Question Period Note: 2023-24 SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES (B)

Why are the Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) portfolio organizations requesting $229.7 million in funding through Supplementary Estimates (B)?

• The Government of Canada takes fiscal responsibility and the stewardship of all public funds very seriously.

• The Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) portfolio organizations are requesting $229.7 million through the 2023-24 Supplementary Estimates (B) for key priorities, including investing in technological innovations, science and research, aerospace, tourism and clean technology.

• These investments will continue to foster a dynamic economy, enhance Canadian innovation and drive growth in key sectors to prepare for new global challenges.

Supplementary Estimates B were tabled on November 9, 2023. They represent the second of three opportunities to access funding for this fiscal year. The Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) portfolio is requesting $229.7 million in these Estimates, including:

• $153.2 million in new funding to deliver Budget 2023 initiatives and other federal decisions;
• $42.5 million of unused funding reprofiled for use into 2023-24;
• $28.8 million in statutory adjustments; and
• $5.1 million resulting from transfers between organizations.

The numbers for the portfolio may not add up due to rounding.

The portfolio is requesting funding for the following organizations (the numbers may not add up due to rounding):

ISED – $75.5 million

• movement of $25 million from 2028-29 for the Strategic Innovation Fund to support investments approved in 2023-24;
• $7.5 million to support the Indigenous tourism sector by providing non-repayable contributions to micro and small Indigenous tourism businesses (Budget 2022);
• $7.4 million to implement a public and searchable registry of beneficial owners (Budget 2022);
• $4.9 million reprofile for the National Centre for Indigenous Law at the University of Victoria;
• $4.0 million reprofile for the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy;
• $3.0 million reprofile for the National Priorities Stream to support the advancement of national tourism activities;
• $1.6 million reprofile for the CanCode Program to facilitate the repayment of internal loans taken by the program;
• $1.5 million to access reinvestment of royalties from intellectual property collected in 2022-23;
• $0.7 million reprofile for the 50-30 Challenge Ecosystem;
• $0.5 million to support ISED's Business Supports Campaign 2023-24 (other federal decision);
• net decrease of $2.9 million as a result of eight transfers with other government departments;
• $21.2 million related to statutory adjustments to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office Revolving Fund to increase the forecasted utilization of their accumulated surplus;
• $1.1 million reprofile for statutory CIFAR Pan-Canadian AI Strategy; and
• $0.1 million related to statutory contributions to employee benefit plans.

National Research Council Canada (NRC) – $54.9 million

• $40.3 million to secure Canada’s membership in the Square Kilometre Array Observatory and establish a virtual domestic centre (Off-cycle funding decision);
• $5.4 million to support resilient infrastructure in the face of a changing climate as part of Canada's national Adaptation Strategy (Off-cycle funding decision);
• $3.6 million to implement initiatives as part of the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy (Budget 2022);
• $2.0 million for the Canada-United Kingdom biomanufacturing initiative that will jointly support each country’s biomanufacturing sector with a goal of driving economic growth (Off-cycle funding decision);
• $1.6 million to implement Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy in order to help Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises demonstrate clean technologies through pilot projects in Indo-Pacific markets (Off-cycle funding decision);
• $0.6 million to launch the Quantum Research and Development Initiative which will support collaborative, federal quantum research and development projects (Budget 2021);
• net decrease of $0.4 million as a result of eight transfers with other government departments; and
• $1.8 million related to statutory contributions to employee benefit plans.

Statistics Canada (StatsCan) – $50.8 million

• $34.2 million to sustain Statistics Canada’s cloud operations, with the expectation that an enterprise-wide cloud funding model will be established for the Government of Canada (Budget 2023);
• $8.3 million to collect data on oral health and access to dental care in Canada, which will inform the rollout of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (Budget 2023);
• net increase of $3.9 million as a result of three transfers with other government departments; and
• $4.4 million related to statutory contributions to employee benefit plans.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) – $42.6 million

• $38.5 million for the College & Community Innovation program to increase the number of grants awarded to eligible recipients (Budget 2023);
• net increase of $3.8 million as a result of seven transfers with other government departments; and
• $0.2 million related to statutory contributions to employee benefit plans.

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – $3.0 million

• $2.1 million reprofile for the Quantum Encryption & Science Satellite;
• $0.8 million reprofile for the Dextre Deployable Vision System;
• $0.5 million reprofile for the Microfluidic Sample Preparation project; and
• net decrease of $0.4 million as a result of two transfers with other government departments.

Standard Council of Canada (SCC) – $1.8 million

• $1.5 million to support resilient infrastructure in the face of a changing climate as part of Canada's national Adaptation Strategy (Off-cycle funding decision);
• $0.4 million to establish a framework for enhanced Indo-Pacific engagement in standardization and enhance participation and activity in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. (Off-cycle funding decision); and
• $34.5K transfer to the Canada School of Public Service to support learning services.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – $1.0 million

• net increase of $1 million as a result of 13 small transfers with other government departments.

Nil