2018–19 Departmental Results Report: Women and Gender Equality Canada

Minister’s message

I am very pleased to present the 2018–19 Departmental Results Report for Status of Women Canada and Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE). This report covers the results of our activities to advance gender equality before and after our transition into a full department of the Government of Canada in December 2018.

Upon our transition into a full department, Women and Gender Equality Canada, we took on an expanded mandate to advance equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression through the inclusion of people of all genders, including women, in Canada’s economic, social, and political life. Our vision is of a Canada where people of all genders, including women, are equal in every way and can achieve their full potential. Over the past year, our work to advance gender equality has continued to focus on four priority areas: addressing gender-based violence (GBV); integrating Gender-based Analysis (GBA+) across the federal government; addressing systemic barriers to gender equality; and working to advance gender equality at the international level. Our approach to gender equality in these areas includes the advancement of equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

To achieve our goals, WAGE works in partnership with a wide range of individuals and groups representing the women’s movement and the LGBTQ2 communities in Canada. We also work with Indigenous partners and with all levels of government, as well as with national and international civil society organizations and the private sector on a number of different initiatives.

Through the first-ever federal Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, we have invested more than $200 million for projects and programming that will help to address gender-based violence, share best practices in preventing it, and help move us towards a Canada where gender-based violence is in our past. We have made great progress, but know there is much more work to do. That includes work to eradicate human trafficking, which we will continue through Canada’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking unveiled in the summer of 2019. In support of this work, we also launched the Gender-Based Violence Knowledge Centre, an online platform housed within our website to provide critical information and resources to those working in this area, to help us redouble our efforts to reduce and eliminate violence against women. It continues to evolve and expand and its goal is to become a trusted source for reliable research, data and reporting, on potential issues and promising solutions to prevent and address GBV.

Recognizing the importance of a strong, and sustainable movement of women’s and equality-seeking organizations, we delivered Canada’s largest-ever investment in the women’s movement through the Capacity-building fund. This $100 million fund is dedicated to ensure that organizations on the ground can keep doing their great work to support women and their families, while receiving dependable and predictable funding from the Government of Canada. This past spring, WAGE entered into innovative partnerships, such as those with Community Foundation of Canada, Canadian Women’s Foundation and Grand Challenges Canada to increase the Government’s investment by encouraging philanthropic matching and extend our reach.

In response to the interim report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and because commemoration is a powerful way to honour truths, support healing, create awareness, and advance reconciliation, the Government also invested $13 million in 110 commemoration initiatives from coast to coast to coast to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, including LGTBQ2 individuals.

We held the first meeting of our Youth Working Group on Gender Equality, an important group of impressive young Canadians who will help guide our progress towards a more equal Canada for everyone. The work of these young Canadians will inform our next steps and ensure the work we do stays relevant to young Canadians from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Everyone has a role to play in advancing gender equality. Over the past year, we worked with organizations across the country to engage men and boys in the important work of advancing gender equality. This work led to the announcement of three projects in the summer of 2019 that will work across Canada to continue the engagement of men and boys in this work. We also released Calling Men and Boys In, a report detailing the shared key observations and trends that we heard through the year-long consultations held across Canada to engage men and boys in achieving gender equality.

By enlisting men and boys as allies and advocates in the women’s and gender-equality seeking movement, we’re working together to create a more equal and prosperous Canada for all. To ensure that our plans and programs do what they are intended to do, and do not adversely impact women and minority groups, we continue to implement GBA+ in all areas of the Government of Canada. In 2018, Parliament passed into law the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act that requires every initiative be assessed using a gender lens to ensure that everyone can equally benefit from government programs and services, regardless of sex, gender, or any other identity factors. We also introduced the Gender Results Framework to guide decision-making and measure progress in advancing gender equality in Canada and abroad.

To address the unique needs and persisting disparities among LGBTQ2 individuals in Canada, we are making investments to strengthen and grow LGBTQ2 organizations to help them build capacity, expand services and increase hiring. At the same time, we are increasing our efforts to address systemic barriers to gender equality by, among other things, providing targeted grants and contributions to support equality-seeking organizations, with a particular focus on the unique challenges faced by Indigenous women and girls. We will also continue to advance gender equality around the world. In fact, the Government of Canada made it a dominant theme of Canada’s 2018 G7 Presidency. We also continue to advance the commitments we made on gender equality through the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and in other international fora.

