Natural Resources Canada 2024-25 Departmental plan

On this page

• From the Minister
• Natural Resource Canada’s 2024-25 Plans at a glance
  • Key priorities
  • Refocusing government spending
  • Highlights
• Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services
  • Natural Resource Science and Risk Mitigation
  • Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development
  • Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors
  • Internal services
• Planned spending and human resources
  • Spending
  • Funding
  • Consolidated Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
  • Human resources
• Corporate information
  • Organizational profile
  • Organizational contact information
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Appendix: definitions

From the Minister

Last year, Canada experienced the most destructive wildfire season in its history. Such extreme weather events are, of course, largely caused by our changing climate. This wildfire season was instructive — it shows us what the future will look like if we fail to effectively tackle climate change.

Climate change is an existential threat to the future of the human race — a threat that has exposed the vulnerability and interconnectedness of our global environmental and our economic landscape.

But beyond its increasingly severe impacts on our environment, climate change is also rapidly transforming the global economy and global finance in ways that are creating economic opportunities for those who approach the transition to a low-carbon future in a thoughtful, determined and strategic manner.

The global energy transformation that is already well underway is both an environmental imperative to protect the planet for future generations and an economic opportunity on a scale similar to the industrial revolution.

The energy transition is being fuelled by financial markets that are increasingly playing a role in the shift to a low-carbon future through their investment decisions.

Governments around the world — friends and competitors — are also increasingly acting. This response is something that must be a wake-up call for those in western countries who continue to pretend that future prosperity lies in simply pursuing pathways that the energy transition is fundamentally disrupting as we speak.

But another path is open to us. To effectively seize the emerging economic opportunities associated with the transition to a net-zero future, countries must approach this transition in a thoughtful, strategic and collaborative manner.

In Canada, we have developed a comprehensive approach to addressing carbon emissions while also looking to seize the enormous opportunities that will come through the development of a low-carbon economy. In the same vein, Canadians need clean power to ensure our country reaches its climate objectives. For NRCan, this approach means continuing momentum on several fronts, including Canada’s Small Modular Reactor Action Plan, Canada’s Hydrogen Strategy, Canada’s Carbon Management Strategy, the Energy Efficiency Program and the Clean Fuels Fund, to name a few. It means continuing efforts for zero-emissions vehicles adoption and infrastructure deployment across Canada, while simultaneously making progress under the Critical Minerals Strategy and investing across the critical minerals value chain. It means supporting Canadians using oil furnaces to make the switch to electric heat pumps; unlocking the offshore wind industry through Bill C-49; implementing a national approach for home energy labelling; building greener, affordable homes; and so much more.

The Sustainable Job Act introduced by this government will be critical in supporting workers and their communities in the shift to a low-carbon economy and will ensure transparency, accountability and ongoing engagement with Canadians across every region of the country. For all of these ambitious efforts, NRCan will continue to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships with the provinces and territories — critically, the Regional Energy and Resource Tables to identify significant economic opportunities within the unique contexts of each province and territory.

We know that it is not enough simply to mitigate the impacts of climate change. We must also work to adapt to those impacts that are already occurring — increasingly severe weather events like flooding, wildfires, storms and more. That’s why last year we released Canada’s first-ever National Adaptation Strategy and Adaptation Action Plan. Looking ahead, NRCan’s efforts toward climate change mitigation will be focused primarily on fires and on northern and coastal communities’ adaptation. These efforts include complete crucial flood hazard mapping; working with communities and Indigenous Peoples on sea-level rise, coastal erosion and localized permafrost melt; and commitments and funding toward resiliency against wildfires, including making progress to achieve our commitment to train 1,000 wildfire fighters. Additionally, continued work to achieve our goal of planting two billion trees over 10 years will ensure increased protection and rehabilitation for valuable ecosystems and increased climate resilience in our communities.

All of these measures must also be informed by the overarching principles of reconciliation. The Government of Canada has an obligation — and is committed — to the advancement of reconciliation across this country. This objective very much includes economic reconciliation, especially in the natural resources space. Through a variety of initiatives — but especially work being undertaken to establish an Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program as well as a National Benefits Sharing Framework — we are working to ensure that Indigenous peoples have access to capital to be active participants in major projects, and we will ensure that long-term, sustainable benefits will flow from projects that take place on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples.

This is a matter of social justice, but it is also required if we are to better align interests with respect to project development moving forward. We must work to ensure that economic participation and long-term benefits flow to Indigenous communities from natural resources and resource-enabled projects.

I am looking forward to the possibilities and the opportunities on the horizon in 2024 and 2025 — opportunities driven by the hard work and dedication of NRCan team members across the country.

Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibilities and internal services:

• Natural Resources Science and Risk Mitigation
• Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development
• Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors
• Internal services

Natural Resources Science and Risk Mitigation

In this section

• Description
• Quality of life impacts
• Results and targets
• Plans to achieve results
• Key risks
• Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25
• Related government priorities
• Program inventory

Description

Lead foundational science and share expertise for managing Canada’s natural resources, reducing the impacts of climate change and mitigating risks from natural disasters and explosives.

Quality of life impacts

This core responsibility contributes to the Environment domain of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada, through all of the activities mentioned in the core responsibility description.

• NRCan will contribute to the Climate change adaptation indicator from the Quality of Life Framework by supporting the Canada National Adaptation Strategy to increase climate change resiliency in natural resources sectors and in the communities.
• Additionally, NRCan will also contribute to the Natural disasters and emergencies indicator in the Framework by providing information and data to decision makers to understand and reduce hazards and risk (for example, satellite imagery and near real-time mapping information will enable responses to flooding and other natural disasters.)

Results and targets

The following tables show, for each departmental result related to Natural Resources Science and Risk Mitigation, the indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024–25.

Table 1: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result Canadians have access to cutting-edge research to inform decisions on the management of natural resources.

Indicator	2020–2021 result	2021–2022 result	2022–2023 result	Target	Date to achieve
Number of times scientific products related to natural resources are accessed by Canadians	482,745	504,242	327,180Footnote 1	At least 320,000	March 31, 2025
Percentage of environmental impact assessments demonstrating use of scientific and technical advice provided by NRCan	100%	100%	100%	100%	March 31, 2025
Percentage of science publications authored by NRCan available on Open Access	Not available	Not available	Not available	50% (SCOPUS data source) 100% (NRCan Open institutional repository date source)	March 31, 2024 (SCOPUS data source) March 31, 2025 (NRCan Open institutional repository date source)
Number of times stakeholders acknowledge using NRCan’s scientific and technical products in making their decisions	30,974	36,211	44,576	At least 30,250	March 31, 2025
Number of NRCan agreements that recognize data and/or information derived from an Indigenous Knowledge source and is used to inform NRCan science and/or research	Not available	5	18Footnote 2	At least 8	March 31, 2025
Percentage of foundational geospatial data that is current	21%	31%	80%	At least 80%	March 31, 2025

Table 2: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result Communities and officials have the tools to safeguard Canadians from natural hazards and explosives.

Indicator	2020–2021 result	2021–2022 result	2022–2023 result	Target	Date to achieve
Percentage of hazardous natural events within Canada for which a notification was issued in a timely manner	100%	100%	100%	At least 100%	March 31, 2025
Percentage of emergency geomatics services provided to Canadians in a timely manner to assist during floods	100%	100%	100%	At least 100%	March 31, 2025
Percentage uptime of the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System during the wildfire season	97%	97%	99.5%	At least 97%	March 31, 2025
Percentage of inspections of explosives sites rated safeFootnote 3	73%	74%	77%	At least 70%	March 31, 2025

Table 3: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result communities and industries are adapting to climate change.

Indicator	2020–2021 result	2021–2022 result	2022–2023 result	Target	Date to achieve
Number of times NRCan products and expertise on adaptation are accessed by Canadians	25,858	26,814	21,841Footnote 4	At least 34,000	March 31, 2025
Percentage of Canadian communities and industries that have taken steps to adapt to climate change	57% for communities 32% for businesses (from 2018 survey)	57% for communities 32% for businesses (from 2018 survey)	64% for communities (from 2022 survey) 45% for businesses (from 2022 survey)	At least 65% for communities At least 45% for businesses	March 31, 2027

The financial, human resources and performance information for the Natural Resources Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

Canadian Geodetic Survey: Spatially Enabling Canada

The Canadian Geodetic Survey received $5.6 million over five years to expand Canada’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) infrastructure by adding at least 22 additional GNSS stations to increase the accuracy and availability of real-time position, navigation, and timing information across Canada. Nine more GNSS stations will be installed in 2024-25, for a total of 20, so far in the project.

Core Geospatial Data

Geospatial data acquired, created, managed, and disseminated by NRCan is used by federal government departments, provinces, territories, and Indigenous groups for informed social, economic, and environmental decision-making such as monitoring the status and trends of our changing lands, water, and infrastructure.

Currently, NRCan manages satellite station facilities that track and receive data in near real-time from satellites for scientific, mapping, weather and surveillance. In 2024-25, NRCan will install new antennas and additional technical capacity at its stations to ensure operational redundancy, being committed to maintain ground segment operations at a 99.7% success rate. Satellite imagery and near real-time mapping information will enable responses to flooding and other natural disasters. In addition, NRCan will collaborate with provinces and territories to develop and disseminate flood hazard mapping for higher risk areas throughout Canada.

In support of open government, NRCan will facilitate access, discovery and sharing of open geospatial data through GEO.ca, Open Maps and the Open Science and Data Platform (OSDP). The Department will also complete the Earth Observation Data Management System migration to the cloud, providing improved data access to Canadians.

In 2024-25, NRCan will expand upon the delivery of core geospatial data for Canada. For example,

• Under the National Elevation Data Strategy, the CanElevation High-Resolution Digital Elevation Data and Mosaic are updated biannually. Each update provides new elevation data and 3-D building footprints for Canada.
• NRCan’s Canadian Hydrospatial Network will be officially launched in 2024, featuring modern hydrological data for Canada.

The National Air Photo Library contains a collection of 6 million air photographs taken since the 1920s. NRCan will digitize all known historical air photos pertaining to residential school sites and make them freely available to Indigenous communities and researchers. Four million photographs will be digitized by March 31, 2024. These historical air photos are invaluable to climate change science, emergency management and advancing Indigenous reconciliation. More specifically, air photos are fundamental to establishing baselines used to understand change detection of Canada’s land and water over 100 years.

Canada Lands Survey System

In 2024-25, together with Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, NRCan will advance First Nation self-determination and economic reconciliation within First Nations land management. This includes expanding the successful growth of First Nations Land Management and supporting the establishment of a First Nation Land Governance Registry, along with a new organization dedicated to its management.

In the Northwest Territories, the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement will enter year four of the five-year land survey program. The Surveyor General Branch will continue to complete surveys and work with the Gwich’in Department of Lands and the Gwich’in Tribal Council to implement Canada’s obligations under the treaty to survey and demarcate Gwich’in lands.

Geological Knowledge for Canada’s Onshore and Offshore Land

In 2024-25, the GEM-GeoNorth program will undertake work across all regions of Canada with up to 20 proposed crews in the field. Discussions with Indigenous groups, as well as provincial and territorial governments regarding aligning research priorities will continue. Priority areas also build on advice received from the program’s Advisory Group of Northerners.

Grant funds will contribute to increase capacity-building and development of tools for increased uptake of geoscience knowledge by Northerners. Additional grants have been used to support the use and application of geothermal energy in Canada’s North.

