ISSN 2292-4639
On this page:
- From the Commissioner
- Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services
- Planned spending and human resources
- Corporate information
- Supplementary information tables
- Federal tax expenditures
- Definitions
From the Commissioner
Michael Vandergrift
Commissioner
It is my pleasure to present the 2025-26 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
- Core responsibility 1: Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project
- Internal services
Core responsibility 1: 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
- Indicators, results and targets
- Plans to achieve results
- Key risks
- Planned resources to achieve results
- Related government priorities
- Program inventory
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.
Indicators, results and targets
This section presents details on the department’s indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2025-26 for oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project. Details are presented by departmental result.
Table 1: Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project
Table 1 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under for oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project.
| Departmental Result Indicators | Actual Results | Target | Date to achieve target |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Agency will respond to company and public correspondence within 15 business days of receipt. | 2021-22: 100% 2022-23: 100% 2023-24: 100% |
80% | Annual |
Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for the Agency’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Plans to achieve results
The following section describes the planned results for oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project in 2025-26.
Results we plan to achieve
- 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.
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.
Planned resources to achieve results
Table 2: Planned resources to achieve results for oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project
Table 2 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.
| Resource | Planned |
|---|---|
| Spending | $567,540 |
| Full-time equivalents | 2 |
Complete financial and human resources information for the Agency’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
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 2023-2027 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.
Program inventory
Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project 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
Additional information related to the program inventory for oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project is available on the Agency’s Results page on GC InfoBase.
Internal services
In this section
- Description
- Plans to achieve results
- Planned resources to achieve results
- Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
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
This section presents details on how the department plans to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.
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.
Planned resources to achieve results
Table 3: Planned resources to achieve results for internal services this year
Table 3 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.
| Resource | Planned |
|---|---|
| Spending | $0 |
| Full-time equivalents | 0 |
Complete financial and human resources information for the Agency’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
Government of Canada departments and agencies are to meet a target of awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses each year as set out in Appendix E to the Directive on the Management of Procurement. 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; however, at this time, the Agency does not have any contracts. Should contracts be needed in 2025-26, the Agency will seek to achieve awarding at least 10% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses. 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.
Table 4: Percentage of contracts planned and awarded to Indigenous businesses
Table 4 presents the current, actual results with forecasted and planned results for the total percentage of contracts the department awarded to Indigenous businesses.
| 5% Reporting Field | 2023-24 Actual Result | 2024-25 Forecasted Result | 2025-26 Planned Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses | Not applicable | 5% | 10% |
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 2025-26 with actual spending from previous years.
In this section
Spending
This section presents an overview of the department's planned expenditures from 2022-23 to 2027-28.
Budgetary performance summary
Table 5: Three-year spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table 5 presents how much money the Agency spent over the past three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date.
| Core responsibilities and Internal services | 2022-23 Actual Expenditures | 2023-24 Actual Expenditures | 2024-25 Forecast Spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project | 299,098 | 335,993 | 429,729 |
| Subtotal | 298,098 | 335,993 | 429,729 |
| Internal services | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 298,098 | 335,993 | 429,729 |
Analysis of the past three years of spending
For 2022-23 and 2023-24, the Agency’s actual spending has steadily increased and the Agency spending is anticipated to continue to increase in 2024-25.
More financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.
Table 6: Planned three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table 6 presents how much money the Agency plans to spend over the next three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services.
| Core responsibilities and Internal services | 2025-26 Planned Spending | 2026-27 Planned Spending | 2027-28 Planned Spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project | 567,540 | 567,540 | 567,540 |
| Subtotal | 567,540 | 567,540 | 567,540 |
| Internal services | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 567,540 | 567,540 | 567,540 |
Analysis of the next three years of spending
For 2025-26, the Agency’s planned spending in the amount of $567,540 is mainly attributed to the potential need for the Agency to ramp up quickly and commence increased activities in response to the AHGP project. Forecasts for 2026-27 and 2027-28 continue to reflect a consistent level of planned spending, although these forecasts may be adjusted as necessary to reflect a change in funding level commensurate with the Agency’s anticipated operational requirements should the Project advance.
More detailed financial information on planned spending is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.
Funding
This section provides an overview of the department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.
