Global Affairs Canada: Departmental Results Report 2021–22

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
• Spending and human resources
  • Spending
  • 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
  • Operating context
  • Key risks in 2021-22
  • Reporting framework
• Supporting information on the program inventory
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions
• Endnotes

From the Ministers

In 2021 to 2022, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) led Canada’s presence abroad to advocate for peace and security, act on climate change, help end global poverty, bolster trade and investment and fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Our dedicated workforce in Canada and around the world coordinated across time zones with other Government of Canada departments and partners to implement our mandate and address global threats. We offered critical consular and trade services to Canadians while strengthening diplomatic and international relations in the public eye and behind the scenes.

Canada’s work abroad was guided by its feminist foreign policy, which seeks to build a more peaceful, more inclusive and more prosperous world. Multilateral forums remained important spaces for collaboration, and we continued to engage with multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the G7 and G20, and the World Trade Organization to advance democracy, human rights, gender equality and environmental protection. We also strengthened relationships with bilateral and regional partners to further strategic cooperation on peace and security issues, trade and investment, and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues.

Throughout the year, we remained wary of global threats to Canada and the rules-based international order. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine caused devastating effects, from refugees fleeing the bombing to food insecurity in Africa and the Middle East. The ripple effects of this war were also felt here in Canada with supply chain issues and inflation. We continue to work with other countries to hold Russia accountable for its actions, including by playing a leading role in the response of the international community and by imposing export controls and direct sanctions.

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic remained a top concern. Since April 2020, Canada has been a leading contributor to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, led by the World Health Organization. Canada has committed over $1.3 billion to help ensure equitable access to tests, treatments and vaccines.

Our Trade Commissioner Service found innovative ways to help Canadians grow their businesses and connect to international markets during the pandemic. Virtual trade missions highlighted Canadian expertise in sectors like green energy while supporting partnerships related to science, technology and innovation. Helping Canadian entrepreneurs and exporters to access foreign markets and expand their businesses was a critical step in increasing economic resiliency during the pandemic. More than 50% of all CanExport small and medium-sized enterprise projects were undertaken by companies owned by women, 2SLGBTQI+ persons, youths, Indigenous people and new Canadians. We also launched the Business, Economic and Trade Recovery initiative, a Team Canada approach that sees government departments, agencies and Crown corporations working together to identify gaps in support for Canadian businesses and find ways to provide faster access to best-suited services.

Meanwhile, GAC continued to lead the Ottawa Group in support of WTO reform toward a more inclusive and transparent system. We continued to build on our strong relationship with the United States, our biggest trading partner, and with Mexico by implementing the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and the newly launched North American action plan with 50 initiatives of trilateral cooperation. We also refocused our efforts on strategic engagement with partners in the Indo-Pacific region, including launching free trade negotiations with key markets such as in Indonesia and with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The Feminist International Assistance Policy served as the guiding light of our development, peace and security agenda, with 99% of Canada’s bilateral international development assistance either targeting or integrating gender equality results. This vital work helped to improve the well-being of the poorest and most vulnerable people, including through more inclusive and equitable access to food and supplies.

We continued our long-standing commitment to support health and education around the world. We invested in the Global Partnership for Education and launched the Together for Learning campaign to promote quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for refugee, other forcibly displaced and host community children and youths. We also worked closely with partners to provide maternal and child health and nutrition, and we supported programs on sexual and reproductive health rights to ensure women could access timely health care.

We offered support during humanitarian crises in more than 50 countries, working with partners to assist those affected by natural disasters and conflict, including the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Afghanistan crisis. Canada also announced a new pledge of $70 million over 3 years for the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund to help support conflict prevention and continue to finance UN peacekeeping operations in conflict areas such as Lebanon and South Sudan.

We doubled our climate-financing commitment to $5.3 billion over 5 years to help developing countries to adapt to and mitigate climate change. We also helped improve food security, livelihoods and agriculture at a time of rising global food insecurity. We assisted women entrepreneurs and women-led companies in accessing new markets to grow their businesses. And we supported new forms of financing that can remove barriers to private investment in support of sustainable development.

We were there when Canadians needed us abroad, including managing nearly 119,000 new consular and routine cases, of which more than 4,500 were for urgent consular assistance. We offered bilingual consular and emergency services to Canadians travelling and residing abroad and those returning to Canada as they navigated the changing travel restrictions due to the pandemic. We upgraded the Travel Advice and Advisories web pages and continued to offer timely information for Canadians about the local conditions for 230 destinations worldwide, including safety tips for 2SLGBTQI+ travellers.

Finally, we advocated tirelessly and successfully for the release of our 2 Canadian nationals from arbitrary detention in China. Canada continues to lead the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, now endorsed by 68 countries and the European Union, and champion global action against arbitrary arrest, detention and sentencing for leverage in diplomatic relations wherever and however it occurs.

Despite another challenging pandemic year, we adapted to the new normal of heightened health and safety protocols, shifting global powers and supply chain interruptions. We continue to respond to global threats and worsening humanitarian crises and to solidify partnerships with allies to act together against aggression and toward a safer, climate-resilient world.

We invite you to read this report to learn more about GAC’s accomplishments and innovation.

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 and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada

Results at a glance

Departmental spending by core responsibility

Text version

CR 1: $869,584,493

CR 2: $342,744,065

CR 3: $5,432,062,149

CR 4: $54,898,131

CR 5: $1,063,117,825

Internal Services: $311,804,098

Actual spending for 2021-22: $8,074,210,761

Full-time equivalents by core responsibility

Text version

CR 1: 2,369

CR 2: 2,057

CR 3: 1,127

CR 4: 403

CR 5: 4,530

Internal Services: 1,823

Actual FTEs for 2021-22: 12,309

Core responsibility 1: International advocacy and diplomacy

• Canada was a strong voice at the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council censuring Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine; it made efforts to hold Russia accountable through a range of export controls and direct sanctions on 645 individuals and 80 entities, as of March 31, 2022.
• Canada continued to rank as one of the top 10 contributors to the UN’s peacekeeping budget, contributing approximately $204 million in assessed contributions, which helped finance UN peacekeeping operations around the world, including in such countries as the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mali, and South Sudan.
• To support global efforts to tackle climate change, at the G7 Summit in June 2021, Canada announced that it would double its climate financing commitment to $5.3 billion over 5 years, including increased funds for adaptation and initiatives with biodiversity co-benefits.
• Canada was promoted as a destination for trade, investment, education, tourism and immigration at Expo 2020 Dubai, where over 660,000 visitors viewed the Canada pavilion, including over 100 official visits.
• At the North American Leaders’ Summit in Washington, D.C., the Prime Minister of Canada, the President of the United States and the President of Mexico agreed on key deliverables for the region, which will promote coordinated action in areas such as competitiveness, climate change, migration, security, and improve preparedness for future health security threats.

Core responsibility 2: Trade and investment

• Canada launched free trade negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia, India and the United Kingdom, as well as foreign investment promotion and protection agreement negotiations with Taiwan, all of which will help to secure long-term, inclusive economic prosperity for Canadians.
• Canada engaged the U.S. on numerous trade policy issues including the effective implementation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, protectionist policies, such as “Buy America”, and the management of bilateral trade issues such as tax credits for electric vehicles.
• Canada effectively supported the market diversification efforts of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the CanExport SMEs program, approving 833 projects and helping to expand Canada’s presence in 84 different export markets.
• The Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) advanced diversity and inclusion by serving 646 women-owned and 101 Indigenous-owned businesses resulting in over 160 business deals for more than 90 businesses owned and/or led by women or Indigenous peoples.
• The TCS facilitated 120 foreign direct investment (FDI) opportunities worth more than $1.9 billion and facilitated 115 in-person and virtual visits to Canada by prospective foreign investors.

Core responsibility 3: Development, peace and security programming

• 99% of Canada’s bilateral international development assistance either directly targeted or integrated gender equality results, exceeding the 95% target set in the Feminist International Assistance Policy, and approximately 49% of its international assistance supported fragile and conflict-affected states.
• Canada continued to support education around the world, including through an investment of $300 million over 5 years to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), as well as $67.2 million to support education for children and youth experiencing forced displacement in contexts of crisis and conflict.
• Canada was a leading contributor to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), and Canada’s funds, alongside that of other donors, contributed to procuring, delivering and distributing over 1.2 billion vaccine doses in 92 countries through the ACT-A’s COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility.
• Canada’s humanitarian assistance helped its global partners to meet the needs of over 160 million people in more than 50 countries around the world, including in response to the growing needs in Afghanistan and Ukraine, as well as to address the global food security crisis.
• The Prime Minister announced in June 2021 that Canada will commit $100 million in new funding for stand-alone programming to address issues in unpaid and paid care work in low- and middle-income countries in which Canada provides international assistance.

Core responsibility 4: Help for Canadians abroad

• Global Affairs Canada managed almost 119,000 new consular and routine cases, including more than 4,500 cases concerning Canadians who required urgent consular assistance while travelling or residing abroad.
• Approximately 3,700 Canadian citizens and eligible persons were evacuated from Afghanistan by the end of August 2021, including Afghan nationals eligible under Canada’s Special Immigration Measures Program.
• The department launched a new case management system that supports the delivery of consular services to Canadian citizens around the world, including through enhanced protection of personal data and modernized emergency management functionalities.
• Global Affairs Canada completed the first phase of work to update its Travel Advice and Advisories web pages with new information on local implementation of child abduction laws, as well as information on laws that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ travellers.

Core responsibility 5: Support for Canada’s presence abroad

• Global Affairs Canada distributed 9,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses and millions of units of various infection protection supplies (e.g. masks, hand sanitizer, gloves) to keep its staff in missions and at headquarters safe during the pandemic.
• Global Affairs Canada adopted a more integrated approach to procurement, distribution, and material management in support of Canada’s network of missions abroad that takes into account the entire supply chain, resulting in increased transparency, greater efficiency and improved ability to meet the needs of those at missions in a timely way.
• As part of the department’s Digital Strategy, Global Affairs Canada modernized its IT service delivery and network infrastructure across the world to increase the capabilities and the productivity of the department’s workforce in a hybrid work environment.

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

Results: what we achieved

Core responsibility 1: International advocacy and diplomacy

Description

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

Results

GAC worked with a wide range of partners around the world to advance Canada’s interests and values. Canada continued to serve as a strong voice championing the rules-based international system and leveraged innovative and agile advocacy and diplomacy to advance democracy, human rights, gender equality and environmental protection, aligned with its feminist foreign policy. Through its programming, policies, and multilateral engagement, Canada worked to advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which represent a road map for an inclusive and resilient recovery from the pandemic and the way forward to a more peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world that leaves no one behind. Canada was also a strong supporter of global efforts to promote peace and security and uphold international law. For example, Canada was one of the leading contributors to the international community’s response to Russia’s illegal invasion in Ukraine, including through the provision of direct support to Ukraine.

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

In 2021-22, Global Affairs of Canada worked through bilateral partnerships and multilateral forums to promote Canada’s interests and priorities. These included efforts to strengthen the rules-based international order in the context of continued challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and a recent increase in geopolitical competition and unilateralism. Guided by its feminist foreign policy, Canada continued to help ensure that all people, regardless of their background, gender or intersecting identities, fully benefit from equal participation in economic, political, social and cultural life.

To this end, Canada remained strongly engaged within international organizations such as the UN and its sub-bodies, the G7, the G20, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Economic Forum (WEF), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Commonwealth, La Francophonie and the African Union (AU) and actively participated in regional organizations such as the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of American States (OAS), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The department also worked to build relationships with international financial institutions, new partners and other important sectors, including businesses, civil society organizations, universities and think tanks. The outcomes achieved through these engagements and relationships are described throughout this report.

The Feminist International Assistance Policy has strengthened Canada’s reputation as a feminist donor and has delivered tangible results. For the third year in a row, the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) has ranked Canada as the number one donor in integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment in international assistance. As part of its efforts to address systematic discrimination and promote inclusion, at the OECD-DAC and other forums Canada advocated for improved outreach with a range of partners, including civil society.

North America

Canada continued to strengthen relations with its key allies, partners and neighbours in North America—the U.S. and Mexico. In November 2021, the Prime Minister of Canada, the President of the United States, and the President of Mexico met in Washington, D.C., for the North American Leaders’ Summit. They agreed on key deliverables for the region to promote coordinated actions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and promote global health security; to foster a competitive regional economy; to fight climate change; to advance racial justice, equity, inclusion and respect for diversity; to support orderly and safe migration while addressing the root causes of irregular migration; and to safeguard the security of people. GAC also continued to lead a whole-of-government effort to implement the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

In 2021-22, Canada worked with hemispheric partners on challenges related to irregular migration and forced displacement in Central America. This includes as Chair of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework Support Platform from June 2021 to September 2022 and participation in the May 2022 International Migration Review Forum. A road map to address irregular migration was also established at the North American Leaders’ Summit 2021. Summit 2021.

