ARCHIVED - Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

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1 Overview

1.1 Message from the Minister

Over the past few years, competition from emerging nations, new environmental challenges, the transformation of the global economy, the appreciation of the Canadian dollar and higher energy prices have taken on such proportions that they require unprecedented effort from Quebec's enterprises and regions to adapt to this new reality.

In that context, since 2006, the Government of Canada has implemented numerous initiatives with a view to increasing the collective wealth and taking the country farther along the path to prosperity. Thus, with Advantage Canada, the government adopted a long-term economic and strategic plan aimed at delivering dynamic economic growth and better-paying jobs for Canadians. To achieve these goals, it is important to enhance the business environment and provide enterprises and regions with the means and tools for their development.

In fact, since I took on the duties of Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, I have consulted a large number of economic stakeholders through the advisory committees we have set up in all of Quebec's regions. I have had many opportunities to see that enterprises and the regions constitute an endless source of knowhow, creativity and leadership.

It was to support these regions and enterprises that over the past 18 months I announced initiatives to diversify the economic base and reduce communities' dependency on traditional economic sectors, and to help enterprises improve their competitiveness on foreign markets. It is my intention to continue enhancing the tools that an Agency such as ours can deploy in order to meet the specific challenges of regions and communities with low economic growth, and to support the performance of innovative, competitive SMEs.

In its constant concern to adapt the parameters of its intervention to the needs and issues of the moment, and to institute management more closely based on results, the Agency introduced new programs in April 2007: Community Diversification, Business and Regional Growth, and Regional Development Research.

The Agency will also be changing the way in which it supports non-profit organizations. It will now be favouring ad hoc projects which generate measurable results for the regions of Quebec. This decision could also help free up funding for projects involving, among others, SMEs and community economic facilities.

I invite you to read this new edition of the Report on Plans and Priorities, in which you will see how the Agency counts on the boldness, ingenuity and drive of Quebec's enterprises and regions to meet some major challenges and build a strong economy for current and future generations, and how it plans to support them to that end.

Jean-Pierre Blackburn

Minister of Labour and Minister of the
Economic Development Agency of Canada
for the Regions of Quebec

1.2 Management representation statement

I submit, for tabling in Parliament, the 2008-2009 Report on Plans and Priorities of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide to the Preparation of Part III of the 2008-2009 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports:

• It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat guidance.
• It is based on the Agency's strategic outcomes and program activities that were approved by the Treasury Board.
• It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced, and reliable information.
• It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it.
• It reports finances based on approved planned spending numbers from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Guy Mc Kenzie
Deputy Minister/President

Date: February 7, 2008

1.3 Summary information

1.4 Organizational information

1.4.1 Governance structure

Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
— Organization chart¹ —

Notes:
1 A more detailed organization chart is available on the Agency's Web site at:
www.dec-ced.gc.ca/asp/APropos/Organigramme.asp?LANG=EN
2 FTE: Full-time equivalent.

The President of the Agency acts as the deputy of the Minister. He has primary accountability for the Agency's three strategic outcomes. More specifically, the Vice-President, Operations has primary responsibility for the first and second strategic outcomes, Vitality of communities and Competitiveness of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and regions. The Vice-President, Policy and Planning is responsible for guiding and providing a framework for Agency intervention for these first two strategic outcomes, and has primary responsibility for the third strategic outcome, Policy, representation and cooperation.

1.4.2 Votes and statutory items listed in Main Estimates

The following table reproduces the data in the 2008-2009 Main Estimates as tabled in Parliament. Parliament approves the votes each year, and the statutory items are presented for information only.

Notes:
1 The 2008-2009 Main Estimates of $287.4 million are $107.3 million lower than the 2007-2008 Main Estimates. This net difference is primarily due to a decrease in the amounts allocated for the Infrastructure Program and the Québec Port Authority.
2 The increase in operating expenditures is primarily attributable to the funding of Canada Business; in 2007-2008, the funds were received through Supplementary Estimates, so they were not included in the Main Estimates.

1.4.3 Departmental planned spending and full-time equivalents

The following table presents data from the Main Estimates by area of Agency intervention (program activity architecture) and specific adjustments made in the Main Estimates.

Notes:
1 The 2008-2009 Main Estimates of $287.4 million are $107.3 million lower than the 2007-2008 Main Estimates. This net difference is primarily due to a decrease in the amounts allocated for the Infrastructure Program and the Québec Port Authority.
2 This refers to reimbursements of repayable contributions to be billed to promoters in future years.
3 The substantial decrease in FTEs in 2010-2011 is largely attributable to the termination of temporary funding.

1.4.4 Agency areas of intervention: Program activities by strategic outcome

The following table presents the Agency's overall intervention and outcomes on the basis of its program activity architecture (PAA), and shows the link with its priorities.

Notes:
1 For further information on program activities, resources and planned outcomes, see section 3.
2 The program activity Special intervention measures enables the Agency to come to the assistance of communities and regions facing significant economic shocks or natural disasters. This activity is funded through Government of Canada supplementary funding. Currently, the Agency has no dedicated funds available.

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