Geoscience informs policy to manage Canada’s land mass through the Geological Survey of Canada by continuing to uphold Canada’s obligations to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Treaty. In 2024-25, NRCan will actively engage with the international scientific community by publishing scientific results and will meet other Arctic nations on scientific issues related to the continental shelf. The program reviews and updates scientific arguments and data to support Canada’s Atlantic Ocean (2013) and Arctic Ocean (2019) submissions, as well as Canada’s new outer limits in the Arctic Ocean (2022), filed with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The program will be actively preparing to undertake new geoscience surveys in the central Arctic Ocean to support Canada’s revised outer limits. Once Canada’s outer limits are accepted by the UN after they are reviewed, Canada will have sovereign rights over the living and non-living natural resources on the seafloor and in the subsoil, and jurisdiction over its environmental protection, conservation, and sustainable development.

Polar Continental Shelf Program

The Polar Continental Shelf Program (PCSP) will continue to enable research and operations in Canada’s north and Arctic and supports Canadian sovereignty through the provisions of logistics support.

In 2024-25, the PCSP will provide services to its clients, including academic researchers, federal and territorial governments, Indigenous groups and international researchers. Through its support of northern and Arctic research, the PCSP contributes to increased knowledge of the Canadian landmass, the impacts of climate change, economic and social development, and the exercise of sovereignty in the Canadian north.

Geoscience for Sustainable Development of Natural Resources

The Geoscience for a net-zero future program will explore new and emerging energy sources and identify subsurface energy storage potential for future utilization. This new knowledge will help reduce risks surrounding new energy source exploration, encouraging new industry investment to develop clean and renewable energy sources in support of goals of reaching net-zero by 2050. NRCan will research the subsurface for carbon capture, utilization, and storage reservoir potential to support carbon dioxide sequestration initiatives and for hydrogen storage. The Department will advance activities related to clean energy and continue to work on assessments of geothermal potential and studies of hydrogen gas generation potential associated with renewable geothermal energy sources.

The Critical Minerals Geoscience and Data program will contribute to Canada’s Critical Mineral Strategy by providing essential knowledge, data and predictive models to support informed decision-making on the development of critical mineral resources. This research, done in collaboration with the provinces and territories through the Pan-Canadian Geoscience Strategy, will help promote and accelerate responsible development of critical mineral resources in Canada.

Also, the Targeted Geoscience Initiative will continue to deliver results from 44 ongoing research activities that are improving mineral exploration effectiveness throughout Canada by developing next-generation geological models and knowledge, leading-edge mineral exploration tools and methods while training the next generation of geoscientists for the mineral industry.

NRCan will leverage its science expertise and adopt emerging technologies to accelerate the pace of research and discovery to drive Canada’s innovation. For example, NRCan will continue to explore the feasibility of quantum technologies to advance the department’s research activities. Furthermore, Canada’s National Quantum Strategy will help to inform NRCan’s quantum-related priorities and initiatives.

The new Environmental Geosciences program will develop earth science knowledge, datasets, methods, and tools allowing NRCan to support environmental assessments and decision-making for sound terrestrial environmental stewardship, building on the expertise NRCan currently provides to federal impact assessments and other related processes.

NRCan advice to federal impact assessment processes will continue to be provided under legislation such as the Impact Assessment Act and the three Acts in the Northern Territories, but will also now include regional assessments, assessments of cumulative effects, and the assessment of projects on federal lands, more specifically reserve lands. NRCan will continue to explore ways to include Indigenous Knowledge in these processes and integrate it with NRCan’s scientific advice, where possible.

NRCan is working in collaboration with Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and other departments and agencies to enhance the Open Science and Data Platform. The platform integrates data from NRCan (and from other government departments, provinces, and territories) on forestry, geology, groundwater, and earth observation products, such as land cover, to provide Canadians with access to thousands of records of cumulative effects related data, publications, maps, and information about development activities. By providing access to information relevant to cumulative effects and development activities, NRCan is helping to enhance public trust in our regulatory systems and to support better decisions.

Canada-U.S. International Boundary Treaty

The Canadian Section of the International Boundary Commission (IBC), in co-operation with its United States counterpart, preserves and maintains a clear and visible boundary between Canada and the United States. In 2024-25, the Canadian section will deliver the yearly projects identified by the Commissioner’s in accordance with the 15-year maintenance plan. These projects include field surveys, maintenance and vista clearing, and inspections along various sections of the international boundary, from British Columbia to New Brunswick.

Geoscience to Keep Canada Safe

NRCan keeps Canadians safe from threats posed by natural hazards by providing information and data to decision makers to understand and reduce hazards and risk. To accomplish these objectives in 2024-25, the Department will continue monitoring and planning work related to natural hazards (earthquakes, space weather, terrestrial and marine landslides, tsunamis, and volcanoes) to support public safety and resilience. This includes refining and mapping geohazards across Canada and impacts on Canadians.

NRCan will also provide real-time situational awareness for emergency preparedness and response and will provide the science advice necessary for evidence-based decisions for risk reduction and resilience. NRCan will develop activities to protect Canadians from nuclear radiation risk by maintaining, exercising and improving capability to map and identify radioactive material in the environment, as well as meeting Canada’s technical obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

NRCan will launch in 2024-25 a National Earthquake Early Warning system giving seconds to tens-of-seconds warning of strong shaking from large earthquakes to the public and critical infrastructure.

NRCan’s Emergency Geomatics Service will transform satellite data into geo-intelligence products that are shared with federal, provincial and territorial partners, so that emergency responders can make informed decisions about responding to natural disasters. The service relies primarily on the RADARSAT Constellation Mission imagery to produce and distribute its flood and ice jam maps to government operations centers and the public.

Wildfire Risk Management

NRCan will support the sustainability of Canada’s forests as a source of livelihood for Canadians and as an important means to fight the effects of climate change. To achieve this, the Department will work in collaboration with federal, provincial/territorial governments, Indigenous groups, local governments and academia to mitigate and reduce risks to communities and businesses from wildfires intensified by climate change, consistent with the National Adaptation Strategy.

NRCan advances wildfire resilience through implementation of the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy (CWFS) and provides support to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. The CWFS is a pan-Canadian approach to wildland fire preparedness, mitigation, and response.

Recent strategic investments aim to transform wildland fire management and increase resilience to wildland fires by enhancing forest mapping in Northern Canada in areas at risk of wildland fire, strengthening capabilities and response efforts by training community-based firefighters, providing provincial and territorial governments with funding for additional wildland fire firefighting equipment and develop a wildland fire monitoring system that will be operational in 2029. Under Canada’s Emergency Management Strategy, and the Wildfire Resilient Futures Initiative, NRCan enhances whole-of-society collaboration and governance, to strengthen resilience to wildfires, and improve the understanding of disaster risks. NRCan also mobilizes the operational application of wildfire management knowledge, including Indigenous knowledge, both domestically and internationally. This will increase disaster prevention and mitigation, and enhance disaster response capacity and coordination, while fostering innovative forest management capabilities and approaches.

Pest Risk Management

NRCan leads and invests in science supporting management of damaging native and non-native insects and diseases in natural, rural, and urban forests, and preventing the spread of pests through international trade. This includes a focus on spruce budworm, mountain pine beetle, invasive species such as emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid, as well as work pertaining to phytosanitary issues.

In collaboration with provincial governments, the forest industry and academia in Atlantic Canada, NRCan will proceed with the implementation of Phase III of the Spruce Budworm Early Intervention Strategy to preserve ecological services provided by forests, quality jobs, and economic vitality for forest-reliant communities in the region.

Explosives Safety and Security

NRCan launched a holistic review of the Explosives Regulations, 2013, with the goal of modernizing its regulatory regime to keep pace with an evolving explosives sector and to allow for more efficient service delivery. NRCan will be bringing forward proposed amendments through formal consultations with industry, while public consultation will be held with the publication of proposed amendments in the Canada Gazette. In support of a modern regulatory regime, NRCan is also working on developing a new digital system to better support the authorization, licensing, certification, and permitting of the explosives sector in Canada.

This will regulate the safe and secure handling of explosives, ensuring their production, storage and transportation is done in a way that keeps Canadians safe and without impact to national security.

Forest Climate Change

To support Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy, NRCan’s Forest Climate Change Program will provide science-based adaptation and mitigation solutions by sharing expertise, information and data, developing adaptation tools and collaborating with the diverse groups that comprise the Canadian forest sector and forest-based communities. NRCan will continue to advance the 2 Billion Trees program and contribute to the Government of Canada’s commitment to planting an incremental two billion trees by 2031, while also contributing to Canada’s GHG emissions reduction target in 2030 and net-zero emissions target in 2050. Other benefits to communities and the ecosystem include the restoration of habitat for wildlife and biodiversity, cleaner air and water, storm surge management and increased resilience to the devastating effects of climate change such as wildfires and flooding. The program will fund tree planting projects with provinces and territories, tree planting organizations – both profit and non-profit, municipalities and Indigenous groups.

Climate Change Adaptation

NRCan leads the Climate Change Adaptation Program to increase climate change resiliency in natural resources sectors and in the communities. The program includes continued delivery of the national knowledge assessments of climate change impacts and adaption, Canada in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action. It also leads national-scale collaboration under Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Platform. Each of these initiatives helps support Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy.

NRCan leads the Economy and Workers theme of the Strategy and will also pilot a new approach to regional climate resilience through the Climate Resilient Coastal and Northern Communities Program. This program will enable communities to work together to overcome barriers and develop solutions to climate change risks in Canada’s costal regions.

To further support the implementation of the National Adaptation Strategy, NRCan’s adaptation programs and expertise contribute to the Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan to support communities and businesses in becoming more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

The Natural Hazards and Climate Change Geoscience program will pursue research to help enable other levels of government in Canada and Canadian community decision-makers to make science-based decisions related to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Where Canada’s environment is most susceptible to change, such as in the North, coastal regions, and glaciers, NRCan will conduct research on permafrost thaw to support infrastructure and environmental change decisions. NRCan will monitor coastal erosion and sea-level rise in accordance with Canada’s commitment to glacier monitoring.

Building on an evaluation completed in 2022, NRCan will advance research linkages between climate change and research on hazards that are expected to be altered by a changing climate. The program will also engage with Indigenous groups to share research findings and knowledge to improve outcomes for Indigenous Peoples and all Canadians.

Key risks

The Department’s ability to lead foundational science and share expertise for managing Canada’s natural resources; reducing the impacts of climate change and mitigating risks from natural disasters could be affected by the increasing impact of climate change on the natural resources sector and the environment; the rapid pace of science and technological innovation, including digital transformation and artificial intelligence applications; and the increasing occurrence of natural and human-induced hazards and emergencies.

To ensure Canadians have access to cutting-edge research to inform decisions on the management of natural resources, the tools to safeguard against environmental impacts, and the ability to adapt to growing climate change, the Department has implemented various strategies. These include, leveraging research, science, innovation, and information-sharing mechanisms to enhance resilience to natural and human-induced hazards; investing in research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that promote technological innovation and advance solutions to pressing environmental challenges and the transition to a net-zero emission economy while creating jobs for Canadians; collaborating with multiple stakeholders for identification of emerging threats (natural disasters, man-made events, cyber-attacks), and preparation of emergency responses to ensure the safety and security of energy infrastructure systems.

Snapshot of planned resources in 2024–25

• Planned spending: $748,201,434
• Planned full-time resources: 1,465

Related government priorities

Gender-based analysis plus

The use of GBA Plus allows NRCan to identify and address potential and existing barriers to accessing and benefitting from the Department’s programs while facilitating a more inclusive and equitable response to creating opportunities and outcomes for all Canadians.

The Polar Continental Shelf Program provides logistics services to support the growing demand for Canadian Arctic research. The program has incorporated measures into its project selection process to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as measures to ensure early career researchers and researchers with career interruptions (e.g., parental leave) are not disadvantaged in the selection process for supported projects.

The Wildfire Risk Management program provides fundamental and applied science to help governments, industries, communities, and citizens adapt and live with wildfire impacts. The resources provided and developed by the program help planners and emergency services to protect most-at-risk populations from wildfires, especially Indigenous and rural and remote communities in forested areas. In 2024-25, the Wildfire Program will continue to support and collect data regarding Indigenous Peoples.