In June 2019, Canada hosted Women Deliver 2019, the world’s largest conference on gender equality, with over 8,500 participants from 165 countries gathered in Vancouver to share best practices on combatting gender-based violence and inequalities, and set the path towards greater inclusion around the globe. For decision makers at all levels, and across all sectors, it was an opportunity to publicly announce their commitment to moving the needle on gender equality. The conversations were urgent, illuminating – often difficult – and deeply inspiring.

The path toward equality demands much from all of us. I believe that if we all continue to work together, as public servants and as Canadians, we will continue to make steady progress toward equality for all and improve the lives of everyone in this country.

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C, M.P.
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

Results at a glance

In 2018–19, with actual spending of $72,146,366 and 222 full-time equivalents (FTEs), Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE)^{Footnote 1}  continued to mobilize partners and promote gender equality by proactively engaging with individuals, institutions and with international, local and national partners. WAGE continued to partner with federal departments and agencies, other orders of government, as well as private and civil society organizations that advance gender equality through policy, programs and organizational practices.

In December 2018, new legislation created WAGE, transforming the former Status of Women Canada into an official department of the Government of Canada. This change modernizes and formalizes, in law, the roles of the Minister and the Department. While WAGE continued to work towards more equitable economic, political and social outcomes for women and girls in Canada, it also received a mandate for gender equality with respect to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. In keeping with these commitments, WAGE continued to focus its efforts on building awareness, knowledge and capacity to advance gender equality.

In 2018–19, WAGE delivered results in four priority areas:

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

Results: what we achieved

Core Responsibility

Mobilizing Partners and Promoting Equality for Women and Girls

Description

Status of Women Canada^{Footnote 2}  mobilizes partners and promotes equality between women and men by proactively engaging with individuals and institutions and with international, local and national partners. Status of Women Canada increases awareness of gender equality and enables federal organizations to systematically incorporate gender-based analysis into federal policies and programs. Status of Women Canada also assists other partners and institutions, through its expertise, contribution to research and knowledge development on issues of women and leadership, women and the economy and gender-based violence, and funding to community initiatives, to improve women’s social and economic well-being.

Results

Over the reporting period, WAGE delivered results for Canadians and contributed to advancing gender equality by focusing its efforts in four priority areas: implementation of Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence; integration of Gender-based Analysis Plus across the federal government; strategic support and investments to address systemic barriers to gender equality; and international engagement to advance gender equality.

Implementation of Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence

Despite being preventable, gender-based violence (GBV) remains a systemic barrier to gender equality, as well as one of the most pervasive human rights violations. Its negative effects reach far beyond the individuals who directly experience it and can have long-lasting and negative health, social and economic effects that span generations.

Fiscal year 2018–19, marked the second year of It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence (GBV Strategy). WAGE continued to lead the Strategy by coordinating the federal government's work and collaborating with federal partner departments to achieve common results. The annual report for fiscal year 2018–19 released in August 2019, highlights the priorities, results and achievements of the Strategy’s second year, including additional investments made in the Strategy in 2018.

A further 10 projects were completed that focused on enabling women’s entrepreneurship. Projects engaged a range of stakeholders in strategic partnerships to identify and respond to barriers faced by women entrepreneurs. Through funded projects, stakeholders worked collaboratively to develop tools for women and other stakeholders to improve access to resources and supports for women entrepreneurs in starting and growing their businesses.

Several projects engaged with stakeholders that provide business supports (for example, community/business associations and financial institutions) to reassess policies that created barriers for women entrepreneurs and address gender-unequal practices. In addition, the projects created new networks that led to further plans for coordinated action.

