease and two received a World Health Organization emergency use licence. The COVAX Facility provided shipments of over 37 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 53 Advance Market Commitment economies.

While the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum was cancelled due to the global pandemic, Global Affairs Canada’s active engagement, including participation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Forum’s Global Action Group on the Post-COVID-19 World, enabled the department to contribute to global discussions on shared priorities with respect to pandemic recovery. As well, Canada’s whole-of-government cooperation at the OECD enabled Canada to constructively engage with member countries and participate in discussions on leveraging the opportunity presented by the recovery to build back better. This includes by building sustainable economies that prioritize environmental protection and inclusivity and by ensuring that the benefits of international trade are spread more broadly throughout society. While Canada did not win the nomination for Secretary General of the OECD, the exercise nonetheless enabled constructive dialogue with partners on international shared priorities during this critical year.

Efforts continued to support and revitalize the current rules-based international system and ensure that international institutions were well-positioned to respond to the global pandemic, including through Canada’s engagement with the World Trade Organization (WTO). This included leading ministerial meetings of the Ottawa Group on WTO reform and making the WTO a more inclusive, modern, resilient and transparent system for all so that members can resolve trade issues before they escalate into formal disputes.

Global Affairs Canada also engaged actively on NATO issues to ensure the Alliance remained modern, flexible, agile and able to defend against the threats of today and those arising in the future. The department shaped discussions on NATO 2030, gender equality and governance to reinforce the Alliance as an essential part of the rules-based international order and to continue ensuring the security of the Euro-Atlantic region in the face of new and emerging threats.

Through active participation in Commonwealth forums, Global Affairs Canada advanced key Canadian priorities such as inclusive governance, mitigating climate change, combatting racism, responding to COVID-19 and supporting gender equality. The department also leveraged its strong engagement in La Francophonie at the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and in related organizations such as l’Agence universitaire de la Francophonie. This included statements in support of democracy, human rights and diversity, as well as targeted initiatives to advance gender equality and strengthen women and girls’ resilience in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada, in partnership with Canadian Heritage and stakeholders such as the Canada Council for the Arts, the National Film Board of Canada, Telefilm Canada and national museums, worked collaboratively to promote Canadian culture, advance foreign policy objectives, demonstrate Canada’s creativity and innovation and enhance Canada’s global image. Through 139 cultural diplomacy projects led by Canada’s overseas missions working with local partners, the department advanced priorities such as gender equality, Indigenous and human rights, and supported La Francophonie. Examples include Canada’s continued funding of TV5MONDEplus, a digital platform that promotes audiovisual content from across La Francophonie, including Canada; our cultural presence as the guest country of honor at the virtual 2021 Frankfurt Book Fair and a joint anti-racism initiative with the U.S. Department of State through the screening of the hockey documentary “Willie” in 21 countries.

North America

Canada continued to strengthen relations with its key allies, partners and neighbours in North America—the United States and Mexico. Despite the pandemic, Canada’s Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries, premiers, and provincial and territorial ministers carried out more than 170 high-level engagements—telephone calls or virtual meetings—with U.S. officials, conveying key advocacy messages in support of Canadian interests. In addition, Canadian officials carried out 120 high-level engagements with their Mexican counterparts to further develop the bilateral relationship and advance Canadian values and priorities. 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 COVID-19.

In February 2021, Canada’s Prime Minister and the U.S. President committed to a Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership that prioritizes areas such as: supporting and working together at key multilateral organizations; building back better through a shared vision for a sustainable economic recovery; accelerating action on climate change; bolstering security and defence, including by modernizing the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD); and combatting systemic racism and gender-based discrimination. Global Affairs Canada continued to engage with U.S. interlocutors and key stakeholders on energy and environment issues, working closely with the provinces and other federal departments on cross-border infrastructure projects, such as the Line 5 pipeline and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The department also actively engaged with the U.S. on a renewed treaty on the Columbia River, amending fisheries agreements and developing an instrument on transboundary waste management.

The department contributed significantly to efforts to support early engagement with a new U.S. administration on trade policy issues. As well, Global Affairs Canada worked closely with the U.S. to safely manage the border during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included measures to limit cross-border travel to essential workers, while ensuring that access to key medical supplies remained uninterrupted and the economic consequences of border restrictions to Canada’s economy and internationally integrated supply chains were mitigated. Canada’s relationship with the U.S. was leveraged to exempt Canada from export restrictions in order to secure access to personal protective equipment, vaccines and medical supplies for Canadians, and resulted in a loan of 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in March 2021.

Canada also worked closely with Mexico to ensure the safety and well-being of Mexican temporary foreign workers, who were essential to Canada’s domestic food supply chain during this time. The effective implementation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), a whole-of-government effort led by Global Affairs Canada, has served to reinforce Canada’s economic relationships within North America, which are central to Canada’s economic prosperity.

Europe

Canada continued to implement the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and worked closely with its European partners on COVID vaccine imports, as well as on post-pandemic economic recovery. The EU and several of our European partners continued to be among the most reliable allies on our consular cases in China. Canada also worked to ensure the seamless transition of our bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom post-Brexit, including in areas such as trade, air transport and nuclear cooperation.

Canada has also maintained an increased diplomatic footprint in Latvia to support Department of National Defence’s NATO Enhanced Forward Presence deployment under Operation Reassurance. The Special Envoy to the EU and Europe continued to provide pan-European oversight and recommendations to Cabinet on the way forward for Canada. In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada supported Ukraine’s reform efforts, including through strengthening the capacity of the National Police of Ukraine and supporting defence and security sector institutions. The department had an average of 16 police officers deployed throughout the year to support their Ukrainian counterparts to enhance police training, investigation of and response to sexual and gender-based violence, implement community policing models and improve internal accountability and oversight mechanisms.

The department also supported Ukraine’s COVID-19 response effort by providing personal protective equipment to the National Police of Ukraine as well as ventilators to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence for its hospitals. The department supported the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, strengthened ongoing reporting of the security situation, including ceasefire violations, and facilitated dialogue among parties to the conflict.

In support of a peaceful and durable solution in the eastern Mediterranean, the Minister of Foreign Affairs travelled to Greece in fall 2020 to encourage restraint, de-escalation and dialogue. The Minister also visited Lithuania in October 2020 to meet Belarus’s opposition leader and discuss security issues with his regional counterparts.

While culture and the arts have been challenging to promote during the pandemic, the Canadian embassies in France (Paris), the United Kingdom (London), Germany (Berlin), and Italy (Rome) produced an innovative virtual Canada Day celebration on July 1, 2020. The event showcased Canadian artists and celebrated Canadian culture across Europe, the Middle East and the Maghreb, reaching many viewers.

Arctic

Global Affairs Canada began implementation of Canada’s new Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, with a focus on supporting the empowerment of Northern communities while protecting the fragile Arctic environment. To this end, Canada worked in close cooperation with international and domestic partners, in particular territorial and provincial governments and Indigenous peoples. The department continued to champion the integration of diversity and gender equality considerations into initiatives in all areas of circumpolar cooperation and supported Canada’s leadership role in the Arctic Council’s ongoing work on sustainable development and environmental protection.

In November 2020, Global Affairs Canada established the Global Arctic Leadership Initiative to bring together the various Arctic initiatives in the department under one program. The Initiative was provided with an additional $29.4 million over five years (and ongoing) to further support international Arctic activities. This funding will primarily be aimed at supporting international Arctic research and international Arctic decision making by Northern Canadians, including Indigenous peoples, women and youth, and strengthening international Arctic forums, including the Arctic Council.

The department further strengthened Canada’s relationships with Arctic partners through high-level engagement, including the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Nordic Five ministerial group and at the officials’ level by advancing work with Denmark on boundary negotiations and undertaking bilateral Arctic dialogues with Norway and Russia.

Latin America and the Caribbean

As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Global Affairs Canada provided immediate help to respond to public health needs, support economic recovery and build climate resilience of partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, while advocating for the needs of the region’s citizens in global multilateral forums. Through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives the department contributed $100,000 through the Panamanian Red Cross to build two modular hospitals equipped with mechanical respirators to support Panama’s response to COVID-19. At the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Canada successfully advocated for strong and rapid financial assistance for vulnerable countries, particularly Small Island Developing State partners, to help manage COVID-19.

With travel not possible, Canada co-hosted virtual bilateral consultations with over a dozen countries in the region on a range of issues of mutual interest and co-hosted or joined high-level virtual meetings with diplomatic representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean in Canada. Canadian priorities were also advanced through engagement with the International Economic Forum of the Americas and through participation in a number of forums, such as the VI Trilateral Forum of the Ibero-American General Secretariat in June 2020, the OECD’s Virtual Social Inclusion Ministerial Summit in July 2020, the Toronto Global Forum in October 2020, and the Conference de Montreal in December 2020.

The department developed a new Caribbean Enhanced Engagement Strategy and strengthened partnerships with CARICOM through the launch of the Canada-CARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Group The department developed a Canada and the Caribbean Enhanced Engagement Strategy and strengthened partnerships with CARICOM through the launch of the Canada-CARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Group (CCFMG) in February 2021. During the CCFMG meeting, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs announced an $81 million contribution to the Caribbean Development Bank’s Special Development Fund and $9 million in funding through the World Food Program to develop a regional logistics hub. The department led 10 bilateral consultations with the region and cohosted the first annual Canada-CARICOM Senior Officials’ Dialogue in June 2020, followed by a senior-level technical meeting on Mobility and Safe Travel to address the region’s questions during COVID.

The global pandemic served to heighten vulnerabilities in the region. Canada continued its strong international leadership in support of democracy, electoral reform and open markets. For instance, Canada supported the OAS’ electoral observation missions to the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and El Salvador, as well as Guyana’s electoral process, where Canada provided technical expertise and support for CARICOM observers. In addition, Canada supported the Inter-American Commission on Women’s Leadership Task Force and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in their work and advocacy on gender equality and addressing gender-based violence during the pandemic.

In Colombia, Canada continued to play a leading role within the international community on the promotion and protection of human rights, including by supporting and amplifying the voices of human rights defenders and social leaders. Support for the transition to democracy in Venezuela was furthered through active engagement with G7 and G20 partners, international organizations, civil society and like-minded countries. This includes through multiple negotiated statements by the Lima Group, as well as the OAS.

The department also led multilateral efforts to bring attention to ongoing human rights abuses in Nicaragua and to push for substantial electoral reforms in the country before its November 2021 elections. Through co-chairing the OAS Working Group on Nicaragua and co-leading successful resolutions at the OAS and the UN Human Rights Council, Canada and the international community called on Nicaragua to take steps to address the deteriorating human rights situation and ongoing democratic crisis. Canada also helped to provide a platform for local civil society groups and independent media organizations to report on human rights abuses and restrictions on media freedom in the country.

