2021-2022 Departmental plan

From the Minister

It is my pleasure to present the 2021-22 Departmental Plan for Invest in Canada. As Canada’s Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion, and International Trade it is my job to promote Canada as a great place to invest in, while helping Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow into the global marketplace, creating good jobs for hardworking Canadians.

The COVID-19 pandemic is helping us realize how significant and interconnected the global economy is to the well-being of Canadians and Canada’s economy. The pandemic will be with us for some time, but by increasing and diversifying trade and attracting job-creating investment, Canada is positioned to grow its economy and enhance the standard of living of all Canadians.

Working toward economic recovery is a complex task and creating business opportunities in Canada for global investors searching for new ways to approach global supply chains is one way that Invest in Canada and its partners can contribute to that recovery.

In 2021-22, Invest in Canada will work to strengthen the Canada brand, grow Canada’s economy, and support the Government’s trade diversification strategy. Invest in Canada will continue to work collaboratively with its federal partners, like the Trade Commissioner Service, as well as provincial, territorial, and municipal partners to accelerate new investment and reinvestment opportunities into Canada.

Through these initiatives and more, we will work towards a strong economic recovery, create new opportunities for Canadians, and ensure a vibrant future for all Canadians.

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

From the Chair of the Board of Directors

As we look forward to 2021-22, we know that the Canadian economy and those of other countries around the world continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, the last year has demonstrated that Canada and Canadians are resilient. Disruptions in work and home life led to innovations in the use of technologies to ensure that many could work or learn remotely. Interruptions in some industries led to retooling of many operations to manufacture of essential goods. People and businesses in Canada have adapted well to an unpredictable set of circumstances over an extended period. Canada, always among leading nations in a number of important rankings, also has received that same level of admiration for its handling of the pandemic.

It’s with this lens of resilience and adaptability that I frame my optimism toward the next year(s). Canadian communities are emerging as hubs for innovation, technology and industries of the future. Canada has a proven track record in many sectors such as natural resources and manufacturing, with growing influence in new and exciting sectors like artificial intelligence, cleantech, and research and development. In times of uncertainty, it’s reassuring to know that Canada has many advantages to draw upon.

When considering foreign direct investment in this climate, Canada’s advantages will set it apart from competitors as businesses around the world look to expand, diversify, and secure their supply chains. Canada’s diverse and skilled workforce, global market access, welcoming business climate, predictable and stable political environment and banking system, high quality of life, immigration policies, and innovative spirit will continue to make the country attractive to foreign investors.

Canada is resilient and we have witnessed how our strong foundations have helped to lift the country in times of adversity. Invest in Canada can play its part in the recovery efforts to help lead the way for global investment to support economic prosperity and stimulate innovative solutions to recovery.

My colleagues and I on the Invest in Canada Board of Directors are committed to supporting Invest in Canada by sharing our experience and providing guidance to help promote, facilitate and accelerate investments into Canada. Together, the Board is dedicated to ensuring that Invest in Canada is in the best possible state to support more global companies that choose to expand their businesses in Canada. I am encouraged by the progress that the organization has made in just three short years of operation. As Chair of the Board, Invest in Canada’s leadership in furthering Canada’s image on the global investment stage gives me confidence that Invest in Canada will continue to take mature in a thoughtful and strategic way. I am also pleased to report that the members of this board are actively involved in the mission. Board members attend meetings with target or interested companies, help with networking, and enthusiastically participate in a number of activities working with the Invest in Canada team.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Invest in Canada’s management team and the dedicated employees who contribute to improving Canada’s economic conditions through greater global investments. I look forward to continued success for the year ahead.

Mitch Garber
Chair of the Board of Directors

From the Chief Executive Officer

Invest in Canada has done its best to adapt to the conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020-21 fiscal year challenged the organization to continue efficient operations and work with partners in new and different ways to promote and facilitate foreign investments into Canada. Last year, operations and staff were realigned to continue IIC’s work from home to maintain relationships with clients and partners. Staff adjusted seamlessly to modify participation in industry events that went online to reach its audiences, continue valuable investor engagement remotely and maintain sound systems and processes from a distance.

Throughout 2020-21 Invest in Canada continued to work with federal, provincial, territorial and municipal partners across Canada to promote the country’s strengths, such as its sound banking system, its strong business environment, and the highly skilled, diverse, and well-educated workforce, that make Canada appealing to global companies. A coordinated, comprehensive and collaborative effort of the entire FDI ecosystem will be critical going into 2021-22 to help Canada maintain its presence on the global stage

The next year will be another test of Canadian economic resilience. Canada has laid a strong foundation in response to the pandemic, enabling global investors to continue to look favourably at Canada’s investment opportunities. Invest in Canada will redouble its efforts alongside partners like the Trade Commissioner Service to continue to promote Canada as an attractive investment destination and facilitate investments in order to help the Canadian economy recover.

