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Program directory · Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Icebreaking Services

Program code
BTH01 (FO)
Core responsibility
Marine Navigation
In Departmental Plans
2018-19 – 2025-26 · Appeared and later dropped

What it does

The Icebreaking Services program provides ice-related information services, operational awareness and icebreaking support to facilitate safe and accessible navigation for Canadian and International commercial marine transportation sectors as well as fishers through and around ice-covered Canadian waters. Specific icebreaking activities include escorting ships through ice-covered waters, freeing beset vessels in ice, maintaining open tracks through shore-fast ice, conducting harbour breakouts, providing ice routing advice, and reducing the risk of flooding through monitoring, prevention and breaking up of ice jams. Canadian Arctic sovereignty is bolstered by Icebreaking Services as it transports goods/supplies to northern communities, provides support to other government agencies and organizations in ice-infested waters, and is a visible federal government marine presence in the Canadian north. Coast Guard's Fleet Operational Capability, Procurement and Maintenance programs are integral to the delivery of this program. This program is delivered in coordination with Environment and Climate Change Canada's Ice Information services. The legal basis for this program is found in the Oceans Act, the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, the Constitution Act, 13 Provincial & territorial governments and in virtue of an agreement with Transport Canada, the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act, 2001.

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).

2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262026-272027-28Icebreaking Services 2018-19: $21.3MIcebreaking Services 2019-20: $24MIcebreaking Services 2020-21: $7.9MIcebreaking Services 2021-22: $20.1MIcebreaking Services 2022-23: $35.3MIcebreaking Services 2023-24: $26.2MIcebreaking Services 2024-25: $25.8MIcebreaking Services 2025-26: $13.6MIcebreaking Services 2026-27: $13.6MIcebreaking Services 2027-28: $13.6MIcebreaking Services
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
Icebreaking ServicesThis program2018-19 – 2027-28$161M

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
2020-21Spending $7.9M, against $24M in 2019-20 (−67%).Actual spending (GC InfoBase)
2021-22Spending $20.1M, against $7.9M in 2020-21 (+153%).Actual spending (GC InfoBase)
2022-23Spending $35.3M, against $20.1M in 2021-22 (+76%).Actual spending (GC InfoBase)
2023-24Spending $26.2M, against $35.3M in 2022-23 (−26%).Actual spending (GC InfoBase)
2025-26Planned spending $13.6M, against $25.8M in 2024-25 (−47%).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 ship ice escort requests south of the 60th parallel north that are delayed beyond level of service response time standards
Expected result: A Canadian maritime economy that is supported by navigable waters
8.2%2018-19✗ not met1%2019-20✗ not met4%2020-21✗ not met4.8%2021-22✗ not met2%2024-25✗ not met

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2018-190% – 0%20198.2%
Canada experienced extreme ice conditions during the 2018-2019 season that increased the number of icebreaking service requests and affected their response times.
Not met
2019-200% – 0%20201%
Four out of 284 ice escort requests were delayed beyond the level of service response time standards.
Not met
2020-210% – 0%20214%
Of the 161 escort requests received in 2020-21, 6 were delayed.
Not met
2021-220% – 0%20224.8%
Of the 415 ice escort requests received, 20 were delayed beyond the level of service response time standards.
Not met
2024-250% – 0%20252%
The target was not met due to delays in ice escort responses south of the 60th parallel north with delays ranging from less than an hour to 36 hours.
Not 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

2018-19: $18.9M2018-19: $21.3M2018-192019-20: $20.5M2019-20: $24M2019-202020-21: $20.5M2020-21: $7.9M2020-212021-22: $13.5M2021-22: $20.1M2021-222022-23: $13.5M2022-23: $35.3M2022-232023-24: $13.5M2023-24: $26.2M2023-242024-25: $13.5M2024-25: $25.8M2024-252025-26: $13.6M2025-262026-27: $13.6M2026-272027-28: $13.6M2027-28
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$18.9M$21.3M
2019-20$20.5M$24M
2020-21$20.5M$7.9M
2021-22$13.5M$20.1M
2022-23$13.5M$35.3M
2023-24$13.5M$26.2M
2024-25$13.5M$25.8M
2025-26$13.6M—
2026-27$13.6M*—
2027-28$13.6M*—

Employees (FTEs)

2018-19: 72018-19: 72018-192019-20: 72019-20: 82019-202020-21: 72020-21: 72020-212021-22: 42021-22: 92021-222022-23: 82022-23: 102022-232023-24: 62023-24: 112023-242024-25: 62024-25: 112024-252025-26: 112025-262026-27: 112026-272027-28: 112027-28
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
2018-1977
2019-2078
2020-2177
2021-2249
2022-23810
2023-24611
2024-25611
2025-2611—
2026-2711*—
2027-2811*—

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.