Asia-Pacific

Canada continued to play an increasingly active role in the Asia-Pacific region, expanding its defence and security engagement with key partners and through an enhanced naval presence. Canada increased its contribution to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum and collaborated closely with ASEAN to strengthen regional health-security capabilities. In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada also initiated the development of a new whole-of-government approach to the Indo-Pacific with a view to identifying future directions for Canada’s engagement, strategy and assistance in this region.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Canada had several interactions with India at the prime ministerial and ministerial-level in 2020-21, highlighting the strong bilateral ties and collaboration on a number of key issues, including global supply chains, vaccines, and post-COVID-19 recovery. Canada fostered accountability in Sri Lanka through its efforts as part of a core group of countries that worked to ensure the successful adoption of a new UN Human Rights Council resolution on reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka. This includes a mandate for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights ‘to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve information and evidence’ of gross violations of human rights and humanitarian law. The continued reporting and the attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council will assist in monitoring ongoing human rights concerns in the country.

Canada’s important bilateral relationship with China is constantly evolving, firmly guided by Canadian principles, values and interests while reflecting the complexity of the relationship. In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada continued its international advocacy to secure the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor from their arbitrary detention, including a demonstration of solidarity by international partners at the trials of the two Canadians in March 2021. As part of its efforts on their behalf, Canada launched the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations in February 2021 with the involvement of 47 world leaders and civil society leaders. State perpetrators of arbitrary detention for diplomatic leverage now face a united coalition of countries that reject and scrutinize these illegal coercive measures.

Canada also implemented a comprehensive approach to advocacy for human rights in Xinjiang, including taking measures to safeguard against the entry into Canada of products from forced labour; the implementation of sanctions on four individuals and one company for their participation in gross human rights violations; and, joining its international partners in calling for transparency and unfettered international access to Xinjiang by independent investigators from the United Nations, journalists, and foreign diplomats. In July 2020, Canada announced a series of measures in response to the imposition and implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. Canada has consistently reiterated its support for, and its grave concerns over the erosion of the One Country, Two Systems framework in statements in forums such as the G7, both before and after the imposition of the National Security Law.

In 2021, Canada completed the initial phase of the $300 million Strategy to Respond to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh (2018-201) and played a critical role in strengthening international coordination of efforts to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh. Canada also helped address the root causes of conflict in Myanmar, including through efforts to advance accountability for the atrocities committed against the Rohingya. Canada has strongly condemned the actions of the Myanmar military and is working with international partners, including through coordinated sanctions and advocacy in international forums such as at the UN and G7, to put pressure on the Myanmar military to restore Myanmar’s democratic transition.

In 2020-21, Canada maintained its significant international assistance and security sector support to Afghanistan toward achieving stability for inclusive and sustainable development in the country.

Africa

Through regular, high-level dialogue with countries across Africa on a broad range of issues, such as trade and investment, peace and security, climate action, and human rights, including LGBTQ2I (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, 2-Spirit and Intersexual) rights and gender equality, Global Affairs Canada advanced key foreign policy priorities across the continent. In 2020-21, Canada increased its bilateral presence in sub-Saharan Africa through the opening of three new bilateral development programs in Sudan, Chad and Niger.

As part of its partnership with the African Union, Global Affairs Canada supported the development of the African Union’s first strategy for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Officially launched in February 2021, the strategy establishes a framework for mainstreaming gender equality considerations throughout African Union programs and ensuring that the needs and rights of women and girls are reflected in policies, legislation and programs across the continent.

In response to the devastating impacts of the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia, Canada has worked closely with bilateral partners and multilateral organizations to advocate for humanitarian access, the protection of civilians, and peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Canada remained a strong advocate for women, peace and security (WPS) in South Sudan as an active member of the WPS Working Group. In March 2021, Canada co-hosted an International Women’s Day event with the South Sudanese Ministers of Gender and Defence on assessing progress on the 35% commitment on women’s representation in Executive and transitional justice institutions since the establishment of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU). The event supported Canada’s women peacebuilders campaign by amplifying the voices of two women peacebuilders and led to several #PeacebyHer pledges. In addition, Canada re-invigorated the Group of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict as co-chair with South Africa in 2020-2021, resulting in the development of an Annual Advocacy Work Plan for the Group

In the Sahel, the Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building program made significant contributions to combatting terrorism in the region, including through improving local law enforcement and the abilities of security agencies to collect and analyze data for criminal and terrorism investigations, and monitoring of illicit cross-border trafficking and the use of small arms and light weapons. As a member of the Coalition for the Sahel, Canada increased its engagement with Sahel countries and international partners in order to better coordinate international assistance to this region and promote democracy and human rights.

In North Africa, departmental efforts focused on coordination of the global public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and maintenance of international supply routes. To advocate for Canadian priorities such as human rights and stability in the Middle East and North Africa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and officials engaged with North African counterparts. Global Affairs Canada also continued to support efforts to counter corruption, including through renewing the Tunisian Regulations of the Freezing Assets of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act.

Middle East

In the Middle East, Global Affairs Canada remained active in efforts to promote peace, stability and sustainable development, while also furthering Canadian commercial interests. For example, the Empowering Women and Families in Jordan for Digital Literacy project trained 70 facilitators on digital literacy, social dialogue, and positive youth development. The project also funded 15 women-led community initiatives in these areas that directly engaged 14,875 participants and indirectly engaged an audience of over 600,000 through activities and media awareness campaigns.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some trade and advocacy efforts in the region were moved online. By switching to digital platforms, the department was able to support Canadian companies in the negotiation of major education contracts with partners in Egypt. These efforts contributed to the University of Ottawa signing a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to train 300 Egyptian engineers in digital technologies and supported the establishment of a Ryerson University satellite campus in Cairo at the Universities of Canada in Egypt.

In support of its Feminist Foreign Policy, in Iraq Canada advocated for the 16 Days Campaign to End Gender-Based Violence through daily online posts and sharing advocacy materials in Arabic and Kurdish. As chair of the gender donor coordination group in Lebanon, Canada engaged regularly with the Government of Lebanon and other leaders to push for women’s rights and gender. As well, as co-chair of the donor group in Lebanon, Canada strongly advocated for the integration of gender in the design of the Lebanon Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework and the Lebanon Financing Facility. The Framework provides a roadmap to operationalize the findings of the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment in response to the explosion at the Port of Beirut.

Canada’s leadership of the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 led to close and effective collaboration with Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Afghanistan to pursue transparency, accountability and justice on behalf of the families of the victims. It also strengthened relationships that will be essential to reparation negotiations with Iran. Canada provided assistance to the families of the victims of Flight PS752, maintaining regular contact through weekly email updates, a monthly newsletter, and a family portal. This assistance also included briefings with the legal team handling Flight PS752 and regular calls between the minister and families.

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

Canada continued to play a leadership role in the promotion of human rights, gender equality, inclusion and respect for diversity through its actions in international forums and by calling attention to the additional challenges faced by frequently marginalized groups due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2021, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations delivered a statement at the UN Economic and Social Council identifying racism as an obstacle to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), helping draw more awareness of and action on the subject. At the OAS in October 2020, Global Affairs Canada successfully led a human rights resolution on “The Power of Inclusion and the Benefits of Diversity”, which represented the first time that inclusion had been integrated into the organization’s hemispheric agenda.

In 2020, the Honourable Irwin Cotler was appointed Canada’s first Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. His mandate addresses resurgent forms of antisemitism and discrimination worldwide, through his leadership as Canada’s Head of Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, as well as his global public outreach. Canada also continued to co-chair with the U.S. the International Contact Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, supporting progress on the international protection of this human right.

During the UN General Assembly in September 2020, the Prime Minister delivered a statement highlighting Canada’s commitment to strengthening its Feminist Foreign Policy by integrating an intersectional approach for all international efforts that considers the multiple and diverse identities of individuals and groups (such as gender, race, age, income, culture and religion). Canada’s leadership at the UN also contributed to advancing Indigenous rights, including through efforts at the Commission on the Status of Women that achieved an unprecedented focus on Indigenous women and girls.

Canada was at the forefront of global efforts to support the protection of journalists and media freedom and counter disinformation. For example, the department provided support for UNESCO’s Global Media Defence Fund, which provides at-risk journalists with access to legal services and supports prosecution of those who target them for their work. The department also continued its strong international advocacy through co-chairing the ever-expanding Media Freedom Coalition and co-hosting with Botswana the Second Global Conference for Media Freedom in November 2020. The inaugural Canada-UK Global Award for Media Freedom was presented to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, in recognition of their tireless work in advocating for the protection of journalists and media freedom in Belarus. Canada also led the consensus adoption of a resolution on freedom of expression and opinion in the Human Rights Council, with a focus on access to information.

As foreign state actors sought to sow disinformation about COVID-19 and discredit democratic responses to the pandemic, Canada’s leadership of the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism, as well as its ability to leverage open-source analytics to gain insight into foreign interference online, helped safeguard Canadians and Canada’s allies.

Canada helps build strong international institutions and respect for international law

In 2020-21, Canada sought leadership roles in international institutions to improve the accountability and effectiveness of those institutions and to support the development of international law. For example, Canada took a seat on the bureau of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, and Canada’s Ambassador to the UN in New York served as a vice-president of that Assembly. This enhanced engagement positioned Canada to support the International Criminal Court in implementing a review to ensure greater effectiveness of that body and the UN General Assembly.

Global Affairs Canada also worked to further develop and implement global instruments that are critical for coordinated action on some of the world’s greatest challenges. This includes environmental treaties, such as the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. It also includes key peace and security and human rights treaties, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the development of a multilateral treaty to promote inter-state cooperation in domestic criminal prosecutions of cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

In 2020-21, Canada was one of the largest national contributors to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which, in April 2020, concluded that units of the Syrian Arab Air Force used chemical weapons in 2017. Along with international partners, Global Affairs Canada engaged in global advocacy to encourage other countries to hold Syria accountable. Canada continued to advocate for compliance with international humanitarian law and upholding and advancing the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, through bilateral engagement and in multilateral forums.

Canada was the ninth largest contributor to the UN’s peacekeeping assessed budget in 2020-21. It was also one of the largest donors of voluntary funding to UN peace operations, contributing to the provision of e-learning and critically-needed training to thousands of UN peacekeepers in areas such as countering improvised explosive devices, as well as preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence and supporting child protection in the context of peace operations.

Canada effectively employed sanctions as one of its tools to maintain international pressure on countries committing human rights abuses. In response to gross and systematic human rights violations committed in Belarus, China, and Russia, Canada and like-minded partners imposed sanctions against 55 officials from Belarus, four (and one entity) from China, and nine from Russia. In response to the coup d’état in Myanmar and to Russia’s ongoing illegal occupation and annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Canada and like-minded partners imposed sanctions against nine Myanmar individuals, two Russian individuals and four Russian entities. Canada also used targeted sanctions to hold Venezuela to account. Finally, through close collaboration with key partners and allies in a multinational surveillance initiative, Canada improved implementation of global sanctions by using information gathered to inform other countries and the UN Security Council of North Korea’s evasion of maritime sanctions.

Canada’s global influence is expanded and strengthened

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada expanded and strengthened its global influence on a range of issues through virtual engagement in a variety of forums. Through ministerial participation in the Alliance for Multilateralism, Canada strengthened its ties and influence with a network of more than 70 states committed to supporting and revitalizing the rules-based international order. This enabled Canada to help shape the priorities of the Alliance, such as human rights, international law and accountability, disarmament and arms control, climate change and global rules for cyberspace. In April 2020, Canada supported a Joint Declaration of the Alliance for Multilateralism on the importance of strong global cooperation and solidarity in the fight against COVID-19.

