Program directory · Global Affairs Canada
International Innovation and Investment
- Department
- Global Affairs Canada
- Program code
- BVC04 (EA)
- Core responsibility
- Trade and Investment
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2024-25 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
Foreign direct investment is attracted to Canada through a targeted investment promotion and services plan including creation of an Invest in Canada Hub. Investor knowledge and interest in Canada is increased through outreach and events to promote Canada as a premier choice for investment. Provision of quality services to potential investors is strengthened and opportunities advanced through the Global Affairs Canada network abroad and enhancing collaboration with the broader investment partnership in Canada Canadian industry’s innovation efforts are maximized through the execution of International Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) initiatives aligned with Government of Canada STI priorities, including with the Inclusive Innovation Agenda. Canadian businesses gain increased access to international technology networks, partners and resources in knowledge-intensive, export-driven sectors, through the continued delivery of International Science, Technology & Innovation initiatives.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Innovation and Investment | This program | 2018-19 – 2026-27 | $232M |
| International Business Development, Investment Attraction and Innovation Support | Later program (name match, low confidence) | 2025-26 – 2027-28 | — |
| International Platform | Later program (name match, low confidence) | 2025-26 – 2027-28 | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Spending $41.7M, against $31.1M in 2021-22 (+34%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Appears to be split across: International Business Development, Investment Attraction and Innovation Support; International Platform | Canada Spends name match across plans (an inference) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 150 | 2019 | 152 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 150 | 2020 | 159 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 150 | 2021 | 148 The marginal decrease from previous years is due to the COVID-19 pandemic and exceeds expectations. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 150 | 2022 | 147 The target for this period was increased just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021-22, international trade and travel continued to be disrupted by the pandemic, and the number of Canadian exporters declined. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 170 | 2023 | 175 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 170 | 2024 | 184 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 170 | 2025 | 205 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 100 | 2019 | 241 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 100 | 2020 | 235 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 225 | 2021 | 100 In 2020-21, the Canadian border was closed to non-essential travel due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, resulting in a decrease in foreign direct investment (FDI) visits. New guidelines were developed for “virtual” FDI visits and will remain in place until the borders reopen and normal business travel resumes. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 225 | 2022 | 115 The target for this period was increased just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021-22, international travel continued to be disrupted by the pandemic, greatly limiting visits to Canada for the purpose of site selection. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 225 | 2023 | 206 The target for this period was increased immediately prior to the onset of the pandemic and achievement continued to be impacted by COVID-19 disruptions, including the dramatic shift to remote work and use of shared office spaces for company operations. This reduced the need for site selection visits to evaluate potential office locations. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 170 | 2024 | 142 The number of investor visits has been highly volatile since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023-24, the Trade Commissioner Service focused on attracting transformative investments that were high in value and job creation. | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 170 | 2025 | 131 Investor site visits declined with the rise of shared workspaces and digital tools. TCS now focuses more on high-impact visits and expanding existing operations, which typically require fewer visits. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 110 | 2019 | 159 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 110 | 2020 | 128 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 150 | 2021 | 121 The target was not met due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 150 | 2022 | 120 The target for this period was increased just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021-22, international travel continued to be disrupted by the pandemic, limiting visits to Canada for the purpose of site selection, generally an important precursor to a greenfield investment decision. While global FDI flows measured in dollar value bounced back in 2021, the majority of this was relate… | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 150 | 2023 | 157 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 130 | 2024 | 134 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 130 | 2025 | 147 | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.
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 | $30.4M | $24.4M |
| 2019-20 | $30.7M | $27.1M |
| 2020-21 | $32.6M | $32.2M |
| 2021-22 | $45.7M | $31.1M |
| 2022-23 | $46M | $41.7M |
| 2023-24 | $46.5M | $41M |
| 2024-25 | $33.4M | $34.7M |
| 2025-26 | $33.6M* | — |
| 2026-27 | $33.6M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 72 | 73 |
| 2019-20 | 71 | 96 |
| 2020-21 | 105 | 101 |
| 2021-22 | 89 | 88 |
| 2022-23 | 99 | 109 |
| 2023-24 | 100 | 116 |
| 2024-25 | 106 | 105 |
| 2025-26 | 106* | — |
| 2026-27 | 106* | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $30,366,270 | $34,209,387 | $33,900,881 | ||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $30,736,970 | $30,343,383 | $28,493,281 | ||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $32,580,081 | $29,626,901 | $29,656,495 | ||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $45,683,137 | $46,014,203 | $46,069,736 | ||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $45,963,694 | $46,022,293 | $44,497,840 | ||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $46,511,074 | $44,980,138 | $44,995,314 | ||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $33,441,459 | $33,562,156 | $33,568,976 | ||||||
| Actual | $24,406,900 | $27,112,234 | $32,249,145 | $31,125,646 | $41,684,121 | $41,029,726 | $34,711,388 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
