Publication
2025-26 Department Plan: At a Glance
The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat’s 2025–26 Departmental plan: At a glance
A departmental plan describes a department’s priorities, plans, and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years.
Key priorities
The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat’s top priorities for 2025–26 are as follows:
- Achieve Longer Term Agency Sustainability
- Build Value for CICS Stakeholders
- Ensure Efficient Internal Business Processes
- Build and Maintain a Healthy and Strong Workforce
Highlights
In 2025–26, total planned spending (including internal services) for the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) is $7,843,232 and total planned full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) is 40. For complete information on CICS’ total planned spending and human resources, read the Planned spending and human resources section 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: Intergovernmental Conference Services
Planned spending: $5,948,172
Planned human resources: 23
Departmental results:
- Continuous innovation in process and service delivery to meet evolving client needs.
- Facilitate productive federal-provincial-territorial and provincial-territorial discussions through centralized planning and professionally supported conferences.
The department is fully committed to achieving long-term sustainability, building value for its stakeholders, streamlining internal processes, and fostering a strong, healthy workforce. These efforts ensure the department remains a trusted partner in delivering innovative, cost-effective, and forward-looking services.
Our commitment extends to maintaining transparency, inclusivity, and accessibility in all operations while aligning with government-wide priorities. The department’s objectives are underpinned by robust financial stewardship, technological advancements, and a focus on employee well-being to meet current and future demands effectively.
The upcoming fiscal year will emphasize implementing strategic changes to enhance organizational sustainability, service excellence, and workforce capacity. Key initiatives include developing a modern cost allocation and funding model, updating the Conference Policy to support planning of future conferences, creation of an archive data retrieval tool, and refining the staffing framework.
Through 2025–26, the department will focus on the following four priorities:
- Achieve Longer-Term Agency Sustainability: Ensure financial stability through the development of a sustainable cost-sharing and recovery model, prudent resource alignment, and transparent procurement mechanisms.
- Build Value for Stakeholders: Complete a comprehensive program evaluation and three-year transformation strategy, research innovative conference services, implement strategic communication tools, and develop a collaborative mechanism for effective conference planning.
- Ensure Efficient Internal Business Processes: Enhance operational efficiency through improved risk management, streamlined processes, and organization-wide accessibility.
- Build and Maintain a Healthy and Strong Workforce: Focus on staff training, recruitment, and retention strategies to close skill gaps, foster diversity and inclusivity, and promote a supportive work environment. This includes improving the Provincial-Territorial staffing framework to align with organizational goals.
More information about Intergovernmental Conference Services can be found in the full plan.