Spending
Spending 2020–21 to 2025–26
The following graphFootnote 17 presents planned (voted and statutory spending) over time.
| 2020–21 Actual |
2021–22 Actual |
2022–23 Actual |
2023–24 Planned |
2024–25 Planned |
2025–26 Planned |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory | 85 | 42 | 42 | 46 | 38 | 37 |
| Voted | 4,752 | 5,364 | 5,380 | 5,938 | 5,538 | 5,520 |
| Total | 4,837 | 5,406 | 5,422 | 5,984 | 5,576 | 5,557 |
We build our annual budget to respond to Veterans in need of benefits and services. A key part of this process is forecasting, which helps ensure there is enough funding for all eligible Veterans who are likely to need help in a given year. Our annual budget fluctuates each year due to the demand-driven nature of our programs—based on Veterans’ needs and entitlements. In other words, a Veteran who is entitled to a benefit or service receives it.
While forecasting helps ensure enough funding is available, expenditures are only incurred for Veterans who in fact come forward to use the program or service. The design of the Government’s budget process accounts for these fluctuations, which is why there will be changes to both forecasted and actual spending from one year to the next. Fluctuations in spending are normal, given that initial forecasting is typically done many months in advance of the reporting period and adjusted throughout the year based on actual results. In addition, due to timing, new spending announced in recent Federal Budgets are not included in the planned spending figures.
Budgetary performance summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)
The following table presents the budgetary financial resources allocated for our core responsibilities and for internal services.
| Core Responsibilities and Internal Services | 2022–23 Main Estimates | 2022–23 Planned spending | 2023–24 Planned spending | 2024–25 Planned spending | 2022–23 Total authorities available for use | 2020–21 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2021–22 Actual spending (authorities used) | 2022–23 Actual spending (authorities used) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits, Services and Support | 5,358,759,533 | 5,358,759,533 | 5,826,610,032 | 5,424,185,936 | 5,503,586,822 | 4,660,494,971 | 5,240,551,120 | 5,237,608,937 |
| Commemoration | 42,775,123 | 42,775,123 | 41,854,568 | 47,625,409 | 53,656,302 | 42,205,327 | 38,038,138 | 49,627,461 |
| Veterans Ombudsperson | 4,481,326 | 4,481,326 | 4,465,311 | 4,528,110 | 4,496,329 | 5,193,514 | 3,828,088 | 4,427,448 |
| Subtotal | 5,406,015,982 | 5,406,015,982 | 5,872,929,911 | 5,476,339,455 | 5,561,739,453 | 4,707,893,812 | 5,282,417,346 | 5,291,663,846 |
| Internal Services | 101,444,483 | 101,444,483 | 111,486,760 | 99,953,942 | 132,239,856 | 128,739,691 | 123,974,450 | 130,680,752 |
| Total | 5,507,460,465 | 5,507,460,465 | 5,984,416,671 | 5,576,293,397 | 5,693,979,309 | 4,836,633,503 | 5,406,391,796 | 5,422,344,598 |
Variance between 2022–23 Actual Spending and 2022–23 Planned Spending
As shown in the tables, the Department spent $5.4 billion in 2022–23, of which over 90% represented payments to Veterans, their families, and other program recipients. Total spending was in line with the previous year and was $600M higher than in 2020–21. When comparing actual spending to planned spending for 2022–23, actual spending was lower than planned by approximately $85M. The decrease was mainly in Benefits, Services and Support, offset by increased spending in other areas as explained below.
Benefits, Services and Support
- Expenditures are in line with 2021–22 spending and are $577M higher than 2020–21. Budgets are updated through the Estimates process to align with the latest forecast of client demand and expenditures.
Commemoration
- Increased spending to support the 2025 Invictus Games and the Juno Beach Centre.
Internal Services
- Increased spending in order to support our continuation of efforts to address the backlog and improve the delivery of services and programs to Veterans and their families.
Planned spending 2023–24 to 2025–26
Planned spending in 2023–24 is expected to increase when compared to planned spending for 2022–23 mainly due to funding received to continue the plan to reduce the backlog and improve services to Veterans and their families.