Communities all across Canada have benefitted from global investors who have recognised Canada’s impressive talent, unmatched global market access, and cost-saving programs and incentives the country has to offer. Promoting, facilitating and accelerating foreign direct investment into and all across Canada will continue to be our focus as we prepare for the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.

I am tremendously proud of the commitment and hard work demonstrated by Invest in Canada’s employees and Management Team through difficult times and am reassured to know that the organization has such a strong base to support our significant mandate. I look forward to continued success that we will achieve together in the year ahead.

Ian McKay
Chief Executive Officer

Plans at a glance

Since its creation in 2018, Invest in Canada (IIC) has been committed to carrying out its mandate to promote foreign direct investment (FDI) in Canada and coordinate efforts with partners across all orders of government, the private sector and other stakeholders on investments into Canada and to champion Canada as a premier investment destination. Leveraging its active board of diversely qualified members the organization has focused on presenting Canada’s unique advantages and value proposition that distinguish it from international competition in today’s global innovation economy in order to support the Government of Canada’s aim to drive more innovation, investment and trade in the country.

In 2021-22, IIC will continue to operate as an entrepreneurial organization and build on these efforts to achieve its departmental results and indicators, while taking into consideration new dynamics brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and guidance provided by the Minister of International Trade in the 2020 Statement of Priorities and Accountabilities. In this context, IIC will focus on the following priorities in 2021-22 to achieve IIC’s departmental results and indicators:

Promote Canada as a top investment destination

This priority has been and will continue to be a focus for IIC. The organization will continue to develop and disseminate promotion strategies with government departments to ensure that global investors are familiar with the advantages of investing in Canada. Efforts are underway to develop strategies on new initiatives and advantages that speak to policies and programs that support investment attraction to Canada. Further, IIC will leverage its work with other federal departments on Canada’s Foreign Direct Investment Attraction Strategy to ensure that organizations are aligned in the promotion of Canada’s value propositions for key subsectors in order to better target messaging to clients. While the long-term and stimulating effects of FDI are recognized, IIC also understands the benefits that FDI can bring to the recovery of the Canadian economy in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Support the Government’s trade diversification strategy

FDI is an important part of Canada’s trade equation and a part of IIC’s strategy is to support the Government’s trade diversification strategy by aligning with its trade and small business portfolio organizations, such as the Trade Commissioner Service. This includes participating in the Business, Economic and Trade Recovery Working Group with Export Development Canada, the Business Development Bank of Canada, the Canadian Commercial Corporation, Global Affairs Canada and the Trade Commissioner Service, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to collaborate on initiatives of shared interest based on direction from the Minister.

Strengthen Canada’s brand

Building and enhancing Canada’s strong brand is one of IIC’s ongoing initiatives through advertising campaigns, signature events, website content and coordination with the Trade Commissioner Service for greater dissemination abroad. Invest in Canada will continue to strengthen and share Canada’s brand, while understanding and respecting the current COVID-19 context and applying a sustainability lens to branding.

Grow Canada’s economy

Invest in Canada’s mandate to promote and coordinate the efforts toward FDI into Canada is underpinned by the broader purpose to support economic prosperity and stimulate innovation in Canada. In support of this, IIC will continue to work with partners and clients on diverse opportunities that contribute to the Canadian economy in a variety of ways, such as contribution to the knowledge-based economy, while ensuring that risks to Canadians and national security are considered.

Promote the Tourism Sector to Foreign Investors

Recognizing that growth of the tourism sector in Canada could be accelerated by increasing the amount of private investment, IIC will continue to work closely with the TCS to identify and pursue foreign investment opportunities in the tourism sector.

Implement Canada’s Foreign Direct Investment Attraction Strategy

In 2020-21 IIC led the development of Canada’s Foreign Direct Investment Attraction Strategy in collaboration with sixteen federal organizations. The strategy focuses on the coordination and collaboration across federal organizations to ensure that the right support and capacity are in place to facilitate and accelerate FDI. In 2021-22, IIC will work closely with those federal organizations to implement the strategy action plans and continue to refresh the strategy based on current needs and priorities.

Further to these priorities, Invest in Canada will continue its close cooperation with the Trade Commissioner Service, leveraging their in-market expertise, and other government departments to provide complementary roles and services to potential investors. To further solidify the existing collaboration with Global Affairs Canada, IIC will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Global Affairs Canada to provide a clear roadmap toward a joint approach to attracting investments to Canada.

For more information on Invest in Canada’s plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks” section of this report.

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks

This section contains detailed information on the department’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.

Internal Services: planned results

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 services that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. These services are:

• 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

Planning highlights

Invest in Canada will continue to support strong internal management controls, including financial services, human resources management, information technology and security and will continue to champion strong internal governance structures to provide support to the Board and management’s oversight and decision-making.