In response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ interim report, WAGE launched the Commemoration Fund in February 2019. The Fund supports Indigenous governments and organizations to work with families, survivors, and communities to develop and implement commemoration initiatives honouring the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and LGBTQ2 individuals. After the call closed on March 28, 2019, WAGE engaged Indigenous external review committees, composed of affected individuals across the country, including family members, First Nations, Inuit and Métis community representatives, and Indigenous grassroots advocates, to review and recommend proposals for funding. In June 2019, $13 million in funding was announced for 110 projects through this call for proposals.

In the summer 2018–19, WAGE hosted a series of roundtable discussions across Canada that brought together over 200 participants to share their experiences and insights on how best to engage men and boys to advance gender equality. Participants included representatives of community-based organizations working on a range of issues and programs related to engaging men and boys in gender equality, as well as academics, community leaders and representatives of groups representing persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2 people, seniors, Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, students, youth, faith-based organizations, the private sector, labour and others. In addition to regionally-based discussions, thematic consultations were held on specific issues related to students, young Canadians and workplaces, as well as corporate engagement. In August 2019, a report entitled “Calling Men and Boys In – What We Heard: Report from the Roundtable on Engaging Men and Boys to Advance Gender Equality” was published, summarizing the broad outlines of these discussions.

In 2018–19, WAGE also designed and launched National Conversations on Gender Equality with Young Canadians, a new multiyear initiative seeking to expand and amplify youth-led dialogue about behaviours and attitudes that perpetuate gender inequality, and support action for long-term change. Spearheaded by the Youth Working Group on Gender Equality, the initiative’s two distinct but connected streams will be implemented starting in 2019–20:

• a National stream, co-created between youth and WAGE, to engage with diverse groups of youth across Canada; and
• an Indigenous stream, co-developed between Indigenous youth and Indigenous organizations to engage Indigenous youth across Canada.

Over the reporting period, WAGE promoted action through commemorative initiatives:

• for International Women’s Day (March 8), a call to action under the theme #InnovateForChange encouraged people to harness the power of technology to create a more equal world;
• throughout Canada’s first-ever Gender Equality Week (September 23 – 29, 2018), the Department held celebrations and encouraged everyone to show their support for gender equality using the hashtag #EveryoneBenefits;
• as part of 2018 Women’s History Month celebrations, WAGE launched Women of Impact in Canada, an online gallery featuring profiles of courageous women who have made an impact in politics, the arts and sciences, and countless other fields throughout Canada’s history. The online gallery received 12,369 visits during the month of October;
• to mark the International Day of the Girl (October 11), Canada participated in and co-hosted events at United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York City highlighting its commitment to advancing gender equality, promote action on addressing systemic barriers to gender equality among youth from Canada and around the world, and further relations with important partners at the UN.

Recognizing the essential role of the provinces and territories in addressing inequality, WAGE promoted and supported the advancement of gender equality through the annual Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women, an important opportunity for leaders across the country to discuss shared priorities and strengthen collaboration. In October 2018, WAGE co-hosted the FPT Ministerial meeting with the Government of Yukon in Whitehorse, and worked with its provincial and territorial counterparts to advance key priorities affecting gender equality in Canada. Ministers also met with National Indigenous Leaders and Representatives to discuss areas of mutual interest. Following the annual FPT Ministerial meeting, representatives of federal, provincial and territorial governments continued to collaborate to:

• better support women entering into leadership positions, in partnership with the private sector;
• increase access to funding for women’s organizations and organizations working for gender equality;
• address human trafficking in Canada;
• address challenges faced by LGBTQ2 Canadians; and
• strengthen engagement with National Indigenous Leaders and Representatives, influence action to address and prevent violence against Indigenous women and girls and support Canada’s efforts in reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

Of note, WAGE explored opportunities for joint funding with provincial and territorial partners to strengthen collaboration to advance gender equality. In 2018–19, two joint funding initiatives were announced: a capacity-building project with the Government of Yukon’s Women’s Directorate and a project to address gaps in supports for survivors of gender-based violence with the Government of Nova Scotia’s Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

In 2018–19, the difference between actual and planned spending is a result of additional funding received through the 2018 Budget Implementation Vote of which details are highlighted under the Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women. These additional resources also explain the increase in FTEs (+9) over the reporting period.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the WAGE’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Internal Services