Throughout 2020, Global Affairs Canada helped shape the global governance of digital technology to promote human rights, democracy and inclusion. Canada engaged in the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and was invited to co-champion the Roundtable on Digital Inclusion. In April 2020, Canada established a multi-stakeholder Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights at the Freedom Online Coalition, where Canada championed a joint statement condemning the use of artificial intelligence systems for repressive and authoritarian purposes. Global Affairs Canada also supported the launch of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to foster international cooperation on artificial intelligence that is human-centric and grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity and innovation, while encouraging sustainable economic growth.

During Canada’s tenure as chair of the UN Peacebuilding Commission in 2020, the department helped strengthen and expand Canada’s global influence on gender-responsive peacebuilding through more systematic engagement with women peacebuilders and improved mainstreaming of gender equality into peacebuilding analysis and advice. This included adoption of an action plan for the Commission’s gender strategy and participation of 25 women peacebuilders in briefings (up from six the previous year). In August 2020, Canada co-sponsored the first UN Security Council resolution focused exclusively on women in peace operations.

As a critical demonstration of support for international peacebuilding efforts, in January 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs co-chaired the UN Peacebuilding Fund Replenishment Conference, committing $15 million to the Fund and pledging Canada’s ongoing support to finding adequate, predictable and sustainable financing. Under Canada’s leadership, early contributions of $427 million were raised for the 2020-2025 cycle. Canada continued to play a key role in defining UN peace operations policy as Vice-Chair of the UN General Assembly’s Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) and Chair of its Working Group of the Whole, presiding over negotiations on the C-34 report. In 2020-21, Canada’s large-scale advocacy on peacekeeping also resulted in an additional five UN Member States endorsing the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers, a set of political commitments focused on child protection through peacekeeping, bringing the total number of endorsees to 102 UN Member States.

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 i}

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 and to enable Canadian businesses to grow internationally and to create economic opportunities.

Results

Global Affairs Canada increased opportunities for Canadian commerce, ingenuity, and enterprise by deepening and diversifying trade relationships; advocating for a rules-based international trade and investment system focused on economic opportunities for all; seeking increased and diversified foreign direct investment; and supporting access to new knowledge and foreign capital for Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and other innovators. The department also played an important role in Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic by working with other government departments to help secure access to personal protective equipment, vaccines and medical supplies for Canadians.

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

Global Affairs Canada advocated for and helped safeguard an open and inclusive rules-based global trading system, one that has the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. The department continued to support WTO reform through ongoing leadership of the Ottawa Group – a group of 14 like-minded WTO members convened by Canada – and ongoing WTO engagement, as well as in other international organizations and regional forums, such as G7, G20 and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada was able to leverage trade agreements to help remove barriers to trade. For instance, in an effort to resolve the softwood lumber dispute, the department vigorously pursued WTO and litigation processes under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). In addition, the department succeeded in removing the U.S. national security tariff on imports of Canadian aluminum in September 2020, and defended Canadian exporters of transformers, vanadium, solar products, seasonal produce, and wind towers against U.S. trade investigations.

Global Affairs Canada ensured continuity in Canada’s trade relationship with the United States and Mexico by effectively leading a whole of government effort to implement the CUSMA.  This included the effort to implement two new tariff rate quotas to add access for new U.S. sugar and sugar-containing products. In addition, the department supported the implementation of the Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement through the implementation of new origin quota access measures that will provide predictability and stability for Canadian businesses and workers.

Canada continued to implement the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and undertook sustained advocacy across EU Member States to explain its benefits and increase market access for Canada-based firms. In 2020-21, two additional member states (Romania and Luxembourg) successfully ratified the Agreement. Canada-EU bilateral merchandise trade in 2020-21 was 15.2% higher than in 2016-17 (pre-CETA).

Global Affairs Canada leveraged its involvement in regional organizations to promote high-quality free trade agreements (FTA) and advance trade negotiations. The department continued to engage actively in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading system, working closely with like-minded partners in support of advancing free and rules-based trade and multilateral cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Global Affairs Canada sought to expand Canada’s preferential access in Asia through discussions on possible re-engagement with India on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and by continuing to lay the foundation for possible FTAs with ASEAN and Indonesia. Global Affairs Canada also worked with Canada’s partners in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to implement the agreement, promote its benefits and expand its membership.

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada continued to promote an inclusive approach to trade aimed at helping under-represented groups in Canada share in the benefits of trade.  This includes continuing to conduct a GBA Plus of Canada’s FTAs, and negotiating provisions in Canada’s trade agreements on SMEs, trade and gender, and trade and Indigenous peoples. Comprehensive chapter-by-chapter GBA Plus assessments were undertaken for potential FTA negotiations with Ukraine and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations with Indonesia. The department also supported the development of a chapter on gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) of FTAs in the International Trade Centre’s publication entitled Delivering on the Buenos Aires Declaration, further advancing Canadian gender-equality priorities. Canada’s international advocacy for inclusive trade was pivotal for the inclusion of gender equality as a formal objective of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which came into force in January 2021 and includes all 55 African Union members.

As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Global Affairs Canada worked closely with countries in the Asia-Pacific region to enable access to essential medical supplies. The department’s network of missions in China was able to leverage relationships with key suppliers to ensure access to essential resources, including personal protective equipment, chemical reagents used in testing, and ingredients required for anaesthesia. Global Affairs Canada worked with Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and other partners to arrange and charter over 116 flights from China to transport medical supplies into Canada, providing Canadian COVID-19 patients with life-saving equipment and drugs. In 2020-21, when all of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccines were coming from Europe, Global Affairs Canada actively worked with the European Commission and key European partners, including COVID-19 manufacturers in Europe, to ensure access and timely vaccine shipments to Canada. 

Recognizing that open, rules-based trade would be critical for Canada’s economic recovery, Global Affairs Canada worked throughout the pandemic to keep international supply chains open. Canada used multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral connections to advocate that trade restrictive measures be avoided unless absolutely necessary, and if implemented, be lifted as quickly as possible. The Ottawa Group on WTO Reform was particularly active in this area, and it developed a Trade and Health Initiative that includes commitments on transparency, trade facilitation and guidelines on the use of export controls.

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

The department’s Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) provided services and support to Canadian exporters, associations and innovators through its domestic network of regional offices and its global network of over 160 international offices, as well as through its expanded line of CanExport funding programs. In 2020-21, the TCS’ nearly 17,000 active international business clients reported that 1,340 contracts and other commercial agreements were concluded with the help of the TCS, resulting in over $4 billion in international sales. Canadian businesses continued to report high levels of satisfaction with TCS services, with 91.7% of respondents indicating they were satisfied or very satisfied with services provided.

In 2020-21, the TCS secured new opportunities for Canadian innovators, allowing them to compete and succeed in new global markets and sectors. In particular, the TCS facilitated 148 science, technology and innovation partnerships established among 128 Canadian companies, centres of excellence, research institutions and universities. Under the auspices of the Canadian International Innovation Program, 54 innovative and high-tech Canadian SMEs were connected with 207 potential foreign business partners in Brazil, Germany, India and South Korea to explore possible industrial research and development projects. To support Canada’s high-tech innovators to scale up and succeed globally, the TCS’ network of trade commissioners abroad delivered 1,764 services and supported initiatives that helped raised $185 million in venture capital for Canadian companies.

The Canadian Technology Accelerators continued to help clients to scale up in key global technology hubs, with 177 companies participating in its virtual programs in the United States, Mexico, Europe and Asia. Of these, 75 companies reported over $69 million in capital raised, $29.7 million in new revenue, 148 strategic partnerships and 221 new jobs created, all of which contributed directly to Canada’s economic recovery efforts. Subsequently, 93% of participating companies credited the Canadian Technology Accelerators with helping them to grow, to improve their international strategies and to connect with strategic partners and potential customers.

In 2020-21, the TCS network played an important role in Canada’s COVID-19 response and recovery. The TCS coordinated 61 international requests seeking supplies from Canadian suppliers and connected 15 scientists with international researchers and potential partners, such as international humanitarian organizations and international financial institutions. The TCS also helped position over 200 export-ready Canadian companies for success in foreign markets through the Canadian COVID-19 Capabilities Directory, which highlights company products and services in a wide range of sectors, such as life sciences, information and communication technologies, clean technologies and infrastructure.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TCS adopted a new virtual model for trade events, missions and engagement with partners and business associations. The TCS hosted webinars with leading e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, Alibaba, Facebook and Instagram and worked to launch a new resource website to help Canadian SME exporters make better use of these platforms as part of their marketing strategy to further global market expansion and diversification. In November 2020, the first-ever virtual ministerial trade mission to South Korea brought together Canadian women entrepreneurs and small business owners across different sectors—particularly information and communications technologies, life sciences, and artificial intelligence—to explore emerging opportunities in South Korea. In March 2021, the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade led a four-day virtual trade mission to France that supported more than 300 Canadian business persons in leveraging the export opportunities in France’s burgeoning green economy and the advantages provided under CETA.

The CanExport program continued to support an increasing number of SMEs, national trade associations and innovators in an effort to explore new markets and build strong partnerships abroad. The CanExport SMEs program approved 1,128 projects, directly supporting the market diversification efforts of Canadian SMEs and helping to expand Canada’s footprint in 106 different export markets. The CanExport Innovation program supported 29 Canadian innovators to establish international research and development collaborations in 15 markets. Of the 29 innovators, 17 found international commercial success and generated $2.3 million in partnerships and investment agreements.

Global Affairs Canada continued to advance diversity and inclusion efforts to enable all segments of society to take advantage of and benefit from opportunities that flow from trade and investment. In 2020-21, the TCS global network helped diversify who trades by tailoring its services and programs to facilitate market access for SMEs that identify with one or more under-represented groups, including women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, members of the LGBTQ2I community and youth. The TCS global network served 546 women-owned and 64 Indigenous-owned businesses and supported 20 initiatives covering 14 markets and impacting 121 businesses owned and/or led by women, Indigenous peoples and visible minorities. The TCS also supported 48 Canadian youth-owned companies to participate in a virtual conference, alongside more than 500 young entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial leaders from across G20 countries. In addition, the TCS supported the first-ever LGBTQ2I virtual business delegation to an emerging market led by a certifying body, in which five Canadian LGBTQ2I companies participated and expanded their business networks.

In 2020-21, Canada also promoted trade approaches that help advance protection of the environment and that help Canadian cleantech firms tap into export opportunities and the growing pools of global climate finance. Global Affairs Canada’s cleantech International Business Development Strategy is contributing to Canada’s efforts to support a climate conscious economic recovery, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help Canada and other countries meet their respective SDGs. Since the launch of the strategy in 2018, Canadian cleantech commercial successes have doubled, with the TCS facilitating $179 million in cleantech business agreements in 2020-21. Canada also held the first Canada-Africa Clean Growth Symposium, helping to explore innovative ways to grow our economies while reducing emissions and building resilience to climate change.

Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the TCS continued to support Canadian educational institutions and TCS clients to recruit targeted international students, execute partnerships and increase exports. The TCS delivered tailored digital marketing campaigns, organized 91 EduCanada events and participated in 135 third-party events across 95 markets. Education institutions from 10 provinces participated in the virtual EduCanada Caribbean Regional Education Fair in November 2020, with more than 3,000 individuals and representatives of 50 Canadian institutions visiting the fair’s virtual platform.

The TCS delivered Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) services directly to Canadian companies to help increase their understanding and manage risks, solve problems related to responsible business practices, and demonstrate the competitive advantage of strong RBC policies and practices. Over 100 stakeholders contributed to far-reaching public consultations held by Global Affairs Canada on the development of a new RBC Strategy, to be released in 2021.

As part of efforts toward continuous service improvement, Global Affairs Canada modernized TCS capabilities and tools, including a refreshed digital presence and enhanced market intelligence to facilitate seamless client referrals to federal and provincial partners. The TCS also introduced the Market Potential Finder, a strategic intelligence tool for trade commissioners that identifies opportunities for Canadian products in the EU, Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

Foreign direct investment is facilitated, expanded or retained

In 2020-21, the TCS facilitated 121 foreign direct investment (FDI) wins, representing a value of more than $2.1 billion and creating 5,820 new jobs for Canadians. The information and communications technology sector accounted for the bulk of these new or expanded investment projects, which originated mainly from the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.  In addition, the TCS facilitated 100 virtual visits to Canada by prospective foreign investors who are pursuing specific international investment plans.

The promotion of FDI involves the coordination, commitment, and connections between many players across Canada in the FDI ecosystem. In 2020-21, the CanExport Community Investments program played a pivotal role by providing $4 million to 83 Canadian communities resulting in 212 initiatives and 4,581 FDI leads generated. In addition, 93 investment events in priority FDI markets exposed 1.9 million foreign business leaders to the Canada brand, reached almost 674,000 foreign business leaders with FDI messaging and increased over 134,000 foreign executives’ awareness of Canada as a competitive business destination.

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 ii}

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

In 2020-21, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated already unprecedented levels of humanitarian need and reversed decades of global progress on reducing poverty and advancing gender equality. Throughout this crisis, Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy proved to be a robust and strategic framework guiding Canada’s efforts to eradicate poverty, contribute to progress toward the SDGs. In line with the Policy and in the midst of this global crisis, Canada’s focus on supporting the poorest and most vulnerable populations and its commitment to gender equality did not waver. Working with a wide range of partners, Global Affairs Canada moved quickly to play a leadership role in advocating for collective global action to address urgent needs and adapted its programs to support country partners to enable continued progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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

COVID-19 presented unprecedented challenges to the physical, social and economic well-being for the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and girls. Canada demonstrated leadership and acted decisively to enable a quick global response to the evolving pandemic and limit the medium-term impacts on the most vulnerable. This included support of $40 million to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), which provided funding to 100 countries to meet their immediate needs and mobilized nearly $1 billion in COVID-19 response funding to assist partners in over 170 countries. The UNDP also helped 5,300 community-based organizations fight the pandemic, delivered $200 million in personal protective and medical equipment and diagnostics, and trained 280,000 health-care workers in rapid pandemic response.

In 2020-21, the Global Affairs Canada funded the Scaling Up Mother, Newborn, Child Health in Guatemala initiative of the Tula Foundation (2016-2021) successfully adapted its innovative eHealth platform to allow for safe, distanced training of over 9,000 community health workers on best practices for reducing the risk of COVID-19. This enabled real-time monitoring of COVID-19 cases and facilitated the integration of community-level COVID-19 data with the national health information system in Guatemala. The eHealth platform also provided health education and promoted videos related to COVID-19, which were viewed more than 23,000 times.

In response to COVID-19’s devastating impact on food systems, Global Affairs Canada supported partners to keep food markets operating and to improve access to nutritious food for vulnerable groups. With Canada’s support, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition gave emergency grants to more than 100 SMEs providing safe and nutritious food across eight countries, with one third of these organizations owned by women, and supported 20,000 food workers with nutritious food, half of whom were women. Additionally, Canada’s support to Nutrition International and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) enabled the continuation of life-saving micronutrient programming, providing more than 99 million children, approximately half of whom were girls, with two doses of vitamin A supplementation in 2020. The program is estimated to have averted at least 29,000 deaths among children under five.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Global Affairs Canada quickly adapted existing projects to help those impacted by COVID-19. For example, in South Africa, a joint United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-UNICEF project helped provide more than 40,000 personal protective equipment and sanitary kits to vulnerable women and girls.

Canada has committed to expand support for global education, including a targeted investment of at least 10% of Canada’s bilateral international assistance on education. Addressing the educational impacts of COVID-19 and enabling continued access to learning was a challenge. Prior to the onset of COVID-19, the department exceeded the target, investing 11.7% in 2019-20. Since 2019-20, Canada’s investment in the education sector has remained stable ($372 million in 2019-20 and $375 million in 2020-21)^{Footnote 1}. However, due to the significant increase in international development funding focused on the immediate pandemic response, Canada’s investment in education as a percentage of its overall development assistance funding decreased to 7.2% in 2020-21.

Global Affairs Canada allocated a total of $78.9 million in new funding to education programming supporting civil society, multilateral and national government partners to help children continue to learn despite school closures.  Support to key multilateral partners included disbursements of $35 million to the Global Partnership for Education and $12.5 million to Education Cannot Wait to aid these organizations in their COVID-19 response. The Global Partnership for Education supported its 66 partner countries to implement COVID-19 response plans, helping 355 million children to access remote learning and safely return to school in countries where schools have reopened. Education Cannot Wait reached 9 million children and youth (47% girls) in 33 crisis-affected countries or emergency contexts with distance, online and radio learning, information campaigns on health and hygiene, risk communication and community engagement in local languages, psychosocial and mental health support and water and sanitation facility upgrades in schools and learning centres.

Canada also fully disbursed its $400‑million pledge to the Charlevoix declaration on quality education for girls, adolescent girls and women in developing countries, supporting 51 projects across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. This funding helped increase access to quality education and skills training, strengthen the resiliency of education systems, and support advocacy for continued and increased investments in education for girls and women, including refugees, displaced peoples, and people with disabilities in fragile, crisis, and conflict-affected settings.

To promote quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for refugee, other forcibly-displaced and host community children and youth, Canada launched a 3-year international campaign in February 2021 entitled ‘Together for Learning’. A key component of the campaign is to amplify local voices through the creation of the Refugee Education Council made up of youth advocates, women, teachers, parents, and community leaders who are living as refugees, forcibly displaced persons, or in communities that host them. In support of this initiative, Global Affairs Canada also launched a call for proposals^{Footnote 2} valued at $40 million over five years.

Maintaining and improving the social and economic well-being of the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and girls, was another critical challenge in the face of the pandemic. Through its support to UNDP and UN Women programming, Canada contributed to protecting approximately 900,000 jobs, supporting almost 1.2 million informal workers and 56,900 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and reaching 1.8 million people (69% women) with cash transfer programs. Canada also helped 18,440 women (8,722 in rural areas) in 26 countries to access gender-responsive financial products and services and reached 114,243 women in 33 countries with support to strengthen technical, digital and financial skills and capacities to participate in the economy (69,332 entrepreneurs from rural areas, 1,426 migrant women and 393 women with disabilities).

Global Affairs Canada also focused on the particular impact of the pandemic on marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ2I communities, to reinforce the critical role of inclusion and ensure vulnerable groups are not left behind. Through Global Affairs Canada’s LGBTQ2I International Assistance Program, LGBTQ2I communities in developing countries were assisted to deal with the COVID-19 crisis through the provision of emergency response grants to individuals and organizations in need. The department’s support to OutRight Action International’s COVID-19 Global LGBTIQ Emergency Fund mobilized and sub-granted funds to 125 LGBTIQ2I organizations in 65 countries, helping more than 60,000 people.

The global health crisis in 2020-21 reinforced the need for efforts to tackle the long-standing climate and environmental crises. Global Affairs Canada engaged in multi-stakeholder partnerships with organizations that focus on environmentally sustainable development, climate change adaptation and support for developing countries in achieving their greenhouse gas mitigation objectives. Through the Development Ministers’ Contact Group on COVID-19, Canada led discussions on how to promote an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery through the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond initiative, alongside Jamaica and the UN Secretary General. Through this initiative, 259 concrete policy options were identified to help guide global economic recovery efforts. Heads of state and government met three times in 2020-21, and Ministers of Finance met for the first time at the United Nations, representing the highest-level political attention to financing for development issues in recent years. Discussions were inclusive of all countries, including those often left out of global economic governance forums.

Global Affairs Canada has contributed $350 million to the Green Climate Fund as part of the five-year $2.65-billion climate finance commitment to help developing countries transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies. In 2020-21, the Fund approved an additional 46 projects and 92 readiness grants in 91 countries, which are expected to eliminate 918 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and increase the resilience of nearly 147 million people.

To advance women’s leadership in climate action, Global Affairs Canada supported GENDER (Generating Evidence and New Directions for Equitable Results), a new platform of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, designed to put gender equality at the forefront of global agricultural research for development. The department’s support will help strengthen the evidence base needed to improve gender analysis and close gender gaps to improve outcomes of broader poverty reduction efforts and achieve the SDGs.

In 2020-21, Canada remained the sixth-largest donor to the Global Environment Facility, an independent financing mechanism that supports developing countries to meet their obligations under various multilateral environmental agreements. Global Affairs Canada’s support contributed to delivering high-impact results and global benefits in the protection of biodiversity, management of international waters, climate change mitigation, land degradation, international waters and chemicals and waste. Projects in more than 100 countries resulted in more than: 17.9 million direct beneficiaries (9 million women); 1.9 million hectares of land under climate-resilient management; 546 policies/plans mainstreaming climate resilience; and 360,336 people trained in adaptation (179,700 women).

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

Global Affairs Canada continued investing in gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as the most effective means of achieving lasting poverty reduction and sustainable development. In 2020-21, 93% of Canada’s bilateral international development assistance either targeted or integrated gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (target set at 95% by 2021-22), of which 12% specifically targeted these goals (target set at 15% by 2021-22).^{Footnote 3}

In 2020-21, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Global Affairs Canada played a leadership role advocating for collective global action to prevent a rollback on previous progress made on women’s rights globally. The department successfully led international discussions focused on the impact of COVID-19 on gender equality, such as through the Development Ministers’ Contact Group on COVID-19. The department also enhanced its support to the COVID-19 emergency response of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women with $12 million in additional funding, helping front-line civil society organizations and women’s rights organizations rapidly adapt their work to meet the urgent needs of women and girls.

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada supported over 1,900 women’s rights organizations and networks, more than doubling its reach from the previous year. This was achieved in great part through the innovative Women’s Voice and Leadership program, a “game changer” in how the department supports local organizations and delivers results providing over 800 women’s rights organizations with direct funding or capacity building assistance. This support enabled organizations to use resourceful coalitions for lobbying governments to strengthen legislation that holds perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence accountable, as well as to change property laws so that women can equally inherit. Using the program’s fast, responsive grants, women’s rights organizations provided food, hygiene kits and accurate information to market sellers and sex workers, expanded the capacity and reach of sexual and gender-based violence hotlines and helped laid-off factory and plantation workers register for social services. In Nigeria, for example, the program supported over 100 local women’s rights organizations to strengthen their institutional capacity, pilot innovations and respond to women’s rights violations.

