Natural Resources Canada’s 2025-26 Departmental Plan: At a glance

• Planned spending: $855,321,641
• Planned human resources: 1,566
• Departmental results:
  • Canadians have access to cutting-edge research to inform decisions on the management of natural resources;
  • Communities and officials have the tools to safeguard Canadians from natural hazards and explosives;
  • Communities and industries are adapting to climate change.

Summary of plans

As a department rooted in science and research, NRCan provides high quality data and advice to support the management of Canada’s natural resources, reduce the impacts of climate change, and mitigate risks from natural disasters and explosives.

In 2025-26, NRCan will enhance open access sources, such as GEO.ca, Open Maps, the Open Science and Data Platform (OSDP), and the National Air Photo Library, to enrich public understanding of Canada’s changing climate and of its natural and built environment. The OSDP also supports regulatory efficiency and evidence-based decision-making under the Impact Assessment Act by providing single-window open access to science, data, and regulatory information relevant to major projects across Canada. NRCan will also improve the accuracy and availability of essential data for navigation, weather and surveillance by investing in new infrastructure and upgrades.

NRCan will continue to support Indigenous land management by adapting the Canada Lands Survey System to support the establishment of a First Nation Land Governance Registry and complete surveys to demarcate Gwich’in Lands. Work to finish mapping Canada’s Arctic frontiers through UNCLOS and ongoing research through the Polar Continental Shelf Program will also increase the exercise of Canadian sovereignty in the north.

Critical minerals – crucial to the transition to a clean economy – will remain a focus in 2025-26, directly contributing to NRCan’s Clean Energy and Climate Mitigation and Energy and Mineral Security priorities. NRCan partnerships and programs will develop knowledge, training and tools to accelerate their responsible development. The Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative, bolstered by collaboration with international partners, will continue to build a comprehensive database to help identify new sources of supply.

With climate change impacts exacerbating disasters, NRCan will provide foundational research, data and knowledge assessment on climate impacts and natural hazards to support the Adaptation and Emergency Preparedness components of the Adaptation, Emergency Preparedness and Nature-Based Solutions priority. This work will help protect Canadians, inform land planning decisions, and support adaptation and resilience measures under the National Adaptation Strategy. NRCan will complete flood mapping of higher risk areas, adaptation research will monitor tree growth and mitigate the effects of pests and diseases, and the Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Resilient Coastal Communities Programs will build regional and sectoral capacity. Through ongoing implementation of the Emergency Management Strategy, Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate and the Wildfire Resilient Futures Initiative, NRCan will also strengthen resilience to wildfires and improve understanding of risks.

In 2025-26, to keep pace with an evolving explosives sector and to improve service delivery efficiency, the Department will also continue its review of the Explosives Regulations.

More information about Natural Resource Science and Risk Mitigation can be found in the full plan.

• Planned spending: $2,202,528,619
• Planned human resources: 2,241
• Departmental results:
  • Natural resource sectors are innovative;
  • Clean technologies and energy efficiencies enhance economic performance;
  • Canada’s natural resources are sustainable.

Summary of plans

In 2025-26, NRCan will provide leadership, effective programs and policies, world-class research through its federal CanmetENERGY laboratories, and targeted investments in the development, deployment, and adoption of technologies and solutions, to help Canada transition to a low carbon economy. These efforts aim to decarbonize oil, gas, electricity, transportation, and building systems to promote clean energy and energy efficiency, and proactively counter the effects of climate change, contributing to NRCan’s Clean Energy and Climate Mitigation priority and the Nature-Based Solutions component of the Adaptation, Emergency Preparedness and Nature-Based Solutions priority. 

In 2025-26, NRCan will work with the Canada Revenue Agency on a suite of Clean Economy Investment Tax Credits aimed at attracting investment, supporting a decarbonized economy, and creating sustainable jobs. NRCan will also strengthen new technologies, including AI and quantum computing, in its operations and research, and continue to co-lead the Clean Growth Hub.

The Canada Green Buildings Strategy, through programs such as the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program and the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Grant, will continue to drive energy efficiency improvements in homes with a focus on addressing affordability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Canadians will also save on energy costs through the ongoing promotion of ENERGY STAR products and the development of a National Approach to Home Labelling.

NRCan programs will continue to support clean fuels and the transition to zero-emission vehicles. To build new, convert or expand clean fuel production facilities, the $1.5 billion Clean Fuels Fund will manage approximately 60 projects in 2025-26. NRCan will also advance the Hydrogen Strategy to position Canada as a world-leading producer and exporter of low-carbon hydrogen and continue to support the deployment of electric vehicle charging stations throughout Canada.