Human resources
Human resources summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (full-time equivalents)Footnote 17
The following table presents the full-time equivalents (FTE) allocated to each of our core responsibilities and to internal services.
| Core Responsibilities and Internal Services | 2020–21 Actual | 2021–22 Actual | 2022–23 Planned | 2022–23 Actual | 2023–24 Planned | 2024–25 Planned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits, Services and Support | 2,549.7 | 2,739.9 | 2,216.7 | 2,603.4 | 2,701.9 | 2,136.4 |
| Commemoration | 70.0 | 68.9 | 92.6 | 76.2 | 89.1 | 89.1 |
| Veterans Ombudsperson | 34.2 | 31.8 | 39.0 | 33.9 | 39.0 | 39.0 |
| Subtotal | 2,653.9 | 2,840.6 | 2,348.3 | 2,713.5 | 2,830.0 | 2,264.5 |
| Internal Services | 801.3 | 822.5 | 757.6 | 811.9 | 853.1 | 769.1 |
| Total | 3,455.2 | 3,663.1 | 3,105.9 | 3,525.4 | 3,683.1 | 3,033.6 |
As a result of the Service Excellence Initiative, we retained and hired more term employees dedicated to making decisions and reducing processing times. At the same time, we explored innovative measures to process future applications more efficiently. Internal services also retained term resources that were hired to support this initiative.
The planned amounts for future years represent the amounts included in the main estimates and does not include any additional items approved within the current fiscal year.
Financial and human resources information for our Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.
Expenditures by vote
For information on our organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada.
Government of Canada spending and activities
Information on the alignment of our spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in GC InfoBase.
Financial statements and financial statements highlights
Financial statements
Our financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended 31 March 2023 are available on our our website.
Financial statements highlights
Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended 31 March 2023 (dollars)
| Financial information | 2022–23 Planned results |
2022–23 Actual results |
2021–22 Actual results |
Difference (2022–23 actual minus 2022–23 Planned results) | Difference (2022–23 actual minus 2021–22 Actual results) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 5,527,435,387 | 5,433,337,917 | 5,403,521,152 | (94,097,470) | 29,816,765 |
| Total revenues | – | 5,656 | 14,102 | 5,656 | (8,446) |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 5,527,435,387 | 5,433,332,261 | 5,403,507,050 | (94,103,126) | 29,825,211 |
The 2022–23 planned results information is provided in our Future-Oriented Statement of Operations 2022–23.
When comparing our overall actual expenditures for the 2022–23 fiscal year against the expenditures for the previous year, expenses increased by $30 million.
Our total Departmental expenses were approximately $94 million lower than planned in the 2022–23 fiscal year due to the nature of the Department’s demand-driven programs.
Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of 31 March 2023 (dollars)
| Financial information | 2022–23 | 2021–22 | Difference (2022–23 minus 2021–22) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total net liabilities | 190,055,298 | 157,488,923 | 32,566,375 |
| Total net financial assets | 123,649,890 | 93,866,429 | 29,783,461 |
| Departmental net debt | 66,405,408 | 63,622,494 | 2,782,914 |
| Total non-financial assets | 10,165,811 | 10,692,545 | (526,734) |
| Departmental net financial position | (56,239,597) | (52,929,949) | (3,309,648) |
Total net liabilities: Total net liabilities have increased by $32.5 million in 2022–23 compared to 2021–22. This variance is due to an increase in accrued liabilities.
Total net financial assets: Total net financial assets have increased in 2022–23 by $29.7 million when compared to 2021–22 due to increase in due from consolidated revenue fund.
Departmental net debt: Departmental net debt, which is the difference between net liabilities and net financial assets as explained previously, has decreased by $2.8 million in 2022–23 compared to 2021–22.
Total non-financial assets: Total non-financial assets have decreased in 2022–23 by $527 thousand when compared to 2021–22 due to the amortization of tangible capital assets.
The 2022–23 planned results information is provided in our Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2022–23.