Canadian Relations Support Program

The information presented on this page is for information only. To consult the Program’s normative framework, click here (available in French only). In the event of a discrepancy between the two versions, the French-language normative framework applies.

Objectives

The general objective of the Program is to increase knowledge and understanding of Québec elsewhere in Canada by supporting the development of ties between Quebecers and other Canadians. This program is aimed at civil society actors.

More precisely, it has the following specific objectives:

• promote dialogue between Québec’s civil society and those of the other provinces and territories;
• support exchanges and transfers of expertise between Québec and the other provinces and territories;
• encourage the implementation of joint projects between organizations of Québec and those of the other provinces and territories
• enhance the presence of Québec organizations within Canada.

To achieve this, the PARC financially supports bilateral, multilateral or pan-Canadian¹ exchange projects, between Québec’s civil society and those of the other provinces and territories. To achieve the Program’s objectives, these projects must contribute to better knowledge and understanding of Québec and the other provinces and territories, of their similarities and specificities, to increased collaboration between the societal sectors in Québec and elsewhere in Canada, or to sharing Québec’s expertise and points of view.

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Program Tiers

The SQRC administers the PARC, which is divided into two tiers:

• Tier 1 – Expertise exchange;
• Tier 2 – Canadian networks.

Tier 1: Expertise exchange provides support primarily for exchanges between experts from Québec and those from elsewhere in Canada. These should take place at specifically arranged activities held in Canada, including Québec, that contribute to the transfer of expertise between Québec and the other provinces and territories, and to the dissemination of expertise from Québec.

This tier targets two types of projects:

• participation by Québec experts in symposiums, conferences, forums, and workshops in Canada, including in Québec;
• projects for sharing expertise among peers involving a transfer of innovative practices from Québec to the other provinces and territories.

For the purposes of the Program, an expert is a person with peer-recognized theoretical or practical knowledge in a specific field. An expert may work in the educational, professional, economic, or community sector.

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. These projects should enable organizations from Québec to play an active role in these networks. These projects may consist of:

• the creation or strengthening of pan-Canadian structures or networks for cooperation and exchange;
• the organization of forums, conferences, debates, workshops and summer schools to enable Quebecers and Canadians to discuss economic, political, social and cultural issues.

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Project duration

Projects must be completed within twelve months from the project start date indicated by the applicant, unless otherwise authorized by the SQRC.

In no case will financial support for a project be renewed automatically. Following approval of the final report (see section ‘final report’), a new application may be submitted if further support is sought.  

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Eligible applicants

The following are eligible as applicants or co-applicants: duly registered Canadian organizations whose head office is located in Québec, or in another province or territory, namely:

• non-profit organizations;
• educational institutions;
• research institutions;
• non-profit cooperatives.

Each applicant must undertake to conduct activities leading to achievement of the Program’s objectives when submitting a project to the PARC. The applicant must also provide supporting documents confirming their non-profit status.

The following are not eligible:

• departments and bodies of the Government of Québec and those of other governments within Canada;
• authorized or registered political parties, or authorities recognized by the election authorities²;
• municipalities;
• political education organizations³;
• for-profit organizations and businesses;
• individuals;
• organizations entered in the register of enterprises ineligible for public contracts;
• organizations that, in the preceding two years, have failed to comply with the conditions governing the allocation of financial assistance by the Ministère;
• applicants that have failed to comply with the conditions governing the allocation of financial assistance by the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes in terms of reporting (particularly the submission of a final report for any previously-supported projects, in conformity with the  PARC’s requirements).

Applicants in, or subject to, proceedings for bankruptcy, liquidation, or judicial settlement, are excluded from participation in the Program.

These conditions apply both for the main applicant and for the co-applicants.

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Eligible projects

To be eligible, a project must:

• Demonstrate that it meets the Program’s objectives;
• Respect the Program’s conditions.

Projects are not eligible if they:

• are exclusively limited to a one-way artistic performance, either in the context of a festival or any other performance⁴;
• consist mainly of hiring a consulting firm, or the purchase of services;
• are already supported by another SQRC program

University research activities focusing on the fields of intergovernmental relations, or on Québec and Canadian Francophonie studies, must apply instead to the Secretariat's Research Support Program.

Projects with the following objectives must apply instead to the Secretariat’s Programme d’appui à la francophonie canadienne : 1) activities which aim specifically at supporting the development of Francophone or Acadian communities in Canada, 2) activities which aim at promoting and encouraging the use of French in Canada, 3) activities which aim at strengthening the ties between Quebecers, and Canadian Francophones and Francophiles, and 4), activities which aim at strengthening the sense of belonging to an inclusive Francophonie at the pan-Canadian level.