Core Geospatial Data is also advancing integration of Indigenous perspectives and priorities in geospatial governance, initiatives, products, and services to support Indigenous reconciliation. For example, the program develops story maps and public exhibits to share Indigenous knowledge, appoints Indigenous advisors to the Geographical Names Board of Canada, and develops basemaps that support both Official Languages, Indigenous languages, and official place names. The program is also collaborating with the United States Geological Survey to develop a map of Indigenous place names across North America.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by Canada and all 193 United Nations member states in 2015, is a global framework centred around an ambitious set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), covering the interconnected economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

NRCan’s efforts under the Natural Resource Science and Risk Mitigation core responsibility support Canada's commitment in achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the SDG objectives. The Department’s science and risk mitigation activities encourage the advancement of foundational science and sharing expertise for managing Canada’s natural resources, reducing the impacts of climate change and mitigating risks from natural disasters and explosives. The planned activities that will help the Department attain its sustainable development goals include:

• mitigating risks from natural disasters and explosives by providing research, natural hazard monitoring, and early warning systems in support of the Emergency Management Strategy (Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 1 – No Poverty);
• advancing climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience across Canada by sharing expertise, foundational science, and mitigation and adaptation tools through the Climate Change Adaptation Platform and the Forest Climate Change Program (Goal 13 – Climate Action); and
• contributing to Canada’s conservation goals of 25% offshore and coastal regions by 2025, and 30% by 2030 by providing resource assessments and analyses (Goal 14 – Life Below Water).

More information on Natural Resources Canada’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Program inventory

Natural Resources Science and Risk Mitigation is supported by the following programs:

• Canadian Geodetic Survey: Spatially Enabling Canada
• Geological Knowledge for Canada’s Onshore and Offshore Land
• Core Geospatial Data
• Canada-US International Boundary Treaty
• Canada Lands Survey System
• Geoscience for Sustainable Development of Natural Resources
• Pest Risk Management
• Forest Climate Change
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Explosives Safety and Security
• Geoscience to Keep Canada Safe
• Wildfire Risk Management
• Polar Continental Shelf program

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Natural Resources Canada’s program inventory is available on GC Infobase.

Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development

In this section

• Description
• Quality of life impacts
• Results and targets
• Plans to achieve results
• Key risks
• Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25
• Related government priorities
• Program inventory
• Summary of changes to reporting framework since last year

Description

Lead the transformation to a low-carbon economy by improving the environmental performance of Canada’s natural resource sectors through innovation and sustainable development and use.

Quality of life impacts

This core responsibility contributes to the Environment domain of Quality of Life Framework for Canada, and more specifically, the ecological integrity and environmental stewardship subdomain, by leading the transformation to a low-carbon economy.

• NRCan will contribute to the Greenhouse gas emissions indicator from the Quality of Life Framework by supporting clean technology stakeholders, addressing emerging cleantech needs, and promoting energy efficiency and the responsible use of energy, and economic growth linked to clean technology and innovation.
• Additionally, NRCan will oversee the implementation of measures outlined in Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, focusing on ensuring incentives, policies, and tools to ensure confidence in investments for innovation and decarbonization.

Results and targets

The following tables show, for each departmental result related to Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Developmentthe indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024–25.

Table 4: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result: Natural resource sectors are innovative.

Indicator	2020–2021 result	2021–2022 result	2022–2023 result	Target	Date to achieve
Percentage of NRCan-funded innovation projects that result in new intellectual property, codes, standards or regulations	69%	67%	100%Footnote 5	At least 5%	March 31, 2025
Percentage of innovative forest products and decision tools informed by NRCan research that contribute to the environmental sustainability of Canada’s forests	100%	100%	100%	At least 95%	March 31, 2025
Percentage of NRCan-funded clean energy innovation projects advancing along the innovation scaleFootnote 6	37%	59%	69%	At least 50%	March 31, 2025
Percentage of innovative mining technologies developed by NRCan that move towards being ready for commercial useFootnote 7	22%	28%	80%	At least 25%	March 31, 2025

Table 5: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result: Clean technologies and energy efficiencies enhance economic performance.

Indicator	2020–2021 result	2021–2022 result	2022–2023 result	Target	Date to achieve
Percentage of NRCan-funded clean technology demonstration projects achieving their economic goals	Not availableFootnote 8	46%Footnote 9	52%	At least 50%	March 31, 2027
Ratio of partner investment to government spending in NRCan-funded energy innovation projects	2:1	2.5:1	2.5:1	1:1	March 31, 2025
Total annual energy savings resulting from adoption of energy efficiency codes, standards and practices	66.7PJ	80.0PJ	99.3PJ	Annual savings of at least 600 petajoules (PJ)	March 31, 2030

Table 6: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result: Canada’s Natural Resources are sustainable.

Indicator	2020–2021 result	2021–2022 result	2022–2023 result	Target	Date to achieve
Percentage of Canadian electricity generated from non-GHG emitting sources	83%	82.1%	82.4%	At least 100%	January 1, 2035
Number of renewable energy projects in remote communities and off-grid industrial operations	21Footnote 10	9Footnote 11	27Footnote 12	At least 100	March 1, 2027
Amount of wood harvested compared to the sustainable supply	156.2 million m3 total harvest versus total wood supply of 217.9 million m3. (SoF 2020 – data from 2018)	139.8 million m3 total harvest versus total wood supply of 218.1 million m3. (SoF 2021 - Data from 2019)	141.1 million m3 of harvest versus total wood supply of 215.3 million m3. (SoF 2022 - Data from 2020)	Harvest is less than sustainable supply	March 31, 2025
Number of charging and refueling stations under development or completed	Electric Vehicle charging stations = 1,089 Natural gas refuelling stations = 22 Hydrogen refuelling stations = 15	Electric Vehicle charging stations = 25,365 Natural gas refuelling stations = 22 Hydrogen refuelling stations = 15	Electric Vehicle charging stations = 42,438 Natural gas refuelling stations = 22 Hydrogen refuelling stations = 26	Electric Vehicle charging stations = 84,500 Natural gas refueling stations = 22 Hydrogen refueling stations = 45	March 31,2029 (Electric Vehicle charging stations) March 31, 2024Footnote 13 (Natural gas refueling stations) March 31, 2029 (Hydrogen refueling stations)
Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from NRCan-funded clean technology demonstrations	Clean Grown Program: Not availableFootnote 14 Energy Innovation Program: 1.85 Mt/yearFootnote 15	Clean Growth Program: 0.014 Mt/ yearFootnote 16 Energy Innovation Program:2.19 Mt/yearFootnote 17	Clean Growth Program: 0.35 Mt/year Energy Innovation Program: 2.6 Mt/year	Clean Growth Program: Between 0.3 - 0.7 megatons (Mt) of direct annual GHG reduction, dependent on projects received, success of projects and on-going operation at full production capacity by March 2026 Energy Innovation Program: Between 4.25 Mt of direct annual GHG reductions and a combined total 10-16 Mt of GHG direct and indirect reductions per year by March 2030	March 2027 (Clean Growth Program) March 2030 (Energy Innovation Program)
Percentage of NRCan’s projects on innovation and sustainable development that engage Indigenous communities, organizations or governments	8.3%	17.17%	20%	At least 15%	March 31, 2025

The financial, human resources and performance information for the Natural Resources Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

Energy Innovation and Clean Technology

To drive innovation in clean energy technologies, the Department actively undertakes initiatives such as the Energy Innovation Program, the Program of Energy Research and Development, Carbon Management suite of activities, Energy Efficient Buildings Research, Development and Demonstrations and the Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program. Through targeted grants and contributions, world-class research conducted in federal labs, such as CanmetENERGY, and collaborations with key stakeholders, NRCan will advance research, development, and demonstrations (RD&D) of new clean energy technologies and solutions. This work is currently focused on carbon management, cleaner fuels, electricity, batteries, transportation, buildings, methane and industry.

These efforts will accelerate energy systems transformation and ultimately help to reduce GHG emissions and achieve Canada’s net-zero goals. NRCan will continue to work with partners to implement the Carbon Management Strategy (published in September 2023), which supports measures to capture carbon dioxide (from point sources or from the air), and to use or permanently store the carbon dioxide in order to reduce GHG emissions. NRCan plays an international leadership role, working through Mission Innovation and the International Energy Agency to accelerate energy RD&D globally.

NRCan will also continue to work with federal partners and stakeholders to focus on ensuring a coordinated approach to investment in clean energy technology development and adoption to support Canada’s natural resource sectors to meet 2030 climate targets and advance the transition of Canada’s natural resource sectors to net-zero by 2050, while maintaining affordability and competitiveness. As part of this work, NRCan will continue to support Finance Canada in the development and, where legislated, the implementation of clean economy tax measures to support the adoption and manufacturing of clean technologies in the energy and natural resource sectors. This includes providing expertise and technical guidance for the Clean Tech, Clean Hydrogen, Carbon Capture and Storage, Clean Electricity, and Clean Manufacturing Investment Tax Credits. NRCan will continue to provide its technical guidance role for classes of Accelerated Capital Cost Allowances in the mining and energy technology areas.

In 2024-25, the Clean Growth Hub, a horizontal initiative co-led by NRCan and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (and in partnership with 16 other federal departments and agencies) serves as the focal point for clean technology ensuring that clean technology stakeholders are better equipped to make decisions related to clean technology innovation and deployment, and clean economic growth. The Clean Growth Hub will work to provide targeted and tailored services to clients and aim to address emerging cleantech needs such as, leveraging government procurement, facilitate stronger connections with clean technology adopters, strengthen understanding of unique regional needs, and help companies better leverage advanced digital tools like Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other AI tools designed to enhance client experience.

The Clean Growth Hub also provides targeted and tailored services to both existing and new clients, and implement its Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion action plan to better support underrepresented groups in the clean technology sector, including women and Indigenous Peoples.

Green Mining Innovation

NRCan supports the advancement of hydrogen in Canadian mining operations, focusing on addressing gaps in codes, standards and regulations for the use of hydrogen in mining vehicles and storage applications. This includes continuing to co-chair with the Mining Association of Canada and the Mining Working Group.

The Department co-leads with ISED the coordination of federal departments to develop technologies and scientific information to support the establishment of the upstream parts of the battery value chain in Canada. This includes promoting sustainable battery innovation, advancing technologies for the extraction and processing of battery minerals, and working with stakeholders to develop relevant strategic priorities.

NRCan will also work with federal partners and stakeholders to focus on the development of critical minerals from both primary^{Footnote 18} and secondary^{Footnote 19} sources by producing a blueprint to attract investments and coordinate actions. Other planned activities related to critical minerals include the development of scientific information to support decision making (e.g. codes and standards).

NRCan is working to advance the commercial readiness of emerging mineral processing operations and technologies to support the development of zero-emission vehicle value chains in Canada. Through the Green Mining Innovation Program, NRCan provides funding and undertakes research and development to facilitate the production of raw material inputs for use in batteries and permanent magnets.

The Green Mining Innovation program will also support the mining industry to become resilient to changes due to climate and be carbon neutral by focusing our research on climate change adaptation to ensure a more robust environmental performance of organic covers for mine site reclamation, better predictive tools & databases to assist with environmental assessments for new mine projects, and better dust monitoring methods & improved predictive models for mine dust management. Research in climate change mitigation will improve energy efficiency through recovery of waste heat from sources and develop new tools for decision-making related to hydrogen applications in mining such as standards for diesel vehicles alternatives.

Innovative Geospatial Solutions

Understanding the impact of climate change on Canada’s changing climate and its vast landscape requires up-to-date geospatial data. As a result, NRCan’s satellites and ground stations track and receive geospatial data in real-time for mapping, weather, surveillance and for monitoring the status and trends of our infrastructure, lands, forests and water. In 2024-25, NRCan will be working with academia to enable research and innovation in the Canadian north.