Description

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

• Acquisition Management Services
• Communications Services
• Financial Management Services
• Human Resources Management Services
• Information Management Services
• Information Technology Services
• Legal Services
• Materiel Management Services
• Management and Oversight Services
• Real Property Management Services

Results

Over the reporting period, WAGE’s internal services functions continued to build capacity as the organization continued to grow and transitioned from an agency to a full-fledged department. Key initiatives have included:

• creating a change management office to engage with staff and support the design and implementation of the transition structure, a workforce management action plan, and a new comprehensive governance approach;
• implementing a new financial structure systems to support the legislative needs of central agencies;
• strengthening procurement processes to keep pace with an increased demand for contracting services;
• developing and refining departmental processes in the areas of corporate planning and reporting, impact measurement, evaluation and results and delivery to provide better management and oversight support tailored to the organization’s evolving needs and requirements;
• redeveloping and expanding workspaces to accommodate a growing workforce; and
• strengthening information technology and management capacity.

In 2018–19, the difference between actual and planned spending is related to additional funding for internal services received during the reporting period to support departmental initiatives funded through Budget 2018. These additional resources also explain the increase in internal services FTEs (+6) over the reporting period.

Analysis of trends in spending and human resources

Actual expenditures

Departmental spending trend graph for Status of Women Canada

Note: Status of Women Canada became the Women and Gender Equality Canada on December 13, 2018. As a result there was no planned spending to report after December 12, 2018.

Departmental spending trend graph for Women and Gender Equality Canada

Note: Women and Gender Equality Canada was created on December 13, 2018. As a result, there was no spending to report for 2016–17 or 2017–18.

In total, the organization had $73,730,693 in authorities available for use in 2018–19, including authorities available for Status of Women Canada and for Women and Gender Equality Canada. Total actual spending for the organization was $72,146,366.

Increases in planned spending between 2018–19 and 2020–21 are primarily due to new ongoing and time-limited investments received since 2017–18 to:

• implement and expand It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, including funding for the Gender-Based Violence Program;
• develop and implement a framework to prevent and address GBV at post-secondary institutions;
• establish a Commemoration Fund in response to the Interim Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls;
• enhance the Women’s Program to support the sustainability of women’s and equality-seeking organizations;
• engage Canadians on the benefits of gender equality and advancing equality for women and girls; and
• undertake research and data collection in support of the Gender Results Framework and evidence-based policy.

Actual human resources

In total, the organization had 222 FTEs in 2018–19, including actual FTEs for Status of Women Canada and for Women and Gender Equality Canada.

Additional funding received over the past three years has resulted in increases to the organizational workforce, which has more than doubled from 113 FTEs in 2016–17 to 289 planned FTEs in 2019–20. Decreases in requirements for FTEs in 2020–21 are attributable to time-limited initiatives that are set to end.

Expenditures by vote

For information on Women and Gender Equality Canada’s organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2018–2019.

Government of Canada spending and activities

Information on the alignment of Women and Gender Equality Canada’s spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in the GC InfoBase.

Financial statements and financial statements highlights

Financial statements

Financial statements (unaudited) for Status of Women Canada and Women and Gender Equality Canada for the year ended March 31, 2019 are available on the departmental website.

Financial statements highlights

The 2018–19 planned results for Status of Women Canada are based on estimates known at the time of the Departmental Plan. The difference between total expenses for 2018–19 planned results and 2018–19 actuals is mainly due to the transfer of authorities and expenses when Status of Women Canada became Women and Gender Equality Canada on December 13, 2018.

On an accrual accounting basis, Status of Women Canada’s operating expenses for 2018–19 were $36.1 million, a decrease of $10.8 million when compared to the previous fiscal year. This difference is mainly due to the transfer of operations to Women and Gender Equality Canada resulting from new enabling legislation.

Status of Women Canada’s revenues were the result of fees generated by requests under the Access to Information Act.

The 2018–19 planned results for Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) are based on estimates for the reference period included in Status of Women Canada’s 2018–19 Departmental Plan and the transfer of authorities to WAGE after December 13, 2018.

On an accrual accounting basis, WAGE’s operating expenses for 2018–19 are $39.2 million. WAGE does not have comparative figures as it was its first year of operations.