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Submission of applications

The only projects eligible for the PARC are those that correspond to the Program’s objectives and priorities, and which are compatible with the conditions established by the SQRC.

For Tier 1, Expertise exchange, projects may be submitted at any time.

For Tier 2, Canadian Networks, the SQRC establishes themes and issues one or more calls for projects based on those themes. These calls for projects will be published on the SQRC’s website.

Unless otherwise stated, any project submitted from January in a given year will receive a decision in the following fiscal year (from April 1^st).

In accordance with the Service Statement of the Ministère du Conseil exécutif, the SQRC aims to respond to all applications submitted to the PARC within 60 working days (+/- three months), subject to the availability of all documents required to analyse the file. Accordingly, applications must be filed and completed at least 60 working days before the project’s start date.

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Description of the projects

Projects must be described in detail using the forms.

Tier 1, Expertise exchange:

This description must include:

• a detailed description of the planned activities;
• a detailed description of the objectives and expected outcomes of Québec’s involvement in the activity or expertise transfer project, in relation to the objectives of the Program;
• proof of the participation of Canadian and Québec experts in the activity or expertise transfer project;
• the curriculum vitae of the Québec expert or experts concerned, including their job functions, job title, experience, and conference or publication record, as applicable;
• a detailed description of Québec’s involvement in the activity or expertise transfer project outside Québec;
• a detailed budget presenting the planned expenditure for the project and the schedule of disbursements;
• the financial structure of the project and the sources of funding;
• a communications plan showing how the planned communication activities contribute to the objectives of the Program and a description of the visibility offered to the SQRC;
• full contact information for the applicant or applicants, and for the organizations associated with the project, including postal and electronic addresses and websites, if applicable;
• the original or electronic signature of the head of the applicant organization or organizations, attesting to the accuracy of the information provided and authorizing, where applicable, the Québec government or its agents to conduct an accounting audit covering the use of the funding;
• have submitted a final report, as consistent with the PARC’s requirements, for any previous projects financed by the Program.

Tier 2, Canadian networks:

This description must include:

• proof of the involvement of at least one organization from Québec, and at least one organization from another Canadian province or territory;
• a detailed description of the planned activities;
• a detailed description of the expected outcomes, in relation to the objectives of the Program
• a description of the applicants’ experience in carrying out this type of project and, if applicable, of previous collaborations between the applicants;
• a detailed budget presenting the planned expenditures for the project and the schedule of disbursements;
• the financial structure of the project and the sources of funding;
• the original or electronic signature of the heads of the applicant and co-applicant organizations, attesting to the accuracy of the information provided and authorizing, where applicable, the Québec government or its agents to conduct an accounting audit covering the use of the funding;
• a communications plan showing how the planned communication activities contribute to the objectives of the Program and a description of the visibility offered to the SQRC;
• full contact information for the applicant or applicants and for the organizations associated with the project, including postal and electronic addresses and websites, if applicable;
• have submitted a final report, as consistent with the PARC’s requirements, for any previous projects financed by the Program.
• the demand must be submitted at the latest by the deadline indicated in the call for projects.

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Eligible expenses

The grant can only be used for the reimbursement of the eligible expenses incurred to conduct the planned project activities. It must not be used for profit-making purposes or to obtain a financial benefit for the applicant.

Eligible expenses are:

Tier 1:

Only these expenses are eligible

• accommodation expenses for those participants directly involved in the organization of the project⁵ whether the activity takes place in Québec or elsewhere in Canada, based on the applicable Québec government scales;
• meal expenses for participants directly involved in organizing the project, based on the applicable Québec government scales;
• reasonable⁶ costs of travel in Canada for participants directly involved in organizing the project. Only the following trips are eligible: travel to or from Québec; travel within Québec;
• local transportation costs (for example, public transit, taxis) for participants directly involved in organizing the project;
• expenses incurred for simultaneous interpretation, where justified;
• the fees and salaries paid to individuals specifically hired for the project, based on the organization's scales, where justified;
• expenses incurred for the translation or production of materials and supporting documents for the activity, where justified⁷;
• registration costs for the activity, for persons directly involved in organizing the project, where justified;
• expenses incurred for logistics for the activity (hiring of materials, equipment or premises), including expenses for virtual activities, where justified;
• expenses for communication and promotion activities directly related to the activity, up to a maximum of 10% of the total eligible expenses;
• administration expenses, up to a maximum of 10% of the total eligible expenses;
• accounting audit expenses, when required.

