2024-25 Departmental Plan
On this page
Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services
Planned spending and human resources
Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
Supplementary information tables
From the Commissioner
It is my pleasure to present the 2024-25 Departmental Plan for the Northern Pipeline Agency (the Agency).
The Agency was established by the Northern Pipeline Act (the Act) in 1978 to facilitate the planning and construction by Foothills Pipe Lines Ltd. (Foothills) of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Gas Pipeline (AHGP) project and to maximize social and economic benefits from its construction and operation while minimizing any adverse effects. The pipeline was certificated in 1978 under the Act to transport Alaskan and possibly northern Canadian natural gas to southern markets in Canada and the United States, as provided for by the Canada-U.S. Agreement on Principles Applicable to a Northern Natural Gas Pipeline.
The southern portion of the pipeline was constructed in the early 1980s and presently transports Canadian gas to commercial markets. Fluctuating market and economic conditions since 1982 have led to several delays in the completion of the northern portion of the AHGP. The Agency’s activity levels reflect these fluctuating conditions.
In 2008, TransCanada PipeLines Limited (now TC Energy), which owns Foothills, was selected by the State of Alaska to pursue a large-scale pipeline project that would transport natural gas in a large diameter buried pipeline from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Boundary Lake, Alberta using the northern portion of the AHGP project. However, Foothills notified the Agency in February 2013 that no further work is planned on the AHGP and it will await further commercial interest before recommencing its efforts.
To align with the reduction in the AHGP project activities, the Agency has scaled down its operations to a minimal level, while continuing to fulfill Canada’s ongoing obligations as set out in the Act. During this reporting period, the Agency will continue to meet the objectives of the Act and will also respond to any correspondence from Foothills, and incoming inquiries from other government agencies, Indigenous peoples and the public.
Michael Vandergrift
Commissioner
Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services
Core responsibilities and internal services:
- Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project
- Internal services
Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project
In this section
- Description
- Quality of life impacts
- Results and targets
- Plans to achieve results
- Key risks
- Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25
- Related government priorities
- Program inventory
- Summary of changes to reporting framework since last year
Description
Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project.
Quality of life impacts
Under the Quality of Life Framework for Canada, the Agency’ core responsibility is most closely related to the domain of Good Governance. Within the domain of Good Governance, the best aligned indicator is Confidence in institutions. As a federal regulator, it is appropriate that the Canadian public have confidence in the Agency to carry out its legislative mandate on the oversight of the planning and construction of a major energy project to ensure robust environmental protection and maximization of socio-economic benefits, and on implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Results and targets
The following table shows, for each departmental result related to oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project, the indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024–25.
Table 1: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result
The Agency will maintain the appropriate minimum level of preparation activities for a regulatory framework, so as to remain prepared to ramp up quickly to effectively regulate and facilitate the planning and construction of the pipeline should the project proceed.
| Indicator | 2020–21 result | 2021–22 result | 2022–23 result | Target | Date to achieve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Agency will respond to company and public correspondence within 15 business days of receipt. | 100% | 100% | 100% | 80% | Annual |
The financial, human resources and performance information for the Agency’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Plans to achieve results
The Agency will maintain the appropriate minimum level of preparation activities for a regulatory framework, to remain prepared to ramp up quickly to effectively regulate and facilitate the planning and construction of the pipeline should the project proceed.
Key risks
The challenge before the Agency is to preserve the progress and outcomes achieved to deliver an efficient and effective regulatory review framework of updated environmental, socio-economic and technical information which takes into account changes since the Act came into force and the pipeline was certificated in the late 1970’s. Failure to be positioned for timely preparations, should the pipeline project be resumed, could jeopardize the Government of Canada’s performance of its responsibilities under the Act.
Snapshot of planned resources in 2024–25
- Planned spending: $569,670
- Planned full-time resources: 4 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs)
Related government priorities
Information on the Agency’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in the Agency’s Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.
Program inventory
The Agency’s single core responsibility is supported by the following program:
- Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project
Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to the Agency’s program inventory is available on GC Infobase.