Canada’s Prime Minister, cabinet ministers and politicians at various levels, as well as senior diplomats, carried out more than 1,000 high-level engagements with U.S. officials, conveying key advocacy messages in support of Canadian interests. This outreach was critical to Canada’s ability to support its post-COVID-19 recovery. Canada continued to engage with U.S. interlocutors and key stakeholders on energy security and supply, working closely with the provinces and other federal departments to defend the continued operation of cross-border infrastructure such as the Line 5 pipeline, and to promote new clean electricity transmission projects. In 2021-22, the U.S. and Canada continued close cooperation on transboundary water issues, including through bilateral negotiations toward a modernized Columbia River Treaty, as well as through the International Joint Commission and bilateral agreements related to fisheries.

Canada-U.S. cooperation also included modernization of NORAD. Further, Canada and the U.S. continued collaboration on security operations around the world, including in Europe (through NATO) and in defence of Ukraine’s sovereignty, freedom, and independence. A critical aspect of this close collaboration included harmonized efforts to implement severe and immediate sanctions on Russia in response to the illegal invasion of Ukraine.

With Mexico, increased efforts were made to further strengthen this key relationship, including through sustained high-level engagements by Canadian officials with their Mexican counterparts. Throughout the year, Canada and Mexico worked together on shared priorities, including migration, labour mobility, human rights, Indigenous empowerment, feminist foreign policy, security, climate change, and economic competitiveness, among others. Canada also continued its advocacy efforts, stakeholder engagement and outreach with Mexican officials to address recent changes to Mexico’s energy and mining laws, which threaten both the investment climate in Mexico as well as the achievements of its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.

Europe

In response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, Canada further increased its strong cooperation with the EU, EU member states and European partners. An area of particular focus was the use of sanctions as a tool to uphold international peace and security and protect human rights, which Canada strongly supported through regular bilateral and multilateral dialogues, joint Canada-EU initiatives and an internal comparative review of Canadian and EU human rights sanctions regimes.

In 2021-22, response to the COVID-19 pandemic remained an important area of collaboration with Europe, as was ensuring a continued flow of vaccines through sustained advocacy across targeted EU partners. GAC’s efforts also continued to focus on promoting the benefits of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and on increasing market access for Canadian businesses. In 2021, Canada-EU bilateral goods trade was approximately 30% above pre-CETA levels (2016).

While preferential market access for businesses from the United Kingdom continued through the Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement, in 2021-22 Canada officially launched bilateral trade negotiations with the United Kingdom, its third-largest country trading partner. Canada also strengthened bilateral relations with Nordic states (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) through increased interactions at the ministerial level. This included engagement on common priorities, including Arctic cooperation, the rules-based international system, peace and security, gender equality and inclusion, and trade and investment.

Through ongoing active engagement with NATO, Canada continued to advance its interests and strengthen collaboration with European partners. Following through on a commitment announced by Canada’s prime minister in June 2021, Canada began the process of establishing a NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence to help the alliance and our global partners to better understand, adapt to, and limit the security impacts of climate change.

Arctic

GAC continued to implement Canada’s international Arctic policy as reflected in the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework. Through the Global Arctic Leadership Initiative, GAC invested $4 million in 2021-22 to promote and protect Canada’s values and interests in the circumpolar Arctic. The funding helped strengthen Canada's leadership at the Arctic Council, including by helping to establish a Canadian-based permanent secretariat for the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group at Laval University. The funding also enhanced the capacity of the Canada-based Indigenous Permanent Participants, as well as youth, to engage in international Arctic affairs. The funding enabled Canada to strategically re-engage with the University of the Arctic by allowing Arctic and Northern Canadians, including Indigenous peoples, to participate in collaborative field research programs and the north2north mobility program.

Arctic sovereignty, a long-standing priority for Canada over many decades, is increasingly a focus of the department’s international engagement as the geopolitical importance of the Arctic continues to grow rapidly. In 2021-22, GAC supported Canada’s broader efforts to safeguard its sovereignty in the Arctic, including by spearheading Canadian efforts on the review process of continental shelf submissions under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and developing Canada’s response to the Russian Federation’s revised Arctic Ocean continental shelf submission.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Throughout 2021-22, GAC continued to advance Canada’s values and interests in Latin America and the Caribbean through vigorous bilateral and multilateral engagements at all levels, including with CARICOM and its member states. In November 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs participated in the 51st General Assembly of the OAS, which was hosted virtually by Guatemala. The second annual Senior Officials’ Dialogue took place in December 2021, producing a Canada-CARICOM road map. As well, Canada provided support for humanitarian efforts in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines following the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano and shared more than 900,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses with the Caribbean, bilaterally and through COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX).

Canada continued to advocate for the needs of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within international financial institutions and other multilateral forums. Canada was a vocal advocate for the inclusion of middle-income SIDS in the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). In 2021, Canada provided almost US$100 million in temporary debt service relief for the poorest countries through the DSSI.

In 2021-22, Canada also fulfilled its commitment of $100 million over 5 years to support reconstruction and climate resilience in the Caribbean following the devastating 2017 hurricane season. In 2021-22, 4 climate-resilient and disability inclusive schools were built in Dominica, and technical support was provided to 5 countries (Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) to help develop standards to make housing and infrastructure more resilient to climate shocks.

In relation to Haiti, Canada actively engaged with international partners, including at the UN, the OAS, CARICOM and La Francophonie, to promote security, political dialogue and respect for human rights. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 earthquake in southern Haiti, Canada provided immediate humanitarian assistance to help address public health, food insecurity, and economic recovery, and build climate resilience. In January 2022, as the host of the international meeting on Haiti attended by 19 countries and international organizations, Canada was also the initiator of the new UNDP Basket Fund to enhance donor coordination in the security sector in Haiti. At the meeting, Canada announced $50.4 million in funding to address health, security, food insecurity and other humanitarian and development challenges in Haiti.

Canada’s engagement with Central American countries, as well as with Cuba and the Dominican Republic, focused on priorities such as the rule of law, inclusive growth, and gender equality. Canada supported the OAS electoral observation missions to Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico, as well as the implementation of recommendations from electoral observation missions related to women’s participation. Canada continued to play a leadership role at the OAS, including as co-Chair of the OAS Working Group on Nicaragua, leading discussions among member states and advocating for a dialogue on democracy in Nicaragua. In South America, Canada’s efforts continued to focus on strengthening governance and human rights, as well as growth with equity. In Colombia, Canada remained a leader on the promotion of peace and security as well as the protection of human rights, including by supporting and amplifying the voices of human rights defenders and social leaders. Canada continued to play a leadership role in international efforts to raise awareness of the situation in Venezuela and to press the Maduro regime to respect human rights and democratic norms.

In 2021-22, Canada worked with Indigenous partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to make progress on priorities identified by them, including Indigenous peoples’ rights, COVID-19 recovery, economic development, the empowerment of Indigenous women and youth, and skills training. This included through a program that gave recent university graduates who self-identify as Indigenous the opportunity to work in some Canadian embassies in the region. In addition, Canada provided a total of $8.55 million to Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru to improve food security and livelihood resilience of Indigenous peoples most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indo-Pacific

Canada was active in promoting its values and interests in the Indo-Pacific region over 2021-22 through ambitious bilateral and regional engagement. At the 10th ASEAN Economic Ministers meeting in November 2021, Canada's Minister of International Trade and her ASEAN counterparts agreed to launch negotiations for a Canada-ASEAN FTA, a key economic pillar of Canada’s vision to becoming an ASEAN strategic partner.

APEC remained a key forum to strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading system and advance Canada’s economic and trade interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Canada actively engaged in the development of the Aotearoa Plan of Action, which will guide APEC’s work through 2040. Canada worked to ensure the representation of groups that have traditionally been under-represented including Indigenous peoples, women, youth, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As part of efforts to promote reconciliation and economic development for Indigenous peoples, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei successfully concluded negotiations in 2021 to establish the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement on the margins of APEC.

Bilaterally, it was a busy year for Canada with resumed travel enabling enhanced relationship-building with strategic partners. This included the Minister of International Trade’s trip to India to relaunch bilateral trade negotiations, deepen commercial relations and advance strategic cooperation, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions. In May 2021, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs jointly announced a framework for advancing strategic Canada-Japan cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. In further support of shared interests and priorities with Japan and South Korea, Canada hosted the Canada-Japan Joint Economic Committee, the Canada-Japan Political, Peace and Security Dialogue, and the Canada-Korea Strategic Dialogue in order to advance our trade interests and enhance strategic cooperation on peace and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region. Canada also held its first bilateral consultations with Singapore in 2021, with a view to deepening bilateral relations and finding new opportunities for collaboration between the 2 countries.

Canada’s engagement with China continued to focus on promoting Canadian values and interests, including the protection and promotion of human rights and international law. GAC led Government of Canada efforts to strengthen Canadian coherence, resilience, and capacity to adapt to a more assertive China across domestic, bilateral, regional, and multilateral platforms. Through the leadership and sustained diplomatic engagement of the Government of Canada, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor returned to Canada in September 2021.

In 2021-22, Canada committed $288.3 million to renew our development and peace and stabilization efforts in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Canada worked closely with like-minded allies, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU, to coordinate several rounds of sanctions against Myanmar. These efforts came in response to Myanmar’s ongoing repression of the people of Myanmar, including the Rohingya, and the Myanmar regime’s refusal to take concrete action to restore democracy.

In Afghanistan, Canada actively engaged its partners, including the U.S. and European and NATO allies, through a variety of bilateral and multilateral channels, including the G7 and the UN, to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis. In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021, Canada supported evacuation and resettlement efforts and sought to hold the Taliban accountable on issues such as inclusive and representative government and respect for human rights, particularly those of women, girls and minority groups. By the end of August 2021, approximately 3,700 Canadian citizens and eligible persons were evacuated from Afghanistan, including Afghan nationals eligible under Canada’s Special Immigration Measures Program. The Canadian Embassy in Washington worked closely with U.S. counterparts to repatriate eligible persons who had arrived on U.S. bases in the continental U.S. Through close cooperation and engagement with international partners, particularly Pakistan and Gulf State partners like Qatar, the Government of Canada continued afterwards to support the departure of eligible persons leaving Afghanistan.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Canada further established itself as a trusted partner on the African continent. Through sustained, strategic international engagement, including through the G7, G20, the Commonwealth, the Aswan Forum, La Francophonie, and the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), and high-level bilateral engagement, Canada furthered political and diplomatic relations and economic cooperation and made progress on humanitarian, development and security issues. Canada continued to deepen its relationship with the African Union (AU), including engagements between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chair of the African Union Commission (AUC), and through Canada’s support for the AUC’s regional security role. To help advance inclusive trade in the region, Canada provided technical assistance to AU member states to help support implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Over the course of 2021-22, Canada continued to strongly advocate for security, good governance, democracy and human rights in the Sahel, while also raising the level of Canada’s overall international assistance in the region from $265 million in 2019-20 to $327 million in 2020-21. As a member of the Coalition for the Sahel, Canada increased its engagement with Sahelian countries and international partners to better coordinate the international response to crises in the region. Canada remained steadfast in its calls for democratic transition and a return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, and condemned the presence of Russian-backed mercenaries in Mali.

In response to the devastating impacts of the conflict in northern Ethiopia, Canada engaged Ethiopian counterparts, the AU, and the international community to advocate for humanitarian access, the protection of civilians, and a peaceful resolution of the conflict. In 2021, Canada provided financial support for the joint investigation by the UN Human Rights Council and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission into violations and abuses in the Tigray region. In Sudan, Canada actively engaged with international and local organizations in an effort to advance the transition toward a democratic, inclusive and economically sustainable Sudan.

Recognizing the long-term socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across Africa, including on human development and health indicators, economic growth, and trade, Canada continued to adapt its programming to maximize its contribution to COVID-19 efforts, including to build health systems resiliency and local vaccine capacity. In May 2021, the Prime Minister attended an extraordinary Financing African Economies summit convened by the French president, working with African and other partners to plan a sustainable and inclusive recovery in Africa, and announcing additional support for African countries and institutions.

Middle East and North Africa

Through bilateral outreach with international partners and through multilateral forums, Canada continued efforts to strengthen good governance and democracy, promote peace and sustainable development and advance Canada’s commercial interests in the Middle East and North Africa. This included through visits by Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs to Jordan, West Bank and Israel in June and July 2021.

In March 2022, the Governor General visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Qatar. She led the government’s delegation to Canada’s national day at Expo 2020 Dubai^{Footnote 1} and participated in high-level meetings highlighting the value Canada placed on partnerships in the region and the importance of diplomacy and global cooperation to confront common challenges. To strengthen Canada’s trade relationships with key partners, in the same month, the Minister of International Trade visited India, Israel, the West Bank, and accompanied the Governor General to Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE portion of the visit.

Canada worked actively with its key partners in the Middle East and the North Africa region on efforts to strengthen international security and to counter violent extremism including through bilateral engagement and participation in the Global Coalition against Daesh. Canada worked closely with Morocco in co-chairing the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) to help lead the development of the new GCTF Strategic Vision for the Next Decade.

