March 2017
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About the Evaluation
- The evaluation was led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada in collaboration with the Regional Development Agencies.
- It assessed the relevance and performance of the EDI from April 1, 2013 to June 30, 2016.
- The methodology was calibrated to reflect the materiality of the EDI and its proportion of the total Roadmap budget.
What the Evaluation Found
Initiative Description
- The Roadmap for Canada's Official Languages is the Government of Canada's official languages strategy, with an investment of $1.1 billion over five years for 28 initiatives involving 14 federal departments and agencies.
- The EDI is one initiative under the Roadmap, delivered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and the Regional Development Agencies.
- With funding of $30.5 million over five years, the initiative is designed to support the economic development of Official Language Minority Communities and promote the economic benefits of Canada's linguistic duality.
- There is a continued need for the EDI to mitigate economic development challenges faced by Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs).
- The initiative supports the federal government's legislative responsibilities for linguistic duality and regional economic development.
- EDI research and consultation activities contribute to a better understanding of the economic challenges facing OLMCs.
- Over the evaluation period, the EDI funded 110 projects. This enabled OLMCs to develop capacity, expertise and partnerships, and in turn, better equip entrepreneurs to create, maintain or expand enterprises.
- The EDI is delivered through existing regional mechanisms and by staff who have experience managing similar regional programs.
- Performance information is defined and collected differently by each partner. While this reflects the local environment of each partner, it hinders the reporting of results at a national level.
Recommendation
(as agreed upon by management)
- Establish national standardized performance and efficiency indicators that are consistently defined and collected amongst partners to enhance performance monitoring and reporting. In this context, EDI partners are encouraged to re-examine the logic model to ensure that the various levels of outcomes remain relevant with the standardized indicators while seeking to minimize the reporting burden on partners.