NRCan scientists and technical experts will continue to develop innovative geospatial solutions. This includes tools for producing data for the open RADARSAT Constellation Mission and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites community. Further, NRCan will develop solutions using Artificial Intelligence based models and standards-based interoperability to provide timely access to up-to-date location information and mapping products within Canada and internationally. For example, NRCan developed a new AI Data Pipeline, which automatically extracts and maps roads, forested areas, buildings, and surface water and generates new geospatial products and analysis-ready data such as the GeoAI GeoBase Data Series. The Department is also exploring the promise of quantum computing to enhance our AI data extraction technology, to enable the quicker turnaround of mapping and a new generation of geospatial possibilities. This includes advancing innovative regional flood modelling techniques.

NRCan’s products in areas such as climate change monitoring, flood hazard identification and flood susceptibility monitoring are disseminated as open data and imagery via new and innovative environments such as the DataCube, and other data portals, such as GEO.ca, Open Maps and the OSDP. This work facilitates the dissemination of key science outputs to stakeholders and the public.

The Department is also working in conjunction with international Standards Development Organizations, to assess the impacts of long-term drought, coastal erosion and impacts to wetlands, notably in the Arctic.

Energy Efficiency

Often referred to as the “first fuel”, energy efficiency is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and meet growing energy demands. According to the International Energy Agency, efficiency gains from fuel switching to electricity, improvements in technical efficiency, and behavioral changes like using materials and energy more efficiently boosts energy affordability and security, and makes a crucial contribution to GHG emissions reductions by 2030.

Canada’s buildings sector is the third largest source of GHG emissions in Canada, responsible for 13% of direct GHG emissions and 18% when accounting for off-site electricity. The Department will work with national and regional Indigenous organizations and governments to develop the Canada Green Buildings Strategy. This work will be guided by the recommendations of the Indigenous Clean Energy Social Enterprise’s Enabling Efficiency Report.

Around the world, energy codes are recognized as one of the most cost-effective tools for achieving energy efficiency in buildings. The Department provides support so that jurisdictions can quickly adopt national model building and energy codes. For example, the Codes Acceleration Fund will fund actions by Indigenous groups, provinces, territories, municipalities, and other stakeholders that enable adoption of and compliance with the higher performance codes. The Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative will support building owners to go through the deep retrofit process.

The Toward Net-Zero Homes and Communities will facilitate Canada’s push toward net-zero emissions by 2050 in the residential sector through funding for energy efficiency initiatives along three streams: addressing barriers to adoption of energy efficient technology; capacity building in support of net-zero energy ready codes; and, facilitating home energy labelling and disclosure to encourage deep energy retrofits. Making the shift from an oil furnace to an electric heat pump significantly reduces Canadians’ energy bills and Canada’s emissions. The Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program launched in March 2023, and enhanced later in 2023, helps make the more affordable for more low- to median-income households. To increase deployment, the program is increasing from $10,000 to $15,000 the amount homeowners can receive making the average heat pump free for these households. The Department will initiate additional co-delivery agreements with provinces and territories to make it easier for Canadians to make that heating switch.

Energy advisors have been the backbone of the Canada Greener Homes Initiative. Through the delivery of the EnerGuide home energy rating system, they ensure that homeowners understand the most impactful retrofit options that will improve their home’s energy efficiency. As of November 2023, the number of energy advisors had doubled since program launch. To improve user experience, the Department will modernize the HOT2000 energy simulation modelling software which supports EnerGuide, ENERGY STAR for New Homes, and R-2000 residential energy efficiency initiatives.

Through amendments to the Energy Efficiency Regulations outlined in NRCan’s 2023-2025 Forward Regulatory Plan, the Department will also update elements of the regulations and update or add energy efficiency or testing standards for several energy-using products.

In 2024-25, under the Green Industrial Facilities Management Program, the Department will develop and launch tools and technical advisory services to embed energy management practices in federal industrial investments. The Department will continue to administer the ISO 50001 Ready Navigator tool and the ENERGY STAR for Industry Program. In 2024-25, the Department will implement a Canada-only verification testing program and a modernized Client Management System. Buildings certified through ENERGY STAR Certification for Buildings and the ENERGY STAR Multi-Family High-Rise Pilot Program will continue to provide benefits to occupants and owners including comfort, higher resale values, lower operating costs, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions through the efficient use of energy.

Led by TBS, the Greening Government Strategy (GGS) guides the federal government’s transition to net-zero carbon and climate-resilient operations, procurement, buildings, and vehicle fleets, while reducing environmental impacts including on waste, water, and biodiversity. NRCan’s Greening Government Services team supports the GGS through enabling services, and other resources to federal organizations to help achieve their energy and GHG targets.

Building upon the GGS, NRCan is working with federal departments and agencies to develop a new Buy Clean Strategy for Canada that would support the use of made in Canada low carbon construction products. NRCan is also supporting federal and international efforts to harmonize the data and standards that will assist Canadian companies to meet domestic and international Buy Clean policies.

NRCan will continue supporting ISED in the implementation of the Net-Zero Accelerator Initiative, delivered through the Strategic Innovation Fund to speed up decarbonization projects with large emitters, scale-up clean technology and accelerate Canada’s industrial transformation across all sectors.

In 2024-25, NRCan will provide the latest information related to the Clean Technology Data Strategy, co-led with ISED and Statistics Canada. The Strategy provides comprehensive, credible, longitudinal data to help decision-makers track the economic, environmental and social contribution of clean economy and the clean technology sector in Canada. It provides information and the capacity to assess key aspects important to inform the public and private sector for policy and program approaches on challenges faced by cleantech companies in Canada to better inform program design and policy making.

Energy and Climate Change Policy

The Department provides the leadership needed for Canada’s clean energy transition and climate policy development that inform evidence-based decision making. Together with ECCC, NRCan will continue to implement and oversee measures under Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, with a focus on providing proper incentives, predictable policies and tools in order to instill certainty for investments in innovation and decarbonization.

Overall, NRCan leads or co-leads more than 50 measures in support of the 2030 ERP, including:

• Renewable energy and electricity grid modernization, including through the $4.5 billion Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program.
• Energy efficient homes and buildings, such as the Canada Greener Homes Initiative and the forthcoming Canada Green Buildings Strategy;
• Industrial decarbonization and strategic industries such as the $3.8 billion Critical Minerals Strategy;
• Emission reductions in the transportation sector, such as the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program; and
• Nature-based solutions to climate change, including the 2 Billion Tree program.

In June 2023, NRCan, in collaboration with ESDC, introduced Bill C-50, the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, which, when enacted will establish a federal governance, engagement, and accountability framework to advance economic prosperity and ensure workers benefit from the opportunities presented by a low-carbon economy. The Bill creates a Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council to provide independent advice to Government on sustainable jobs measures, a Secretariat to lead the Government’s sustainable jobs approach and to release a Sustainable Jobs Action Plan every five years beginning in 2025. These mechanisms will guide and organize future efforts to support workers and communities as Canada shifts to a net-zero economy, ensuring equitable, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth across the country.

Through the Regional Energy and Resource Tables, the Government will continue working with individual provinces and territories, in collaboration with Indigenous partners and key stakeholders, to identify and accelerate the most promising clean-growth opportunities in each region. This includes looking at how best to transform our energy and resource systems for a low-carbon economy and to understand the workforce implications and needs for the global shift to net zero. NRCan will continue collaborating with partners to identify regional opportunities and the joint actions required to advance them by way of collaboration frameworks. These frameworks will lead to measures to address short-term needs and priorities, as well as laying the foundation for a national place-based strategy.

NRCan works alongside Statistics Canada, ECCC and the Canada Energy Regulator to further expand the Canadian Centre for Energy Information and provide trusted information on energy for sound policies and decision making.

NRCan will also continue to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships with provinces and territories, and co-chairs intergovernmental fora such as the Energy and Mines Ministers Conference (EMMC) to advance shared priorities related to the energy transition. In July 2024, NRCan will co-chair the EMMC with Alberta.

Lower Carbon Transportation

The Department is working to support the transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), including hydrogen fueled and electric vehicles through a number of programs. The Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program, supports the deployment of electric vehicle charging and hydrogen infrastructure in Canada. In support of increased adoption, the Zero-Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative aims to increase awareness, knowledge and public confidence in ZEV infrastructure and clean fuels. The Department continues to provide training, tools, and resources through the Green Freight Program to help Canada’s fleets lower their fuel consumption, operating costs, and emissions.

The Department also continues to implement the Clean Fuels Fund to support the de-risking of the capital investment required to build new, convert or expand existing clean fuel production facilities. In the coming year, the Fund, will support production projects, across six different fuel types in nine jurisdictions, including several projects related to Biomass Supply Chains. The Fund will continue to support Indigenous-led projects including four proposed projects.

The Department is continuing to explore how to best support the growth of the biofuels industry in Canada. In Budget 2023, the Government of Canada committed to engage with the biofuels industry to explore opportunities to promote its growth in Canada. In spring and summer 2023, the Department led an engagement process with numerous industry stakeholders and is working to develop policies that enable a thriving biofuels sector capable of unlocking economic benefits for Canadians. The department is developing a biofuels strategy that is expected for release in 2024-2025 and which will identify opportunities for seizing the growth potential of this important domestic industry.

Electricity Resources

The Department plays a key role in driving progress towards a net-zero electricity grid by 2035, including expanding the use of non-emitting electricity, both as a proportion of electricity use, and as a source of energy for other sectors, such as industrial, heating, and transportation. This work will be guided by Canada’s first Clean Electricity Strategy, which will be released in fiscal year 2024-2025, and will build on the findings and final recommendations of the Canada Electricity Advisory Council, which will release its final report in spring 2024.

Through the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program, NRCan will invest approximately $4.5 billion through 2035 to advance smart renewable energy projects, including wind, solar, geothermal, storage, and grid modernization that will enable the clean grid of the future. This includes an investment of nearly $3 billion for the program in Budget 2023, which builds on hundreds of millions of dollars in successful funding to support projects that are actively supplying clean, affordable, and reliable power to Canadian electrical grids. This program will significantly reduce emissions and create sustainable jobs by continuing to support the deployment of energy storage and renewables in every region of Canada. The Department will continue to implement emerging renewable energy projects, such as geothermal and instream tidal, approved through the Emerging Renewable Power Program.

NRCan is actively supporting collaboration between the Governments of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia to advance two tracks of work; support the phase-out of coal-fired electricity generation by 2030; and to drive to net-zero electricity by 2035 and a net zero economy by 2050. A critical component is moving forward with the reliability inter-tie between the two provinces with a target in-service date of 2029, as described in the Joint Policy Statement on Developing and Transmitting Clean, Reliable and Affordable Power in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

NRCan also has several initiatives designed to create the enabling conditions for an offshore renewable energy industry in Canada. These include supporting the Regional Assessment for Offshore Wind in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, and implementing NRCan’s Offshore Wind Predevelopment Program, announced, via funding in Budget 2023. This program will conduct science-based activities, collect location-specific marine data and undertake detailed power system modeling to help capitalize on Canada’s offshore wind potential. In addition, the Government’s amendments to the Accord Acts will establish the legislative framework and lifecycle regulators to enable a competitive and sustainable offshore renewable energy industry, while upholding the highest standards for safety, security, and environmental protection.

The Government of Canada supports Indigenous, rural, and remote communities in reducing diesel consumption for heat and power by developing clean energy alternatives. As part of implementing the Strengthened Climate Plan, NRCan continues to work with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Indigenous Services Canada and other federal departments who support capacity building and clean energy projects in Indigenous, rural, and remote communities. NRCan supports this work through Wah-ila-toos, formerly known as the Clean Energy in Indigenous, Rural and Remote Communities Hub, a single-window approach to deliver funding. This means that NRCan’s Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program will support projects nationally that reduce fossil fuel use for heat and power through community-driven clean energy solutions, creating sustainable jobs and economic development opportunities with communities.