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

In 2021-22, Canada continued to play a leadership role in efforts to address climate change and biodiversity loss, to make progress toward achieving the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to promote peace and security, to strengthen democracy, and to advance human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls around the world. To this end, Canada engaged actively in international forums such as the G7, the UN General Assembly, the UN HRC, the OAS, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. At the G7, Canada’s leadership on gender equality included successful efforts to make the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council a permanent fixture of the G7 agenda. In June 2021, G7 leaders adopted the 2030 Nature Compact, agreeing to work toward net-zero emissions by 2050 and to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Within La Francophonie, Canada championed a robust transformation agenda and a modernized digital strategy to make La Francophonie a more effective, efficient, relevant and accountable organization, focused on promoting democracy, human rights and gender equality.

Canada remained active at the UN General Assembly where, along with efforts at the UN HRC, Canada co-sponsored resolutions censuring Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, demanding the immediate cessation of Russia’s military hostilities against Ukraine and requesting an inquiry by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. Canada worked across the UN system coordinating resolutions and statements including at the WHO, International Labour Organization and UNESCO to hold Russia to account for its actions. Canada also worked to ensure the successful adoption of new UN HRC resolutions on accountability and human rights in Afghanistan and Sudan. Canada once again led the UN HRC biennial resolution on ending violence against women and girls, this time with a thematic focus on the experiences of women and girls with disabilities, a group that has traditionally been excluded from discussions on preventing and ending sexual and gender-based violence. As well, through the efforts of the department, Dr. Laverne Jacobs, a law professor at the University of Windsor, became the first Canadian to be put forward as a candidate to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In other UN elections, Canada’s Shauna Olney was elected to the UN’s International Civil Service Commission.

Canada continued its leadership in the promotion of freedom of religion or belief. It co-chaired the International Contact Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief and spoke out against all forms of racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred and other xenophobic attitudes and behaviours. Through the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism and through active membership in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Canada supported vital initiatives to counter the rise of anti-Semitism and xenophobia.

Canada’s efforts to strengthen democracy and human rights included chairing the Freedom Online Coalition to advance digital inclusion by shaping global norms on the global governance of digital technology. Canada also chaired the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and the Community of Democracies’ Working Group on Enabling and Protecting Civil Society, and actively participated in the Equal Rights Coalition. Canada also continued to lead the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) to counter new and emerging foreign threats to democracies, including foreign state-sponsored disinformation, with the Prime Minister announcing $13.4 million over 5 years in new funding in March 2022. During Canada’s 44th general election, RRM Canada played a crucial role in the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force, supporting efforts to safeguard the election from foreign interference. Canada continued to co-chair the Media Freedom Coalition, working together through diplomatic missions of coalition countries to undertake advocacy in those countries where media freedom is most at risk, including the deteriorating media freedom situations in Belarus, Hong Kong, and Myanmar, as well as in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.

Canada remained at the forefront of efforts to respond to global security threats and uphold international law and the rules-based international order. In 2021-22, GAC strengthened its relationships and coordination with its G7 and Five Eyes Alliance counterparts to coordinate responses to major global events and trends. Canada also worked actively with its key partners in the Middle East and the North Africa region on efforts to strengthen international security and to counter extremism including through bilateral engagement and participation in the Global Coalition against Daesh.

Canada also continued to play a leadership role in global peacekeeping efforts, with a focus on ensuring peacekeepers are trained in areas such as preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence and child protection in the context of peace operations. Canada was the eighth-largest contributor to the UN’s peacekeeping assessed budget in 2021-22 and was one of the largest donors of voluntary funding to UN peace operations. Canada announced significant new peacekeeping pledges, including $70 million over 3 years for the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund in support of peacekeeping transitions and conflict prevention and a renewed and expanded Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations. In 2021-22, Canada’s large-scale advocacy resulted in an additional 5 UN member states endorsing the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers, bringing the total number of endorsees to 105 UN member states.

Canada helps build strong international institutions and respect for international law

Together with like-minded partners, Canada worked to strengthen the UN, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other international organizations and promote the rule of law, a cornerstone in the advancement of a rules-based international system. The department provided legal and policy advice to support progress on a wide range of international legal issues, including international human rights, international legal accountability efforts, UN Charter law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international law of the sea, cybersecurity and cybercrime, international treaty law, international trade law, international environmental law, and laws and guidelines supporting the peaceful use of outer space.

The department also made further progress in the development of a multilateral treaty to promote cooperation among States in domestic criminal prosecutions of cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The proposed convention would enhance the effectiveness of those prosecutions by providing a legal basis for evidence-sharing, extradition and transfer of convicted offenders between and among the parties to the convention.

GAC continued to support the international rules-based trading system through its leadership role within the UN Commission on International Trade Law and through its leadership of the Ottawa Group to advance WTO reform. In 2021-22, Canada hosted 5 ministerial meetings of the Ottawa Group, where discussions focused on safeguarding and strengthening the dispute-settlement mechanism; reinvigorating the negotiating function, including how the development dimension can be best pursued in rule-making efforts; and strengthening the deliberative function of the WTO.

Canada continued to serve as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors. It remained a strong supporter of the IAEA’s mandate to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, implement safeguards as a critical element of nuclear non-proliferation, and advance nuclear safety and security, for the collective benefit of the international community. As part of Canada’s support, $9.77 million was provided to the IAEA Nuclear Security Fund to support the management of disused high activity radioactive sources. Canada also tabled a resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors, in March 2022, to hold Russia to account for actions against Ukrainian nuclear facilities.

To support compliance with international humanitarian law, Canada provided $89.75 million in funding in 2021 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), whose mission is to prevent suffering in armed conflict and other situations of violence, including by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. GAC supported ICRC operations in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, among others.

Also in the area of international law, in collaboration with the Netherlands, Canada sought to hold Syria accountable for violations of the UN Convention against Torture by initiating a formal dispute with that country. GAC also continued to chair the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752, chairing over 10 meetings of the Legal Sub-committee with a view to ensuring that all affected states are prepared to take the next steps to resolve this dispute in accordance with international law including by seeking reparations for those impacted. GAC led Canada’s engagement with families of the victims of Flight PS752, including regular written communication and ministerial-level calls, as well as the coordination of ministerial-level statements and reference to PS752 in the 2021 G7 Leaders’ Communiqué.

Canada’s global influence is expanded and strengthened

At a time of shifting global power dynamics and unprecedented disruption, Canada’s influence to improve stability and cooperation was much needed. Canada has been stepping up to the plate in a variety of ways. Canada continued to chair and co-chair a wide variety of UN and other multilateral groups and in 2021-22 also successfully secured election to 10 national and individual positions within the UN system. These positions provide additional opportunities to bring Canada’s values and priorities to the fore across a host of pressing global issues. In 2021-22, Canada became a member of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and continued to play an active role in the Advisory Group of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Canada also continued to use the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs as a platform to speak up for balanced drug policies that prioritize public health, respect human rights and adopt a gender perspective and was re-elected to a new term on that body for 2022-2025.

Canada’s leadership on inclusion and ensuring representation and participation of all key stakeholders remained a key priority this year. An example of these efforts in practice can be seen through Canada’s and Jamaica’s co-chairing of the UN Group of Friends of SDG Financing. In December 2021, the 2 countries co-hosted a Group of Friends meeting in which participants showcased 2 cutting-edge multilateral cooperation initiatives: an OECD/G20 framework on international taxation and mechanisms for channeling Special Drawing Rights allocations. These initiatives helped bring historically excluded voices to the table and ensured that decision makers heard from those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to better shape financing approaches attuned to the needs of developing countries.

Pandemic response and economic recovery remained at the forefront of global issues for Canada in 2021-22, and Canadian participation in key forums helped shaped the global agenda. This includes at the U.S.-hosted Global COVID-19 Summit in September 2021, where Canada’s prime minister emphasized the importance of mass immunization in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and unlocking global economic recovery, as well as the Global Health Summit in May 2021, where Canada endorsed the principles of the Rome Declaration to guide immediate actions to end the COVID-19 pandemic and better prepare for future health emergencies.

Canada also played a strong role in advancing global support for vaccine sharing and enhanced manufacturing capacity, particularly through the G7 and G20 and in its governance roles in relation to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) and COVAX. At the G7 Summit in June 2021, Canada reiterated its support of ACT-A and COVAX, to which it has committed $1.3 billion since April 2020, and pledged to share the equivalent of 200 million vaccine doses with developing country partners. With regard to contributions to ACT-A, Canada was 1 of only 2 G7 countries to exceed its fair share in the 2021 ACT-A budget cycle. Alongside other donors, over 2021-22 Canada’s funds contributed to procuring, delivering and distributing: over 1.2 billion vaccine doses to 92 countries through the COVAX Facility Advance Market Commitment; more than 156 million COVID-19 tests to low- and lower-middle-income countries; and oxygen supplies and technical assistance to more than 120 countries. At the G20, Canada further underscored its commitment to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, including through a $15-million contribution to South Africa’s mRNA hub.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Canada took a leading role in preventing Russia from using multilateral forums, including the UN and G7, to advance its goals and worked with international partners to help secure an unprecedented condemnation of the invasion by 141 countries at the UN General Assembly in February 2022. Canada was among a group of states that referred the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court in March 2022 for investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity and was an early supporter of Ukraine’s case against Russia at the International Court of Justice.

At the G7 Summit, Canada’s prime minister announced that Canada would double its climate financing commitment to $5.3 billion over 5 years, including increased funds for adaptation and projects with biodiversity co-benefits. In line with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, at least 80% of climate finance projects will integrate gender equality considerations. The Government of Canada also increased the proportion of its grant contributions to climate financing up to 40%, from 30% previously. At the G20, Canada worked collaboratively with Germany and other partners to table a credible plan to achieve global climate financing commitments of US$100 billion per year.

In 2021-22, GAC worked on the development of a cultural diplomacy strategy that will allow Canada’s network of missions abroad to leverage Canadian arts and culture to enhance our global presence, leadership and influence. Canada’s delegation to the Frankfurt Book Fair included 58 Canadian authors and over 17,000 visitors viewing the Canada Pavilion, both in person and through virtual platforms. GAC’s trade teams in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Munich delivered a range of business-to-business activities in concert with the Department of Canadian Heritage and other partners on the margins of the fair. In support of the Action Plan on Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and to showcase and increase awareness of Indigenous artists in Canada at missions abroad, GAC partnered with the Inuit Art Foundation to publish articles about Inuit artworks displayed at missions and provided missions with 1-year subscriptions to Inuit Art Quarterly magazine.

From October 2021 to March 2022, the department promoted Canada as a destination for trade, investment, education, tourism and immigration at Expo 2020 Dubai. During these 6 months, the department delivered 50 business-related events and supported 105 Canadian cultural performances. Over 660,000 visitors viewed the Canada Pavilion, including over 100 official visits. In January 2022, Canada committed to participate at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, Japan.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for International advocacy and diplomacy, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2021–22, and the actual results for the 3 most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote i}.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for International advocacy and diplomacy, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as actual spending for that year.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote ii}.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows the human resources in full‑time equivalents the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote iii}.

Core responsibility 2: Trade and investment

Description

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

Results

To ensure that Canadian ingenuity, products and services can compete for opportunities in the global marketplace, GAC supported an open and rules-based trading system and helped Canadian entrepreneurs and exporters access foreign markets and expand their business activities. The department also made significant progress in supporting responsible and inclusive business practices, a cornerstone of Canada’s feminist foreign policy and its Export Diversification Strategy.

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

Recognizing that strong and resilient economies include all members of society, GAC led Canada’s advocacy for greater participation by under-represented groups in the global economy at the G7, G20, OECD, WTO and APEC, as well as other regional and multilateral forums such as the Inclusive Trade Action Group, the Global Trade and Gender Arrangement and the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement. Canada was a strong voice for an open and inclusive rules-based global trading system, with the WTO at its core. To ensure that the WTO is able to meet the challenges of today’s complex international environment, the department supported WTO reform through leadership of the Ottawa Group, a group of 14 like-minded WTO members supporting the modernization of this critical institution.

The department also took advantage of its trade agreements to address unjust barriers to trade, such as by launching 2 new legal challenges under CUSMA in December 2021 concerning unwarranted U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber. Canada, along with 66 other WTO members, also concluded negotiations on the WTO Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation, which was the first successful WTO outcome on services in more than 20 years and includes the first binding provision on non-discrimination between men and women, a significant step toward making trade rules more inclusive.

Canada’s relationships within North America remain vital to Canada’s prosperity and economic growth, but also provide Canada with a stronger voice in international forums. In 2021-22, the department led Canada’s engagement with the U.S. administration on trade policy issues. This included seeking to ensure the effective implementation of CUSMA, address trade barriers, limit the impact of protectionist policies such as “Buy America” and support the effective management of bilateral trade irritants overall, most notably Canada’s engagement with the U.S. on potato wart and the electric vehicle tax credit issues. The department also contributed significantly to enhancing Canada’s collaboration with the U.S. on global trade challenges, including with respect to China-related issues, forced labour, and modernization of the WTO. GAC similarly worked closely with the U.S. to safely manage the shared border during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included progressively reopening and easing measures at the border and taking steps to mitigate the economic consequences of border restrictions to Canada’s economy and internationally integrated supply chains.