Tier 2:

Only these expenses are eligible

• accommodation expenses for those participants directly involved in the organization of the project⁸, whether the activity takes place in Québec or elsewhere in Canada, based on the applicable Québec government scales;
• meal expenses for participants directly involved in organizing the project, based on the applicable Québec government scales;
• reasonable⁹ costs of travel in Canada and in Québec, for participants directly involved in organizing the project, reimbursed at the rate of 50%;
• local transportation costs (for example, public transit, taxis) for participants directly involved in organizing the project, reimbursed at the rate of 50%;
• expenses incurred for simultaneous interpretation, where justified;
• the fees and salaries paid to individuals specifically hired for the project, based on the organization's scales, where justified;
• expenses incurred for the translation or production of materials and supporting documents for the activity, where justified¹⁰;
• registration costs at the activity for persons directly involved in organizing the activity, where justified;
• expenses incurred for logistics for the activity (hiring of materials, equipment or premises), including expenses for virtual activities, where justified;
• expenses for communication and promotion activities directly related to the activity, up to a maximum of 10% of the total eligible expenses;
• administration expenses, up to a maximum of 10% of the total eligible expenses;
• accounting audit expenses, when required.

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Non-eligible expenses

Non-eligible expenses are:

• office or other rent;
• capital expenditure and the purchase of movable property;
• travel and accommodation expenses outside Canada;
• cocktail reception and related expenses for similar events;
• any other day-to-day operating expenses of the organization(s);
• salaries of the regular staff of the organization(s);
• artists’ fees for professional performances;
• travel expenses for trips in first class or business class;
• financial assistance to a third party (subsidies, bursaries or programs aiming to provide grants to other beneficiaries);
• expenses incurred prior to submitting the application or to the beginning date for eligibility of expenses identified in the call for projects, as appropriate¹¹
• any other expenses that would normally have been covered by the organization in the normal course of its activities.

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Evaluation criteria

The SQRC is responsible for evaluating projects and may call on outside expertise as required. In addition, and if deemed necessary, the SQRC may seek an opinion from the Bureaux du Québec au Canada or from other Québec government departments.

Tier 1, Expertise exchange:

Projects are evaluated according to these criteria:

• the relevance of the project, as shown by the:
  • compatibility between the objectives of the project and those of the Program;
  • well-founded justification for the participation of the Québec expert or the transfer of Québec expertise;
  • extent and quality of the participation of the Québec expert or the transfer of Québec expertise;
• the structural aspect¹² as shown by the:
  • impact elsewhere in Canada
  • emergence of new possibilities for cooperation;
  • number of participants and their geographic diversity;
  • positive benefits in Québec and elsewhere in Canada (for the general public, for decision-makers and for communities);
• the applicant's background and the financial aspects, as shown by the:
  • applicant's ability to complete the project (the organizations have the stability, financial capacity, staff and expertise needed to effectively manage and implement the project; the organizations' experience in completing similar projects; the history of the organizers' links);
  • realism of the budget (the expenditure is realistic, reasonable and consistent with the activities planned);
  • realism of the planned schedule for the activity;
  • diversity of other funding obtained.

Tier 2, Canadian networks:

Projects are evaluated according to these criteria:

• the relevance of the project, as shown by the:
  • compatibility between the objectives of the project and those of the Program;
  • compatibility between the project and the themes identified;
  • importance of the context or issues justifying the need for the project;
• the structural aspect as shown by the:
  • project's visibility and influence;
  • quality of the participation in the project (the number of participants and their geographic diversity);
  • quality of the joint participation by organizations from Québec and elsewhere in Canada;
  • diversity and relevance of the partnership or cooperation;
  • positive impact on the development of links between organizations in Québec and elsewhere in Canada (emergence of new partnerships or cooperation);
  • complementary nature of the expertise offered by the teams from Québec and those from elsewhere in Canada;
  • visibility of Québec’s contribution;
  • positive benefits in Québec and elsewhere in Canada (for the general public, for decision-makers and for communities);
• the applicant's background and the financial aspects, as shown by the:
  • organizations' ability to complete the project (the organizations have the stability, financial capacity, staff and expertise needed to effectively manage and implement the project; the organizations' experience in completing similar projects; the history of the organizers' links);
  • realism of the budget (expenditure is realistic, reasonable and consistent with the activities planned);
  • realism of  the planned schedule for the activity;
  • diversity of other funding obtained.

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Amount of the grant

The amount of the grant is established by the results of the evaluation of the application and the funding available under the Program.

The grant cannot exceed 80% of the project’s eligible expenses.