Graph 1: Approved funding (statutory and voted) over a six-year period
Graph 1 summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding from 2022-23 to 2027-28.
Text description of graph 1
This bar chart shows the Agency’s six-year spending trend. It includes actual spending for the fiscal years 2022–23 and 2023–24, forecast spending for the year 2024–25 and planned spending for the years 2025–26 to 2027–28.
| Fiscal year | Total | Voted | Statutory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 299,098 | 292,788 | 6,310 |
| 2023-24 | 335,993 | 330,687 | 5,306 |
| 2024-25 | 429,729 | 425,513 | 4,216 |
| 2025-26 | 567,540 | 540,000 | 27,540 |
| 2026-27 | 567,540 | 540,000 | 27,540 |
| 2027-28 | 567,540 | 540,000 | 27,540 |
Analysis of statutory and voted funding over a six-year period
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 additional 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 full time equivalents). 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 downward from the approved full allocation and reflects the Agency’s reduced activity while remaining prepared to ramp up should the Project proceed.
For further information on the Agency’s departmental appropriations, consult the 2025-26 Main Estimates.
Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of the Agency’s operations for 2024-25 to 2025-26.
Table 7: Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ended March 31, 2026 (dollars)
Table 7 summarizes the expenses and revenues which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers for 2024-25 to 2025-26. The 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.
| Financial information | 2024-25 Forecast results | 2025-26 Planned results | Difference (Planned results minus forecasted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 432,196 | 570,007 | 137,811 |
| Total net revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 432,196 | 570,007 | 137,811 |
Analysis of forecasted and planned results
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 2025-26, 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 incoming inquiries from other government agencies, Indigenous peoples and the public.
A more detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated Notes for 2025-26 including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, is available on the Agency’s website.
Human resources
This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2022-23 to 2027-28.
Table 8: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services
Table 8 shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents, for the Agency’s single core responsibility 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 | 2022-23 Actual full-time equivalents |
2023-24 Actual full-time equivalents |
2024-25 Forecasted full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Analysis of human resources over the last three years
The actual full time equivalents for the last three years has remained constant and aligns with the reduction in the AHGP project activities while continuing to fulfill Canada’s obligations under the Act.
Table 9: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services
Table 9 shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents, for the Agency’s single core responsibility and for its internal services planned for the next three years.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2025-26 Planned full-time equivalents |
2026-27 Planned full-time equivalents |
2027-28 Planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oversee and regulate the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline Project | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Subtotal | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Internal services | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Analysis of human resources for the next three years
Forecasts for 2025-26 to 2027-28 reflect a slightly 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
Departmental profile
Appropriate minister: The Honourable Tim Hodgson, 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.
Departmental 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
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information table is available on the Agency’s website:
- Gender-based analysis plus (GBA 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.
The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.
This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.
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, departments 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 report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3 year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.
departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. 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 quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.
departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.
Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
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. For a particular position, the full-time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person’s collective agreement.
gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
Is 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 (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
Using GBA Plus involves taking a gender- and diversity-sensitive approach to our work. Considering all intersecting identity factors as part of GBA Plus, not only sex and gender, is a Government of Canada commitment.
government priorities (priorités gouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2025-26 Departmental Plan, government priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the most recent Speech from the Throne.
horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative where two or more federal departments are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)
For the purpose of the Directive on the Management of Procurement Appendix E: Mandatory Procedures for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses and the Government of Canada’s commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses, a department that meets the definition and requirements as defined by the Indigenous Business Directory.
non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Non-budgetary authorities that comprise assets and liabilities transactions for loans, investments and advances, or specified purpose accounts, that have been established under specific statutes or under non-statutory authorities in the Estimates and elsewhere. Non-budgetary transactions are those expenditures and receipts related to the government's financial claims on, and obligations to, outside parties. These consist of transactions in loans, investments and advances; in cash and accounts receivable; in public money received or collected for specified purposes; and in all other assets and liabilities. Other assets and liabilities, not specifically defined in G to P authority codes are to be recorded to an R authority code, which is the residual authority code for all other assets and liabilities.
performance (rendement)
What a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an department, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.
plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department 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 to the expected result.
planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in 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 the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
Identifies all the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.
result (résultat)
A consequence attributed, in part, to a department, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single department, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the department’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 a department, 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.