In 2021-22, GAC made significant progress toward the negotiation and implementation of free trade agreements (FTAs) in key markets to create new opportunities for Canadians and to promote open and rules-based trade. In 2021-2022, the department participated in 15 meetings of CETA committees and dialogues, with a view to encouraging EU member states to ratify and fully implement CETA. As well, Canada launched free trade negotiations with ASEAN, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom and re-launched negotiations with India. In addition, Canada launched foreign investment promotion and protection agreement (FIPA) negotiations with Taiwan. These negotiations will help to secure long-term, inclusive economic prosperity for Canadians.

In January 2022, Canada and Ukraine announced the launch of negotiations toward modernization of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement. While the negotiations were paused due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Canada and Ukraine plan to restart negotiations as soon as possible. The department also advanced the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), including welcoming Peru as the 8th Party to the Agreement in September 2021. Canada also completed its first comprehensive review of its model Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) since 2003, which resulted in modernized and inclusive text for Canada’s future FIPA negotiations.

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

The Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) helps Canadian businesses grow by connecting them with government funding and support programs, international opportunities, and a network of trade commissioners in over 160 cities worldwide. In response to the continued economic and trade impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global crises, in 2021-22, the TCS increased support to Canadian businesses to help them become more resilient to trade disruptions and to recover, while taking advantage of emerging opportunities in growing markets around the world. Efforts included innovations in service delivery such as virtual events and tools to increase reach and impact for clients. The TCS also accelerated its digital transformation, adding more online tools to help businesses quickly access the information they need regarding market opportunities and government services.

In 2021-22, the TCS delivered 50,863 services to 10,182 Canadian clients, of which 93% were small and medium-sized enterprises. Working directly with these clients, the TCS facilitated 1,041 new business deals for Canadian exporters, with a reported value of $2 billion. According to regular client surveys, 91.1% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the TCS services they received.

In 2021-22, the TCS strengthened science, technology and innovation (STI) linkages with priority foreign partners, helping form 147 international partnerships worth at least $335.6 million. This included 51 venture capital partnerships valued at over $68.2 million, as well as other collaborations that enabled Canadian researchers and businesses to make new discoveries in priority sectors for Canada’s economy and commercialize them on world markets. Through the STI program, 3,473 services were provided to 1,245 Canadian organizations in 59 targeted countries. Throughout 2021-22, active engagement with Brazil, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom led to concrete action plans for enhanced collaborations in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, clean technologies, health technologies and other priority sectors.

Research and development (R&D) activities of small and medium-sized enterprises in foreign markets are a crucial part of Canada’s innovation ecosystem. Recognizing the importance of R&D to the competitiveness and export success of Canadian companies, the Canadian International Innovation Program disbursed $3.48 million in 2021-22 to support R&D projects involving 25 Canadian and foreign industrial partners. It also delivered 2 virtual R&D matchmaking missions, 1 in South Korea and the other in the United Kingdom, which supported 23 innovative and high-tech Canadian SMEs by connecting them with 74 potential foreign business partners to explore possible industrial R&D projects.

The TCS continued to support companies in gaining access to online e-commerce platforms with an enhanced focus on women, youth and Indigenous-owned exporters. This support came in the form of tailored e-commerce services, funding for e-commerce activities via the CanExport program, and engagement with key private sector players. The TCS facilitated workshops, information sessions, and introductions of TCS clients to local networks to address key challenges for Canadian “e-exporters”, including payment options, logistics, applicable laws and regulations, and intellectual property (IP) protection.

In 2021-22, the CanExport Program continued to support an increasing number of SMEs, national trade associations and innovators to explore new markets and build strong partnerships abroad. The CanExport SMEs program approved 833 projects, directly supporting the market diversification efforts of Canadian SMEs and helping to expand Canada’s presence in 84 different export markets. More than 50% of all CanExport SMEs projects were undertaken by women, 2SLGBTQI+, youth, Indigenous, and visible minority-owned companies. Additionally, the CanExport Innovation Program supported 45 Canadian innovators to establish international R&D collaborations in 17 foreign markets. The CanExport Associations program supported the market diversification efforts of 57 industry associations and business organizations taking place in 26 foreign markets, benefiting 30,319 member companies, 92% of which were SMEs.

Responsible business practices are critical for Canadian businesses to stay competitive, meet increasingly high environmental and ethical standards, and ultimately improve their bottom line. The TCS delivered Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) services directly to Canadian companies to help increase their understanding of RBC and to manage risks, solve problems, and demonstrate the competitive advantage of strong RBC policies and practices. Through a dedicated Responsible Business Fund, Canadian missions abroad carried out 31 RBC-related initiatives in 23 countries around the world.

The TCS global network is helping under-represented groups to successfully expand into global markets by tailoring its services and programs to facilitate market access for SMEs in Canada that include women, Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community and youth by opening doors and creating opportunities. For example, the TCS served 646 women-owned and 101 Indigenous-owned businesses resulting in over 160 business deals for more than 90 businesses owned and/or led by women or Indigenous peoples.

The International Education Strategy continued to help Canadian educational institutions to recruit targeted international students and promote partnerships and exports in the growing international education sector. In 2021-22, 6,051 services were delivered to 737 TCS clients in the education sector, 167 leads were pursued with a reported value of $1.4 million, and 58 contracts were finalized with a reported value of $31.3 million. The Grants & Contributions in Aid of Academic Relations Program, as part of the TCS, continued to implement directly managed and third-party scholarship programs to recruit international students.

Foreign direct investment is facilitated, expanded or retained

In 2021-22, a whole-of-Canada approach was taken to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) to Canada, providing a simpler, seamless experience to global investors. GAC worked in partnership with Invest in Canada to make Canada a top destination for global investment. Invest in Canada continued to implement its FDI Attraction Strategy to support Canada’s economic growth objectives, including sustainable and inclusive economic recovery. Invest in Canada also supported Canada’s economic growth by providing single-window services to high-impact investors, coordinating the efforts of Canadian government partners, and promoting Canada as a premier investment destination on the world stage.

Global FDI flows bounced back in 2021, growing by 88% to US$1.8 trillion, 37% above pre-pandemic levels. In 2021, Canada’s total stock of FDI rose above its pre-pandemic level. In terms of flows, Canada was the third-largest FDI destination, with FDI inflows valued at US$60 billion, growing 158% from 2020. During 2021-22, the TCS facilitated 120 FDI wins (i.e. a greenfield investment or an expansion of an existing foreign investment in Canada that contributes to Canadian economic prosperity), representing a value of more than $1.9 billion and creating 5,592 new jobs. In addition, the TCS facilitated 115 in-person and virtual visits to Canada by prospective foreign investors to pursue specific investment projects.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for Trade and investment, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2021–22, and the actual results for the 3 most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote iv}.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for trade and investment, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as actual spending for that year.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote v}.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows the human resources in full‑time equivalents the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote vi}.

Core responsibility 3: Development, peace and security programming

Description

GAC programming contributes to reducing poverty, increasing opportunity for people around the world, alleviating suffering in humanitarian crises, and fostering peace and security, and in so doing, advances the SDGs.

Results

Through its Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada continued to contribute to building a more peaceful, inclusive and prosperous world, in particular through leadership in the areas of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, health, education, climate change and humanitarian response. Canada remained a critical actor in global efforts to make progress on the SDGs, address the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ensure a sustainable recovery for all. To maximize impact and better meet the needs of poor, vulnerable and marginalized populations, Canada supported innovation in international assistance, including by harnessing new and innovative forms of financing.

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

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada adjusted its international assistance programming to help developing countries respond to emerging priorities and support fragile health systems. For example, Canada committed $3.5 million to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, which will help ASEAN member states procure vaccines; better detect, control and prevent COVID-19 transmission; and protect the safety of medical professionals, health care workers, front-line workers and the wider population in ASEAN countries. As well, in 2021-2022, 74 Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) projects supported local efforts to respond to or recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, including tele-medicine services in rural areas of Nepal and supporting administration of vaccines to vulnerable communities in Malaysia.

In Africa, Canada provided more than $13.5 million to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to support COVID-19 efforts, including the deployment of rapid responders. In addition, Canada also continued to support the implementation of the Africa CDC Biosafety and Biosecurity 5-year Strategic Plan, which in 2021-22 placed emphasis on enhancing the Africa CDC’s in-house capacity and supporting capacity-building initiatives related to biosafety and biosecurity^{Footnote 2} across Africa.

In sub-Saharan Africa, Canada launched new initiatives and adapted existing ones to better respond to acute needs in a range of areas, including strengthening sexual and gender-based violence services as well as hygiene activities to fight and prevent the spread of COVID-19. For example, in Mozambique’s Tete and Zambezia provinces 24,720 households (most of which were female-headed) were provided with emergency cash support to build resilience against the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

GAC continued to support initiatives targeted at sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). For example, in South Sudan, 7,485 girls received menstrual health and hygiene management support, and 36 schools received improved water, sanitation and hygiene facilities through Canada’s Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds project in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross. This has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of female students who reported being absent from school or harassed due to menstruation. The Sexual Health and Empowerment (SHE) project in the Philippines, implemented by Oxfam, contributed toward an 18% reduction in unmet needs for family planning services among women between the ages of 20 to 49 years old and a decline in teenage pregnancies in 17 municipalities. As well, in partnership with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Canadian Association of Midwives, the Strengthening Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights through Midwives project in Somalia, where family planning services are seldom available, helped to reduce maternal mortality and increase sexual and reproductive health rights for women and adolescent girls between the ages of 14 to 49 years. Through the project, 250 midwifery students were enrolled in 5 schools in 2021-22.

Canada’s support of $92.5 million to Nutrition International in 2021-22 provided 167 million children with vitamin A, over 890,000 children with zinc and oral rehydration salts, 1 million adolescent girls with weekly iron and folic acid and supported programs to make salt iodization available for up to 490 million people. Canada’s efforts in the area of nutrition also included support to HarvestPlus, through which over 790,000 women were provided with iron- and vitamin A-fortified foods, and over 875,000 farm households (60% headed by women) were provided with zinc, vitamin A and iron-fortified seeds.

Canada continued its efforts to address barriers and to improve access to inclusive, equitable, and quality education for the most marginalized, including girls, children with disabilities, and refugees. Canada invested in urgent action for the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide humanitarian assistance, while maintaining a focus on education and still made progress toward its target to invest 10% of its bilateral assistance in education. Canada’s bilateral investment in education as a percentage of its overall bilateral development assistance in 2021-22 was 7.6%, up from 7.2% in 2020-21.

Canada’s $400-million commitment to the Charlevoix Education Initiative continued to support programming through 55 projects in 2021-22, aiming to remove barriers to quality education and training for over 10 million girls and women in contexts of crisis and conflict. As well, Canada supported national education systems and addressed education in emergencies including through support to Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and an investment of $300 million over 5 years to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). This renewed contribution will support girls’ education and help strengthen education systems in developing countries to achieve equitable and quality education for children worldwide.

Canada’s Together for Learning Campaign was launched in February 2021 to promote quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for refugee, other forcibly displaced and host community children and youth. A key deliverable in the first year of the campaign was the Together for Learning Summit: Engaging Displaced Youth to Transform Education, which took place virtually in March 2022 and where Canada’s Minister of International Development announced $67.2 million in development assistance funding to support education for children and youth affected by forced displacement around the world.

Canada also worked with a variety of partners to support greater inclusion in global education systems. For example, in Somalia, Canada facilitated the attendance, retention and transition to secondary school of 19,000 marginalized girls aged 10 to 19 years (including those with disabilities) in 61 schools. The project also provided cash grants to families and scholarships to more than 1,500 ultra-marginalized, out-of-school girls. As well, through the Inclusive Education for Palestinian Children with Disabilities project, Humanity & Inclusion Canada supported 19 education facilities in the West Bank and Gaza to improve their accessibility, both physical and informational, to include girls and boys with disabilities. Canada also worked with Equal Measures 2030 to support women’s rights organizations in regions of Kenya and Burkina Faso to increase use of quality data to advocate for girls’ equitable access to education and learning.

To support the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, Canada continued to invest in increasing the capacities of local and regional organizations in developing countries. In 2021-22, Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ International Assistance Program supported 6 projects that helped support human rights for 2SLGBTQI+ persons, reaching beneficiaries in 33 countries around the world. In addition, through the Open Data for Development program, Canada helped build the capacity of local organizations and governments to develop and implement policies to address barriers to equality for 2SLGBTQI+ communities, including through enabling the collection of data on violence against 2SLGBTQI+ people in Guatemala. The program also worked with the Open Government Partnership Secretariat to include 2SLGBTQI+-related commitments in the national action plans on open government of several member states, such as Indonesia, Colombia and Ecuador.

Given the significant impacts of climate change and environmental degradation being experienced across the world, Canada continued to play a key role in supporting initiatives addressing climate change and environmental issues. In 2021-22, Canada was the sixth-largest donor to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), contributing $228.79 million for the 2018-2022 GEF-7 period. GEF is an independent financing mechanism that supports developing countries to meet their obligations under 5 multilateral environmental agreements. In 2021-22, Canada announced a 50% increase to its 3-year pledge to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to support its climate-focused work. Canada is a top-10 donor to the IFAD, which finances agricultural and rural development projects in developing countries.

