Program directory · Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Northern Science Leadership
- Program code
- BWR14 (INAC)
- Core responsibility
- Northern and Arctic Affairs
- In Departmental Plans
- 2026-27 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
This Program helps build strong leadership in science and policy across Canada’s North and Arctic. It focuses on combining scientific research with Indigenous knowledge to support healthy, resilient, and self-reliant northern communities.
Activities include coordinating federal scientific research in the territories, developing and delivering science-related policies and programs that support social, economic, and political development, and advancing knowledge of the North through research and technology. It also ensures efficient and effective monitoring systems in the North by coordinating, generating, and managing scientific and environmental data, and by publishing results, reports, and datasets. Through collaboration, the Program ensures northern voices are reflected in decision-making and that science supports meaningful and sustainable development in the region, contributing to a prosperous and sustainable future for the North and Arctic grounded in knowledge, innovation, and community leadership.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in the Departmental Plans in 2026-27. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Strategic and Science Policy | Earlier program (name match, low confidence) | 2018-19 – 2027-28 | $43.4M |
| Northern Science Leadership | This program | 2026-27 – 2028-29 | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Appears to be split across: Northern Strategic and Science Policy; inac-bwr13 | 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
No results reported yet.
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 100% | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | $5.6M | — |
| 2027-28 | $4.4M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $4.4M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 25 | — |
| 2027-28 | 25* | — |
| 2028-29 | 25* | — |
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 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 plan | $5,585,967 | $4,425,097 | $4,422,408 |
| Actual |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
