Question Period Note: 2023-24 Departmental Plan (Innovation, Science and Industry)

How will Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s (ISED) planned spending in its 2023-24 Departmental Plan contribute to making Canada a global leader in innovation and support Canadian businesses as they continue recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic?

• The Government of Canada’s priority is to continue to promote a dynamic economy that creates jobs, opportunities and a better quality of life for all Canadians, and supports sectors still impacted by COVID-19.

• ISED will support Canadian innovation and competitiveness, foster favourable conditions for investment, and drive growth in key sectors that contribute to Canada becoming a leader in the digital and net-zero economy.

• To maximize investments, ISED engages in partnerships with the private sector, provincial and territorial governments, granting agencies, the not-for-profit sector, Indigenous Peoples, and Canadian entrepreneurs.

The 2023-24 Departmental Plan was tabled on March 9, 2023.

The Departmental Plan outlines ISED’s annual spending plan and describes priorities, planned results and associated resource requirements for a three-year period. It also provides details on human resource requirements. In combination with the Main Estimates, Departmental Plans serve to inform members of Parliament about planned expenditures of departments and agencies, and support Parliament’s consideration of supply bills.

Ministers of departments are accountable for their Departmental Plans and must respond to questions on content and format.

The 2023-24 Departmental Plan is structured according to ISED’s Departmental Results Framework (DRF) and its three core responsibilities:
• Companies, Investment and Growth
• Peoples, Skills and Communities
• Science, Technology, Research and Commercialization

• ISED’s 2023–24 Departmental Plan outlines key initiatives that the Department will undertake to promote innovation and economic growth, including:
o the Canadian Digital Adoption program;
o the Strategic Innovation Fund, including the Net Zero Accelerator initiative;
o Global Innovation Clusters;
o the Strategic Science Fund;
o the Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy;
o the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy;
o the Black Entrepreneurship Program;
o the Rural Economic Development Strategy;
o the new Federal Tourism Growth Strategy;
o the Universal Broadband Fund; and,
o the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy.

• In particular, ISED will:
o support the growth and sustainability of Canadian businesses in all regions through initiatives such as the Canadian Digital Adoption Program and the Rural Economic Development Strategy;
o strengthen Canada’s productivity, competitiveness and growth by reinforcing innovation in areas of Canadian advantage, primarily through the delivery of the Strategic Innovation Fund, including the Net Zero Accelerator initiative, and the Global Innovation Clusters program;
o support Canadian-based research and development through the Strategic Science Fund, the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and the Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy, which includes research, development and commercialization of life science innovations, such as critical vaccines and therapeutics;
o foster conditions for a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable economy, with a special emphasis on creating funding opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and underrepresented groups through programs such as the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy and the Black Entrepreneurship Program; and,
o support the transition to the digital economy and bridging the digital divide, particularly in rural and remote communities and among equity deserving groups, through programs such as the Universal Broadband Fund.