Ensure that a fixed percentage of funds is devoted to experimenting with new approaches to challenges and measure the impact of programs.

What success looks like

Innovation and experimentation are part of routine business of government, and new models are identified that improve outcomes for Canadians.

Government's narrative on progress

Ethical and rigorous experimentation is central to the government’s focus on evidence-based policy-making. By testing program options, departments can generate evidence to learn what works and inform decision-making. The government has directed federal agencies and departments to allocate a percentage of program funding towards experimenting with new approaches, measuring impact and delivering better results to Canadians. In December 2016, federal Deputy Ministers were given guidance on experimentation and the use of new and innovative approaches, including user-centered design and outcomes-based funding. In April 2017, the government provided federal departments with new structures that allow departments to distribute grants and contributions more flexibly under the Treasury Board Policy on Transfer Payments. More recently, the Impact Canada Initiative was launched to use outcomes-based funding experiments, innovative financing approaches and new partnership models to achieve better results for Canadians. The Clerk of the Privy Council also recently endorsed the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Declaration on Public Sector innovation, which calls for more experimentation within programs. The government launched a new procurement initiative, Innovative Solutions Canada, to match businesses offering early stage prototypes with departments in need of new products or services.

Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.