WAGE’s revenues are the result of fees generated by requests under the Access to Information Act.

Status of Women Canada’s total liabilities and financial assets were transferred to the Women and Gender Equality Canada upon its creation on December 13, 2018.

Women and Gender Equality Canada’s (WAGE) total net liabilities are composed of accounts payable and accrued liabilities (71%), employee future benefits (12%), and employee vacation pay and compensatory leave (16%).

Total net financial assets consist of accounts receivable, advances, and amounts due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Government of Canada. The amount due from the CRF represents 89% or $2 million of the total net financial assets and the remaining 11% is comprised of accounts receivable and advances. The amount due from the CRF represents the amount of net cash that WAGE is entitled to draw from the CRF in the future to discharge its current liabilities, without further appropriations.

Total non-financial assets consist of tangible capital assets, which make up 100% of the balance.

WAGE does not have comparative figures as 2018–19 was its first year of operations.

Supplemantary information

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable Maryam Monsef

Institutional head: Guylaine Roy

Status of Women Canada (to December 12, 2018):

Ministerial portfolio: Canadian Heritage

Enabling instrument: Order in Council (1976–779)

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1976

Women and Gender Equality Canada (effective December 13, 2018):

Ministerial portfolio: Department for Women and Gender Equality

Enabling instrument: Department for Women and Gender Equality Act

Year of incorporation / commencement: 2018

Other: In December 2018, new legislation created Women and Gender Equality Canada, transforming the former Status of Women Canada into an official department of the Government of Canada.

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

The “Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” section is available on Women and Gender Equality Canada’s website.

Operating context and key risks

Information on operating context and key risks is available on Women and Gender Equality Canada’s website.

Reporting framework

The organization’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2018–19 are shown below.

Note: In December 2018, new legislation created Women and Gender Equality Canada, transforming the former Status of Women Canada into an official department of the Government of Canada. While the Departmental Results Framework and Core Responsibility were changed to reflect the new legislation, changes to the reporting framework will only be effective starting in 2019–20. For this Departmental Results Report, the organization is required to use the reporting framework of record for the 2018–19 fiscal year, as presented in Status of Women Canada’s 2018–19 Departmental Plan.

Supporting information on the Program Inventory

Financial, human resources and performance information for Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on Women and Gender Equality Canada’s website:

• Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
• Details on transfer payment programs of $5 million or more
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Horizontal initiatives
• Response to parliamentary committees and external audits

Federal tax expenditures

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs. The tax measures presented in this report are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.

Organizational contact information

For financial information, contact:

Stéphane Lavigne
Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director
Corporate Services Branch
Telephone: 819-420-6825
Fax: 819-420-6906
E-mail: Stephane.Lavigne@cfc-swc.gc.ca

For other information, contact:

Lisa Smylie
Director General, Research, Results and Delivery
Telephone: 819-420-6508
E-mail: Lisa.Smylie@cfc-swc.gc.ca

Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

Core Responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a Core Responsibility are reflected in one or more related Departmental Results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a three-year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

Departmental Result (résultat ministériel)

A Departmental Result represents the change or changes that the 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)

Consists of the department’s Core Responsibilities, Departmental Results and Departmental Result Indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on an appropriated department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

experimentation (expérimentation)

Activities that seek to explore, test and compare the effects and impacts of policies, interventions and approaches, to inform evidence-based decision-making, by learning what works and what does not.

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

An analytical process used to help identify the potential impacts of policies, programs and services on diverse groups of women, men and gender differences. We all have multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who we are; GBA+ considers many other identity factors, such as race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2018–19 Departmental Results Report, those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2015 Speech from the Throne, namely: Growth for the Middle Class; Open and Transparent Government; A Clean Environment and a Strong Economy; Diversity is Canada’s Strength; and Security and Opportunity.

horizontal initiatives (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where two or more departments are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

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

performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)

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

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

priority (priorité)

A plan or project that an organization has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired Strategic Outcome(s) or Departmental Results.

program (programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

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.

Strategic Outcome (résultat stratégique)

A long-term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization’s mandate, vision and core functions.

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.