ARCHIVED - 2010-11 - Main Estimates

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Western Economic Diversification

Ministry Summary

Vote	(thousands of dollars)	2010–11	2009–10	Difference
		Main Estimates	Main Estimates
	Western Economic Diversification
1	Operating expenditures	54,895	41,725	13,170
5	Grants and contributions	368,189	195,245	172,944
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	5,873	4,801	1,072
(S)	Minister of State – Motor car allowance	2	. . . . .	2
	Total Department	428,958	241,771	187,187

Note: Details may not add to totals due to rounding.

Strategic Outcome

The western Canadian economy is developed and diversified.

Program Activity Descriptions

Community Economic Development

This program activity involves economic development and diversification initiatives that support communities to sustain their economies and adjust to changing and challenging economic circumstances. It includes facilitating economic recovery from depressed economic circumstances. It ensures that economic, social and environmental considerations are taken into account in initiatives designed to foster community growth and economic development. It involves projects that assist communities to assess community strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential for new economic activity and to develop and implement community plans. It also involves investments in community infrastructure, coordinated with provincial and municipal governments to maximize benefits. The process involves community-based consultations to ensure federal programs, services and horizontal initiatives serve the need of western Canadian communities.

Innovation

This program activity facilitates the West's transition to a knowledge-based economy. Through innovation, knowledge is translated into new products and services and to new ways of designing, producing or marketing existing products or services for public and private markets. This recognizes that innovation occurs at the firm level, through a highly complex interdependent system that includes elements such as knowledge infrastructure, basic and applied research and development, highly qualified personnel, access to adequate patient financing, technology commercialization facilities and support systems and mechanisms to link these elements to each other. The process of innovation is not linear or isolated but occurs within a broader context known as an "innovation system". This will strengthen the western innovation system in order to facilitate the development of clusters and to enhance the potential of innovation to create value and wealth.

Business Development

This program activity works with western Canadian businesses, industry and research organizations to undertake initiatives to enhance business productivity and competitiveness, support trade and investment attraction and penetration of western Canadian technologies, services and value-added products into international markets. Value-added production will be strengthened through support for initiatives in priority sectors to introduce new products, technologies, or innovations to existing production and processes. Access to risk capital and business services for entrepreneurs and small business will also be improved through programs and services offered in conjunction with other business services organizations and associations.

Policy, Advocacy and Coordination

This program activity arises from the Western Economic Diversification Act (1988), which empowers the Minister to advance the interests of Western Canada in national economic policy, program and project development and implementation, through the establishment of cooperative relationships with the western provinces and other stakeholders, and through the initiation of policy research. Through this activity, Western Economic Diversification Canada advocates for Western Canada in national policy discussions, resulting in effective strategies, policies and programs to address the economic development needs and aspirations of western Canadians. It also includes leading federal and intergovernmental collaboration to pursue key opportunities for long-term growth and diversification in areas of federal or shared federal-provincial jurisdiction. Finally, it includes undertaking research and analysis required to inform policy and program decisions.

Strategic Outcome

The following program activity supports all strategic outcomes within this organization.

Program Activity Descriptions

Internal Services

Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Materiel Services; Acquisition Services; and Travel and Other Administrative Services. Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not to those provided specifically to a program.

Program by Activities

(thousands of dollars)		2010–11 Main Estimates			2009–10
		Budgetary		Total	Main Estimates
	Operating	Grants	Contributions
			and other
			transfer
			payments
Community Economic Development	16,160	1,475	281,499	299,134	81,093
Innovation	6,905	1,880	50,670	59,455	77,001
Business Development	11,447	1,645	29,985	43,076	48,587
Internal Services	18,420	. . . . .	. . . . .	18,420	18,762
Policy, Advocacy and Coordination	7,838	. . . . .	1,036	8,873	. . . . .
Infrastructure	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	7,566
Advocacy	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	3,246
Collaboration and Coordination	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	2,888
Research and Analysis	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	2,629
	60,769	5,000	363,189	428,958	241,771

Note: Details may not add to totals due to rounding.

Transfer Payments

(dollars)	2010–11	2009–10
	Main Estimates	Main Estimates
Grants
Grants for the Western Diversification Program	5,000,000	5,000,000
Total grants	5,000,000	5,000,000
Contributions
Contributions under the Western Diversification Program	245,932,211	. . . . .
Contributions for the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program	86,202,719	. . . . .
Contributions under the Community Futures Program	23,653,993	. . . . .
Contributions under the Women's Enterprise Initiative	3,900,000	. . . . .
Contributions under the Loan and Investment Program	3,500,000	. . . . .
Total contributions	363,188,923	. . . . .
Items not required
Contributions under programs or for projects that promote or enhance
the economic development and diversification of Western Canada,
including the initiation, promotion or expansion of enterprises, the
establishment of new businesses, research and development activities,
the development of business infrastructure, and selective contributions
to other programs affecting regional and economic development in
Western Canada	. . . . .	180,844,369
Contributions to the Western Provinces under the Infrastructure Canada
Program	. . . . .	5,900,733
Contributions to western small and medium-sized enterprises in strategic
growth industries through the establishment of specialized Loan/
Investment Funds, on commercial terms, in cooperation with private
and public sector providers of debt/equity capital	. . . . .	3,500,000
Total items not required	. . . . .	190,245,102
Total	368,188,923	195,245,102

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