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Program directory · Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Small Craft Harbours

Program code
BTF06 (FO)
Core responsibility
Fisheries
In Departmental Plans
2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan

What it does

Under the authority of the Fishing and Recreational Harbours Act and its regulations, the Small Craft Harbours program operates and maintains a national network of harbours in support of the principal and evolving needs of the commercial fishing industry and the broader interests of coastal communities. Investment in small craft harbour infrastructure supports the economic prosperity of Canada’s fisheries and maritime sectors and contributes to public safety.

The Small Craft Harbours program focuses its resources on keeping fishing harbours that are critical to the commercial fishing industry in good repair. The program is delivered in cooperation with Harbour Authorities, local not-for-profit organizations representing the interests of both commercial fish harvesters and the broader community, who manage the harbours under lease agreements with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. In line with the program’s mandate to support the commercial fishing industry, low activity fishing harbours and recreational harbours are divested to third parties. The Small Craft Harbours program is funded through an annual appropriation which includes operating and capital funding as well as a small amount for two transfer payment programs: the Small Craft Harbours Class Grant Program and the Small Craft Harbours Class Contribution Program.

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).

2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262026-272027-282028-29Small Craft Harbours 2018-19: $170MSmall Craft Harbours 2019-20: $234MSmall Craft Harbours 2020-21: $165MSmall Craft Harbours 2021-22: $151MSmall Craft Harbours 2022-23: $245MSmall Craft Harbours 2023-24: $265MSmall Craft Harbours 2024-25: $229MSmall Craft Harbours 2025-26: $259MSmall Craft Harbours 2026-27: $311MSmall Craft Harbours 2027-28: $124MSmall Craft Harbours 2028-29: $115MSmall Craft Harbours
Bars: spending by fiscal year (dark: actual; light: actual restated on the 2017-18 program structure; outlined: the latest plan's forecast; grey: related programs). Bands: each program in the lineage over the years it has data.
ProgramRelationYears with dataActual spending over those years
Small Craft HarboursThis program2018-19 – 2028-29$1.46B

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.

YearWhat changedSource
2019-20Spending $234M, against $170M in 2018-19 (+37%).Actual spending (GC InfoBase)
2020-21Spending $165M, against $234M in 2019-20 (−29%).Actual spending (GC InfoBase)
2022-23Spending $245M, against $151M in 2021-22 (+62%).Actual spending (GC InfoBase)
2027-28Planned employees (FTEs) 163, against 227 in 2026-27 (−28%).FTEs (GC InfoBase)
2027-28Planned spending $124M, against $311M in 2026-27 (−60%).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

% of core harbours that are in fair or better condition
Expected result: The commercial fishing industry has access to safe harbours
89%2018-19✓ met91%2020-21✓ met92%2021-22✓ met90%2022-23✓ met89%2023-24✓ met88.5%2024-25✓ met

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2018-19≥ 80%201989%Met
2020-21≥ 85%202191%Met
2021-22≥ 85%202292%Met
2022-23≥ 87%202390%Met
2023-24≥ 87%202489%Met
2024-25≥ 87%202588.5%
A slight decline from 89% in 2023-24 to 88.5% in 2024-25, primarily due to the worsening condition of several core harbours requiring repairs. The number of core harbours in fair or better condition decreased from 616 to 585. However, the total number of core harbours used in the calculation also declined from 689 to 661 as a result of harbour reclassifications.
Met

Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets

% of core harbours that are in fair or better condition
Expected result: The commercial fishing industry has access to safe harbours
87%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 87%2027—Planned

Future goals: targets due after 2026-27

No targets with a later due date.

Spending and employees: planned against actual

Spending

2018-19: $104M2018-19: $170M2018-192019-20: $243M2019-20: $234M2019-202020-21: $102M2020-21: $165M2020-212021-22: $97.4M2021-22: $151M2021-222022-23: $249M2022-23: $245M2022-232023-24: $177M2023-24: $265M2023-242024-25: $118M2024-25: $229M2024-252025-26: $259M2025-262026-27: $311M2026-272027-28: $124M2027-282028-29: $115M2028-29
Outlined bar: planned in that year's Departmental Plan (dashed: the latest plan, for years not yet reported). Filled bar: actual.
Show the numbers
Fiscal yearPlannedActual
2018-19$104M$170M
2019-20$243M$234M
2020-21$102M$165M
2021-22$97.4M$151M
2022-23$249M$245M
2023-24$177M$265M
2024-25$118M$229M
2025-26$259M—
2026-27$311M—
2027-28$124M*—
2028-29$115M*—

Employees (FTEs)

2018-19: 1672018-19: 1932018-192019-20: 2082019-20: 1972019-202020-21: 1962020-21: 1902020-212021-22: 1772021-22: 2132021-222022-23: 2322022-23: 2242022-232023-24: 2292023-24: 2112023-242024-25: 1932024-25: 2242024-252025-26: 2202025-262026-27: 2272026-272027-28: 1632027-282028-29: 1642028-29
Outlined bar: planned in that year's Departmental Plan (dashed: the latest plan, for years not yet reported). Filled bar: actual.
Show the numbers
Fiscal yearPlannedActual
2018-19167193
2019-20208197
2020-21196190
2021-22177213
2022-23232224
2023-24229211
2024-25193224
2025-26220—
2026-27227—
2027-28163*—
2028-29164*—

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

Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.