As a co-leader of the Generation Equality Forum Multi-Stakeholder Action Coalition on Feminist Movements and Leadership, Canada furthered its leadership in support of women’s rights organizations and movements in all their diversity and ensured the meaningful engagement of girls and adolescents throughout the Forum. At the first virtual Generation Equality Forum hosted by Mexico in March 2021, Canada made a call to action along with the Equality Fund and the Ford Foundation to establish a Global Alliance for Sustainable Feminist Movements, which aims to increase and improve funding for women’s rights organizations globally. The Ford Foundation also announced a US $15 million commitment to the Equality Fund in partnership with the Government of Canada. Canada also committed $10M to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, supporting women’s rights organizations to prevent and address gender-based violence.

In the Americas, Global Affairs Canada convened high-level government representatives to talk about sexual and reproductive health and rights and the importance of ensuring issues such as safe abortion, family planning and comprehensive sexuality education remain priorities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting led to the creation of a group of champions who will continue to collaborate through networks and to engage youth, so that sexual and reproductive health and rights is front and centre in the response and beyond. In addition, the department used its roles in SheDecides and in UN multilateral spaces, such as the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Population and Development, to reaffirm Canada’s commitment to ensuring that women and girls have continued access to sexual and reproductive health services and information, even as resources were diverted to the COVID-19 response.

The Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s Access to Quality Care Through Extending and Strengthening Health Systems project in Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, and Pakistan (2016-2020) implemented a comprehensive gender equality strategy focused on addressing unequal gender norms and power dynamics. This strategy led to a 70% increase in the average “gender responsive score” and an 88% increase in the percentage of women actively participating in health committees in the four countries.

Canada continued to support several 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. For instance, Canada co-led with Zambia the UN General Assembly biennial resolution on child, early and forced marriage that was adopted by consensus with 114 co-sponsors from all regions of the world. With support from Canada and other donors, the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage employed digital solutions in the 12 program countries in Asia and Africa to reach more than 4.1 million adolescent girls with life skills and comprehensive sexuality education. In addition, 160,000 adolescent girls were supported to enrol and/or remain in primary or secondary school, and more than 6.3 million boys and men were reached with messages addressing harmful masculinities and gender norms.

Through its multilateral support to UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women, Global Affairs Canada helped a number of countries adopt legal, policy and institutional reforms that removed barriers to women’s empowerment, resulting in 8.1 million women accessing justice in 35 countries through initiatives on legal aid and alternative dispute resolution. The department’s funding also helped these multilateral organizations bring together women leaders in government and civil society to ensure that their voices informed national policy and helped empower 3,350 women’s organizations in 70 countries to respond to the global pandemic.

In response to reported increases in sexual and gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, Global Affairs Canada injected additional funds, reaching over 3.5 million people through health messaging and provided protection services to over 3,200 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, which supported 234 projects led by women’s rights organizations in 85 countries. Global Affairs Canada also supported the Journalists for Human Rights project “Canada World: Voice for Girls and Women” which undertook work to counter sexual harassment in Kenyan newsrooms, fight for the rights of disabled Syrian refugees, and promote greater representation of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government and public spheres.

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 2020-21, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated already unprecedented levels of humanitarian need and further strained the humanitarian system. To address these needs, Canada provided $1.1 billion in humanitarian assistance support through UN partners, NGOs, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which improved the lives of more than 115 million people.

Canada also responded to needs resulting from the secondary impacts of the pandemic, such as interruptions to the food supply chain, through support to multilateral institutions. In the face of the sudden closure of international borders and the grounding of international flights, Canada supported the UN World Food Programme to establish an air service to transport humanitarian and health workers and deliver critical personal protective equipment to countries across the world. Support to UNICEF ensured the distribution of essential therapeutic food to help save children from starvation, while also helping local communities reduce the risk of transmission of the coronavirus among children and other vulnerable populations.

Continuing to ensure that its humanitarian action is gender-responsive, Global Affairs Canada’s humanitarian assistance programming provided $41.7 million in support of sexual and reproductive health services, helping prevent death, disease and disability related to unwanted pregnancies and obstetric complications. Support to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) helped address the impact of COVID-19 on increased sexual and gender-based violence by creating or expanding multi-language 24/7 hotlines, which are key entry points for survivors in refugee situations. In 2020, UNHCR provided 39.4 million people with COVID-19 assistance in the form of access to protection services, shelter, health and education, 17 million people with access to mental health and psychosocial support services, and more than 8.5 million individuals with cash assistance.

Through its support to the UNFPA, Canada helped provide essential, life-saving services in the areas of sexual and gender-based reproductive health and gender-based violence for the women, girls, and vulnerable populations throughout the Middle East region. In Syria, the UNFPA supported integrated sexual and reproductive health services through an overall total of 199 health facilities, 24 mobile clinics, 76 mobile teams, 96 static clinics, two hospitals, and one mental health facility located across the country. In Jordan, Canada’s support helped the organization reach 131,336 beneficiaries with sexual and reproductive health services, including antenatal care, safe deliveries, counselling and psychosocial support. In the West Bank and Gaza, the UNFPA supported the scale-up of 10 safe spaces benefiting 10,265 survivors of gender-based violence, the functioning of two mobile clinics providing sexual and reproductive health services and obstetric care to 24,184 beneficiaries, and the distribution of dignity kits containing hygiene and food items for 8,000 women and girls.

In 2020-21, Canada’s continued support to alleviate the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh helped improve the living conditions for refugees in camps and settlements and mitigate the impact of the crisis. Canada’s support helped provide emergency food assistance to more than 1.3 million Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh and 560,000 people in Myanmar, health care services to more than 1.2 million refugees and host community members in Bangladesh and 520,000 vulnerable individuals across Myanmar, and shelter and supplies to support 855,000 Rohingya refugees and 250,000 people in Myanmar.

Global Affairs Canada’s Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund was activated in 2020-21 to respond to sudden-onset events—including tropical storms, cyclones and flooding—in Afghanistan, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mali, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Sudan, Uganda, Vanuatu and Vietnam. More than 185,000 people were provided with emergency food, water, sanitation and hygiene, health care and shelter. The department also provided grassroots support for rapid emergency response through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, which directed $550,000 towards 15 projects to respond to sudden-onset emergencies around the world through direct funding to local partners. For example, in the aftermath of hurricanes Eta and Iota in Nicaragua, hygiene products, water and food, and basic housing reconstruction kits were provided to more than 1,112 Indigenous families affected by the storms, complementing Canada’s other humanitarian relief efforts. In response to the rapidly growing need for support to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fund also directed $20.5 million towards COVID-19 related projects in over 105 countries.

Following the catastrophic Beirut port explosion in August 2020, Global Affairs Canada provided $30 million in assistance to meet immediate humanitarian needs and to support early recovery efforts. Additionally, Canadian support provided through the Lebanon Matching Fund helped the Humanitarian Coalition’s members to: distribute monthly food parcels; provide cash assistance to families who lost their homes; deliver essential medical supplies and offer physical rehabilitation to injured people; and help disaster-affected children build their coping skills.

It is important to note that the majority of the department’s contributions in response to COVID-19 appeals from the UN and Red Cross were fully unearmarked,^{Footnote 4} giving those organizations the flexibility to direct humanitarian funding to where it was most needed. Delivering on its commitment to the Grand Bargain, an agreement between the biggest donors and aid organizations for more efficient funding, Canada provided 58% of its humanitarian assistance as multi-year funding and over 35% as unearmarked or softly earmarked. Canada not only surpassed the Grand Bargain’s 30% target, but improved on its 2019 contributions as well. The department also supported Country Based Pooled Funds in 10 countries, allowing donors to pool their contributions into single, unearmarked funds that support timely and coordinated humanitarian assistance in support of local responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Improved peace and security in countries and regions where Canada engages

Global Affairs Canada continued demonstrating its commitment to building peace in fragile and conflict-affected states, supporting democratic resilience and advancing democratic values, collaborating with key partners on the prevention and mitigation of terrorism, radicalization to violence and transnational organized crime, and addressing threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and their related materials.

The department’s Peace and Stabilization Operations Program disbursed $135.8 million toward efforts to promote peace and stability in fragile and conflict-affected states, including country-specific stabilization initiatives in Afghanistan, Cameroon, Colombia, Burkina Faso, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Ukraine, among others. In South Sudan, for example, Canadian support to the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue created a platform where the government and opposition groups can commit to dialogue to improve the humanitarian operating environment and facilitated two peace agreements between local communities. In addition, through Canadian support to Plan International Canada’s Leading for Peace project in Colombia, 1,833 victims of armed conflict were able to access capacity-building and entrepreneurship activities, helping to strengthen their leadership for peacebuilding in conflict-affected regions, create protective environments for children and youth, and increase their economic empowerment.

Canada continued its global leadership on women, peace and security (WPS) and human security issues among NATO allies and is the largest financial contributor to the Office of the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security. Through ASEAN, Canada advanced the WPS agenda by serving as co-chair in key forums including the WPS Focal Points Network and ASEAN Regional Forum Workshop on WPS. Global Affairs Canada also continued to lead the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations to address barriers to women’s meaningful participation in UN peace operations, with Canada’s bilateral partners, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Zambia Police Service. The UN’s Elsie Initiative Fund announced its first funding recipients in 2020-21.

Through the Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion’s programming arm, Canada disbursed $11.8 million toward concrete and effective global, regional and country-specific initiatives (including in Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, and Georgia) that promote and protect democracy in response to the increasing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating Canada’s ongoing commitment and leadership in this area. For example, the Promoting and Protecting Democracy Fund implemented a collaboration agreement with the OAS, which helped ensure adequate funding for Election Observation Missions throughout the Americas, notably in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, contributing to enhanced legitimacy and transparency of electoral processes. 

In 2020-21, the Inclusion, Diversity and Human Rights Fund (IDHR) helped to enhance social stability, reduce tensions, and rebuild the social divide through a $1.5 million contribution to the OSCE’s Words into Action project which applies a holistic approach to addressing antisemitism and other forms of racism, xenophobia and discrimination, including hate crime, and a $1 million contribution to the U.S. State Department Global Equity Fund’s ‘Dignity for All’ program. The IDHR Fund also supported Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline, providing digital security protection and emergency rapid-response assistance to over 1,600 at-risk actors in 100 countries, including in Belarus and Myanmar where gender-based harassment and violence is pervasive.