In 2021 22, IIC will focus on the following key initiatives that support the achievement of IIC’s departmental results.

Corporate Governance: Ensure effective governance through ongoing improvement of Board and management meetings and committee structures, as well as ensuring compliance with key legislative requirements and reporting.

Human Resources Management: Strengthen its human resources framework, including completing its pay equity report, implementing key policies such as learning and development and continuing to recruit high quality employees.

Financial Services: Ensure that IIC’s financial management policies and structures are documented and observed. IIC will continue to work with the Board to ensure that policies are reviewed systematically confirm that controls are sound and that safeguards are in place to protect public resources.

Information Management/Technology (IM/IT) Systems: Maintain existing corporate and operational tools, such as IIC’s technology platform and the customer relationship management system, as well as develop the next phases of its IT solutions for internal and external audiences.

Planned budgetary financial resources for Internal Services

Planned human resources for Internal Services

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2018–19 to 2023–24

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

Text version

	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-2024
Statutory	981,490	0	0	0	0	0
Voted	22,203,434	36,056,589	34,291,556	34,271,556	33,611,556	34,001,556
Total	23,184,924	36,056,589	34,291,556	34,271,556	33,611,556	34,004,556

Invest in Canada’s funding profile has matched the maturation of the organization. IIC is responsible for all employee benefits and pension contributions annually.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned spending for each of Invest in Canada’s core responsibilities and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

Core responsibilities and Internal Services	2018–19 expenditures	2019–20 expenditures	2020–21 forecast spending	2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates)	2021–22 planned spending	2022–23 planned spending	2023–24 planned spending
Foreign Direct Investment Attraction	$4,884,967	$19,935,683	$27,433,245	$27,417,245	$27,417,245	$26,889,245	$27,201,245
Subtotal	$4,884,967	$19,935,683	$27,433,245	$27,417,245	$27,417,245	$26,889,245	$27,201,245
Internal Services	$5,833,968	$6,160,767	$6,858,311	$6,854,311	$6,854,311	$6,722,311	$6,800,311
Total	$10,718,935	$26,096,450	$34,291,556	$34,271,556	$34,271,556	$33,611,556	$34,001,556

Invest in Canada was formally established on March 12, 2018. Spending from 2020-21 to 2023-24 reflects funding for IIC at a steady state.

Corporate information

Reporting framework

Invest in Canada’s approved departmental results framework and program inventory for 2021–22 are as follows.

Text version

Departmental Results Framework / Internal Services

Core Responsibility: Foreign Direct Investment Attraction

• Departmental result 1: Canada’s brand is seen as a global leader in investment attraction
  • Indicator: Improved score in global FDI attractiveness index
  • Indicator: Increased awareness/recognition of the Invest in Canada brand
  • Indicator: Percentage increase in “my opinion of Canada as a prominent global leader for foreign investment”
• Departmental result 2: Canada is a location and destination of choice for global investment
  • Indicator: Percentage increase of Canada’s FDI stock
  • Indicator: Increase in FDI stock from key target markets
  • Indicator: Increase in FDI investments from key sectors
• Departmental result 3: Global investors have simplified access to partners, services and tools to accelerate their investment
  • Indicator: Number of investors/decision makers using the independent Cost Comparative Analysis Tool for FDI decisions
  • Indicator: Number of partners collaborating to access, build and format data sets to be highly available to potential investors
  • Indicator: Number of investment leads facilitated with partners

Program Inventory / Internal Services

• Marketing
• Investor Services
• Data Partnerships and Pan-Canadian Collaboration

Changes to the approved reporting framework since 2020–21

The reporting framework in the 2021-22 Departmental Plan has not changed since 2020-21.

Structure	2020–21	2021–22	Change	Reason for change
Core responsibility	Foreign Direct Investment Attraction	Foreign Direct Investment Attraction	No change	Not applicable
Program	Investor Services	Investor Services	No change	Not applicable
Program	Marketing	Marketing	No change	Not applicable
Program	Data Partnerships and Pan-Canadian Collaboration	Data Partnerships and Pan-Canadian Collaboration	No change	Not applicable

Supporting information on the program inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Invest in Canada’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase^vi.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on Invest in Canada’s website:

• Sustainable Development Goals
• Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
• Gender-based analysis plus

Federal tax expenditures

Invest in Canada’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures that relate to its planned results for 2021–22.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance, and the Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government¬ wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures^vii. 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. The tax measures presented in this report are solely the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.

Organizational contact information

Email: [email protected]

Website(s): www.investcanada.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 a department over a 3 year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité ministérielle)

A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Departmental priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A 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 accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

experimentation (expérimentation)

The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare, the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works and what doesn’t. Experimentation is related to, but distinct form innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

full time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. 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 assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2020–21 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to 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 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.

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 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 the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

Identifies all of the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and 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.

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.