At the 26th UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November 2021, Canada made several announcements that will help developing countries to mitigate climate change as they pursue their development paths and adapt to the impacts of worsening climate change. At the Conference, Canada was a strong advocate for ensuring developing countries are supported in their participation in climate-related forums and in their access to climate finance. In addition to commitments made at COP26, in February 2022, Canada launched a $315-million Partnering for Climate initiative to leverage the expertise, innovative approaches, and resources of organizations and Indigenous peoples in Canada to support climate change adaptation in developing countries, with a focus on nature-based solutions.

Agriculture remains one of the most critical engines of economic growth in many developing countries. Through Canadian support, the livelihoods and food security of millions of individuals were improved in 2021-22. For example, the Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana program provided 4,936,086 smallholder farmers (1,928,034 women) with better access to agricultural services, information, and technologies. This contributed to increased productivity of the major staple crops in Ghana and reduced food insecurity.

In South Sudan, food-for-assets activities increased access to agricultural technologies, tools, land, seeds or services for 118,300 farmers (71,000 women) and helped to address significant food needs and strengthen the resilience of more than 710,000 chronically food-insecure people (382,173 women and 326,827 men) across 49 counties. Due to a significant decrease in the percentage of household income spent on food, families served were able to dedicate more resources toward other expenses such as health and education. In Vietnam, Canada’s development assistance helped increase the competitiveness and productivity of Vietnamese agricultural cooperatives, increasing the cumulative volume of products traded by 3 fruit cooperatives from 27% to 52% between March 2021 and December 2021.

Meeting the needs of women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses is central to Canadian efforts to support inclusive economic growth and advance gender equality. With the support of Canada and other donors, the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) provided women-owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises with access to finance, opening up new markets to help grow their businesses. It also delivered mentoring and training and helped improve the overall environment for women in business by assisting governments in easing legal and regulatory constraints.

FinDev Canada is another key partner and implementer of Canada’s development agenda, particularly women’s economic empowerment and climate action in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. In January 2022, the 2X Canada: Inclusive Economic Recovery facility, a collaboration between FinDev Canada and GAC's International Assistance Innovation Program, made a US$5-million initial investment in the Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund to improve access to clean energy and support women’s economic empowerment in Africa.

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

GAC 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. Canada’s international assistance advanced the rights of women and girls around the world through efforts to improve maternal health, reinforce and protect sexual and reproductive health rights, address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and support women’s rights organizations. Canada’s advocacy for advancing and mainstreaming gender equality with international partners at the UN and throughout the multilateral system remained steadfast. This includes Canada’s engagement with international financial institutions and within the OECD-DAC, where Canada became the chair of its Gender Equality Network, Network on Development Evaluation, and Reference Group on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

In 2021-22, nearly all—99%—of Canada’s bilateral international development assistance either targeted or integrated gender equality results, exceeding the Feminist International Assistance Policy target of 95% by 2022. Canada remained a top donor investing in women’s rights organizations and ending violence against women and girls and, for the third year in a row, Canada was the top bilateral donor for the overall share of aid supporting gender equality. Canada’s overall dollar investment in initiatives that specifically target gender equality results has increased 6-fold since 2015-16. However, the continued need for funding to address the COVID-19 pandemic and increased requirements for humanitarian assistance, notably in Afghanistan, resulted in a lowering of the overall percentage of Canada’s investment that targets gender equality, which was at 10% in 2021-22, below the department’s 15% target.

Canada continued to deliver results for the prevention of and response to SGBV, including through supporting partners to deliver comprehensive services, advance positive social norms, and design and enforce laws and policies. For example, in 2021-22, Canada provided financial and technical support to 20 local women’s rights organizations through the Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) program to provide legal, economic and counselling services to over 3,400 Sri Lankans (over 3,200 women). The Canada-funded Mali Spotlight Programme, implemented by the UNFPA, involved 500,000 women and girls in efforts to break down access barriers to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services and strengthen women’s leadership. It also trained 9,753 service providers and decision makers on SGBV and reproductive health rights. Canada financially supported the UNFPA to enable 2.4 million survivors of gender-based violence to access support services, including through more than 12,000 UNFPA-supported safe spaces in 38 countries. Additionally, through CFLI, GAC supported 79 projects in 2021-22 aimed at promoting and protecting women’s rights by addressing SGBV, including child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

At a Generation Equality Forum event in July 2021, Canada continued its efforts to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through a series of policy commitments and the announcement of $180 million of new international assistance investments. This included $100 million of new support for stand-alone programming in low- and middle-income countries to address inequalities in unpaid and paid care work globally, as well as initiatives to address inequality and discrimination faced by 2SLGBTQI+ communities, advance bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights, support gender-lens investing, strengthen civic education and democracy, and improve gender equality in parliaments and legislatures.

In 2021-22, GAC supported over 1,800 women’s rights organizations and networks. This was achieved in great part through its signature WVL, which supported over 900 women’s rights organizations and networks in over 30 developing countries and regions with flexible funding and capacity building and helped position them to better advocate for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. WVL-supported women’s rights organizations, including 2SLGBTQI+ groups, introduced a number of original solutions to local development issues. For example, the Dhobi Women Network in Kenya developed a phone-based tool to reach survivors of gender-based violence that provides a 1-stop platform for reporting incidents, receiving tele-counselling and finding shelter. A WVL project, in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria, provided $1.1 million in direct funding to 108 women’s rights organizations to strengthen their institutional capacity, pilot innovations and respond to challenging women’s rights issues. In response to reported increases in sexual and gender-based violence during the pandemic, WVL-supported women’s rights organizations have reached over 300,000 people through health messaging and awareness raising and provided protection services to 3,699 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

In 2021-22, CFLI supported 291 projects that were led by women’s rights organizations, which helped to empower women and girls in more than 90 countries. In March 2022, Canada announced $67.5 million in funding for projects that will support women’s leadership, economic opportunities and decision making in all aspects of climate change adaptation, mitigation and sustainable natural resource management. As well, Canada contributed $1.6 million to the InsuResilience Global Partnership’s Centre of Excellence on Gender Smart Solutions (2021-2023) to enhance the implementation of inclusive and gender-transformative approaches to the climate and disaster risk finance and insurance sector.

Reduced suffering and increased human dignity in communities experiencing humanitarian crises

The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine increased the already unprecedented levels of humanitarian need globally and intensified the food security crisis in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in straining of the humanitarian response system. As of March 2022, over 274 million people were reported in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance around the world. In 2020-21, GAC provided over $1.14 billion in humanitarian assistance through UN partners, NGOs, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to assist those affected by armed conflict, other situations of violence and natural disasters around the world. An announcement on April 9, 2022, brought Canada's commitment to $245 million in humanitarian assistance since January 2022 to respond to the increased humanitarian needs in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Canada supplemented this assistance by sending 20 cargo flights with more than 377,000 essential relief items and financed the deployment of humanitarian experts to support the UN and Red Cross responses in Ukraine and the region.

In 2021, Canada provided close to $400 million in international assistance to the World Food Programme (WFP), the majority through humanitarian funding. Canada was the fourth-largest bilateral donor to the WFP, and this support, along with that of other donors, helped the WFP and its partners reach a record 128.2 million food insecure people (68 million women and girls and 60 million men and boys), representing an increase of 11% from 2020. GAC also provided $89.75 million in funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross, whose protection, assistance and international humanitarian law compliance activities addressed pressing humanitarian needs in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen, among others. Additionally, through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Canada’s $94 million in humanitarian assistance in 2021 contributed to assisting and protecting 94.7 million refugees in 135 countries and territories.

GAC’s total humanitarian assistance in 2021 also includes nearly $80 million in support for the Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), one of the most effective tools for providing efficient and timely funding to local actors, as well as $29.4 million to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), one of the fastest and most effective ways to reach people affected by crises who are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Through the CBPFs, US$1.01 billion was allocated to assist 118 million people in 2021, via the engagement of 779 partners. About 27% of this amount was allocated to local and national partners. Through the CERF, a total of US$548 million was allocated in 2021 to support 51.5 million people in 40 countries and territories.

In 2021-22, the Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund, which enables Canada’s Humanitarian Coalition members to respond to smaller-scale, rapid onset crises where there are unmet humanitarian needs, was activated to relieve the suffering of those caught in local disasters. The fund allowed Coalition members to respond to several sudden-onset events, including earthquakes, flooding, tropical storms and volcanic eruptions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sudan, Tonga, and Timor Leste. Through the $2.73 million provided through the fund, support was given to more than 115,000 people in sectors such as emergency food, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection, and shelter.

Acute hunger has been growing steadily worldwide, exacerbated due to factors including economic and supply chain disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased conflict and climate change. In August 2021, Canada provided $130 million to respond to growing global food insecurity. These funds enable partners including the WFP, UNICEF, the UN Country-Based Pooled Funds, the ICRC, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB), and Canadian NGOs to provide cash and in-kind, food and nutrition and other forms of assistance; life-saving integrated nutrition and water; and sanitation and hygiene interventions in 19 countries. In 2021‑22, Canada also allocated $25 million to the CFGB, contributing to stabilizing and/or increasing food consumption. Through projects with the CFGB, food assistance was delivered to 118,252 (63,191 women and 55,061 men) crisis-affected people in 6 countries, and nutrition assistance was delivered to 6,722 (1,136 women, 2,888 girls and 2,698 boys) crisis-affected people.

Canada’s gender-responsive humanitarian action also continued to address the specific needs and priorities of people in vulnerable situations, particularly women and girls. In 2021-22, 98% of Canada’s humanitarian assistance projects integrated gender equality considerations and addressed the specific sexual and reproductive health and rights needs of women and girls in conflict and humanitarian emergencies. For example, through Canada’s support to Ipas, a non-governmental organization, by the end of 2021 over 26,000 contraception services were provided to women and girls across Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This included oral contraceptives, implants, and intrauterine devices to support their sexual and reproductive health needs. Through $19.6 million in support to the United Nations Population Fund in 2021, Canada ensured the availability of essential, life-saving services for women, girls, and vulnerable populations throughout the Middle East region in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence.

Canada continued to provide support to alleviate the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh. For example, a Canada-funded project supporting host communities in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh enhanced the availability of basic obstetric and newborn care services. As a result, 13,013 normal deliveries were conducted by skilled health care providers, 5,671 women received postnatal care, and 18,653 women accessed family planning services. In Myanmar, Canada’s international assistance addressed the increasing needs of at-risk and crisis-affected populations, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the military coup. For example, assistance provided access to health care services to 722,000 vulnerable individuals across Myanmar (525,000 in ethnic majority areas and 197,000 in refugee and migrant communities along the Indian and Thai borders, reaching 50% women in both cases).

Canada continued to provide significant humanitarian support to Syrian refugees, as the conflict in Syria surpassed its 10th year and remained one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world. In 2021-22, Canada provided approximately $29 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria to support over 6.9 million people who have been internally displaced, while also providing $23 million in humanitarian funding in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon to address the needs of over 6.8 million Syrian refugees. With the support of Canada and other donors in 2021, multilateral partners including WPF, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, UNFPA and International Organization for Migration supported over 2.2 million people in the region (mostly refugees) with food assistance, 3.4 million people with primary health care, and 857,000 households with emergency cash assistance.

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Canada significantly increased humanitarian assistance funding in the region and worked with partners to support those still able to deliver programming. Between January and April 2022, Canada helped provide life-saving food assistance to 19.4 million people; treat malnutrition in over 500,000 children under the age of 5; and provide water, sanitation and hygiene services to 3.3 million people in Afghanistan. In February 2022, Canada also dispatched 300 tents from its humanitarian stocks located in Dubai to help Afghan refugees in Tajikistan.

Improved peace and security in countries and regions where Canada engages

Canada continues to demonstrate its commitment to building a more secure world through efforts to advance democratic values and build peace in conflict-affected states. Through collaboration with key partners, the department worked to promote human rights, advance gender equality in peace operations, address threats posed by weapons of mass destruction, and prevent and mitigate terrorism, radicalization to violence and transnational organized crime.

Through the Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion (OHRFI), Canada provided more than $16 million toward programming to promote and protect democracy. Actions to support media freedom and to combat misinformation and online hate continued to be a priority in 2021-22. For example, in March 2022, WITNESS, an NGO, collaborated with the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria to organize a 2-day workshop where local human rights defenders and journalists gathered to share best practices on how to leverage video evidence to expose violations and defend victims of human rights abuses. In Afghanistan, a similar workshop was held for Dari-speaking journalists. As well, a project in Mali funded by GAC’s Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOPs) to combat misinformation led to 14 forums being held involving 764 people (280 women) to allow community members, leaders and local authorities to discuss and respond to false information and hate messages.

Over the past decade, violent conflict has increased, and this reality has been further spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturns and climate change. In 2021-22, PSOPs disbursed $138.9 million toward efforts to promote peace and stability in fragile and conflict-affected states. This included county-specific peacebuilding and stabilization initiatives in countries such as Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, South Sudan and Ukraine.