In alignment with G7 commitments, Global Affairs Canada supported efforts in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to monitor illicit cross-border trafficking of small arms and light weapons by armed and terrorist groups. This improved the capacity of law enforcement and security agencies to collect and analyze data for criminal and terrorism investigations, including 16 investigations linked to terrorism in Mali. Through a $1.5‑million project with the United Nations Mine Action Service, Canada increased Burkina Faso’s capacity to safely and effectively mitigate risks posed by improvised explosive devices, particularly in communities in five vulnerable regions of the country. The project raised awareness of explosive devices for 1,752 personnel (120 women and 1,632 men) of the National Police and Gendarmerie, strengthened gender and human rights understanding for 208 security personnel (36 women and 172 men), and provided risk education to 15,000 beneficiaries (4,405 women, 2,957 men, 3,946 girls and 3,692 boys) in high-risk regions.

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, Canadian support to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Container Control Program improved the capacity of customs and other relevant law enforcement officers to detect and disrupt the flow of illicitly trafficked goods. In 2020-21, the program conducted more than 320 seizures of illicit substances, including more than 100 cases of cocaine (67,000 kilograms), firearms, ammunition and chemical precursors. These seizures included 250 kilograms of cocaine concealed in containers destined for Canada from source countries including Colombia and Panama. The department’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program supported training for 5,200 Honduran teachers on cyber security, cyberbullying, sextortion, trafficking in persons, and child sexual abuse material, as well as how to report these crimes to local justice and security authorities.

With funding from Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program, INTERPOL deployed its Chemical and Explosive Terrorism Team in support of the Lebanese authorities to assess the blast site and collect forensic intelligence following the explosion in the Port of Beirut in August 2020. Canadian funding also provided for the installation of equipment at Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport air cargo facilities to help prevent, detect and disrupt attempts to smuggle nuclear or radiological materials. Within the first three months of operation, this new equipment scanned more than 40,000 shipments.

The department also advanced nuclear security capacity-building activities with Thailand, Colombia and Mexico. Train-the-trainer sessions were delivered in Thailand, resulting in the certification of six Thai nuclear security professionals. As well, six van-based radiation detection systems were delivered to the Colombian National Police and to Mexico’s Customs Administration Service to combat the illicit trafficking of nuclear or radiological materials.

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

Global Affairs Canada continued to engage with a diverse range of partners, helping to implement programming in support of new and innovative approaches, business models, policy practices and technologies. These partnerships resulted in the development of new ways of delivering projects and services that benefit and empower the poorest and most vulnerable in developing countries and support progress toward achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In 2020-21, the Small and Medium Organizations (SMOs) for Impact and Innovation initiative continued to support 40 Canadian SMOs and funded 9 new Fund for Innovation and Transformation projects, and engaged Canadian youth as influencers and increased educator capacity on the SDGs through the Spur Change program.

In 2020-21, Grand Challenges Canada committed $13.7 million for 30 innovations in 22 countries to address challenges in maternal, newborn and child health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and early childhood development. For example, support to Friendship, a non-profit innovation partner in Bangladesh, provided 80,739 end-users (75,806 female, 4,933 male) of reproductive age and children with health services resulting in 281 lives saved and 24,617 lives improved, primarily those of women. In response to the global pandemic, Friendship also provided training to 258 health service providers on COVID-19 and mental and psychosocial support to 6,623 men and women through a helpline.

Canada’s support to the Global Innovation Fund was used to establish the Gender Fund for Innovation to promote initiatives that improve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. For instance, Canada’s contribution supported the work of the non-government organization No Means No Worldwide to scale-up an evidence-based sexual violence prevention program. In 2020-21, 18,922 people (10,972 females and 7,950 males) graduated from this program in Uganda, South Africa, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

Global Affairs Canada has been at the forefront of global discussions around innovative financing, working to maximize international assistance investments while attracting additional resources. At the UN, Canada and Jamaica co-led a Group of Friends of SDG Financing, which provides a forum to promote solutions-oriented ideas for unlocking finance for development. The Group helped build bridges between the development community and investors and provided a platform for UN member states to address issues concerning the global financial architecture. As a co-chair of the Transparency Working Group of the Tri Hita Karana Roadmap for Blended Finance, which has representation from government, multilateral development banks and civil society, Global Affairs Canada played an active role in promoting standards on transparency in blended finance operations.

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada continued to build its capacity to deploy innovative financing instruments. The department also increased its collaboration on innovative financing with new and existing partners in civil society and the private sector. The department’s International Assistance Innovation Program and Sovereign Loans Program committed more than $127 million in repayable investment initiatives with new partners that catalyzed additional public and private sector funding for sustainable economic recovery. This included $12.5 million to the African Guarantee Fund to improve access to finance for women entrepreneurs in Africa, $40 million to GuarantCo to enhance affordable and sustainable infrastructure across Africa and Asia, and $75.9 million toward the creation of the 2X Canada: Inclusive COVID-19 Recovery Facility with FinDev Canada.

Global Affairs Canada also played a leadership role in advocating for evidence-based decision making. In January 2021, Canada began Chairing MOPAN (the Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network) and spearheaded the creation of the COVID-19 Global Evaluation Coalition housed at the OECD Development Assistance Committee. Canada also joined the partnership council of the Global Evaluation Initiative, which represents the largest effort to increase evaluation capacity in the global south.

Experimentation is one of the tools the department employs to test and measure if projects and services are achieving the best results for partners and Canadians. By rigorously testing an approach before rolling it 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 expanded over recent years, and the department is continuously working to strengthen its institutional and partner capacity to support and encourage experimentation.

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada emerged as one of the main voices globally calling for greater attention to the issue of paid and unpaid care work, scaling up programming on this issue in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Through new funding of $15 million, the department promoted effective solutions and began testing innovations to: support safe child care and child-friendly workspaces; engage men and boys in unpaid care responsibilities; provide time and labour-saving technology and build the evidence base to better address systemic barriers and discriminatory norms and practices in unpaid care work. While it is too early to report on results, these initiatives are designed to reduce gender inequalities thereby strengthening inclusive growth and improving well-being and prosperity.

Global Affairs Canada was also able to leverage Canadian partners’ networks and relationships in COVID-19 impacted communities to address issues being faced at the local level in low-income countries. For example, support to Prince Edward Island’s Farmers Helping Farmers working in Kenya helped fund the development of a bean variety, the Nyota or “iron bean”, which has higher levels of iron and zinc, and produces higher yields under low rainfall compared to local varieties. This new bean variety has contributed to more nutritious diets and improved livelihoods and has been readily accepted by food insecure families.

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 iii}

Core responsibility 4: Help for Canadians abroad

Description

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

Results

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the department’s ability to provide high-quality consular and emergency management services to Canadians working, studying, volunteering or travelling abroad, despite unprecedented challenges. Global Affairs Canada collaborated with federal, provincial, territorial and local governments, the private sector and civil society organizations to provide consular services to Canadians globally by way of 260 points of service in over 150 countries. A wide range of services were provided, including COVID-19 pandemic repatriation and emergency loans, assistance in cases of arrest and detention, assistance for medically related issues, passport services for those travelling abroad, and assistance in cases of parental child abduction and forced marriage.

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

The importance of consular diplomacy was never more apparent than in 2020-21, when Global Affairs Canada undertook the largest-ever civilian repatriation of Canadians in its history in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guided by Canada’s consular strategy, the department partnered with Canadian and foreign airlines to help citizens and permanent residents return home in the midst of the global pandemic. The department provided client-focused services by advancing policy innovation to support program delivery to Canadians.

Following the Global Travel Advisory issued in March 2020 recommending against non-essential travel outside Canada, the department worked in close collaboration with federal government departments to inform Canada’s policy on border measures and protect the health of Canadians. Relevant details on these measures were quickly relayed to the network of Canadian missions abroad, enabling consular officials to promptly and accurately address enquiries from Canadians.

The department also worked diligently to maintain its Travel Advice and Advisories web pages with the latest information on travel and COVID-related domestic measures for more than 230 destinations worldwide. As a result, more than 7,000 updates were made to keep Canadians abreast of rapidly changing conditions. The department also published information on COVID-19 testing facilities in support of Canada’s pre-departure testing border measure for more than 110 destinations and continued to provide important information related to security conditions that could affect the safety of Canadians. At all times, Canadians had access to timely and comprehensive information on all destinations.

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada actively engaged with the travel, tourism and travel insurance industries and the education sector to increase the understanding of consular services, promote the Travel Advice and Advisories web pages, and provide updated information on COVID-related border measures to Canadians. February and March 2020 saw a 35% increase in the overall number of Canadians who registered their travels with Global Affairs Canada (from 273,110 registrants to 417,862). Significant communications were maintained with registered Canadians with over 4,900 notification messages issued on issues ranging from options to return to Canada, specific in-country travel restrictions, COVID-19 testing locations, and detailed instructions on return to Canada procedures.  

Global Affairs Canada regularly consulted other countries to ensure that it remained well-informed of best practices and pandemic relief efforts of its partners. These bilateral and multilateral dialogues contributed to policy and program innovations and the modernization of Canada’s consular service offerings.

Canadians abroad receive timely and appropriate government services

While challenges in delivering consular services were amplified due to the global pandemic, the department continued to provide timely support to Canadians around the world. For instance, Global Affairs Canada established the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad, providing temporary financial assistance to Canadians travelling outside of Canada to return home or to shelter in place while they arranged their return to Canada. Some 4,809 loans in the amount of $20 million were issued through the program, benefiting 7,869 Canadians and their families and demonstrating the department’s public service ingenuity.

Global Affairs Canada also continued to provide passport and citizenship services to Canadians abroad on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In 2020-21, the department’s network of missions abroad delivered 61,000 passports to Canadians. The department met service standards for 94% of regular passport cases, exceeding the 90% program target and in-line with past performance. This result is particularly significant during a pandemic year, as the global network of missions adapted service delivery to Canadians in response to the COVID context and public health guidelines.

The unprecedented global repatriation of almost 50,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents involved more than 1,000 employees from across the department, supporting all areas of the response from operations to logistics and reporting. Of note were the hundreds of employees from outside the consular service who stepped forward to respond to enquiries from Canadians and permanent residents seeking to return to Canada from nearly every country in the world. Global Affairs Canada developed the necessary procedures, tools and training to allow the 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre to operate 100% remotely. For example, the Emergency Management Training program transitioned to a virtual delivery model and successfully completed 126 mission training sessions, augmenting the capacity of 2,425 Global Affairs Canada employees to respond to emergency situations abroad and the operational readiness and resilience of the Centre to ensure effective service delivery to Canadians.

Global Affairs Canada also developed a number of innovative solutions to address unprecedented problems presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, a new “facilitated flight model” was implemented to allow the department, working through diplomatic channels, to facilitate commercial airlines to operate commercial repatriation flights. This was a highly efficient and cost-effective way to get Canadians and permanent residents back home.

Canada’s consular strategy calls for strengthened diplomatic efforts to advance the issues Canadians face abroad. In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada continued to prioritize client-focused services including the provision of accurate and timely travel advice, and leveraging relationships with stakeholders to increase support to Canadians before, during and after travel. A key initiative showcasing consular diplomacy was Canada’s leadership role in advancing a global initiative against arbitrary detention for leverage in diplomatic relations. Launched in February 2021 with the support of 57 countries and the European Union, there were 60 endorsements of the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations by the end of March.