Summary of changes made to reporting framework since last year
No changes were made to the approved departmental results framework associated with this core responsibility.
Internal services
In this section
- Description
- Plans to achieve results
- Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25
- Related government priorities
Description
Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:
- management and oversight services
- communications services
- legal services
- human resources management services
- financial management services
- information management services
- information technology services
- real property management services
- materiel management services
- acquisition management services
Plans to achieve results
The Agency has a single core responsibility and a single program. As a small and separate federal entity, the Agency has service agreements with Natural Resources Canada, the Department of Justice Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and the Canada Energy Regulator, and expenditures for internal services through these agreements are recorded as program spending.
These service agreements allow the Agency to achieve departmental results in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Snapshot of planned resources in 2024-25
- Planned spending: $0
- Planned full-time resources: 0 FTEs
Related government priorities
Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
As a Phase 3 department, the Agency is planning to achieve its target of awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses in 2024-25 and annually afterwards, as set out in Appendix E to the Directive on the Management of Procurement. Table 2 provides the results and planned results for the Agency.
Table 2: Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
| 5% reporting field | 2022-23 actual result | 2023-24 forecasted result | 2024-25 planned result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses | Not applicable | Not applicable | 5% |
At this time, the Agency does not have any contracts; however, should contracts be needed in 2024-25, the Agency will seek to achieve awarding at least 5% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses during 2024-25. The Agency will also identify other opportunities to secure goods and services by considering Indigenous businesses, such as expenditures related to travel accommodation, and office supplies.
Planned spending and human resources
This section provides an overview of the Agency’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2024–25 with actual spending from the current and previous years.
In this section
Spending
Table 3: Actual spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
The following table shows information on spending for each of the Agency’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2021–22 actual expenditures | 2022–23 actual expenditures | 2023–24 forecast spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project | 255,692 | 299,098 | 270,684 |
| Subtotal | 255,692 | 299,098 | 270,684 |
| Internal services | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 255,692 | 299,098 | 270,684 |
For 2021-22 and 2022-23, the Agency’s actual spending has remained relatively constant and the Agency spending is anticipated to remain consistent for 2023-24.
Table 4: Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
The following table shows information on spending for each of the Agency’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the upcoming three fiscal years.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2024-25 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2024-25 planned spending | 2025-26 planned spending | 2026-27 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project | 569,670 | 569,670 | 1,298,629 | 1,298,629 |
| Subtotal | 569,670 | 569,670 | 1,298,629 | 1,298,629 |
| Internal services | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 569,670 | 569,670 | 1,298,629 | 1,298,629 |
For 2024-25, the Agency’s planned spending in the amount of $569,670 is mainly attributed to the potential need for the Agency to ramp up quickly and commence increased activities in response to the AHGP project. While forecasts for 2025-26 and 2026-27 continue to reflect an increased level of planned spending, these forecasts may be adjusted as necessary to reflect a funding level commensurate with the Agency’s anticipated operational requirements.
Funding
Figure 1: Departmental spending 2021–22 to 2026–27
The following graph presents actual and planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.
Text version
This bar graph shows the Northern Pipeline Agency planned and actual spending (voted and statutory expenditures) for the fiscal years between 2020-21 and 2025-26.
Total spending and planned spending by period is as follows:
| Fiscal year | Total | Voted | Statutory | Source Document | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | 255,692 | 248,085 | 7,607 | 2022 Public Accounts | |
| 2022–23 | 299,098 | 292,788 | 6,310 | 2023 Public Accounts | |
| 2023–24 | 270,684 | 266,973 | 3,711 | NPA FOSO | |
| 2024–25 | 569,670 | 540,000 | 29,670 | 2024-25 ARLU | |
| 2025–26 | 1,298,629 | 1,202,719 | 95,910 | 2024-25 ARLU | |
| 2026–27 | 1,298,629 | 1,202,719 | 95,910 | 2024-25 ARLU | |
The Agency’s spending trend graph is a reflection of the Agency’s past and forecasted operational requirements. In the 2010-11 Main Estimates, the Agency received new funding to support the development of the AHGP given Foothills’ decision at the time to pursue the northern portion of the project. The Agency’s operating costs were increased to respond to the company’s expectations for regulatory services (including a forecasted requirement of four additional FTEs). In February 2013, Foothills informed the Agency that no further work is planned on the AHGP and it will await further commercial interest before recommencing its efforts. Consequently, the Agency’s operational requirements have been adjusted from the initial forecast on a year-by-year basis.