The department also provided $27.2 million in new development and security programming in the Latin American and Caribbean region to respond to the needs of millions of Venezuelan migrants and refugees and the communities hosting them. This includes new programming to enhance the integration into education systems of Venezuelan refugee and migrant children on the move, especially girls, as well as those experiencing vulnerability in host communities in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Support for women in conflict situations and their key role as agents of peace remained at the heart of Canada’s feminist foreign policy. For example, Canada’s Ambassador for the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda strengthened the implementation of Canada’s National Action Plan on WPS, and provided confidential assessments and advice to ministers. To help ingrain this perspective and approach in a key multilateral institution, GAC deployed a Canadian civilian expert to help NATO produce a new Action Plan on WPS. This Action Plan will advance gender equality and integrate gender perspectives in all that NATO does, including innovation and new technologies and efforts to respond to climate change.

Several other projects also helped countries to improve awareness of the particular impacts of conflict situations on women and the key role women play in conflict prevention and mitigation. For example, in partnership with UN Women, 17 female members of the Moro National Liberation Front in the Philippines were provided with leadership training to increase their skills and knowledge of WPS issues. In Vietnam, 113 government and civil society representatives gained knowledge and understanding on the importance of developing national action plans on WPS to localize the WPS agenda at the national level, which promoted women’s involvement in mediation and peacebuilding processes.

Women’s meaningful participation and training in anti-crime and counterterrorism efforts was also supported through GAC’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program and the Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Program, which employed a gender focus for all projects. For example, in partnership with Lawyers Without Borders Canada [Avocats sans frontières Canada], Canada contributed to the fight against trans-border crimes through 29 specialized training sessions with 3,661 justice and civil society actors (2,639 women) from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The training strengthened participants’ knowledge of international standards and best practices in the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

With support from Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program (WTRP) and other donors, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining assisted 6 countries (including Ukraine) in updating their National Mine Action Standards, which underpin national demining activities. The WTRP also strengthened Kazakhstan’s physical protection measures for nuclear and radiological materials. In 2021, construction was completed on a long-term storage facility for disused sealed radioactive sources at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kazakhstan, which will provide the required capacity to consolidate all such radioactive sources from Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) and neighbouring regions. In 2021, the WTRP also collaborated with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to provide training and molecular diagnostic equipment to Canadian-funded biocontainment laboratories in Accra, Pong-Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. These laboratories continued to be on the front lines of Ghana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and were the first laboratories in the country that were accredited and certified for human COVID-19 testing.

Canada was also active in efforts to mitigate threats and uphold international norms with regard to chemical weapons and nuclear proliferation. For example, in April 2021, Canada contributed an additional $2 million in support of the IAEA’s monitoring and verification of Iran’s nuclear commitments. Also in April 2021, when a report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons concluded that units of the Syrian Arab Air Force used chemical weapons in 2018, Canada (as one of the largest contributors to the organization) along with international partners undertook global advocacy to encourage other countries to hold Syria to account.

To advance the full implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Canada played an active role in the Stockholm Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament, the Vienna Group of 10, and the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative. In response to North Korea’s nuclear proliferation, in 2021, Canada supported the delivery of over 46 workshops and training sessions in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia on the implementation of UN Security Council sanctions resolutions to address North Korea’s proliferation, engaging a total of 5,000 government and private sector experts.

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

In 2021-22, GAC increased its efforts, in collaboration with partners, innovators and governments, to support the development of innovative solutions producing better results and greater impact for the people who need it the most, in particular, the poorest and most vulnerable populations, including women and girls. In 2021-22, 28 innovations were reported as successfully implemented within 15 initiatives/projects. As well, through Grand Challenges Canada in 2021-22, Canada committed $15.9 million to fund innovations in 33 countries to address challenges in humanitarian settings; maternal, newborn and child health; early childhood development; mental health; sanitation; sexual and reproductive health and rights; and safe abortion. For example, this included funding to Projet Jeune Leader Madagascar to develop an integrated and innovative approach to comprehensive sexuality education, and to Fundação Oswaldo Cruz in Brazil and Mozambique to develop a handheld device to measure prematurity at birth.

To strengthen innovation capacity among partners and staff, GAC collaborated with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to develop training on the integration of innovation in international assistance. The training, which integrated the evidence gathered through IDRC’s research on scaling innovation, was piloted with partners in Bolivia. A first round of training for staff was delivered in winter 2022. In addition, GAC advocated for the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA) to formally integrate local actors within its work by launching a network of technical experts, thought leaders and entrepreneurs from the Global South who were seeking to improve development practices, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and promote greater localization to enhance development impact.

By leveraging public engagement in local and international efforts to address global development challenges, Canada is supporting a whole-of-society approach to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and strengthening Canada’s overall contribution to global development. For example, in December 2021, Canada announced the renewal of the Volunteer Cooperation Program with a budget of $418 million over 7 years (2020-27). Thirteen projects with 15 Canadian organizations will provide opportunities for skilled Canadians to participate in Canada’s international development efforts. In addition, through a $23-million initiative to support small and medium-sized Canadian organizations, the department is aiming to engage additional small Canadian organizations to contribute to international assistance efforts.

New approaches to financing remain essential to unlocking the potential of all sectors to contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction. Canada continued to harness public finance and worked with multilateral development banks, climate and environment funds, and bilateral partners to help remove barriers to private investment, such as financial and technical risks. This helped to mobilize investments from the private sector toward developing countries and their priorities. For example, in Colombia, Canada has mobilized almost $20 million from private sector co-financing to leverage the department’s first “payment on results” project to improve productivity and climate resilience of family-owned cacao farms, thereby giving women better access and control over natural and economic resources.

Canada harnessed concessional financing to mobilize private sector financing for climate projects, including through the Renewable Energy in SIDS co-financing program, managed by the Canada-World Bank’s Clean Energy and Forest Climate Facility. This program invested US$7 million in a sustainable electricity service project in Cabo Verde, in addition to US$9 million in public co-financing, which led to the mobilization of US$35 million in private finance of which approximately US$16 million was attributed to Canada in 2021-22. This project is expected to increase the capacity of renewable energy generation by 3.9 MW and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 9,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.

In 2021-22, GAC’s International Assistance Innovation Program committed $161 million in concessional financing to catalyze additional private funding for projects that support the SDGs. This included $100 million to the African Development Bank to support the growth of small and medium-sized agri-food enterprises, as well as a $32-million collaboration with Bamboo Capital and the UN Capital Development Fund, which will attract additional financing for entrepreneurs in least-developed countries. In support of sustainable infrastructure in low-income and low middle-income countries and fragile states in Asia and Africa, GAC provided a $40-million repayable contribution to GuarantCo. In 2021-22, GuarantCo made US$194 million in guarantee commitments for infrastructure projects (e.g. clean energy and green and affordable housing benefiting people in Kenya, Pakistan, Togo, and Vietnam).

Since its inception in 2019, the Equality Fund has granted $14.5 million to 127 women’s rights organizations in developing countries. In 2021-22, the Equality Fund continued to leverage private investments and generate financial returns to support grant making, while contributing to gender equality outcomes. In 2021-22, the allocation of investment returns by the Equality Fund was $6 million, for a total of $10.8 million since 2020-21. During this reporting period, 34 women’s rights organizations in developing countries received grants. In 2021-22, the Equality Fund also launched Activate, a second grant-making stream, and provided grants to 23 women’s funds around the world, which then provided onward grants to local women’s rights organizations. The Equality Fund also launched several gender-lens investment products to influence the social impact investment sector and encourage private investors to mobilize capital in support of gender equality.

The Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in the Americas is another example of creative measures to encourage private sector clients to integrate gender equality considerations into their operations. The Fund uses performance-based incentives, offering a discount rate on loans if private sector clients meet agreed-upon gender targets. For example, in 2021-22, the New Juazeiro Bifacial Solar Power Project in Brazil made efforts to recruit women, including those of African descent, in the construction of a solar park. The project is expected to reach at least 10% female representation in its technical workforce—3 to 4 times greater than the average number of women hired in solar projects in Brazil.

Canada is a founding member and funder of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, a public-private partnership that supports the trade facilitation efforts of developing countries. In 2021, the alliance organized its third innovation sprint, or hackathon, bringing a broad range of disciplines together through events in Rwanda and Morocco to produce ideas to solve tough problems within a very tight time frame.

Testing and experimentation to validate whether existing approaches or innovations are having the desired impact or can produce better results remains a key tool for the department. 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 the effectiveness of our work. GAC’s use of experimentation has continued over recent years, and the department is working to strengthen its institutional and partner capacity to support and encourage experimentation.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for Development, peace and security programming, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2021–22, and the actual results for the 3 most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote vii}.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for development, peace and security programming, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as actual spending for that year.

Actual spending was $1,416.5 million higher than planned spending. The variance (35.3%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• initiatives to help developing countries address the impact of climate change
• supporting access by developing countries to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics (COVID-19)
• supporting the recovery and resilience of developing countries (COVID-19)
• Canada’s Middle East Strategy to address the crises in Iraq and Syria and the impacts on the region
• Strategic Priorities Fund for international assistance
• Canada’s response to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh
• responding to the Venezuelan migrant and refugee crisis
• Global Partnership for Education
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote viii}.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows the human resources in full-time equivalents the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote ix}.

Core responsibility 4: Help for Canadians abroad

Description

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

Results

Ina year of relentless events, a complex international landscape, and the enduring COVID-19 pandemic, GAC continued to provide high-quality bilingual consular and emergency services to Canadians travelling abroad. GAC worked diligently to ensure that Canadians had access to timely and up-to-date information through travel.gc.ca, the department’s travel advice and advisories web page. In collaboration with other federal departments, provincial and territorial governments and local partners, efforts to support the delivery of consular services to vulnerable Canadians were strengthened. The department also worked with allies to provide emergency consular services to Canadians in areas of conflict or danger and led concrete global cooperation against arbitrary detention in support of Canada’s Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations.

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

In order to remain a trusted source of information for Canadians travelling abroad, GAC provided Canadians with almost 8,000 updates last year to its travel advice and advisories web page, including the latest information on local conditions for 230 destinations worldwide. The travel.gc.ca site continued to be among the top 3 most visited Government of Canada sites, with 116 million visits last year. Amplified by social media platforms, visits to travel.gc.ca tripled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising to 24 million visits in 2021.

In 2021-22, GAC completed the first phase of work to update the travel.gc.ca site that aimed to increase accessibility and ensure that Canadians can easily find the information they require, including new standard information on local implementation of child abduction laws, as well as on laws that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ travellers. GAC also launched various targeted advertising campaigns (e.g. aimed at Canadians travelling south for the winter), as well as social media campaigns on thematic and seasonal issues (e.g. travel insurance, fraud and scams, hurricane season, spring break travel).

GAC actively engaged in strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in Canada and abroad to advance consular advocacy and diplomacy on issues affecting Canadians. Domestically, GAC continued active engagement with the travel and tourism industry to provide information and increase awareness of Canada’s consular services. This engagement included information sessions targeting industry partners from across the country with over 400 Canadian participants attending virtually. In addition, GAC engaged with a variety of civil society organizations to identify resources for clients experiencing mental distress. Following the passing of Bill C-4 on January 7, 2022, GAC launched domestic consultations with organizations defending the interests of minors and 2SLGBTQI+ persons to support the drafting of a new consular policy related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression change efforts, also commonly referred to as conversion therapy. After the Province of Quebec introduced new legislation in October 2021 to provide financial and other assistance to residents who have been victims of crime abroad, GAC collaborated with Justice Canada and the Province of Quebec to formalize the implementation of the legislation.

Canada’s engagement with international partners included the Consular Colloque, the Canada-EU Consular Dialogue, and the Global Consular Forum. These unique forums offered Canada opportunities to optimize available resources and benefit from the expertise and geographic reach of a wide array of international partners assembled to discuss consular, diplomatic, security, and emergency management issues. As well, 8 of Canada’s missions undertook 9 targeted consular advocacy initiatives on themes such as arrest and detention, safety of women and children, children and family, mental health and sexual and gender-based violence. For example, in Costa Rica, Canada promoted the safety of women and increased awareness of consular services offered to victims of physical and sexual assault. In Japan, Canada continued to advance parental child abduction issues by hosting a symposium focused on facilitating consular access to abducted children.

Canada continued its advocacy against arbitrary arrest, detention and sentencing in international, bilateral and regional settings. In 2021-22, the global coalition against arbitrary detention continued to grow with 8 new states endorsing the Canada-led Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, bringing the total to 69. To coordinate further action and cooperation on this issue, Canada developed an associated Partnership Action Plan welcomed by G7 foreign and development ministers in May 2021 and by G7 leaders in June 2021. The plan extends this initiative beyond the declaration and proposes a range of voluntary actions that states, organizations and civil society can support to deter and stop the practice of arbitrary arrest, detention or sentencing in state-to-state relations worldwide. As a champion of human rights, the rule of law, and the rules-based international order, Canada will continue to lead on this critical global issue.

Canadians abroad receive timely and appropriate government services

As the global pandemic evolved, GAC continued to deliver consular services in a manner that reflected the needs of Canadians as well as local public health conditions. Consular programs adopted alternative methods of service delivery based on local circumstances, personal safety considerations and security guidelines. In 2021-22, GAC managed almost 119,000 new consular and routine cases, including more than 4,500 cases concerning Canadians who required urgent consular assistance while travelling or residing abroad. In May 2021, GAC launched a new case, contact and emergency management system that supports the delivery of consular services to Canadian citizens around the world. The new system enhances the protection of personal data and provides modernized emergency management functionalities, strengthening the department’s consular responses to help Canadians abroad affected by a crisis.