Through the Indigenous Off-Diesel Initiative (IODI), the Department supports Indigenous-led, community-driven projects that focus on local capacity building, clean energy planning and development of clean energy projects. In 2024-25, the Department will support the 24 Energy Champions from IODI’s first and second cohorts, reaching more remote communities across the country.

In December 2020, the Government of Canada launched the Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) Action Plan to develop and deploy SMRs as a potential tool for emissions reduction within Canada and abroad. NRCan will continue its role as co-chair of the SMR Leadership Table and its ongoing work with utilities, as well as provinces and territories, Indigenous groups, industry, innovators, laboratories, academia, and civil society to advance SMRs through Canada’s SMR Action Plan.

NRCan also announced $29.6 million dollar over 4 years for the Enabling SMR Program to fund research and development to address waste generated from SMRs and to develop Canadian supply chains for SMR manufacturing and fuel supply, and to examine third party liability limits for SMRs. The call for full Project Proposals under this Program closed in August 2023. The results are expected to be publicly announced in Winter 2024. NRCan will continue its efforts to review third party liability limits for existing and new installation types in 2024. NRCan has also partnered with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada to fund research on SMRs at Canadian universities. The call for full Project Proposals closed in August 2023 and the results are expected to be announced in Winter 2024.

In March 2023, NRCan released Canada’s modernized Policy for Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning. The Department engages with interested Indigenous groups on past issues and associated impacts related to nuclear develop and radioactive waste management in their traditional territories, as well as potential paths forward. Beyond the Policy, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources released a public statement in October 2023 signalling the Government of Canada’s acceptance of the Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste, which outlines a plan to ensure safe, long-term management solutions are put in place for all of Canada’s radioactive waste. The Department will work with waste owners to oversee their implementation of the Strategy and ensure they are fulfilling their responsibilities set out in the Policy with respect to openness and transparency, protection of the environment, and early and ongoing engagement.

In addition, the risk of severe and complex cyber attacks on Canada’s critical energy infrastructure is real. In the face of these threats, the Department will collaborate with multiple stakeholders, domestic and international, to facilitate the development and sharing of intelligence, tools, and best practices, to protect Canada’s energy sector and keep critical infrastructure secure and resilient.

Sustainable Forest Management

International markets require evidence that Canada’s forests are managed sustainably. The Sustainable Forest Management Program will advance the collection, harmonization and management of forest data and produce the annual State of Canada’s Forests report to track progress on sustainability indicators and share new information about Canada’s forests. This program will advance forest ecosystem research to inform the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of forest management practices.

Increased mapping of Canada’s northern forests will enable communities to better prepare for wildfire hazards and support community mitigation measures. By means of targeted forest research, NRCan will fill priority knowledge gaps about forest ecosystems to inform sustainable forest management practices and policies, including the role of sustainable forest management in addressing climate solutions and biodiversity conservation.

Cumulative effects

The Cumulative Effects Program produces science, data and tools to help assess and mitigate the impacts of cumulative effects of natural resource development in Canada’s forested landmass with a goal to improve the environmental performance of Canada’s non-renewable resource sectors. Near-term priorities include improving our understanding of the risks and impacts of cumulative effects on forest ecosystems, inclusion of Indigenous knowledge, and further understanding the impact of cumulative effects on caribou habitat.

Fibre Solutions

The Canadian Wood Fibre Centre manages the Fibre Solutions program, under which conducts targeted innovative research and development to support sustainable forest management with the objective to increase the resiliency of forests.

The development of knowledge and tools, and the transfer of this knowledge and technology to forest managers, can strengthen the wood fibre supply chain at all stages, from seed to final wood fibre product.

In 2024-25, there are a number of upcoming innovative planned projects including work on timber and fibre traceability and wood identification methods; studies and trials on tree regeneration, vegetation, and stand density management to maintain and increase forest productivity under global change; high-resolution projections of trees and stands using new technologies for increasing precision; and tools to advance the digital transformation of the forest sector and support the emerging bioeconomy.

Key risks

The Department’s ability to contribute to innovative and sustainable natural resources development are impacted by the need for effective engagement with other government departments and external partners including Indigenous groups, industry and other; the potential to be misaligned with the work of other government departments; and the ability to successfully navigate varied regulatory regimes.

To support the transformation of Canada’s natural resources through innovation and sustainable development, NRCan continues to focus on establishing effective internal and external partnerships; supporting research and development projects to advance the technologies required for Canada’s net-zero transition; and take steps to improve the efficiency of regulatory processes with its partners.

Snapshot of planned resources in 2024–25

• Planned spending: $2,470,316,561
• Planned full-time resources: 2,181

Related government priorities

Gender-based analysis plus

The Energy Efficiency Program tracks the GBA Plus impacts resulting from Canada’s energy efficiency programming and uses this information to inform program delivery, design, and implementation, as well as policy development to promote equities among gender-diverse and under-represented groups, including Indigenous peoples. The Program will commission a GBA Plus study for energy-using products that will inform future market studies and will develop an Indigenous engagement plan and guidelines for the integration of GBA Plus in the Energy Efficiency Regulations regulatory process. The development of the Canada Green Buildings Strategy will involve inclusive engagement activities such as engaging Indigenous Climate Leadership through bilateral and multilateral discussions with national Indigenous organizations and national Indigenous women’s organizations, adopting affordability as a principle, and applying a Northern, remote and rural lens. The recommendations highlighted in a strategic review of ENERGY STAR for New Homes and the R2000 standard, particularly those related to GBA Plus considerations and impacts on various intersectionalities, will be incorporated as part of the update to those programs.

The Energy and Climate Change Policy program leads the Government of Canada’s participation in the Equality in Energy Transitions Initiative to advance gender equality in the clean energy sector globally through data collection, policy development, promoting leadership and opportunities for women, raising ambition within public and private organizations, and establishing robust networks to collectively advance the initiative’s objectives. The program also leads the Equal by 30 campaign, a global commitment by both public and private sector organizations to work towards equal pay, equal leadership, and equal opportunities for women and other marginalized communities, in the energy sector by 2030. The program also launched the Sustainable Jobs Plan which has an overarching objective to help to make the labor market more inclusive and encourage the participation of previously under-represented groups.

Innovative Geospatial Solutions through its contribution program, GeoConnections, is currently funding projects that address priority geospatial issues identified by and for Indigenous groups.

NRCan, CIRNAC, ISC, ECCC, and Infrastructure Canada collaborate through Wah-ila-toos, which is a single-window approach to reduce barriers and make funding for the transition to clean energy in Indigenous, rural, and remote communities more accessible. In 2024-25, Wah-ila-toos will launch a national Indigenous engagement strategy focused on understanding challenges and opportunities of the transition from diesel and fossil fuels to clean energy in Indigenous, rural, and remote communities. Wah-ila-toos will continue to prioritize Indigenous-led projects through the grant and contribution programs under its single window.

The Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program invites applicants to voluntarily disclose their Diversity and Inclusion Plans and requires successful applicants to report on the progress of their plans and share information to encourage proponents to improve the ability for more Canadians to benefit from ZEV infrastructure. The Zero Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative and the Clean Fuels Awareness program both award higher points to projects that demonstrates impact and reach to marginalized or equity-seeking groups. In addition, these programs provide funding to several projects focused on rural, northern, remote and Indigenous communities.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

NRCan’s efforts under the Innovation and Sustainable Natural Resource Development core responsibility support Canada's commitment in achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the SDG objectives. The Department’s activities encourage the transformation to a low-carbon economy by improving the environmental performance of Canada’s natural resource sectors through innovation and sustainable development and use. The planned activities that will help the Department attain its Sustainable Development Goals include:

• supporting Canada’s endorsement of the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, engaging with key bilateral partners and multilateral organizations, and Vice-chairing the International Energy Efficiency Hub to advance clean energy technologies and equitable access to clean energy around the world. (Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy);
• ensuring access to affordable, reliable and sustainable, and modern energy through the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program (Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy and Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities);
• expanding the clean-fuel production in new or existing facilities through the Clean Fuels Fund and supporting the decarbonization of the transportation sector by funding various zero-emission activities including vehicle charging stations and zero-emission vehicle adoption (Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy);
• supporting the Government of Canada’s commitment to phase out fossil fuels through implementing the Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies Guidelines and Framework (Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy);
• taking action to increase carbon sequestration and reduce emissions through initiatives such as Canada’s Carbon Management Strategy, the 2 Billion Trees Program, the Energy Innovation Program, the Emissions Reduction Fund and the development of regulations to cap and reduce GHG emissions from the oil and gas sector (Goal 13 – Climate Action Goal 15 – Life on Land); and
• promoting responsible and transparent practices in the forest sector to help ensure Canada’s forests are sustainable for years to come (Goal 15 – Life on Land).

More information on Natural Resources Canada’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Program inventory

Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development is supported by the following programs:

• Energy Innovation and Clean Technology
• Green Mining Innovation
• Fibre Solutions
• Sustainable Forest Management
• Cumulative Effects
• Lower Carbon Transportation
• Electricity Resources
• Energy Efficiency
• Energy and Climate Change Policy
• Innovative Geospatial Solutions

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Natural Resources Canada’s program inventory is available on GC Infobase.

Summary of changes made to reporting framework since last year

Structure	2024-25	2023-24	Change	Reason for change
Departmental Results	N/A	Number of initiatives enabled by NRCan to strengthen the cyber security and resilience of Canada’s critical energy infrastructure	Departmental Result was removed	Note 1

Note 1: This indicator was linked to NRCan’s contribution to Public Safety’s National Cyber Security Strategy, which ended in March 2023. Note that cyber and energy security remains one of the department’s priorities, as outlined in this Departmental Plan. As such, cybersecurity policy work, including engagement with stakeholders continues.

Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors

In this section

• Description
• Quality of life impacts
• Results and targets
• Plans to achieve results
• Key risks
• Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25
• Related government priorities
• Program inventory
• Summary of changes to reporting framework since last year

Description

Advance and promote market access, inclusiveness, and competitiveness for Canada’s natural resource sectors, in support of jobs and economic growth. Also includes statutory payments for offshore petroleum.

Quality of life impacts

This core responsibility contributes to the Good governance and Environment domains of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada, and more specifically, the Democracy and institutions, and Ecological integrity and environmental stewardship subdomains, by advancing and promoting market access, inclusiveness and competitiveness for Canada’s natural resource sectors.

• NRCan will contribute to the Indigenous self-determination indicator within the Quality of Life Framework by ensuring equitable and consistent benefits for Indigenous groups from natural resources development. This includes facilitating Indigenous equity ownership in major natural resource projects. NRCan strongly advocates for Indigenous participation and partnerships, aiming to foster stronger and more economically resilient communities. These efforts align with reconciliation priorities and Canada's net-zero objectives.
• NRCan will contribute to the Greenhouse gas emissions indicator within the Quality of Life Framework. This contribution involves supporting the transition to a net-zero future and aligning with the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, which aims to enhance the resilience of critical minerals supply chains. These minerals are essential for technologies related to clean energy and electric vehicles, thereby contributing significantly to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Results and targets

The following tables show, for each departmental result related to Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors, the indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024–25.

Table 7: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result: Access to new and priority markets for Canada’s natural resources is enhanced.

