2023-24 Departmental Plan - Operating Context

Canada’s natural resources, consisting of energy, minerals and metals, and renewable forest products, serve as a source of clean jobs, prosperity and opportunity for all Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

With a strong base in science and research, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) will lead and encourage the sustainable development and use of Canada’s natural resources through evidence-based policies, programs, innovative research and by engaging with international and domestic partners, including Indigenous peoples. In pursuit of Canada’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050, the Department will work with provinces and territories to identify and accelerate opportunities to transform traditional resource industries and advance emerging ones sustainably; work with Canadians to decarbonize our electricity systems; adopt clean energy and make our homes and industries energy efficient; support the development of a sustainable critical minerals and battery ecosystem; invest in the production, distribution and use of clean fuels and energy locally and globally; and increase the availability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on highways and within municipalities. In addition, engagements with international partners will improve market access and competitiveness of natural resources.

Nature-based solutions and climate change adaptation measures support strategies for communities to proactively counter the effects of natural and human induced hazards will remain central to NRCan’s efforts at mitigating the effects of climate change in 2023-24 and beyond.

The principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) will remain pivotal in our collaborations with stakeholders. Using Gender-based Analysis Plus tools in our work, NRCan will consider the impacts of our decisions on underrepresented, marginalized and vulnerable groups and ensure that concrete IDEA measures are embedded in policy and program design. Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples will be advanced by supporting implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the development a new national benefits-sharing framework to ensure communities benefit from major resource projects.

The focus of our internal operations for 2023-24 will be on the Future of #OurNRCan, that is transitioning to a hybrid work environment, the wellness and wellbeing of all our employees and our digital transformation, including the protection of our cyber space and the use of artificial intelligence in what we do.