Through the Emergency Watch and Response Centre, GAC provided 24/7 monitoring of emergency and security events that impacted travelling Canadians. GAC worked tirelessly to provide emergency consular services during international crises such as the events that unfolded in Afghanistan and Ukraine, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic, and worked with allies to facilitate the safe departure of Canadians from areas of conflict or danger. GAC also ensured ongoing and proactive communications through all of its available channels on high profile consular files such as the Initiative Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, and the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

Honorary consuls are a critical part of the network delivering essential services to Canadians abroad, providing consular assistance and support for repatriation in locations where Canada has a limited presence. In 2021-22, the department completed a review of Canada’s network of honorary consuls in sub-Saharan Africa as well as in Central and South America, resulting in 2 new consulates to be opened that will be headed by honorary consuls. The department also strengthened screening of honorary consul candidates and completed a substantial update of guidance provided to missions related to the recruitment and selection of candidates. Significant progress was made toward achieving gender parity in the honorary consul network, with women making up 73% of new appointment recommendations.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for Help for Canadians abroad, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2021–22, and the actual results for the 3 most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote x}.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for help for Canadians abroad, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as actual spending for that year.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote xi}.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows the human resources in full-time equivalents the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote xii}.

Core responsibility 5: Support for Canada’s presence abroad

Description

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

Results

Canada’s presence abroad continued to be essential in serving Canadians, including helping Canadian businesses to reach global markets, advancing Canadian values and priorities through diplomacy, and improving the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable around the world through Canadian international assistance. To better support its workforce abroad, GAC modernized its collaboration capabilities and continues to update its information technology infrastructure and service delivery. The department also made advancements in key areas such as sustainable infrastructure, the greening of operations and strengthening the security of its personnel and assets.

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

Canada’s missions abroad support the priorities and employees of 21 federal departments located at missions, and GAC is responsible for coordinating the common services that support them all, along with 9 provincial governments and organizations and 6 foreign co-locators. In 2021-22, the department adopted an integrated approach to supply chain management and improved the common services cost recovery framework to ensure that Canada’s objectives are attained in a way that is seamless and cost-effective. This led to more efficient resource management, greater engagement with clients and common service providers, and additional transparency. It also allowed for updates to the allowances under the Foreign Service Directives (FSDs)^{Footnote 3}. In further support of responsible asset management and the long-term sustainability of Canada’s missions abroad, mission portfolio plans were used to inform decision making, guide investments prioritization, and help identify long-term funding requirements.

GAC’s strength is in its people. Locally engaged staff (LES) are members of Canada’s network of missions abroad and are vital to the delivery of services to Canadians as they make up more than 81% of all GAC staff working abroad and 41% of the department’s workforce. As part of the LES program reform, GAC improved and streamlined the design and the delivery of LES benefits. In June 2021, GAC launched the Benefits Modernization Initiative as a result of its consultations with LES and other key partners. This initiative will ensure that a consistent framework is used to determine the level of coverage for LES benefits.

The need for digitally enabled and modern services has never been greater. However, their implementation is complex across Canada’s range of missions, all of which have unique local infrastructure limitations and security environments. Nevertheless, progress was made on the modernization of GAC’s IT service delivery and network infrastructure across the world to increase the capabilities and productivity of the department’s workforce, in alignment with the department’s Digital Strategy. In 2021-22, investments were made to improve the resiliency of its digital infrastructure across missions, while supporting a transition toward a new hybrid work model. GAC tripled its bandwidth and continued the global deployment of Wi-Fi at 78 mission sites. The department also improved the On-Net Wi-Fi capabilities at 46 mission sites, which provides greater security and improved access to GAC’s computer network via Wi-Fi. GAC also implemented solutions to improve collaboration, productivity and enable greater digitalization.

In preparation for the Global Common Services Forum held in Germany in November 2021, GAC developed an application to promote collaboration between other ministries of foreign affairs. The application included features such as maps and participants’ biographies, which promoted networking during the event and reduced the need for printing. The success of this application will influence future collaborative meetings since the technology can be leveraged and adapted.

The ability of the department’s employees at mission and headquarters to work productively in the ever-changing pandemic context was transformed through new cloud-enabled IT functionalities that enable work in or out of the office, as well as on mobile devices. Productivity was also greatly enhanced through the implementation of advanced analytics tools, including Spectrum 2.0 and the Virtual Library, to empower staff to leverage data and library services to inform decision making and conduct research. For example, these advancements, which also include an enhanced ability to build data-rich reports, were used to support resettlement of Afghans to Canada. The implementation of a client relationship management tool for the Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Service similarly transformed the way programs deliver services.

In line with the Sustainable Development Strategic Framework for Canada’s Missions Abroad, the department remains on track to deliver demonstrable results in greening its missions abroad. In 2021-22, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, was the first to receive certification as a zero carbon building. GAC is also moving forward with greening its domestic operations. The department acquired a Canadian-made all-electric Lion8 heavy-duty truck as part of GAC’s domestic fleet. The vehicle will be used to transport goods and equipment intended for the mission network and will contribute directly to reducing transportation-related greenhouse emissions.

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to strain operations abroad by triggering travel restrictions and reducing delivery capacity. Given that each mission was affected to a different degree by the pandemic, the department implemented a Mission Capacity Assessment Tool to ensure missions have the resources to maintain operations. The tool allowed the department to maintain oversight of resources, identify gaps and implement solutions to address these issues.

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

In line with GAC’s Global Security Framework and the 5-year Departmental Security Investment Plan, the department strengthened the safety and security of its people, information and assets abroad through several strategies and initiatives, including new training. For example, mandatory security training for Canada-based staff and dependents posted to high and critical threat environments was moved online in response to the pandemic, with 49 sessions delivered and 750 people trained in 2021‑22. Hazardous environment training was delivered through 15 in-person sessions to 212 people with an additional 84 people completing the course online. The Regional Emergency Management Office training program was modernized and saw 1,331 employees participate in 62 separate emergency management-focused trainings or exercises.

Conducting inspections and assessments has been a challenge throughout the pandemic, primarily due to travel and procurement issues. However, in 2021-22, the department conducted seismic assessments on several chanceries and official residences located in high seismic activity zones. GAC finalized 6 studies, bringing the Seismic Assessments Program to 62% completion. Inspections on 62 new armoured vehicles were also carried out to ensure they meet departmental standards. Given travel limitations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, these inspections were first conducted remotely and then followed by on-site assessments.

Notwithstanding the pandemic and its impacts, the department continued to deliver on its environmental compliance program by providing recommendations to missions on ventilation and indoor air quality. In 2021-22, the department completed 8 indoor air quality screenings at missions, while piloting and subsequently procuring new upgraded monitoring equipment. In response to the pandemic and despite challenging market conditions, the department also successfully sourced and shipped 9,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses and millions of units of various infection protection supplies (e.g. masks, hand sanitizer, gloves) for staff at missions and headquarters and provided recommendations on disinfection and cleaning to missions. Additionally, the capacity for medical evacuations of our staff and their dependents abroad was maintained during the challenging conditions of the pandemic.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for Support for Canada’s presence abroad, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2021–22, and the actual results for the 3 most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote xiii}.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for support for Canada’s presence abroad, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as actual spending for that year.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote xiv}.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows the human resources in full‑time equivalents the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote xv}.

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 refer 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
• materiel management services
• management and oversight services
• real property management services

Results

The effective and efficient operation of the department’s internal services in 2021-22 was foundational to the achievement of its overall mandate and results. The department’s activities related to internal services included:

1. Fostering an ethical, respectful, diverse, inclusive, healthy and resilient workplace for all employees

GAC management recognizes the cumulative and negative impact that systemic racism and racial discrimination can have on employees’ mental health, emotional well-being and sense of belonging to the department. In 2021-22, GAC launched a multi-year Anti-racism Strategy and Action Plan (2021-2026) with the vision of making the department an equitable and inclusive organization, at home and abroad, that reflects Canada’s culturally diverse society.

In 2021-22, GAC’s Anti-racism Secretariat began implementing key initiatives of its anti-racism strategy. Important achievements include establishing the Deputy Ministers Advisory Committee on Anti-racism to provide feedback and advice to deputy ministers on proposed actions to end systemic racism in the department, implementing the first Annual Employee Anti-Racism Survey, launching the Deputy Ministers’ Pilot Sponsorship Program, and delivering anti-racism training for executives at GAC. An interdepartmental discussion forum was also established at the Deputy Minister level with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Justice Canada and the Department of National Defence (DND) to help ensure alignment in implementing systemic changes throughout the public service.

At a broader level, the department’s Inspection, Integrity and Values & Ethics Bureau continued its efforts to raise awareness and knowledge on the part of management and employees on issues of mental health and well-being. In 2021-22, the bureau conducted 287 group sessions, which included 8,518 participants. The sessions featured topics for managers, teams, and individual employees, each focusing on psychological health and safety. Moreover, in 2021, GAC established a dedicated unit to manage the harassment and violence prevention program. As part of its focus on prevention, GAC continues to ensure compliance of the Canada Labour Code (Bill C-65) including the implementation of associated policy instruments, the timely delivery of mandatory training and complementary outreach activities, as well as the dissemination of promotional materials for employees at headquarters and abroad.

GAC’s Action Plan on Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples (2021-2025) was launched in June 2021. The Action Plan was developed in consultation with the Indigenous Peoples Network at GAC and more than 35 divisions across the department. It builds on pre-existing initiatives and provides a framework to guide the department’s efforts to advance the rights, perspectives and prosperity of Indigenous peoples in Canada and around the world.

In 2021-22, GAC made progress on supporting its staff to continue to adapt to the uncertainty created by the pandemic and to begin a transition back to working from the office, in a manner that recognizes the diverse needs of employee groups at GAC. The Future of Work hybrid model that was developed creates a space to recognize the various challenges experienced by some groups and provides tools for managers to support employees in the transition to a hybrid workforce.

2. Ensuring the safety and security of employees at headquarters and abroad

In 2021-22, GAC continued to prioritize the safety and security of its employees at headquarters and abroad. Through the implementation of a new hybrid work model both in Canada and at missions abroad, employees had the option to work remotely or in the office (where possible). At the same time, the department ensured that facilities and infrastructure were adequate to support employees who wanted to return to the office. The department’s COVID-19 mitigation measures protected the physical and psychological health and safety of employees who worked remotely or in the office.

3. Driving digital adoption and leveraging data and technology to enable a culture of flexibility, collaboration, transparency and innovation

The department’s Data Strategy Framework supported evidence-based decision making and advanced digital adoption across its international network. The department increased its data analysis and visualization capacity with the rollout of PowerBI and associated trainings. GAC also launched a data support service in February 2021, which provides advice and information on data-related issues. This service also includes an “ask-me-anything” function, connecting data users with the tools, processes and expertise they require. In 2021-22, the Canadian Foreign Service Institute conducted a review of its curriculum with the goal of improving data training and fostering greater appreciation of how data can support decision making at all levels and across the department’s various business lines. To inform the way forward for the Future of Work hybrid workforce at GAC, the department leveraged data from employee surveys, entry statistics, and position assessments to inform decision making and communicated results from these sources to employees in the spirit of transparency.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for internal services, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as spending for that year.

Actual spending was $35.1 million higher than planned spending. The variance (+12.7%) is attributable to additional funding received for:

• pressures funded by operating and capital budget carry forward from the previous year
• renovation of 125 Sussex Drive project
• retroactive collective bargaining obligations and other compensation adjustments
• government advertising programs

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows the human resources in fulltime equivalents the department needed to carry out its internal services for 2021–22.

Spending and human resources

Spending

Spending 2018–19 to 2023–24

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory spending) over time.

The graph above presents the department’s spending trend from 2019-20 to 2024-25, divided into 2 spending categories: voted spending (blue), which is provided by Parliament to support program delivery and for managing the department’s resources, and statutory spending (red), for expenditures mandated by legislative regulations.

From 2019-20 to 2020-21, an increase of $2.2 billion in actual spending is attributable to additional funding that includes the following:

• pandemic responses related to COVID-19 and consular assistance pursuant to the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act
• funding to support Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• funding of initiatives to help developing countries address the impact of climate change
• adjustment to increase the amount for the international financial institutions capital subscriptions
• funding of the Export Diversification Strategy
• funding to protect our people at Canadian missions abroad (i.e. duty of care)

These increases were offset by sunset funding such as the administration of new free trade agreement measures, steel safeguards and the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health—Gavi, which ended on March 31, 2020, as well as the decreased actual spending in 2020-21 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 2020-21 to 2021-22, a decrease of $1.3 billion in actual spending is attributable to the following initiatives for which the funding decreased:

• pandemic responses related to COVID-19 and consular assistance pursuant to the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act
• funding of Canada’s Middle East Strategy to address the crises in Iraq and Syria and the impacts on the region
• funding to support Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• funding of initiatives to help developing countries address the impact of climate change
• funding for the Renewed Approach to Canada’s Development Assistance and Security Sector Support to Afghanistan
• funding for the Export Import Controls System project

These decreases were offset by the following increases:

• adjustment to increase the amount for the international financial institutions capital subscriptions
• funding of the Strategic Priorities Fund for international assistance
• funding for Canada’s response to crises abroad
• funding of the Global Partnership for Education
• funding to protect our people at Canadian missions abroad (i.e. duty of care)

GAC’s spending profile varies from $8.1 billion in 2021-22 to $7.54 billion in 2022-23. A decrease of $661 million is mainly attributable to the following initiatives that are planned to sunset or decrease in their authorities between 2021-22 and 2024-25:

• 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, 2022)
• initiatives to help developing countries address the impact of climate change
• Canada’s Middle East Strategy to address the crises in Iraq and Syria and the impacts on the region (funding ended on March 31, 2022)

These decreases were offset by the following increases in funding:

• International Assistance Envelope aligned to Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• funding to protect our people at Canadian missions abroad (i.e. duty of care)

From 2022-23 to 2024-25, GAC’s planned spending profile is stable at $7.4 billion.