Indicator	2020–21 result	2021–22 result	2022–23 result	Fix	Date to achieve
Canada’s share of U.S. and global imports of natural resources	24.6% (U.S.) 1.5% (global imports)	28.4% (U.S.) 1.4% (global imports)	30.0% (U.S.) 1.5% (global imports)	26.4% (U.S.) 1.3% (global imports)	March 31, 2025
Increase in value of assets abroad owned by Canadian natural resource companies	$240 billion	$283 billion	Not availableFootnote 20	At least $238 billion	September 30, 2025
Number of NRCan international engagements that support the development or expansion of trade and investment in natural resources	59	66	87	At least 40	March 31, 2025

Table 8: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result: Canadians are engaged in the future of the new and inclusive resource economy.

Indicator	2020–2021 result	2021–2022 result	2022–2023 result	Target	Date to achieve
Number of joint products developed in collaboration with provinces and territories and released to Canadians	21	21	32	At least 12	March 31, 2025
Percentage of NRCan’s projects that support participation of Indigenous communities, organizations or governments in Canada’s natural resource economy	63.27%	72.44%	63%	At least 40%	March 31, 2025

Table 9: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result: Enhanced competitiveness of Canada’s natural resource sectors.

Indicator	2020–2021 result	2021–2022 result	2022–2023 result	Target	Date to achieve
Economic value of anticipated natural resource projects supported by analysis and solutions	Not availableFootnote 21	$22.7 billionFootnote 22	$38.9 billion	At least $54.5 billion	March 31, 2025
Number of times NRCan’s economic and investment data are accessed	420,835	536,574	491,381	At least 500,000	March 31, 2025

The financial, human resources and performance information for the Natural Resources Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

NRCan will continue to work with its international partners, bilaterally and multilaterally, to advance an inclusive global transition to net-zero that enables Canada to capitalize on economic opportunities while also mitigating risks to energy and economic security. It will seek to advance a more cooperative model on climate change and clean energy issues that promotes investment in clean energy projects, fosters more diverse and resilient supply chains, and helps nurture the innovative solutions the world will need to achieve its net zero ambitions.

On the international stage, Canada will continue its leadership role in the lead up to its G7 Presidency in 2025. It will do so across international fora including the G20, International Energy Agency, Mission Innovation, Clean Energy Ministerial, and the International Renewable Energy Agency, while increasing its involvement in United-Nation bodies, and notably its participation in the United Nations Framework Convention Climate Change and Conference on Biological Diversity. In addition to advocating for sustainability and innovation in the energy sector, these platforms will be used for advancing people-centered policies and encourage further actions from international partners to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in the energy sector, including an increased recognition of the value of full Indigenous participation in natural resource sectors.

Canada’s economy is reliant on international trade related to its natural resources. To support the competitiveness of Canada’s natural resource sectors, it will be important to follow modernization that comes with the transition to a low-carbon economy as natural resource sectors of the future become more innovative, inclusive, greener and digital.

Efforts to foster increased and diverse opportunities for Canadian companies in the natural resource sectors will also continue to be part of international engagements. Building upon past work under the Government of Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, NRCan’s international engagements in the region will contribute to strengthening supply chains and facilitating stronger business-to-business relationships. The department will also look to build and support opportunities for Canadian companies, attract international investment and support science and technology collaborations from other regions, including Europe. NRCan will continue to advance secure, sustainable and reliable North American energy systems and material supply chains with the United States and Mexico.

Indigenous Reconciliation and Regulatory Coordination

NRCan continues to support the whole-of-government commitment to advance a plan to improve the efficiency of the impact assessment and permitting processes for major projects, which includes clarifying and reducing timelines, and improving engagement and partnerships with Indigenous groups. Through the Regional Energy and Resource Tables, Nòkwewashk works closely with provinces, Indigenous groups, and proponents to identify opportunities to advance major projects through inter-jurisdictional regulatory and permitting efficiencies. Nòkwewashk will continue to work closely with these groups to ensure that any federal Crown consultation obligations that arise on major projects are met in way that is meaningful, coordinated and efficient. In the coming year, NRCan will launch a national engagement strategy with Indigenous groups to seek their views on the implementation of Indigenous Ministerial Arrangements Regulations, for carrying out the purposes of the Canadian Energy Regulator Act.

NRCan is also working to advance an Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program as the cornerstone of the National Benefits-Sharing Framework. This Program and Framework will help ensure Indigenous communities equitably and consistently benefit from natural resource development near their territories and help facilitate Indigenous equity ownership in major projects in the natural resource sector. The commitment to advance an Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program reflects what the Government heard through its engagements on the National Benefits-Sharing Framework to address gaps in access to affordable capital for Indigenous groups to pursue equity opportunities on major natural resource projects.

NRCan will increase trade and investment in Canada’s natural resources sector by facilitating the participation of Indigenous business leaders in international trade and investment missions to key markets. The goal of this participation is to increase investor confidence in Canada’s natural resources sector and promote partnership with Indigenous groups, while attracting investments for Indigenous-owned companies, workers, and communities. NRCan also works with international partners to share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned for engagement and partnership with Indigenous groups in the natural resources sector, including through the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Indigenous participation and partnership in the natural resources sector builds stronger and more economically resilient communities. The Indigenous Natural Resource Partnerships (INRP) program will continue to support the reconciliation priority set out by the Government of Canada of Indigenous community-led economic development while also advancing Canada’s net-zero objectives and the transition to a clean energy future.

NRCan will also continue to support the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committees (IAMCs) for the Line 3 Replacement Project and the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) Project. The Committees are a collaborative forum that bring together impacted Indigenous groups, federal departments, regulators, and project proponents to ensure Indigenous participation in the monitoring and oversight of the two resource projects.

Youth Employment and Skills Strategy – Science and Technology Internship Program

NRCan is supporting the transition to a net-zero future and ensuring that Canada maintains globally competitive natural resource sectors by continuing to deliver its Science and Technology Internship Program-Green Jobs, through the Government’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. By funding employers across Canada to create green jobs and training opportunities for youth in the natural resources sector, the program de-risks the hiring of new and diverse talent. The program is building skills and supporting a future-ready, diverse workforce by prioritizing youth who experience barriers to employment (e.g., Indigenous youth, northern youth, and youth living with disabilities) and youth from employment equity groups.

Forest Sector Competitiveness

In 2023, NRCan renewed its suite of forestry programs, including, the Forest Innovation Program (FIP), Investments in Forest Industry Transformation, Green Construction through Wood (GC Wood), and Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI) Programs. The Global Forest Leadership Program (GloFor) will also be created and will focus on international efforts to provide leadership on sustainable forest management and address global climate and environmental goals and commitments, such as eliminating deforestation. Finally, NRCan’s new data and reporting through Forest Systems Information and Technology (ForSITE) will help to fill a gap in forest and environmental data and improve reporting on forest carbon, forest degradation, and Canadian primary forests.

The renewed approach to federal forest programming on competitiveness adapts and builds on existing federal programs to ensure that forest sector activity. The strategy better balances economic, environmental, social, and reconciliation priorities for forest resources and land use. It also leverages the unique role of the federal government in developing and sharing new knowledge, facilitates private sector alignment with net-zero objectives, works to de-risk innovation, strengthens Canada’s reputation on forest-related matters, and advances Indigenous inclusion in the sector. All of which ensures that Canadian forests play their part in supporting Canada’s objectives.

Provision of Federal Leadership in the Minerals and Metals Sector

The Department leads the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy to stream the green and digital economy, enhancing critical minerals supply chain resilience. Through targeted federal initiatives and a collaborative approach with various stakeholders, including governments and industry partners, the strategy aims to position Canada as a preferred supplier of critical minerals. Budget 2021 and 2022 allocated $21.5 million to support the Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence (CMCE), housed at Natural Resources Canada, in developing federal policies, guiding project developers, and coordinating critical mineral programs in collaboration with various partners. The CMCE oversees the 'concierge service' pilot, aiding mining proponents in regulatory navigation, and supports project proponents seeking federal funding. As the central coordination hub, the CMCE continues to facilitate collaboration and navigate regulatory processes for advancing project development.

The Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund, with up to $1.5 billion available over seven years starting in 2023-24, supports clean energy and transportation projects for the development of Canada's critical minerals. The Critical Minerals Research Development and Demonstration program, starting its second round of funding in 2024-25, promotes technology and pilot projects, addressing gaps in the value chain and advancing projects into demonstration and integration stages for producing key critical minerals.

As part of the Critical Minerals Strategy to enhance global leadership in critical minerals, Canada supports international commitments in mineral-related geoscience, research and development (R&D), trade and investment attraction, and transparency and sustainability. Collaboration with federal, provincial, and territorial governments will continue under the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan, including a review of its implementation. Canada, through Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act and the Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act, as well as participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, maintains a global leadership role in promoting transparency and good governance in mining, oil, and gas industries.

Energy Safety and Security, and Petroleum Resources

NRCan collaborates with ECCC to support the design and implementation of different regulations to reduce emissions from the oil and gas sector. This includes the development of enhanced methane regulations, a cap on oil and gas emissions, and implementation of the Clean Fuel Regulations, which took effect in July 2023.

In 2024-25, NRCan will carry on its work with provinces, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, industry, Indigenous groups, and stakeholders to support safe and environmentally responsible petroleum-related activities. Through Bill C-49, amending and modernizing the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act (the Accord Acts), to enable new clean energy opportunities, grow the economy and protect Canada’s environment.

In the coming year, NRCan will work to finalize and publish Framework Regulations for the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Area in 2024. The Framework Regulations will modernize the regulatory regime for offshore oil and gas activities in Canada while maintaining the highest standards for, environmental protection, and resource management. NRCan will support the Government of Canada’s commitment to phase out public financing of fossil fuels and continue to support implementation of Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies Guidelines and Framework and the Statement of International Public Support for the Clean Energy Transition (The “Glasgow Statement”).

The Department will continue to explore tangible options and pathways to advance Hydrogen Strategy for Canada, including to advance the Strategic Priorities that have been identified in the Hydrogen Strategy Progress
Report^{Footnote 23}. This includes de-risking high impact production projects, achieving scalable hydrogen hubs and strategic corridors, working with stakeholders to advance the development of codes and standards across the vast and varied hydrogen value chain, supporting Finance Canada in the implementation of the Clean Hydrogen Investment Tax Credit, and raising awareness of hydrogen across households throughout Canada.

In maintaining Canada’s global competitiveness in the context of a global energy transition, NRCan will continue to enhance Canada’s profile and opportunities through international engagement. For example, the Department will report and advise on oil, gas and other sources of energy, and provide readily available socioeconomic and market analyses. NRCan will monitor oil and gas markets in view of geopolitical events, global supply changes and disruptions, and the interface between domestic and international policy considerations and market performance. NRCan will fulfill its obligations as a member of the International Energy Agency, including responses to decisions taken among members to stabilize global energy markets and support collective energy security, and representing Canada on International Energy Agency technical committees.

Building on the 2023 Fall Economic Statement, NRCan will work with the Department of Finance and Environment and Climate Change Canada to undertake next steps to develop a taxonomy that is aligned with reaching net zero by 2050, in consultation with regulators, the financial sector, industry and independent experts. The taxonomy is intended to help meet emissions reduction targets by aligning private investment with Canada’s policy objectives. It could achieve this by setting standards or principles for the use of “green” and “transition” labels for financial instruments issued in support of projects.

NRCan will also work with other departments and provinces to defend Canada’s interests to keep open the Line 5 pipeline—a critical piece of transboundary infrastructure that delivers important fuels to Ontario, Quebec and multiple US states in the Great Lakes Region.

NRCan will continue to fulfill its obligations to report on, and where appropriate address, emergencies or other events that could pose a risk to Canada’s energy and fuel supply security. Accordingly, NRCan will further strengthen its fuel-related emergency management procedures, building on lessons learned from past tabletop exercises and actual past natural events such as wildfires and floods, among others.

