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Global Affairs Canada

What Global Affairs Canada spent in fiscal year 2021-22: its net expenditure by standard object, from the Public Accounts of Canada, Volume II.

What Global Affairs Canada does

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is the federal department responsible for managing Canada's diplomatic relations, international trade, and development assistance. Established in 1909 as the Department of External Affairs, it oversees Canada's engagement in global affairs, negotiates international agreements, administers trade policy, and provides humanitarian aid. It also supports Canadian businesses expanding abroad, maintains ties through multilateral organizations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and NATO, and assists Canadian citizens overseas during emergencies.

Spending, 2021-22

Net spending, 2021-22

$8.07B

spent by Global Affairs Canada, less revenues it kept

Share, 2021-22

2.1%

of the net spending of every federal organization

How did Global Affairs Canada spend its budget in 2021-22?

By standard object. Revenues it kept are negative and netted against its spending. Transfer payments are broken into their largest named programs.

Spending by standard object, 2021-22

Transfer payments

Personnel

Professional and special services

Rentals

Transportation and communications

Acquisition of machinery and equipment

Acquisition of land, buildings and works

Other subsidies and payments

Utilities, materials and supplies

Repair and maintenance

Information

Internal revenues

External revenues

$5.85B

$1.39B

$335M

$195M

$117M

$47.6M

$45.9M

$42M

$38.3M

$34M

$24.5M

-$946K

-$45M

Total: $8.07B.

Spending by program, 2021-22

The same net spending by program, as GC InfoBase reports program actuals: $8.07B in all. Select a program for its history, plans and results.

$2.44B

$1B

$615M

$415M

$294M

$290M

$247M

$242M

$230M

$229M

$191M

$151M

$108M

$108M

$99.7M

$88.5M

$87.7M

$86.2M

$81.3M

$71.7M

$70.5M

$66.9M

$60.7M

$56.7M

$54.6M

$51.1M

$47.7M

$46.2M

$44.7M

$39.8M

$38.3M

$37.2M

$33.1M

$31.1M

$30.9M

$30.9M

$28.4M

$27.1M

$26M

$24M

$23.6M

$22.1M

$15.6M

$15.3M

$13.2M

$11.5M

$11.4M

$7.3M

$7.2M

$6.8M

$6.7M

$4.4M

$1.8M

Workforce, 2021-22

Full-time equivalents

12,309

the actual FTEs of its programs, as GC InfoBase reports them

Personnel spending

$1.39B

salaries, wages and benefits (the personnel standard object)

Personnel spending per FTE

$113K

personnel spending divided by full-time equivalents

A full-time equivalent is a measure of employment, not a headcount: two half-time employees are one FTE. Personnel spending includes benefits and pension contributions, so per FTE it is not an average salary.

Transfer payment programs, 2021-22

The grants, contributions and other transfers Global Affairs Canada paid, program by program: $5.85B in all, against $5.85B for the transfer payments object above (the Public Accounts publish the two tables separately).

Grants from the International Development Assistance for Multilateral ProgrammingPaymentsGrant$3,069,395,614
Contributions from the International Development Assistance for Multilateral ProgrammingPaymentsContribution$675,882,545
Contributions from the International Development Assistance for Bilateral Programming to support regional or country specificPaymentsContribution$649,133,696
Payments of Assessed Contributions to International OrganizationsPaymentsContribution$523,700,122
Payments to International Financial Institutions - Direct payments (International Development (Financial Institutions) Assistance Act)PaymentsOther transfer$257,017,743
Contributions from the International Development Assistance for Partnerships with Canadians ProgrammingPaymentsContribution$215,453,513
Grants in support of the Peace and Stabilization Operations ProgramPaymentsGrant$82,336,166
Contributions in support of the Peace and Stabilization Operations ProgramPaymentsContribution$65,306,988
Grants from the International Development Assistance for Partnerships with Canadians ProgrammingPaymentsGrant$63,152,958
Contributions under the Weapons Threat Reduction ProgramPaymentsContribution$60,272,434
Grants in support of the CanExport ProgramPaymentsGrant$26,235,654
Canada Fund for Local InitiativesPaymentsContribution$24,622,342
Grants under the Weapons Threat Reduction ProgramPaymentsGrant$22,053,021
Grants for Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building ProgramPaymentsGrant$20,250,934
Contributions for Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building ProgramPaymentsContribution$16,639,627
32 programs$5,848,864,249
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Contracts of $10,000 and under

Contracts this small are not published one by one: Treasury Board publishes each organization's totals, by calendar year, for contracts of $10,000 and under (their original value and their amendments) and for acquisition card purchases. They are the value of contracts entered into, not what was paid in a fiscal year, so they are not part of the net expenditure above, and the years are calendar years.

Calendar yearGoodsServicesConstructionAcquisition cardsTotal
2025$5,990,578$6,473,063$1,200,567$32,076,684$45,740,893
2024$6,854,705$7,945,694$1,453,973$22,447,636$38,702,007
2023$6,692,122$9,324,320$1,587,381$8,959,645$26,563,468
2022$6,701,869$10,601,870$1,870,797$8,500,154$27,674,691
2021$7,721,639$11,185,260$2,074,518$7,651,156$28,632,573
2020$8,847,239$11,977,142$1,925,744$11,838,839$34,588,965
2019$11,157,972$20,021,867$3,744,666$11,917,607$46,842,113
2018$12,287,067$20,020,943$3,757,775$11,286,233$47,352,018
2017$10,080,650$16,883,822$3,143,055$7,876,395$37,983,923

Global Affairs Canada’s share of federal net spending