Budgetary performance summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The “Budgetary performance summary for core responsibilities and internal services” table presents the budgetary financial resources allocated for GAC’s core responsibilities and for internal services.

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 $1.8 billion between planned spending ($6.7 billion) and total authorities ($8.5 billion) in 2021-22 is related to the supplementary funding received during the fiscal year including:

• funding of COVID-19 pandemic response
• funding of initiatives to help developing countries address the impact of climate change
• funding for Canada’s Middle East Strategy to address the crises in Iraq and Syria and the impacts on the region
• funding for the Strategic Priorities Fund for international assistance
• funding for Canada’s response to crises abroad
• funding for the Global Partnership for Education
• funding to support security and operations at Canada’s mission in Kabul, Afghanistan
• funding to protect our people at Canadian missions abroad (i.e. duty of care)

Human resources

The “Human resources summary for core responsibilities and internal services” table presents the full-time equivalents (FTEs) allocated to each of GAC’s core responsibilities and to internal services.

Human resources summary for core responsibilities and internal services

From FY 2019-20 to FY 2023-24, the total number of FTEs at GAC to deliver new funded programs and initiatives in support of the department’s mandate and priorities has increased by 499 (up 4%).

In 2021-22, the actual number of FTEs (12,309) is reduced from the planned FTEs (12,503) by 194 due to the challenges and delays in planned staffing throughout the year related to the COVID-19 pandemic response.

The variance between 2021-22 and 2023-24 reflects the anticipated full-time equivalents for newly funded initiatives as well as sunset initiatives. The newly funded initiatives include protecting our people at Canadian missions abroad (duty of care); the Export Diversification Strategy; initiatives to help developing countries address the impact of climate change; and Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy.

Full-time equivalents for these new initiatives are offset by sunset initiatives such as the COVID-19 pandemic response and Canada’s Middle East Strategy to address the crises in Iraq and Syria and the impacts on the region.

Expenditures by vote

For information on GAC’s organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2021^{Footnote xvi}.

Government of Canada spending and activities

Information on the alignment of GAC’s spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote xvii}.

Financial statements and financial statements highlights

Financial statements

GAC’s financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2022, are available on the departmental website.

Financial statement highlights

The financial statements highlights presented within this Departmental Results Report are intended to serve as a general overview of GAC’s (the ‘’department’s’’) financial position and operations. The department’s financial statements (unaudited) are prepared in accordance with accrual accounting principles. The department’s financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2022, can be found on the web page of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer^{Footnote xviii}.

The tables below illustrate the ending balances as of March 31, 2022, 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, 2022 (dollars)

The 2021-22 planned results are provided in the Department’s Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2021-2022^{Footnote xix}.

Expenses

The department’s total expenses decreased by $640 million or 8% compared to 2020‑21, which is mostly explained by the following:

• decrease of $883 million in transfer payments as less funding was sent to countries in response to the pandemic compared to the previous year
• increase of $243 million in operating expenses primarily due to the department facilitating a transfer of medical equipment and medicines on behalf of the Public Health Agency of Canada to the Indian Red Cross Society

The department’s total expenses exceed planned results by $1,085 million or 17%, which is mostly explained by the following:

• Additional authorities were approved by Parliament late in the fiscal year (Supplementary Estimates B & C) to support developing countries’ access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, to support the recovery and resilience of developing countries (COVID-19), and to help developing countries address the impact of climate change. These new authorities translated into additional expenses that were not considered in the determination of the planned results.
• The remainder of the variance is explained by differences resulting from estimates and assumptions used for the preparation of the future-oriented statement of operations compared to actual results.

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

Revenues

The department’s total revenue increased by approximately $2 million or 5% compared to 2020-21 due to an increase in the sales of goods and services and revenues collected on behalf of the government, partly offset by a decrease in foreign exchange unrealized gain and interest adjustments on loans to developing countries made this fiscal year.

The department’s total revenues exceed planned results by approximately $1 million or 3%, which is fairly consistent with planned results, while the variance is explained by differences resulting from estimates and assumptions used for the preparation of the future-oriented statement of operations compared to actual results.

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

Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of March 31, 2022 (dollars)

The 2021-22 planned results are provided in the Department’s Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2021-2022^{Footnote xx}.

Liabilities

The department’s total liabilities decreased by $659 million or 23% compared to 2020‑21, which is mostly explained by a decrease of $716 million in accounts payable to third parties for the payment of grants and contributions, as many payables were recorded in the prior year to account for specific funding provided for the pandemic.

Assets

The department’s total assets (includes financial and non-financial assets) decreased by $663 million or 15% compared to 2020-21, which is mostly explained by a decrease of $716 million in the due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) as this amount was required in the prior year to account for the increase in accounts payable.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate ministers: Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development; and Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada.

Institutional head: David Morrison, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Rob Stewart, Deputy Minister of International Trade; Christopher MacLennan, 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^{Footnote xxi}.

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” is available on Global Affairs Canada’s website.

For more information on the department’s organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Ministers’ mandate letters.

Operating context

In 2021-22, the department faced multiple challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Together these events influenced many of the department’s activities and contributed to heightened instability in international affairs.

After the significant uncertainty of the first year of the pandemic, much of the world sought to chart recovery paths back to more normal economic activity, travel, diplomacy, and daily life. Despite widespread optimism associated with the gradual rollout of effective vaccines across the globe, the immense impact of the pandemic on poverty, inequality and divergent economic recovery efforts continued to dominate the global agenda.

While the pandemic has not upended the rules-based international system, it has accelerated several existing trends, including a sharpening of great power competition, the continued rise of authoritarianism and reactionary populism, deepening inequality within and across countries, and the rapid evolution of the role of technology and those who develop and deploy it. The actions of a new and more internationalist administration in the United States provided a boost to multilateral efforts on a range of issues at a moment when the system of agreed international laws and institutions that govern inter-state behaviour are under strain.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was a global shock, with wide-ranging implications for international security, the global economy, and the rules-based international system. While other conflicts continue to cause massive human suffering, the full invasion of a state by a great power quickly propelled dramatic reappraisals of foreign, security and defence policies by many countries. At the same time, the invasion highlighted the growing threat and increased use of state-sponsored disinformation and malicious cyber activity in international relations. This has catalyzed deeper cooperation among Canada’s allies and like-minded partners.

The war in Ukraine has also highlighted the world’s long-term and collective dependence on fossil fuels and continues to emphasize the importance of coordinated efforts to strengthen policies and investments toward long-term energy security, which includes the transition to clean and renewable energy sources. This transition is not only a matter of accelerating our response to climate change, but a question of reducing strategic dependencies.

Throughout this complex year, efforts to advance and protect human rights, gender equality and democratic institutions faced serious obstacles. For 2021, Freedom House recorded the 16th consecutive year of overall decline in democracy around the world. Segments of the population in many countries feel excluded from decision making or economic opportunities. In some liberal democracies, political polarization has increased the visibility of narratives questioning the integrity of democratic institutions. At the same time, a deliberate anti-human rights and gender equality backlash is targeting feminist movements and women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights and the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ persons.

The pandemic’s impact cut across multiple facets of global trade, including manufacturing, imports/exports, logistics, compliance, and supply chain management. These disruptions have encouraged states to review their exposure to global risks and the resilience of key supply chains, notably for critical minerals, bio-manufacturing (pharmaceuticals, vaccines), food and high-tech products and services. Two major challenges were the ongoing digital and technological transformation and the shift toward a greener global economy. These developments offered new socio-economic opportunities and partnerships, but also generated significant geopolitical challenges and disruptions.

With divergent recoveries under way in 2021-22, the evolving pandemic continued to affect recovery efforts. Expectations for global growth were revised downward because of the Omicron variant, persistent supply chain issues, rising inflation, and conflict. The pandemic and the economic trends it accelerated contributed to increasing poverty, inequality and food insecurity—reversing decades of progress in development gains and leading to an additional estimated 75 to 95 million people living in extreme poverty in 2022. This held especially true for women, youth and marginalized communities, who faced disproportionate impacts with lockdowns and social isolation leading to increased sexual and gender-based violence.

Developing countries are now confronted with a triple-crisis: food insecurity, energy insecurity and increasingly unsustainable debt. These complex and interconnected development challenges have required coordinated responses among a growing number of actors; consideration of innovative approaches, financing mechanisms and partnerships; and improved synergies between development, humanitarian, peace and security, and trade actors.

Meanwhile, the severe impacts of global warming in 2021-22 highlighted the importance of implementing climate commitments. Climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation represent not only existential threats in their own right, they are also catalysts for instability, conflict, famine and pandemics. Extreme weather events and water shortages are affecting long-term development gains, impacting vulnerable communities who struggle to build resilience to the impacts of changing weather patterns on their homes and businesses. Global efforts to address the climate crisis have been hampered by governments’ prioritization of pandemic response, food security, and hard security crises.

The most pressing issues of our time—climate change, the COVID-19 crisis, food insecurity, the new dynamics brought by the digital world—are not bound by the borders of our countries and therefore will not be solved without global cooperation. As Canada confronts an increasingly complex and contested global landscape, the strong foundations of Canadian foreign policy become ever more important: a feminist approach shaped by Canadian interests and values, in cooperation with close allies and diverse partners, to advance global peace and prosperity. Canada recognizes that people around the world all benefit from peace and stability and have a common interest in having an effective rules-based international system working toward those ends.

Information on the operating context is available on Global Affairs Canada’s website.

Key risks in 2021-22

GAC developed a new Enterprise Risk Management Strategy that includes the identification, management and monitoring of the top strategic risks for the department. Strategic risks are those that are cross-cutting to the department’s mandate and that could jeopardize multiple objectives if they were to occur. The strategic risks for 2021-22 are related to (1) health, safety and well-being, (2) digital transformation, (3) cyber/digital security, (4) human resources capacity, and (5) real property and assets.

These areas of focus enabled the department to promote the sound management of employees, 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. Fiscal year 2021-22 was the first year of implementation of the Enterprise Risk Management Strategy, and monitoring the effectiveness of the risk responses was a challenge. Going forward, the department will monitor its risk responses on a semi-annual basis and will review its top risks on a 2-year cycle.

Risk 1—Health, safety and well-being

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

This risk links to all Core Responsibilities.

Risk 2—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 rethink 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.

This risk links to all Core Responsibilities.

Risk 3—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 cyberthreats. GAC continued to work with inter-departmental partners that have a cybersecurity mandate to improve its understanding of these evolving threats and vulnerabilities and to respond to them, particularly in the context of remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This risk links to all Core Responsibilities.

Risk 4—Human resources capacity

The sudden shift to remote working arrangements during the pandemic forced employees and managers to adapt workloads to align with realities. It also delayed staffing and assignment processes. Similar challenges and constraints persist, which call for increased planning, calibration and communication across the department. To address this challenge, the department continued to advance key workforce initiatives including a rotational pool staffing strategy and the demobilization of current term employees and clarification of an approach to manage this.

This risk links to all Core Responsibilities.

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 involves complex challenges related to shifting local security concerns, fluctuating foreign currency, and varying standards in numerous 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, global supply chain disruptions and limited access to professional services during the pandemic continued to impact the delivery of real property projects.

This risk links to Core Responsibility 5: Support for Canada’s presence abroad.

Reporting framework

GAC’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2021–22 are shown below.

Departmental Results Framework

Supporting information on the program inventory

Financial, human resources and performance information for GAC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase^{Footnote xxii}.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on GAC’s website^{Footnote xxiii}:

• Reporting on Green Procurement
• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Response to parliamentary committees and external audits
• United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

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^{Footnote xxiv}. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

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^{Footnote xxv}

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^{Footnote xxvi}

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^{Footnote xxvii}

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

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
^{Footnote xxix}

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^{Footnote xxx}

Invest in Canada
www.investcanada.ca^{Footnote xxxi}

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 3‑year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (ministérielle priorité)

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

An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives; and understand how factors such as sex, race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic conditions, geography, culture and disability, impact experiences and outcomes, and can affect access to and experience of government programs.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2021–22 Departmental Results Report, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2020 Speech from the Throne, namely: Protecting Canadians from COVID-19; Helping Canadians through the pandemic; Building back better – a resiliency agenda for the middle class; The Canada we’re fighting for.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where 2 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.