Program directory · Transport Canada
Transportation Innovation
- Department
- Transport Canada
- Program code
- BTX04 (TC)
- Core responsibility
- Green and Innovative Transportation System
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
Our Program supports Transport Canada’s multi-modal safety oversight of new and emerging transportation technologies through risk assessments, safety testing and targeted research. Research outcomes identify risks and mitigations to ensure new technologies can be integrated into the Canadian transportation system in a safe and timely manner. The Program also operates TC’s world-class Motor Vehicle Test Centre.
The program supports regulatory and policy initiatives across all modes of transportation, including: conducting aircraft de-icing research to support safe civil aviation; performing vehicle compliance and crashworthiness testing at our Motor Vehicle Test Centre to advance occupant protection; testing advanced driver assistance features to enhance pedestrian safety; and testing new rail inspection technologies to improve safety. Our research is essential in ensuring the department develops and implements informed policy and regulations across all transportation modes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation Innovation | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $224M |
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.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Spending $27.9M, against $18.3M in 2018-19 (+52%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Indicators added: Number of funded projects, evaluations, studies and analysis of new and emerging transportation technologies which provide evidence to support policy and regulatory decision making | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Indicators dropped: Number of Connected Vehicle/Automated Vehicle/Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems deployments in Canada | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023 | Budget 2023 measure “Supporting Advanced Transportation Technologies”: $139M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2023, PDF page 128 |
| 2024-25 | Spending $52.7M, against $37.3M in 2023-24 (+41%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $30.7M, against $52.7M in 2024-25 (−42%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2026-27 | Planned spending $17.6M, against $30.7M in 2025-26 (−43%). | 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
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | — | 2022 | 34 The target should have been at least 30, which was achieved. | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 30 | 2023 | 34 We completed more projects than originally anticipated due to securing more funding for Innovation/Experimentation Projects. | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 30 | 2024 | 33 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 30 | 2025 | 35 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | The target and the date to achieve the target are currently under development | 2022 | 30 In 2020 to 2021, Transport Canada’s Innovation transportation supported 30 projects to advance New and Emerging Transportation Technologies which provide evidence to support policy and regulatory decision making. This number is based on the number of funded projects, theme projects, evaluations, studies and policy research contracts that we completed in 2020-21. | No result reported |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 30 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $2.5M | $18.3M |
| 2019-20 | $18.3M | $27.9M |
| 2020-21 | $20.9M | $31.9M |
| 2021-22 | $15.8M | $25.8M |
| 2022-23 | $16.6M | $30.5M |
| 2023-24 | $17.9M | $37.3M |
| 2024-25 | $24.1M | $52.7M |
| 2025-26 | $30.7M | — |
| 2026-27 | $17.6M | — |
| 2027-28 | $14.3M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $13.9M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 15 | 39 |
| 2019-20 | 49 | 50 |
| 2020-21 | 43 | 48 |
| 2021-22 | 44 | 47 |
| 2022-23 | 38 | 51 |
| 2023-24 | 48 | 53 |
| 2024-25 | 51 | 54 |
| 2025-26 | 44 | — |
| 2026-27 | 31 | — |
| 2027-28 | 30* | — |
| 2028-29 | 29* | — |
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 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $2,532,567 | $2,244,859 | $2,127,643 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $18,252,363 | $20,607,264 | $16,152,461 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $20,911,196 | $15,524,727 | $11,786,283 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $15,804,019 | $12,220,297 | $10,946,591 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $16,617,381 | $14,017,281 | $13,087,021 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $17,899,619 | $15,105,498 | $13,919,617 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $24,126,516 | $21,281,855 | $13,011,423 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $30,739,473 | $16,729,998 | $13,381,156 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $17,646,598 | $14,305,352 | $13,940,155 | ||||||||
| Actual | $18,341,781 | $27,892,741 | $31,907,913 | $25,839,471 | $30,493,014 | $37,305,520 | $52,661,710 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
