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Program directory · Canada Water Agency

Freshwater Policy and Engagement Program

Program code
BYR02 (WATER)
Core responsibility
Freshwater Stewardship
In Departmental Plans
2025-26 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan

What it does

The Freshwater Policy and Engagement Program coordinates freshwater policy within the federal government and enables national approaches to support action on freshwater priorities. This Program advances policy leadership and whole-of-federal government approaches to freshwater challenges and opportunities; promotes federal-provincial- territorial collaboration; supports Indigenous engagement and participation in national freshwater priorities; and improves access to freshwater data to support decision-making. This Program serves other federal departments and agencies, provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples, and stakeholders.

Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.

History and lineage

First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2024-25. 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).

2024-252025-262026-272027-282028-29Freshwater Policy and Engagement Program 2024-25: $5.9MFreshwater Policy and Engagement Program 2025-26: $11.3MFreshwater Policy and Engagement Program 2026-27: $6.8MFreshwater Policy and Engagement Program 2027-28: $6.8MFreshwater Policy and Engagement Program 2028-29: $5.7MFreshwater Policy and Engagement ProgramFreshwater Po…Freshwater Policy and Enga…
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. The line at the bottom shows this program's names over time.
ProgramRelationYears with dataActual spending over those years
Freshwater Policy and Engagement ProgramThis program2024-25 – 2028-29$5.9M

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
2025-26Renamed from “Freshwater Policy and Engagement” to “Freshwater Policy and Engagement Program”.GC InfoBase program names by year
2025-26Planned spending $11.3M, against $5.9M in 2024-25 (+93%).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

No results reported yet.

Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets

No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.

Future goals: targets due after 2026-27

Percentage of surveyed Indigenous partners who indicate their experience engaging on policy initiatives led by the Canada Water Agency as meaningful.
Expected result: Canada engages partners and stakeholders to coordinate and collaborate on freshwater policy initiatives.
60%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-2760% – 100%2028—Planned
Percentage of surveyed Provinces and Territories who indicate their experience engaging on policy initiatives led by the Canada Water Agency as meaningful.
Expected result: Canada engages partners and stakeholders to coordinate and collaborate on freshwater policy initiatives.
60%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-2760% – 100%2028—Planned

Spending and employees: planned against actual

Spending

2024-25: $5.9M2024-252025-26: $11.3M2025-262026-27: $6.8M2026-272027-28: $6.8M2027-282028-29: $5.7M2028-29
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
2024-25—$5.9M
2025-26$11.3M—
2026-27$6.8M—
2027-28$6.8M*—
2028-29$5.7M*—

Employees (FTEs)

2025-26: 472025-262026-27: 392026-272027-28: 372027-282028-29: 372028-29
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
2025-2647—
2026-2739—
2027-2837*—
2028-2937*—

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

Plan2025-262026-272027-282028-29
2025-26 plan$11,347,036$6,566,744$6,566,744
2026-27 plan$6,780,829$6,790,054$5,734,995
Actual

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