Program directory · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Trade and Investment
- Department
- Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
- Program code
- BED06 (ACOA)
- Core responsibility
- Economic Development in Atlantic Canada
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) pursues trade and investment opportunities with a view to increase the number of exporters and the volume of export sales, attract foreign direct investment and support the commercialization of technology. The Agency promotes Atlantic Canada abroad as a world leader in various fields and ways such as: energy production; export and research; a centre of innovation; a skilled labour pool; a reliable supplier of quality products at competitive prices; and the gateway to the North American market. The Agency plays a role in coordinating the efforts of federal, provincial and private-sector organizations in Atlantic Canada in pursuing trade and investment opportunities. Clients include businesses, non-profit organizations, learning and research institutions, and provincial governments. ACOA also strives to build a foundation for long-term growth through global competitiveness thanks to its tourism work, primarily through the commercial and non-commercial elements of the Business Development Program. As an economic sector, tourism offers significant wealth and job creation opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This program is well aligned with the ACOA Act and the types of activities mandated under the Act, which includes support for enterprises, and support for business associations and other activities related to improving the business environment.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade and Investment | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $151M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Indicators added: Value of exports of ACOA-assisted client exporters in Atlantic Canada; Percentage growth of international overnight visits to Atlantic Canada | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2019-20 | Indicators dropped: # of SMEs in Atlantic Canada that are exporting for the first time; Number of international overnight visits to Atlantic Canada (by origin markets) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Spending $47.1M, against $18.6M in 2021-22 (+153%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Indicators added: Percentage growth of spending by foreign residents travelling in Atlantic Canada | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Indicators dropped: Percentage growth of international overnight visits to Atlantic Canada | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Spending $22.8M, against $47.1M in 2022-23 (−52%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Spending $13.5M, against $22.8M in 2023-24 (−41%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $25.1M, against $13.5M in 2024-25 (+86%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≥ 17% | 2024 | 42.2% | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 10% | 2025 | 11.1% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ $1.7B | 2020 | $2.1B There was a substantial increase in exports from the region to international markets over the period in question (2013-2017). This reflects increasing exports from the food sector, mainly in aquaculture and seafood products, the wood products sector, plastics and rubber products, and refined metal products. | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ $2B | 2021 | $2.5B | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ $1.6B | 2022 | $2.67B | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ $2.5B | 2023 | $2.77B | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ $2.4B | 2024 | — Target cannot be assessed at time of drafting. Data from StatCan agreement not yet available. | No result reported |
| 2024-25 | ≥ $2.65B | 2025 | $3.3B | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 2.3% | 2020 | 3.9% The increase in 2019 in Atlantic Canada was due to a higher number of tourists from the United States. To provide a national context, 2019 was broadly a good year for major economies (U.S. etc.) despite global trade tensions. This led to an increase in tourism. The better the economy is doing, the more likely people have disposable income to travel. | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 2.3% | 2021 | -94.4% The decrease in International visiits to Atlantic Canada was due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 0% | 2022 | 55.1% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 90% | 2023 | 531% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 2.3% | 2019 | -0.3% In general, growth from the U.S. and international markets has been more subdued than anticipated in earlier Conference Board and Destination Canada forecasts, with global political and economic uncertainties impacting long-haul markets in particular. Reports from the provincial departments responsible for tourism in the four Atlantic provinces show indicators for the U.S. and international marke… | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 5% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ $3B | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $23.8M | $19.8M |
| 2019-20 | $24.1M | $15.2M |
| 2020-21 | $24.1M | $13.6M |
| 2021-22 | $24M | $18.6M |
| 2022-23 | $63.1M | $47.1M |
| 2023-24 | $35M | $22.8M |
| 2024-25 | $24.4M | $13.5M |
| 2025-26 | $25.1M | — |
| 2026-27 | $23.6M | — |
| 2027-28 | $23.6M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $23.8M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 53 | 40 |
| 2019-20 | 49 | 40 |
| 2020-21 | 41 | 39 |
| 2021-22 | 42 | 39 |
| 2022-23 | 45 | 39 |
| 2023-24 | 41 | 37 |
| 2024-25 | 41 | 34 |
| 2025-26 | 41 | — |
| 2026-27 | 40 | — |
| 2027-28 | 40* | — |
| 2028-29 | 40* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $23,803,837 | $23,935,924 | $23,859,924 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $24,099,634 | $24,023,634 | $23,896,491 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $24,112,651 | $24,013,147 | $24,179,775 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $24,037,352 | $24,183,023 | $24,035,749 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $63,146,291 | $23,842,295 | $23,816,246 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $34,994,933 | $23,865,268 | $24,022,499 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $24,366,422 | $24,497,938 | $21,313,491 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $25,138,242 | $21,211,998 | $21,211,998 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $23,630,377 | $23,637,893 | $23,815,302 | ||||||||
| Actual | $19,784,892 | $15,237,854 | $13,618,402 | $18,586,455 | $47,112,675 | $22,768,226 | $13,490,405 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
