NEWS: Canadian Relations Support Program – Call for Proposals – Spring 2023

Canadian Relations Support Program

Call for Proposals – Spring 2023

Creation or reinforcement of pan-Canadian structures or networks involving the participation of an organisation from Québec

The Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes (SQRC) is inviting civil society organisations throughout Québec and Canada to submit grant proposals to the Canadian Relations Support Program (PARC). Now open, the Program seeks to offer support to the bilateral, multilateral, or pancanadian activities of civil society organisations based in Québec or Canada.

A call for proposals is now open for Tier 2: Canadian networks.

Tier 2: Canadian networks primarily supports the holding of activities enabling organizations from Québec to create or join pan-Canadian networks, thus fostering exchanges between Quebecers and other Canadians (for example, networks, forums, debate activities, summer schools). These projects should enable organizations from Québec to play an active role in these networks.

We welcome all projects in any field that aim to achieve these objectives. However, particular attention will be given to the following:

  • Projects compatible with the priorities of the Government of Québec. These are:
    • Health: a more humane and efficient healthcare system
    • The next generation: a Québec that supports its’ youth and its’ families
    • Sustainable development: greening and strengthening the new economy
    • Living better together: improving social cohesion
  • Projects which encourage the development and realisation of Québec-Canada youth initiatives.1

Projects must be submitted by 5pm on Thursday the 16th of March 2023.

Funded projects must begin no sooner than the 1st of April 2022 and may last up to a maximum of one year. Complete applications are processed within 60 working days. A second call for proposals will open towards the end of Autumn 2023, if funds allow.

Sought-after projects:

A typical Tier 2 project involves two or more partners from different provinces or territories and seeks to create or reinforce an exchange network. This project could be in any field. The organisations involved may be well-established in their field, or they may be new to the Canadian scene and seeking to establish themselves. For reference, two examples of projects supported by PARC’s Tier 2 are provided below:

  • Rassemblement de l’écosystème d’innovation canadien en économie bleue
    Société de promotion économique de Rimouski (SOPER) (Rimouski, Québec), en collaboration avec Ocean Startup Project (St.-Jean, Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador), La Vague (Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Québec), DeepSense/Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nouvelle Écosse) et Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST), Victoria, Colombie-Britannique) – Call for projects Spring 2022 :

    Creation of the first edition of the “Rassemblement de l’écosystème d’innovation canadien en économie bleue“, a new annual forum that aims to bring together the major players in the ‘blue economy’ of Quebec and Canada. This first two-day forum was held in the Magdalen Islands on September 7th and 8th, 2022. Find out more about the Quebecois organisation behind this project in economic development: https://novarium.co/.

  • CaNeoLabs – Communauté de pratique canadienne en Laboratoire d’innovation
    Living Lab en innovation ouverte (LLio) Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup (Rivière-du-Loup, Québec) en collaboration avec la Maison de l’Innovation Sociale (Montréal, Québec), et Social Innovation Canada (Toronto, Ontario) – Call for projects Autumn 2021 :

    Creation of a pan-Canadian community of practice for different types of innovation labs, such as living labs, social innovation labs and public innovation labs. This network aims to increase Canada’s innovation capacity through exchanges and networking, and will focus on various themes including climate change, socio-ecological transition, urban and rural innovation, etc. Find out more about this social innovation project: https://llio.quebec/caneolabs-fr/

For more information concerning the Program, other examples of the types of projects supported, and to read about the procedure for submitting an application for funding, please see the Program’s web page. Organisations wishing to submit an application for funding should consult the forms available on our website.

The PARC program also has another tier, Tier 1: Exchange of Expertise, for which organisations wishing to submit a proposal may continue to do so at any time, depending on the availability of funds. This other tier of the program provides support primarily for exchanges of expertise between experts from Québec and experts from elsewhere in Canada. We aim to encourage the creation of activities that contribute to the transfer of expertise between Québec and the other provinces and territories, as well as promoting expertise from within Québec. These activities may take place in Québec or in Canada. This tier of the program accepts proposals throughout the year.

Questions or requests for information should be addressed to the Direction de la Francophonie, de la réflexion stratégique et des affaires publiques canadiennes.

E-mail: programme.relations-canadiennes@mce.gouv.qc.ca

To stay abreast of all SQRC-related news, including updates on the PARC program, and on our other funding programs, please follow our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

1. By “youth initiatives,” we mean those aimed at Quebecers and Canadians aged 15 to 29, in accordance with the scope of the Politique québécoise de la jeunesse 2030. You may consult the Politique,as well as the Plan d’action jeunesse 2021-2024 which derives from it, on the website of the Secrétariat à la jeunesse.