Key risks

The global economy continues to face an elevated level of uncertainty, as well as increasing geoeconomic division, that extends across Canada’s natural resource sectors. One of the biggest challenges to the Canadian natural resources sector is the uncertainty of demand and prices, combined with inflation and labor shortages in the context of a global economic slowdown. The Department has identified risks that impact its ability to advance and promote market access, inclusiveness and competitiveness for Canada’s natural resource sectors including engagement with external partners, navigating international and domestic regulatory frameworks, and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

To increase its global competitiveness, NRCan is taking steps to establish Canada as an attractive economy for investment in the global market while supporting economic recovery through international engagement with like-minded countries and trade missions; expanding shared governance of Canada’s resources; building meaningful relationships and collaborative partnerships with provincial / territorial governments and Indigenous groups; and undertaking Indigenous engagement and consultation on regulatory and policy development for all aspects of natural resources development.

Snapshot of planned resources in 2024–25

• Planned spending: $2,110,187,295
• Planned full-time resources: 618

Related government priorities

Gender-based analysis plus

Collectively, the Forest Sector Competitiveness programs committed to collecting greater gender and diversity information from its proponents or program beneficiaries to monitor program impacts by gender and diversity. Programs require proponents to develop a workforce diversity plan. For 2023-24, the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre also requested Diversity and Inclusion Plan from their applicants for this Call for proposals for funding. Additional efforts were made to advance the full and equal participation of Indigenous groups in the forest sector. For example, with the support of a GBA Plus exercise, the program has heard from Indigenous groups that they often experience barriers to accessing federal funding opportunities, including the Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI) program. Barriers identified include unreliable internet access, complex and resources intensive application processes, and low human resources capacity in some communities. In response, the IFI program’s delivery model features Regional Liaison Officers (RLOs) located in five Canadian Forest Service regional centres across the country. RLOs are available to potential applicants and existing proponents as a point of contact and source of guidance during the application process and with program reporting requirements. Many of the current RLOs are Indigenous people and have backgrounds in forestry. The IFI program continues to prioritize hiring Indigenous people in these roles, reducing barriers to funding access through a relationship-centred, place-based approach.

Indigenous Reconciliation and Regulatory Coordination (Nòkwewashk) enables NRCan to advance meaningful partnerships, engagement, and support for Indigenous peoples to participate in the natural resource sectors and help ensure that Indigenous people are equal partners and beneficiaries of Canada’s transition to a net-zero economy. As part of the program, NRCan co-chairs the two Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committees (IAMCs). The Secretariats for both Committees identify, and track priorities, issues, actions, and advice addressed by the Committees that may have differential impacts based on gender or diversity factors.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

NRCan’s efforts under the Globally Competitive core responsibility support Canada's commitment in achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the SDG objectives. The Department’s activities encourage the advancement and promotion of market access, inclusiveness and competitiveness for Canada’s natural resource sectors, in support of jobs and economic growth. The planned activities that will help the Department attain its sustainable development goals include:

• engaging with key partners to advance international efforts that enhance global energy security, energy system transformation, climate change mitigation, and clean energy technology development and deployment (Goal 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy and Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals);
• supporting the Government of Canada’s commitment to phase out public financing of fossil fuels through implementing the Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies Guidelines and Framework (Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy);
• contributing to sustainable consumption and production patterns while positioning Canada as a reliable, sustainable, and responsible source of natural resources through initiatives such as the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (SDG 13 – Climate Action); and
• implementing the Framework Regulations in 2024 to modernize and elevate standards for safety, environmental protection, and resource management for offshore oil and gas activities in Canada.

More information on Natural Resources Canada’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Program inventory

Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors is supported by the following programs in the program inventory:

• Forest Sector Competitiveness
• Provision of Federal Leadership in the Minerals and Metals Sector
• Energy Safety and Security, and Petroleum Resources
• Statutory Offshore Payments
• Indigenous Reconciliation and Regulatory Coordination (Nòkwewashk)
• Youth Employment and Skills Strategy - Science and Technology Internship Program (Green Jobs)

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Natural Resources Canada’s program inventory is available on GC Infobase.

Summary of changes made to reporting framework since last year

Structure	2024-25	2023-24	Change	Reason for change
Program Inventory	Indigenous Reconciliation and Regulatory Coordination (Nòkwewashk)	Indigenous Partnerships Office	Program was merged with another program	Note 1
Program Inventory	Indigenous Reconciliation and Regulatory Coordination (Nòkwewashk)	Nòkwewashk	Program was merged with another program	Note 2

Note 1: Indigenous Partnerships Office and Nòkwewashk merged to better reflect how NRCan is enhancing Indigenous participation in the natural resource sectors and NRCan’s contributions as a key department central to the whole-of-government reconciliation agenda.

Note 2: Indigenous Partnerships Office and Nòkwewashk merged to better reflect how NRCan is enhancing Indigenous participation in the natural resource sectors and NRCan’s contributions as a key department central to the whole-of-government reconciliation agenda.

Internal services

In this section

• Description
• Plans to achieve results
• Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25
• Related government priorities

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

• management and oversight services
• communications services
• legal services
• human resources management services
• financial management services
• information management services
• information technology services
• real property management services
• materiel management services
• acquisition management services

Plans to achieve results

One of the Department’s key objectives revolves around transforming the way NRCan fulfills its responsibilities, implements programs, and supports its workforce. NRCan is actively modernizing its work environment, with a particular emphasis on advancing digital transformation, to create an optimal hybrid model that promotes work-life balance. Additionally, the Department remains committed to cultivating a healthy and inclusive atmosphere for all employees through ongoing oversight of departmental Inclusion, Diversity and Accessibility governance to advance anti-racism and accessibility, while also taking concrete measures to enhance employee retention.

With its internal Pathways to Reconciliation Framework as the foundation, NRCan will further align the department’s efforts with the objectives of the UNDA and UNDA Action Plan as well as key Government of Canda priorities such as the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls 2SLGBTQIA+ calls for justice and the Many Voices One Mind Whole of Government Action Plan.

NRCan will continue to evolve its hybrid approach to the work environment by empowering employees to optimize their work-life balance, enhancing the information shared with them and supporting non-standard hybrid work agreements. NRCan’s commitment to retaining employees will be reinforced by continuous improvements to the onboarding process.

NRCan will continue to focus on offering employees a workplace that meets their needs. This includes developing an Accessibility Action Plan for the Department’s built environment, as well as renewing the Mental Health and Wellness Strategy for 2024-2026 in alignment with the Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health Strategy.

NRCan will favour data-driven insights by strengthening data governance and literacy across the organization. The Department is committed to enhancing its cyber security posture against an ever-evolving threat landscape through the implementation of Cybersecurity Strategy activities aimed at improving prevention, detection, and response to cyber threats.

Planned activities in support of the organizational priorities

1) #OurNRCan, Modernization & Digital Transformation

NRCan prioritizes evolving the hybrid work model for optimal work-life balance, enhanced information provided to employees, and support for non-standard hybrid work agreements. The Department will use ongoing monitoring and data-driven metrics to assess the progress and evolution of its hybrid work model, continue to modernize headquarters’ workspace, and extend modernization projects to regional facilities to better support and enable the adoption of the hybrid work model. NRCan is dedicated to advancing digital service delivery, emphasizing data governance, platform optimization, process automation, and user-centered approaches for improvements in hiring and streamlined employee onboarding. NRCan will continue to refine its pay, leave, and benefits support system, emphasizing prevention, awareness, and timely updates. A user-centric design is aimed to reduce inquiries, transaction backlogs and escalations. Collaboration with other departments will accelerate improvements, leading to better outcomes and contributing to collective learning across the Government of Canada.

NRCan will continue to foster a culture of innovation by promoting pilot work, agile methods, supporting sectors work and doing outreach with other departments.

Collaborating with Public Service Procurement Canada (PSPC) Laboratories Canada, NRCan leads the TerraCanada Science Hub. Along with the National Research Council, Health Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, TerraCanada fosters transdisciplinary and collaborative research, development and innovation in sustainable land and resources development, the low-carbon economy, and safety and health of Canadians.

2) Our People’s Wellness and Wellbeing

NRCan strengthens employee retention through enhanced onboarding and a forthcoming Talent Management Program focusing on succession planning and well-being. The program aims to attract top talent, empower current employees, and cultivate an engaged and adaptable workforce. Priorities include employee well-being, professional growth, diversity, and inclusion. NRCan actively supports the government's commitment to hiring 5,000 persons with disabilities by 2025 through targeted recruitment, student initiatives, and talent-at-the-ready solutions.

The Department is working on renewing its Mental Health and Wellness Strategy, aligning with the three goals of the Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health Strategy. Initiatives include awareness campaigns, building support, and improved evaluation and reporting processes. NRCan is committed to creating an inclusive workplace, developing an Accessibility Action Plan for NRCan's built environment in line with the Canadian Accessibility Act and Treasury Board's Employment Equity and Accessibility Action Plan 2022-25.

NRCan will guide its decisions based on the Clerk’s Renewed Call to Action (CTA) and the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), with a focus on equity-seeking groups. The Department will set and communicate multi-year goals for hiring Indigenous and other racialized employees by:

• identifying areas of under-representation, and addressing barriers related to retention, racism, harassment, discrimination and access to development programs;
• supporting sponsorship objectives and multi-year recruitment and promotion goals, capturing these objectives in executive Performance Management Agreements (PMA)
• ensure ongoing support of internal employee networks;
• building the department’s capacity to engage in inclusive science while learning to embed principles of IDEA throughout research designs, practice, and reporting;
• promoting a culture of physical and psychological safety and inclusion, and a respectful work environment through the establishment of an Ombuds Office, ongoing oversight of departmental IDEA governance, advancement of anti-racism and accessibility, inclusive science and ongoing support of internal employee networks; and
• Through the implementation of a Pathways to Reconciliation Action Plan, practical steps for advancing reconciliation will be identified by bridging, braiding, and weaving Indigenous priorities, Knowledges, and perspectives into all departmental operations inside and out. Included in the Action Plan is the development and implementation of a Policy on Ethics for Research Involving Indigenous Peoples and Territories. The intent of the Policy is to enable NRCan employees to build good relationships with Indigenous partners and facilitate positive outcomes for Indigenous communities through science, research, knowledge creation and exchange.

3) Our Resources, Stewardship & Management

NRCan will revise the Values and Ethics Code in partnership with key stakeholders through broader employee consultations, in alignment with the Clerk of the Privy Council priority: Bringing our values and ethics to life in our changing environment.

The Department will implement Cybersecurity Strategy activities to improve prevention, detection, and response to cyber threats and will also foster a culture of cyber awareness and diligence by expanding its employee cyber awareness and training initiatives.

Work will continue to emphasize safety, security, and emergency management to:

• Safeguard employees and government assets
• Ensure the continuous assessment of risk, the implementation of appropriate security safeguards and the proactive management of security threats, risks and incidents; and
• Ensure the continued delivery of critical operations and services to Canadians.

The Department will monitor the progress of its Refocusing Government Spending exercise and implement robust oversight over travel and professional services to ensure future spending aligns with the exercise’s objectives. NRCan will also continue its internal assessment of horizontal initiatives that generate operational efficiencies resulting in a streamlined, modern, and financially sustainable organization.

Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25

• Planned spending: $222,434,663
• Planned full-time resources: 1,487

Related government priorities

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

NRCan commits to allocate 5% of its yearly procurement budget to Indigenous-owned businesses engaged in substantial projects in Nunavut and other Comprehensive Land Claim regions, through the Polar Continental Shelf Program, Surveyor General Branch, Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals program, and Space-Based Earth Observation Program. The Indigenous procurement strategy also involves adapting internal processes to ensure pre-qualified Indigenous-owned businesses by PSPC can participate in NRCan Request for Proposal opportunities to provide goods and services through pre-competed instruments.