In order to ensure consular staff have the skills to deal with the myriad situations that can arise abroad, a number of new consular training sessions were introduced on themes such as arrest and detention, allegations of torture and mistreatment, consular diplomacy and client-service soft skills. In 2020-21, 117 sessions were delivered to 4,745 consular employees, and 72% of eligible consular employees had taken the new online Arrest and Detention Training program, strengthening their capacity to provide timely and appropriate assistance to Canadians.

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 iv}

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

Global Affairs Canada provided critical support for Canada’s presence abroad, through the management and delivery of more cost-effective resources, services and infrastructure, as well as the provision of more robust security measures and support for missions. This included rapid enabling of remote work across the department’s mission network in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the provision of personal protective equipment to keep our employees safe across a variety of local contexts.

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

Global Affairs Canada’s network of missions is critical to achieving Canada’s international objectives and providing services to Canadians abroad. In 2020-21, the department completed the five-year mission financial forecasts and developed 16 Real Property Missions Portfolio Plans that will guide investments toward meeting missions top priorities such as greening government operations and supporting the long-term sustainability of missions abroad.

Through the continued implementation of its Sustainable Development Strategic Framework for Canada’s Missions Abroad, the department supported the Government of Canada’s broader Greening Government Strategy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Global Affairs Canada established solar panel systems, energy metering, electric vehicle charging stations, storm water management, and various green building certifications at missions. The department also implemented water, carbon and energy/carbon benchmarking exercises, as well as energy, water, and waste audits in several missions abroad.

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada continued to optimize the management and delivery of common services. In an effort to ensure a more stable and equitable funding of Canada’s network abroad, a new costing methodology was implemented in June 2020 based on comprehensiveness, fairness, equitability and transparency principles. The department also improved the common services costing tool, ATLAS, by automating invoice processes for clients, better integrating data systems and piloting the inclusion of supplementary resources, such as temporary duty, student and emergency contracts.

The department’s efforts to modernize its network of missions abroad through the transformation of its technology infrastructure was fast-tracked in 2020 as a result of the global pandemic to enable remote work. Global Affairs Canada partnered with Shared Services Canada to optimize the department’s cloud services. This improved the resiliency and performance of its global networks and infrastructure and enabled Global Affairs Canada and partner departments to deploy new digital solutions to meet the needs of employees, partners and citizens. Additionally, successful deployment of a new pilot architecture in three missions in Germany transformed the performance of the departments SIGNET-E interface, enabling those missions to dramatically improve their ability to access and use the department’s internal network.

Canada’s representatives in missions had an incredibly challenging year due to the pandemic, and these officers went above and beyond to ensure the safety and security of Canadians abroad, ensuring they received the services they needed. Most missions operated for much of the year with minimal staff who often were separated from their families. To strengthen services for Government of Canada employees at missions, Global Affairs Canada made changes to optimize the delivery of Foreign Service Directives (FSDs), the system of allowances and benefits that ensures Canada is able to recruit, retain and deploy qualified employees in support of programs outside Canada. These changes included increasing the department’s administrative capacity for FSD payments and services by 17%.

Locally engaged staff (LES) at Canada’s missions represent half of the departmental workforce. They are vital to the delivery of services to Canadians and played a role in Canada’s response to the pandemic. In 2020-21, the department found solutions to maintain communication channels with employees during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, even when access to work systems and tools were limited. Through consultation with LES and other key stakeholders, the department also completed the implementation of the new LES Classification Standard in 2020-21, which resulted in the conversion of more than 6,000 positions, bringing continuity to how jobs are described so that a more equitable and balanced assessment of work, including GBA Plus considerations, occurs across the network. In addition, the department began implementing recommendations of the comprehensive Global Review of the LES Pension, Insurance and Social Security program, which will change the way LES benefits are managed around the world.

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

In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada continued work to enhance the safety and security of its people and assets abroad by strengthening security measures at embassies, high commissions and consulates. For example, the department put in place a five-year Departmental Security Investment Plan to mitigate the most pressing threats at missions by ensuring funding allocations go toward the highest priority initiatives based on risk and vulnerability assessments.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, various international travel restrictions significantly impeded the department’s ability to advance certain physical security enhancements and counter-measures at missions. As a result, innovative delivery methods were developed to ensure projects continued to advance, where possible. For example, to overcome travel restrictions at the new Moscow chancery, Global Affairs Canada completed a 3D scanning of the building using Building Information Modelling technology instead of relying on travel and site survey requirements. It also used virtual meetings to complete bidders’ conferences with local and international contractors.

The department continued to support missions during the pandemic by providing advice on physical and operational security issues and concerns. As travel was limited, advice and support were mostly provided through remote tools. The department was still able to conduct seismic assessments on several chanceries and official residences located in high seismic zones—areas around the world where earthquakes are severe. In 2020-21, Global Affairs Canada finalized 11 studies, bringing the Seismic Assessments Program to almost 59% completion. Additionally, Global Affairs Canada purchased and inspected 65 new armoured vehicles to ensure they meet departmental specifications and security requirements, conducting inspections remotely by relying upon the quality assurance documents and pictures provided by the armouring companies.

The department also successfully rolled out two personal security online courses in response to the restrictions on classroom training. The launch of the Hazardous Environment Online Course and the Personal Security Seminar online allowed the department to continue providing personal security training to employees and dependents travelling to high and critical threat missions

Following the initial evacuation of vulnerable and non-essential staff, as well as dependents, from much of the mission network due to the pandemic, the department developed a comprehensive COVID-19 vulnerability assessment process for use across the mission network. A process was also established to determine the approach for re-integrating these employees and staff back into the mission network following a comprehensive and thorough review process.

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}

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 spending trend from 2018-19 to 2023-24, divided into two spending categories: voted spending (in blue), which is provided by Parliament to support program delivery and for managing the department’s resources; and statutory spending (in orange), for expenditures mandated by legislative regulations.

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

• 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 participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• transfers from other government departments to provide support to departmental staff located at missions abroad

These increases were offset by sunset 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 2020-21, an increase of $2.2 billion in actual spending is attributable to additional funding for:

• a transfer from the Public Health Agency of Canada to support access by developing countries to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics
• supporting access by developing countries to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics (COVID-19)
• supporting the recovery and resilience of developing countries (COVID-19)
• pandemic responses related to COVID-19 and consular assistance pursuant to the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act
• supporting Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• initiatives to help developing countries address the impact of climate change
• adjustment to increase the amount for the International Financial Institutions Capital Subscriptions
• the Export Diversification Strategy
• the renovation of 125 Sussex Drive and the development of the Export Import Control System project
• protecting our people at Canadian missions abroad through infrastructure, mission readiness, and securing our information
• revisions to locally engaged staff salaries and salary-related benefits
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments

These increases were offset by sunset funding such as administration of new free trade agreement measures and steel safeguards, Gavi’s maternal, newborn and child health project, which ended on March 31, 2020, as well as the decreased actual spending in 2020-21 due to the impact of the pandemic of COVID-19.

From 2020-21 to 2023-24, Global Affairs Canada’s spending profile varies from $9.3 billion in 2020-21 to $6.9 billion in 2023-24. A decrease of $2.4 billion is attributable to the following initiatives that are planned to sunset or increase their authorities between 2020-21 and 2023-24:

• a decrease of $705.0 million for the transfer from the Public Health Agency of Canada to support access by developing countries to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics (funding ended on March 31, 2021)
• a decrease of $120.0 million to support access by developing countries to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics (COVID-19) (funding ended on March 31, 2021)
• a decrease of $400.0 million to support the recovery and resilience of developing countries (COVID-19) (funding ended on March 31, 2021 and will be renewed in 2021-22)
• a decrease of $62.3 million for pandemic responses related to COVID-19 and consular assistance pursuant to the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act (funding ended on March 31, 2021)
• a decrease of $704.0 million to support initiatives related to climate change, such as helping developing countries to address the impact of climate change, and funding for the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative and the Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia (funding ended on March 31, 2021, and will be renewed in 2021-22)
• a decrease of $249.7 million to address the Middle East Strategy (funding ended on March 31, 2021 and will be renewed in 2021-22 for one year)
• a decrease of $170.1 million for the Crisis Pool Quick Release Mechanism
• a decrease of $55.0 million for development assistance and security sector support to Afghanistan (funding ended on March 31, 2021)
• a decrease of $19.7 million for softwood lumber (funding will sunset by March 31, 2023)
• a decrease of $16.0 million for Canada's participation in Expo 2020 Dubai (funding will end on March 31, 2022).
• a decrease of $33.5 million for LES salaries and related benefits incurred at missions abroad
• a decrease of $19.9 million for protecting our people at Canadian missions abroad through infrastructure, mission readiness, and securing our information (Duty of Care)

These decreases were offset by the following funding:

• an increase of $140.9 million for the International Assistance Envelope aligned to Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy

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 fiscal years, and also includes anticipated spending through to 2022-23.

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).

The variance of $2.2 billion between planned spending ($7.5 billion) and total authorities ($9.7 billion) in 2020-21 is related to supplementary funding received during the fiscal year, mainly for the following elements:

• a transfer from the Public Health Agency of Canada to support access by developing countries to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics
• supporting access by developing countries to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics (COVID-19)
• supporting the recovery and resilience of developing countries (COVID-19)
• pandemic responses related to COVID-19 and consular assistance pursuant to the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act
• international humanitarian assistance through the Crisis Pool Quick Release Mechanism for COVID-19
• helping developing countries address the impact of climate change
• a transfer from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to help develop sustainable economic plans for oceans
• supporting wildfire response and preparedness in the Amazon Basin
• the Export Import Control System project
• International Assistance Envelope aligned with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• adjustment to increase spending authority for the International Financial Institutions transfer payment
• operating and capital budget carry forward from the previous year
• increased costs related to foreign service allowances and currency fluctuations on operations incurred at missions abroad and payments of assessed contributions
• addressing retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments
• transfers from other government departments to provide support to departmental staff located at missions abroad

Explanation of variances by programs

The variance of $1.8 billion between planned spending ($7.5 billion) and actual spending ($9.3 billion) in 2020-21 is explained by core responsibility below.