In 2025-26, the Department will continue to contribute funding through the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program to support the deployment of grid modernization, energy storage and non-emitting electricity generation across Canada, such as wind and solar, helping to ensure a sustainable, affordable and a reliable electricity grid. Building on the successes of the Small Modular Reactors Action Plan, the new Nuclear Energy Leadership Table (NELT) will seek to demonstrate the integral role that small- and large-scale nuclear power infrastructure plays in Canada’s clean energy mix.

Complementing the NELT, the ongoing implementation of the modernized Policy for Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning and the Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste will ensure that safe long-term management solutions are advanced by waste generators and owners for all of Canada’s radioactive waste with oversight from NRCan. In addition, NRCan is providing funding over four years under the Enabling Small Modular Reactors (SMR) Program to fund research & development to address waste generated from SMRs and to develop Canadian SMR supply chains.

NRCan will continue to deliver the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program, which supports community-driven projects to find clean energy solutions, and reduce GHG emissions. As well, the Department is advancing offshore renewable energy regulations to address projects pertaining to exploration, construction, operation and decommissioning activities in Canada’s offshore areas.

Through the Regional Energy and Resource Tables, the Department works with federal, provincial and territorial governments, and Indigenous groups to identify and advance some of the most promising clean growth opportunities in each province and territory. To ensure workers benefit from the opportunities presented by a low carbon economy, progress is also being made to operationalize the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act.

Natural climate solutions remain integral to reduce emissions towards a clean economy. As such, the Department will further implement the 2 Billion Trees Program, the goal of which is to plant two billion trees nationwide.

More information about Innovative and Sustainable Natural Resources Development can be found in the full plan.

• Planned spending: $1,863,212,231
• Planned human resources: 689
• Departmental results
  • Access to new and priority markets for Canada’s natural resources is enhanced;
  • Canadians are engaged in the future of the new and inclusive resource economy;
  • Enhanced competitiveness of Canada’s natural resource sectors.

Summary of plans

An increasingly complex geopolitical environment is shaping NRCan’s ability to bolster domestic energy and mineral security and expand markets for natural resource commodities. In 2025-26, to enhance Canada’s competitive advantage and promote an inclusive resource economy, NRCan will work with international and domestic partners and Indigenous groups to attract investment and expand science and technology collaboration, while ensuring the benefits of natural resource and energy projects are shared with Canadians and young people are trained to respond to this changing landscape. These initiatives will directly contribute to NRCan’s Competitiveness and Energy and Mineral Security priorities.

To support economic and energy security, NRCan’s strategic efforts in 2025-26 will focus on positioning Canada as a reliable partner in energy, clean fuels and critical minerals supply chains. Critical minerals are an essential component of modern technologies that power the green economy, such as wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicle batteries. NRCan will continue to lead the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy to increase the supply of critical minerals, as well as support clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects through the $1.5 billion Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund. The Critical Minerals Research Development and Demonstration Program will also advance projects into the demonstration and integration stages for producing key critical minerals.

NRCan will continue to expand and diversify economic opportunities abroad by advancing strategic cooperation at key international fora, notably in the context of Canada’s G7 Leaders’ Presidency for 2025, and will advance discussions on important issues such as energy security, innovation, wildfires, the energy-AI nexus, and critical minerals. We will build partnerships bilaterally, to enhance supply chain security and expand trade off our coasts, and to advance energy and natural resource opportunities within the highly integrated North American market.

Building upon past work under Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, NRCan’s international engagements in the Indo-Pacific region will help strengthen supply chains resiliency, advance business-to-business relationships, and secure investment in priority sectors. Through ongoing negotiation of the Canada-ASEAN and Canada-Ecuador agreements, and preparations for the 2026 Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) Review, NRCan will ensure alignment with broader trade and investment objectives, while balancing commitments to sustainable, inclusive, and secure economic growth.

To support an inclusive resource economy and advance economic reconciliation in the natural resources sector, NRCan will continue to prioritize building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships, and improving impact assessments and traditional land use processes in regulatory coordination. NRCan will work closely with Indigenous groups to ensure that any federal Crown consultation obligations on major projects are met in a meaningful and coordinated way.

The work of the Indigenous Partnerships Office and the Regional Energy Resource Tables will further incorporate Indigenous perspectives in the new resource economy and help remove barriers for Indigenous Nations, communities, businesses, and workers in natural resource and energy development. Furthering the National Benefits-Sharing Framework will ensure that First Nations and Métis Nation communities directly benefit from major resource projects in their territories and the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program will facilitate access to affordable capital for Indigenous groups seeking to share in the benefits of natural resource and energy projects across the country.

In support of youth involvement, the Department will continue to deliver its Science and Technology Internship Program – Green Jobs, as part of the Government’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. The program provides funding to employers to create green jobs and training opportunities for youth in the natural resources sector, with a focus on youth who experience barriers to employment and youth from employment equity groups. Through these efforts, the program creates opportunities for green jobs and increases inclusion in the natural resources sector.

More information about Globally Competitive Natural Resource Sectors can be found in can be found in the full plan.