Estimates by vote
Information on the Agency’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2024–25 Main Estimates.
Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of the Agency’s operations for 2023–24 to 2024–25.
The amounts for forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.
A more detailed future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, are available at the Agency’s website.
Table 5: Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2025 (dollars)
| Financial information | 2023–24 forecast results | 2024–25 planned results | Difference (2024–25 planned results minus 2023–24 forecast results) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 271,627 | 572,272 | 300,645 |
| Total net revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 271,627 | 572,272 | 300,645 |
To align with the reduction in the AHGP project activities, the Agency scaled down its operations while continuing to fulfill Canada’s ongoing obligations as set out in the Act. For 2024-25, the Agency’s increase is mainly attributed to the potential need for the Agency to ramp up quickly and commence increased activities in response to the AHGP project. During this time, the Agency continues to respond to any correspondence from Foothills and incoming inquiries from other government agencies, Indigenous peoples and the public.
Human resources
Table 6: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services
The following table shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for the Agency’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2021–22 actual FTEs | 2022–23 actual FTEs | 2023–24 forecasted FTEs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Subtotal |
1 | 1 | 1 |
Internal services |
0 | 0 | 0 |
Total |
1 | 1 | 1 |
The actual and forecasted levels of human resources reflects the scaled down current status of the Agency in response to the AHGP project.
Table 7: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services
The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents, for each of the Agency’s core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for 2024–25 and two future years.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2024–25 planned fulltime equivalents | 2025–26 planned fulltime equivalents | 2026–27 planned fulltime equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Subtotal | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Internal services | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Forecasts for 2024-25 to 2026-27 reflect an increased level of planned human resources to address the potential need for the Agency to ramp up quickly and commence increased activities in response to the AHGP project. These forecasts may be adjusted as necessary to reflect a level commensurate with the Agency’s anticipated operational requirements.
Corporate information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister: Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, P.C., M.P.
Institutional head: Michael Vandergrift
Ministerial portfolio: Energy and Natural Resources Canada
Enabling instrument: Northern Pipeline Act
Year of incorporation / commencement: 1978
Other: The total recoverable costs of the Agency to carry out federal responsibilities for the planning and construction of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline project are fully recovered from Foothills Pipe Lines Ltd., the project proponent.
Organizational contact information
Mailing address: Room 470, 588 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0Y9
Telephone: 613 995 1150
Email: infonpa-apn@npa-apn.gc.ca
Website: https://northern-pipeline.canada.ca/home
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information table is available on the Agency’s website:
- Gender-based analysis plus
Information on the Agency’s departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on the Agency’s website.
Federal tax expenditures
The Agency’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.
Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.
This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis plus.
Definitions
appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
A document that sets out a department’s priorities, programs, expected results and associated resource requirements, covering a three-year period beginning with the year indicated in the title of the report. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.
departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A change that a department seeks to influence. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.
departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.
Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department’s actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities and expected results set out in its Departmental Plan for that year. Departmental Results Reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.
full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person-year charge against a departmental budget. Full-time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.
gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2024–25 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2021 Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fighter harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation and fighting for a secure, just, and equitable world.
horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
Indigenous business
As defined on the Indigenous Services Canada website in accordance with the Government of Canada’s commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses annually.
non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.
performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.
planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates.
A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
program (programme)
Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within a department and that focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
An inventory of a department’s programs that describes how resources are organized to carry out the department’s core responsibilities and achieve its planned results.
result (résultat)
An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead, they are within the area of the organization’s influence.
statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.
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