Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency's 2025-26 Departmental plan: At a glance

Key priorities

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency's (CanNor) top priorities for 2025-26 are as follows:

• Collaborate with Northerners, Indigenous Peoples, communities, businesses, organizations, as well as other federal departments, territorial and Indigenous governments to build sustainable, diversified, resilient, and prosperous economies in the territories that contribute to a unified Canadian economy, by:
  • Promoting inclusive economic participation and resilient economies in the territories by prioritizing high-impact sectors and enhancing sector diversification;
  • Leveraging emerging economic initiatives arising from the prospective investments in Arctic securitization, ensuring Northerners are equipped to participate in and benefit from these developments; and
  • Strengthening partnerships with public and private sector members, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners to support research, stimulate innovative programming, and facilitate informed decision-making in economic development policy initiatives.
• Contribute to improving regulatory efficiencies and fulfillment of consultation obligations in environmental assessments and regulatory processes across the territories, while providing additional support for clean growth projects as part of Canada's transition towards net zero.
• Advance Canada's reconciliation journey, working directly with Indigenous communities and businesses to ensure inclusive economic participation and development, as well as furthering Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement, and Article 22 under the Umbrella Final Agreement, and supporting federal commitments under the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, Modern Treaty Policy, Inuit Nunangat Policy, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Highlights

In 2025-26, total planned spending (including internal services) for CanNor is $66,321,152 and total planned full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) is 124. For complete information on CanNor's total planned spending and human resources, read the Planned spending and human resources of the full plan.

The following provides a summary of the department's planned achievements for 2025-26 according to its approved Departmental Results Framework. A Departmental Results Framework consists of a department's core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve, and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.

• Core responsibility 1: Economic Development in the Territories

  • Planned spending: $58,362,614
  • Planned human resources: 93
  • Departmental results:
    • People and Communities Participate in the Economy in the Territories
    • Businesses are Developing in the Territories
    • Efficient and Predictable Environmental Review Process in the Territories

  In 2025-26, CanNor will advance the development of a resilient, strong and fairer Canadian economy in the territories by prioritizing high-impact sectors, such as critical minerals, infrastructure, housing innovation, and supporting sectoral diversification, including artificial intelligence, food sector development, construction, tourism, fisheries, and arts, films and culture. The Agency will focus on leveraging federal investments in Arctic security and critical minerals, and capitalize on future and ongoing major and dual-use infrastructure projects to maximize local and regional economic opportunities; supporting sustainable development and fulfillment of consultation obligations for major projects; advancing key partnerships with public, private and Indigenous partners to address knowledge gaps and support decision-making as well as advancing reconciliation by ensuring First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities are meaningfully involved in and benefit from economic development.

  More information about Core responsibility 1: Economic Development in the Territories can be found in the full plan.