Polar Knowledge Canada's 2024-25 Departmental plan at a glance

A departmental plan describes a department’s priorities, plans and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years.

• Vision, mission, raison d’être, mandate, and operating context
• Minister’s mandate letter

[Read the full departmental plan]

Key priorities

• Science and knowledge creation: Polar Knowledge Canada is dedicated to conducting and supporting scientific research of the North, Arctic, and circumpolar regions. Polar Knowledge Canada is also committed to advancing knowledge of the Canadian Arctic through the creation and exchange of knowledge products across the scientific and policy communities, as well as the public.
• Relationships and collaboration: Polar Knowledge Canada is dedicating efforts to strengthening and building relationships with Indigenous Peoples, Northern, Arctic, scientific, and international communities to both foster an environment of trust and mutual understanding and increase collaboration and knowledge sharing. Polar Knowledge Canada will prioritize international engagement and fostering relationships with other national and international polar programs.
• Employee well-being and diversity: Polar Knowledge Canada is committed to creating a workplace that understands the realities of working in the North and supports its employees wherever they are located. Polar Knowledge Canada will also continue to support Inuit employment through the development of innovative strategies to attract, develop and retain Nunavut Inuit employees in accordance with our commitment to Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement.

Refocusing Government Spending

In Budget 2023, the government committed to reducing spending by $14.1 billion over the next five years, starting in 2023–24, and by $4.1 billion annually after that.

While not officially part of this spending reduction exercise, Polar Knowledge Canada will respect the spirit of this exercise by increasing visibility on both travel and professional services.

Highlights

A Departmental Results Framework consists of an organization’s core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve, and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.

Polar Science and Knowledge

Departmental results:

• Canada’s polar science and technology research is publicly available and being applied;
• Canada’s Arctic science includes Indigenous and local knowledge;
• Canada fosters domestic and international knowledge exchange and partnerships in polar science; and,
• The next generation of Canadian polar researchers is developed.

Planned spending: $24,929,010

Planned human resources: 51

In 2024-25, Polar Knowledge Canada will focus on building and strengthening relationships, collaboration, and information sharing by: 

• ensuring research outcomes are shared and accessible;
• ensuring that multiple ways of knowing are integrated into the research that is supported and funded, and that investments in research support the implementation of the Government of Canada’s Inuit Nunangat Policy and the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework;
• collaborating with academic, national, international, and Indigenous governments and organizations to conduct research and monitoring activities;
• participating in relevant domestic and international events throughout the year, such as the Arctic Net Annual Science Meeting and Arctic Science Summit Week; and,
• advancing internal data management architecture and supporting policies and procedures.

Additionally in 2024-25, Polar Knowledge Canada will continue working to create a workplace that supports its employees and the realities of working in the North by:

• implementing its Inuit Employment Plan to attract, develop and retain Nunavut Inuit employees at its headquarters in Cambridge Bay and across the Territory in accordance with Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement; and,
• reviewing internal policies and procedures to ensure that the organization operates efficiently, complies with regulations, and adapts to changing circumstances.

More information about Polar Science and Knowledge can be found in the full departmental plan.