Commodities for Indigenous procurement are identified as follows:

• Information technology and telecommunications consultants – locations of work will include the National Capital Region (NCR), Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alberta, and British Colombia.
• Business services and training consultants’ provision of Indigenous cultural competency training. Planned outreach activities include outreach via networks of our contracted Elders and suppliers, utilization of the Indigenous Business Directory, and research.
• Rental of aircraft – work locations include Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.  The main locations of this work in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreements is in the North (including the NLCA).
• Communications Services planned outreach activities include outreach via networks of contracted Elders and suppliers, utilization of the Indigenous Business Directory.
• Research Contracts work will take place within various Indigenous Communities across Canada and seek to advance the elimination of dependence of diesel as a primary fuel source.

5% reporting field	2022-23 actual result	2023-24 forecasted result	2024-25 planned result
Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses	14.32%	19% of our contracts have been awarded to Indigenous business as at December 31, 2023.	Based on historic trends, NRCan expects to award a minimum of 5% of its total procurement budget to Indigenous businesses.

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of Natural Resources Canada’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2024–25 with actual spending from previous years.

In this section

• Spending
• Funding
• Consolidated Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
• Human resources

Spending

Table 10: Actual spending for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of Natural Resources Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date.

Core responsibilities and internal services	2021–22 actual expenditures	2022–23 actual expenditures	2023–24 forecast spending
Natural Resource Science and Risk Mitigation	326,773,358	350,855,417	459,930,847
Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development	833,168,889	1,220,481,467	2,039,181,595
Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors	802,059,928	747,770,525	740,815,780
Subtotal	1,962,002,175	2,319,107,409	3,239,928,222
Internal services	159,209,251	221,019,352	249,539,995
Total	2,121,211,426	2,540,126,761	3,489,468,217

Actual spending for 2022-23 was $2.54 billion, a year-over-year increase of $419 million (20%) from 2021-22 actual spending. This increase is mainly due to:

• incremental spending of $329 million in grants and contributions for programs aimed at improving efficiency in homes (Greener Homes), planting 2 billion trees (2BT) by 2031, providing smart renewable energy and electrical grid modernization projects (SREP), creating a more competitive and resilient forest sector and deployment of electric vehicle (EV) chargers and hydrogen refuelling stations across Canada (ZEVIP).
• increased spending of $138 million in operating for programs supporting Canadians’ ability to better plan and prepare for future floods (FHIMP), capturing carbon dioxide to be recycled for further usage or stored safely underground (CCUS), securing the critical minerals required to transition to a low-carbon economy (Critical Minerals), recognizing and honouring the exceptional service of Atomic Workers, along with supporting the implementation of other programs.

Forecasted spending for 2023-24 was $3.49 billion, a year-over-year increase of $949 million (37%) from 2022-23 actual spending. The increase is mostly attributed to incremental spending in grants and contributions for programs aimed at growing clean fuels market to build a sustainable low carbon economy (Clean Fuels Fund), Critical Minerals, and similar programs identified above such as improving efficiency in homes, SREP, ZEVIP and 2BT.

Table 11: Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of Natural Resources Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the upcoming three fiscal years.

Core responsibilities and internal services	2024–25 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates)	2024–25 planned spending	2025–26 planned spending	2026–27 planned spending
Natural Resource Science and Risk Mitigation	748,201,434	748,201,434	792,703,686	776,216,385
Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development	2,470,316,561	2,470,316,561	2,036,813,371	1,064,337,053
Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors	2,110,187,295	2,110,187,295	1,995,341,379	1,795,252,917
Subtotal	5,328,705,290	5,328,705,290	4,824,858,436	3,635,806,355
Internal services	222,434,663	222,434,663	212,287,680	197,136,938
Total	5,551,139,953	5,551,139,953	5,037,146,116	3,832,943,293

The overall decrease of $1.7 billion from 2024-25 to 2026-27 is mainly due to reduction in planned spending for programs such as the, SREP and Statutory Offshore Payments, as well as the sunsetting of major programs such as the Greener Homes, Clean Fuels Fund, Sustainable Advancement of Canada’s Forest Economy (including 5 of 6 forest-sector support programs and initiatives), predevelopment activities associated with clean electricity (Electricity Predevelopment), reduce fuel consumption on fleets (Green Freight), construction of highly energy-efficient buildings, and transition diesel-reliant rural, remote and Indigenous communities onto clean energy (Off-Diesel). This decrease is offset by an increase in funding for the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund, which aims to support clean energy and electrification initiatives as well as transportation and infrastructure projects that will enable the sustainable development and expansion of critical minerals in Canada.

Funding

Figure 1: Departmental spending 2021–22 to 2026–27

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

Text version

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

	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27
Statutory	607,206,501	544,814,722	526,455,384	1,830,643,284	1,673,976,210	1,567,014,196
Voted	1,514,004,925	1,995,312,039	2,963,012,833	3,720,496,669	3,363,169,906	2,265,929,097
Total	2,121,211,426	2,540,126,761	3,489,468,217	5,551,139,953	5,037,146,116	3,832,943,293

Note: NRCan’s program expenditures include salaries, non-salary costs, capital, grants and contributions to deliver programs and statutory items.

Planned spending in Voted authorities from 2024-25 to 2026-27 is declining, mainly due to reduced funding profiles for major initiatives and sunsetting programs. Sunsetting programs could be renewed pending future budgetary decisions. Outcomes of such decisions will be reflected in the Department’s future budget exercises and Estimates documents.

Planned spending in Statutory authorities shows a variation from 2024-25 to 2026-27 mainly due to the Atlantic Offshore Accounts. Statutory payment obligations under these accords are largely driven by oil and gas prices, production levels and anticipated corporate income taxes related to offshore operations. The planned spending is based on the Department's economic modeling forecasts prepared in the fall of 2023. In comparison, the 2023-24 forecast for the Atlantic Offshore Accounts is lower due to the drop of forecast royalties from various oil fields, reduced production at Hibernia on the account of harsh weather conditions and mechanical issues, reduced payout for Hebron, and slow restart for Terra Nova to reach optimised production rate due to the lengthy period offline.

Estimates by vote

Information on Natural Resources Canada’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2024–25 Main Estimates.

Consolidated Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The consolidated future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of NRCan’s operations for 2023-24 to 2024-25.

The amounts for forecast and planned results in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The amounts for forecast and planned spending presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed consolidated future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on the NRCan website.

Table 12: Consolidated future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2025 (dollars)

Financial information	2023–24 forecast results	2024–25 planned results	Difference (2024–25 planned results minus 2023–24 forecast results)
Total expenses	3,507,354,749	5,071,820,419	1,564,465,670
Total net revenues	25,448,671	25,401,604	-47,067
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers	3,481,906,078	5,046,418,815	1,564,512,737

Total expenses are projected to increase by $1,564 million, from $3,507 million in 2023-24 to $5,072 million in 2024-25, mainly explained by:

An increase of $1,332 million in Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors mainly related to:

• An increase of $1,374 million primarily in the Offshore Statutory accounts; offset by
• A decrease of $15.6 million mainly related to the sunsetting of the Implementation of the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committees for the Trans Mountain Expansion project (TMX) and of the TMX Accommodation/Terrestrial Cumulative Effects Initiative.

An increase of $111 million in Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development mainly due to:

• An increase of $259.5 million mainly related to the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program, the Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative, the Electricity Pre-Development Program, the Transitioning Diesel-Reliant Indigenous Communities onto Clean Energy Program and the Green Industrial Facilities and Manufacturing Program; offset by
• A decrease of $142 million related to the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program and the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways.

An increase of $139 million in Natural Resource Science and Risk Mitigation mainly related to Growing Canada's Forest - 2 Billion Trees Program, the Wildfire Resilient Future Initiative, the Wildfire Resilient Fighting and Managing – Equipment Program and the Building and Mobilizing Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge Program.

Net revenues of $25.4 million for 2024-25 are consistent with 2023-24.

The charts presenting the distribution of Natural Resources Canada’s total forecast expenses for 2023-24 and planned expenses for 2024-25 by Core Responsibility on an accrual basis are available on the NRCan website.

Human resources

Table 13: Actual human resources summary for core responsibilities and internal services

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for Natural Resources Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.

Core responsibilities and internal services	2021–22 actual FTEs	2022–23 actual FTEs	2023–24 forecasted FTEs
Natural Resources Science and Risk Mitigation	1,263	1,316	1,409
Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development	1,735	1,986	2,134
Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors	465	495	615
Subtotal	3,463	3,797	4,158
Internal services	1,007	1,243	1,299
Total	4,470	5,040	5,457

For 2021-22 and 2022-23, the figures represent the FTEs as reported in the Departmental Results Report while 2023-24 represents the forecasted FTEs to year-end.

The increase in FTEs from 2021-22 to 2022-23 is due mostly to programs aimed at accelerating the development and adoption of clean technology and transition to net-zero by 2050. These include improving efficiency in homes, ZEVIP, CCUS, 2BT, Clean Fuels Fund, and funding for remote Indigenous communities to reduce diesel consumption for heat and power.

Similarly, increase from 2022-23 to 2023-24 is driven by programs mentioned above aimed at ensuring that Canada is well positioned to transition to a greener economy whilst ensuring that communities benefit from all natural resource projects.

Additionally, there was an increase in internal services to support the expansion of programs and associated activities.

Table 14: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of Natural Resources Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for 2024–25 and future years.

Core responsibilities and internal services	2024–25 planned fulltime equivalents	2025–26 planned fulltime equivalents	2026–27 planned fulltime equivalents
Natural Resource Science and Risk Mitigation	1,465	1,411	1,367
Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development	2,181	1,982	1,798
Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors	618	582	533
Subtotal	4,264	3,975	3,698
Internal services	1,487	1,465	1,458
Total	5,751	5,440	5,156

For 2024-25 to 2026-27, the figures represent total Planned FTEs to support NRCan approved program activities.

Decrease from 2024-25 to 2026-27 is mostly driven by a combination of sunsetting programs and reduction in funding profiles of major initiatives such as accelerating the deployment and market entry of next-generation clean energy infrastructure (Green Infrastructure), Clean Fuels Fund, Regional Energy Tables, and sustaining the advancement of Canada's Forest Economy.

As new initiatives are approved or existing programs are renewed, FTEs will be reflected in future Estimates documents.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head: Michael Vandergrift

Ministerial portfolio:

• Atomic Energy of Canada Limited;
• Canada Energy Regulator;
• Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission;
• Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board;
• Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board;
• Northern Pipeline Agency; and,
• Energy Supplies Allocation Board (inactive).

Enabling instrument(s):

• Department of Natural Resources Act;
• Resources and Technical Surveys Act, and,
• Forestry Act.

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1994

Organizational contact information

Mailing address

Natural Resources Canada
580 Booth Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0E4
Canada

Email: media@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Website(s): https://natural-resources.canada.ca/home

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on Natural Resource Canada’s website:

• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Horizontal initiatives - Natural Climate Solutions Fund
• Horizontal initiatives - Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy
• Up front multi-year funding

Information on Natural resource Canada’s departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on NRCan’s website.

Federal tax expenditures

Natural Resource Canada’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government--wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis plus.

Definitions

List of terms

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 document that sets out a department’s priorities, programs, expected results and associated resource requirements, covering a three-year period beginning with the year indicated in the title of the report. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A change that a department seeks to influence. 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 factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department’s actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities and expected results set out in its Departmental Plan for that year. Departmental Results Reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.

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. Full-time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.

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. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2024–25 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2021 Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fighter harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation and fighting for a secure, just, and equitable world.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

Indigenous business

As defined on the Indigenous Services Canada website in accordance with the Government of Canada’s commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses annually.

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.

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 up to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the 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 a department and that focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

An inventory of a department’s programs that describes how resources are organized to carry out the department’s core responsibilities and achieve its planned results.

result (résultat)

An external 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.