Core responsibility 1: International advocacy and diplomacy

Actual spending was $2.8 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+0.3%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• helping developing countries to address the impact of climate change
• increased costs related to foreign service allowances and currency fluctuations on operations incurred at missions abroad and payments of assessed contributions
• funding to enhance Canada’s global Arctic leadership
• operating and capital budget carry forward received from the previous year
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments

Core responsibility 2: Trade and investment

Actual spending was $49.7 million lower than planned spending. The variance (-13.0%) is attributable to the decreased funding for:

• a transfer to the National Research Council to support the Eureka program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
• the Fall 2020 scholarships cancelled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• decreased actual spending in travel, professional services and training due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• actual spending for Expo 2020 Dubai was lower than planned since it was postponed to 2021-22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Core responsibility 3: Development, peace and security programming

Actual spending was $1,876.2 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+39.1%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• a transfer from the Public Health Agency of Canada to support access by developing countries to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics
• supporting access by developing countries to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics (COVID-19)
• supporting the recovery and resilience of developing countries (COVID-19)
• international humanitarian assistance through the Crisis Pool Quick Release Mechanism for COVID-19 initiatives
• supporting initiatives related to climate change, such as helping developing countries to address the impact of climate change and funding for the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative
• a transfer from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to help develop sustainable economic plans for oceans
• supporting wildfire response and preparedness in the Amazon Basin
• the International Assistance Envelope aligned to Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments

Core responsibility 4: Help for Canadians abroad

Actual spending was $83.0 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+158.0%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• consular assistance pursuant to the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act
• supporting the recovery and resilience of developing countries (COVID-19)
• operating and capital budget carry forward received from the previous year
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments

Core responsibility 5: Support for Canada’s presence abroad

Actual spending was $110.0 million lower than planned spending. The variance (-10.1%) is attributable to funding received for:

• reduction of spending in travel, training, professional services, LES salaries, and repairs and maintenance, as well as property capital projects for the International Platform Branch due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• reduction of spending for the funding of FSDs due to a reduction in relocations due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Internal services

Actual spending was $55.3 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+21.1%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• the renovation of 125 Sussex Drive project
• internal reorganization from development, peace and security programming to internal services
• transfers from other organizations for the advertising campaign on travel and border information
• operating and capital budget carry forward received from previous year
• 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 Departmental Results Framework.

From 2018-19 to 2022-23, Global Affairs Canada’s total full-time equivalents have increased by 768 (+7%) to deliver new funded programs and initiatives in support of the department's mandate and priorities.

In 2020-21, the actual number of full-time equivalents exceeded the planned full-time equivalents by 99.

The variance between 2020-21 and 2022-23 reflects the anticipated full-time equivalents for newly funded initiatives as well as sunset initiatives. The newly funded initiatives include the Export Diversification Strategy; Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy; the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework; and the International Education Strategy. Full-time equivalents for these new initiatives are offset by sunset initiatives such as the pandemic response related to COVID-19; Canada’s Middle East Strategy; Softwood Lumber; Creative Export Strategy; UN Peace Operations; Advancing Clean Technology; and Canada's participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Expenditures by vote

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

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 vii}

Financial statements and financial statements highlights

Financial statements

The Global Affairs Canada^{Endnote viii} financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2020, are available on the departmental website.

Financial statements highlights

The financial statements 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 ix}

The tables below illustrate the March 31, 2021 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 2020-21 planned results information is provided in Global Affairs Canada’s Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2020-2021.^{Endnote x}

Expenses

The department’s total expenses increased by $1,509.2 million (+22 %) during 2020-21 compared to 2019-20. Higher spending in transfer payments to help countries in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the main source of this difference.

The variance between Global Affairs Canada’s actual expenses and planned results is $1,323.4 million (+19%). The difference is primarily a result of additional authorities approved by the Parliament of Canada late in the fiscal year (Supplementary Estimates B & C) related to development, peace and security programming ($1,535.1 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 – 2020-21

Revenues

The department’s total revenue increased by $5.1 million (+13%) during 2020-21 compared to 2019-20. The increase is mainly due to foreign currency fluctuations, which resulted in higher gains on foreign exchange unrealized and a non-monetary donation of the surplus space of the Tokyo chancery building received in 2020-21. The increase is partly offset by a decrease in the sales of goods and services. 

The variance between the actual and planned total net revenues is $12.6 million (+39%). The increase is primarily explained by higher gains on foreign exchange unrealized and a non-monetary donation received but not planned. The increase is partly offset by a decrease in the sales of goods and services and differences resulting from estimates and assumptions used for the planned 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, 2021 (dollars)

Liabilities

The department’s total liabilities increased by $1,480.4 million (+106%) in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20. This is mainly the result of a net increase in accounts payable to third parties resulting from payables recorded at the end of March 2021 for the payments of grants and contributions to help countries in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, new unconditional repayable contributions, and timing differences in the settlement of the payables.

Liability Breakdown

Assets

The department’s total assets increased by $1,458.1 million (+49%) in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20. The difference is due to an increase in financial assets, more specifically the amount of the due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund and in non-financial assets. The increase in liabilities (including accounts payables) caused an increase 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 non-monetary acquisition of the surplus portion of the chancery building in Tokyo and projects cost for real properties.

Asset breakdown

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate ministers: Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development; and Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development.

Institutional heads: Marta Morgan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; John F. G. Hannaford, Deputy Minister of International Trade; and the 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 xi}

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 xii} 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 xiii}

Operating context

Fiscal year 2020-21 was dominated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which shaped every aspect of the department’s activities and contributed to an unprecedented level of uncertainty and volatility in international affairs.

The health and socio-economic ramifications of the pandemic across countries, sectors and groups exacerbated existing inequities and vulnerabilities, and compromised progress toward poverty reduction and development gains, in particular for women, children and marginalized groups. It at once demonstrated the importance of international cooperation to address complex transboundary issues in a deeply interconnected world, while also accentuating challenges facing specific institutions, and sparked reflections about geopolitical risks and the resilience of critical supply chains. The many disruptions and changes created by the pandemic impacted Canada’s ability to provide consular services and support Canadians who required assistance.

COVID-19 introduced new uncertainty to a global system already in flux. The 2020-21 fiscal year saw continued strains on the rules-based international system, with sustained geopolitical competition, and forms of populism and authoritarianism, including efforts to undermine liberal democracies and weaken the work of international organizations. The need to address the growing climate crisis was demonstrated by extreme weather events in 2020-21, though pandemic recovery programs offer an important opportunity to build back better in a more inclusive, green and sustainable manner. Serious security challenges, including in relation to protracted crises, political violence and terrorism demanded attention at global, regional and local levels, while efforts to advance and protect human rights, gender equality and democratic institutions faced resistance.

This resistance is particularly notable in the cyber domain, which increasingly became an arena for geopolitical rivalry and criminal action. In the context of COVID-19, there was a rise in malicious state-sponsored cyber activities, including misinformation and disinformation campaigns aimed at influencing citizens and political discourse. This situation required agile and responsive approaches intended to foster positive impacts of new tools and technologies on the respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law worldwide.

Innovative approaches also were required to respond to the impacts of the pandemic on the global economy, which was already beset by rising geopolitical tensions, and weak economic and trade growth after the 2008-09 financial crisis. Many worst-case economic outcomes were averted, and most advanced economies, including Canada, were projected to emerge from the crisis with relatively little lasting damage to GDP. However, this obscured the divergent economic situations around the world and the struggles of many emerging markets and developing countries. 

The effects of the pandemic on reducing global poverty and advancing the SDGs were severe and expected to endure. Prior to the pandemic, decades of solid, if uneven, economic growth in many developing countries had helped drive down rates of extreme poverty. However, the pandemic is estimated to have pushed more than 120 million people into extreme poverty in 2020, the first increase in the global extreme poverty rate since 1998, with youth, women, and the informally employed hit hardest in many cases. These negative effects on global poverty and efforts to achieve the SDGs are expected to be long lasting. It is in this context that extra attention was required to apply a human rights-based approach, placing emphasis on promoting gender equality and on the empowerment of women and girls as critical to achieving the SDGs.

The pandemic has also presented many challenges for the multilateral trading system, as the international movement of people, goods, investment was sharply affected, and many countries intervened at various stages in the workings of critical supply chains. Accelerated digital transformations and the shift toward a greener global economy highlighted the importance of innovation, science and technology in our daily lives as well as in global power relationships. A more digital world offers significant new economic, social and political opportunities, but it also generates disruptions that must be managed. The role of technology, and those who develop and deploy it, is evolving rapidly.

In this new and uncertain era of international relations, Canada used all the tools at its disposal to navigate difficult strategic terrain. Canada collaborated with diverse partners to sustain broad commitment for an inclusive, effective and sustainable rules-based system that can benefit all, including the poorest and most vulnerable. Canada was dedicated to fighting the pandemic and promoting an inclusive, equitable and sustainable global economic recovery, doing so with an eye to the wider geostrategic environment, and identifying opportunities to shape the rules-based system in a manner that promotes its national interests.

The government’s robust policy suite, including the Feminist Foreign Policy, Feminist International Assistance Policy and Trade Diversification Strategy, served it well and guided responses as described throughout this report. The many pandemic-related challenges in 2020-21 encouraged new approaches and innovative thinking in pursuing the department’s mandate, better positioning the department to meet the challenges and opportunities of the coming year.

Key risks

In 2020-21, the department continued to introduce new approaches to improve and secure its results, including a revamped enterprise risk management strategy. The strategy is informed by data to identify strategic risks that are cross-cutting to the department’s mandate and that could jeopardize multiple objectives if they were to occur.

To support the advancement of its priorities in 2020-21, the department continued to prioritize its people through risk management: building a workforce to meet current and future departmental needs and protecting the health, safety and well-being of its employees. The department also mitigated the impact of both known and unknown risks through continued focus and resilience in the areas of management of real property and assets, cyber and digital security, and digital transformations.

These areas of focus for our strategic risk mitigation efforts enabled the department to promote the sound management of people, finances and assets; limit vulnerabilities in people and systems; and shift to new modes of digital service delivery to support agility, decision-making and stewardship of assets.

The department monitors its response to these risks on a quarterly basis and reviews its top risks annually.

Risk 1 – Health, safety and wellness

Global Affairs Canada treats the health, safety and wellness of its staff, both at headquarters and abroad, as a top priority. The pandemic has been particularly strenuous on the department’s workforce, which has had to continuously adapt to changing conditions, shifting priorities and a general increase in workload.

Risk 2 – Human resources capacity

The sudden shift to remote working arrangements during the pandemic forced employees and managers to adapt workloads in alignment with realities. It also delayed staffing and assignment processes. Similar challenges and constraints continue, requiring extra planning, calibration and communication. The department continued to advance key workforce initiatives including a rotational pool staffing strategy, demobilization and approach to current term workforce members.

Risk 3 – Digital transformation

The pandemic accelerated the introduction of new digital platforms, and profoundly changed how the department communicates and collaborates. This shift has sparked the department to re-think how it works and to take advantage of the opportunities it represents, such as a stronger push for data-driven decisions, access to open/integrated data sets, enhanced data management practices and the introduction of cloud solutions.

Risk 4 – Resilience and cyber/digital security

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 5 – Management and security of real property and assets

The department owns and manages real property assets in 178 missions located in 110 countries, which involve complex challenges related to shifting local security concerns, fluctuating foreign currency, and different standards in different jurisdictions, among others. There is a constant need to strengthen real property project management and oversight to ensure timely and effective service delivery, as well as the timely implementation of mitigation measures for identified vulnerabilities at missions (for example, ensuring that the right equipment arrives at the right time), while avoiding delays in project delivery. Travel limitations, the drawdown of mission capacity, and limited access to professional services during the pandemic continued to impact the delivery of real property projects.

Reporting framework

Global Affairs Canada’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2020-21 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 xiv}

Supplementary information tables

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

• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Response to parliamentary committees and external audits
• 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 xvii} 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^{Endnote xviii}

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^{Endnote xix}

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^{Endnote xxi}

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^{Endnote xxiii}

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^{Endnote xx}

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^{Endnote xxii}

Invest in Canada
www.investcanada.ca^{Endnote xxiv}

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 plus) (analyze comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS plus])

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 2020-21 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.