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Program directory · Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Northern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks

Program code
BWR06 (INAC)
Core responsibility
Northern and Arctic Affairs
In Departmental Plans
2018-19 – 2025-26 · Appeared and later dropped

What it does

This Program focuses on the management, sustainable development and regulatory oversight of the land, water, natural resources, and environment of the North, delivering on the department’s role as the Government of Canada’s natural resource manager in Nunavut and the northern offshore and its post-devolution responsibilities in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. This Program advances the sustainable management of northern lands and resources, through: managing oil and gas resources development; supporting the sustainable management of active mineral exploration and development in the remaining department-managed land and water areas in the North; and supporting an efficient and effective legislative and regulatory environment that respects and reflects settled land claim and self-government agreements and that ensures the sustainable use and development of natural resources in partnership with Northerners.

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).

2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262026-272027-28Northern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2018-19: $20.8MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2019-20: $21.4MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2020-21: $21.4MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2021-22: $20.1MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2022-23: $16MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2023-24: $19.6MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2024-25: $15.8MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2025-26: $21.9MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2026-27: $23MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks 2027-28: $23.2MNorthern Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks
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
Northern Regulatory and Legislative FrameworksThis program2018-19 – 2027-28$135M

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
2022-23Employees (FTEs) 104, against 134 in 2021-22 (−22%).FTEs (GC InfoBase)
2023Budget 2023 measure “Future Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Development”: $7M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match).Budget 2023, PDF page 129
2025-26Indicators added: Percentage of water licences, land authorizations and mineral rights issued within timelinesDepartmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase)
2025-26Indicators dropped: Percentage of water licences and land authorizations approved or issued by the department within timelinesDepartmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase)
2025-26Planned spending $21.9M, against $15.8M in 2024-25 (+38%).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

Percentage of water licences and land authorizations approved or issued by the department within timelines
Expected result: Water licenses, land authorizations and rights registries
100%2018-19✓ met100%2019-20✓ met100%2020-21✓ met100%2021-22✓ met100%2022-23✓ met100%2023-24✓ met100%2024-25✓ met

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2018-19≥ 100%2018100%Met
2019-20≥ 100%2019100%Met
2020-21≥ 100%2021100%Met
2021-22≥ 100%2022100%Met
2022-23≥ 100%2023100%Met
2023-24≥ 100%2024100%Met
2024-25≥ 100%2025100%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: $18.3M2018-19: $20.8M2018-192019-20: $18.6M2019-20: $21.4M2019-202020-21: $18.4M2020-21: $21.4M2020-212021-22: $19.1M2021-22: $20.1M2021-222022-23: $19.5M2022-23: $16M2022-232023-24: $19.8M2023-24: $19.6M2023-242024-25: $20.9M2024-25: $15.8M2024-252025-26: $21.9M2025-262026-27: $23M2026-272027-28: $23.2M2027-28
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$18.3M$20.8M
2019-20$18.6M$21.4M
2020-21$18.4M$21.4M
2021-22$19.1M$20.1M
2022-23$19.5M$16M
2023-24$19.8M$19.6M
2024-25$20.9M$15.8M
2025-26$21.9M—
2026-27$23M*—
2027-28$23.2M*—

Employees (FTEs)

2018-19: 1292018-19: 1382018-192019-20: 1452019-20: 1382019-202020-21: 1372020-21: 1372020-212021-22: 1362021-22: 1342021-222022-23: 1362022-23: 1042022-232023-24: 1042023-24: 962023-242024-25: 1052024-25: 962024-252025-26: 952025-262026-27: 952026-272027-28: 952027-28
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
2018-19129138
2019-20145138
2020-21137137
2021-22136134
2022-23136104
2023-2410496
2024-2510596
2025-2695—
2026-2795*—
2027-2895*—

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.