The maximum amount granted by the SQRC varies according to the Program’s Tiers:

• Tier 1: Expertise exchange:     10 000 $.
• Tier 2: Canadian networks:      50 000 $.

The eligibility of a project for the PARC does not guarantee that the applicants will receive any funding, and creates no obligation on the part of the SQRC. Payments are always conditional on the availability of funding or approval of appropriate and sufficient appropriations by the National Assembly of Québec.

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Cumulative grants of public funding

In order to regain eligibility for a grant from the Program, an organization that has previously benefited from a subsidy from the Program must have submitted a final report which has found to be consistent with the requirements by the Secretariat, for any previous project funded by the Program. Only one application at a time may be filed with the Program.

A project funded by the Program cannot be funded by other Secretariat programs, but may be funded by other government programs.

The combined total of public grants cannot exceed 80% of eligible expenses. The grant awarded under the Program may therefore be adjusted in accordance with this rule. For the purposes of this cumulative grant rule, the other government sources are the federal government (including government agencies and government-owned enterprises), municipal bodies located in Québec, and the other departments, agencies or government-owned enterprises of the Government of Québec.

For the purposes of the cumulative grant rules, the term “municipal bodies” includes Québec municipal organizations under the meaning of Section 5 of the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information (R.S.Q. chapter A.2.1).

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Provisions for payment of the grant

A financial contribution equal to or less than $5,000 is provided to the applicant in a single payment, after approval of the final report of the project by the Secretariat.

A financial contribution greater than $5,000 is provided in two payments: 80% of the grant is paid after confirmation of project approval by the SQRC, and 20% at the end of the project, after approval of the final report of the project by the SQRC.

Upon analysis of the final report, the final amount of the grant may be adjusted based on the analysis of eligibility of the final expenses and of the cumulative grant rules (see Cumulative grants of public funding).

Cost overruns for the approved activities or projects will not incur additional financial support.

Reimbursement

The recipient of the grant will be required to reimburse:

• any unused portion of the grant;
• any portion of the grant, or the entire grant, that was not used for the specially authorized purposes
• some or all of the grant, if the project did not respect the conditions of the grant;
• some or all of the grant, if the project is cancelled or substantially changed without prior authorization from the SQRC or if the amount was not used for the specially authorized purposes;
• an amount equivalent to the surplus that appears, if the eligible expenses are below the initial forecasts (see Amount of the grant).
• If the 80% threshold for eligible expenses is exceeded, the final grant will be adjusted: either by a reimbursement of the surplus amount, or by a reduction of the final payment due from the SQRC;
• an amount equivalent to the surplus that appears, if the combined government grants, during the period covered by the financial assistance, exceed the maximum cumulative rate allowed, namely 80% of eligible expenses (see Cumulative grants of public funding). In such cases, the final grant will be adjusted: either by a reimbursement of the surplus amount, or by a reduction of the final payment due from the Secratariat.

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Visibility

For all projects supported by the SQRC, all documents, activities and communication products related to the project must include an acknowledgement of the Québec government’s contribution with a prominence commensurate to the level of support provided. (For further information, see the document “visibility of support from the SQRC”).

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Applicant’s commitment

Applicants receiving a grant commit themselves to carrying out the project as described on the financial support application form.

Each beneficiary must make a formal commitment, according to the provisions required by the SQRC, to carry out the project as agreed and to accept the grant and its provisions.

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Changes to the project

The project must be carried out as approved. Any substantial change to the project must have the prior approval of the Secretariat. Failure to obtain this prior approval may result in cancellation of the grant and its reimbursement to the SQRC.

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Final report

A final report must be filed with the Secretariat within three months of the project’s end date, as identified in the application. It must include the following items:

• a report on the main activities completed during the project;
• a description of the extent of Québec participation in the project (identity, number and origin of participants) and all aspects that may contribute to assessing its influence (e.g. audience, media impact, publications, etc.);
• a description of the outcomes obtained with regard to the initial project objectives and the objectives of the Program;
• all information necessary for an assessment of the project’s outcomes with respect to the Program’s evaluation criteria, including the information necessary to measure the results using the  established indicators;
• a description of the visibility given to the Québec government’s contribution;
• a detailed financial statement for the project indicating how the assistance granted by the SQRC was used;
• the original or electronic signature of the head of each applicant organization.

The forms to be used to produce the final report may be found here.

Once the final report has been analysed and found by the SQRC to be consistent with the requirements, a payment will be made according to the provisions in the section “Provisions for payment of the grant”.

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Financial statements and supporting documents

The Secretariat reserves the right to demand supporting documents at any time, which may include invoices, receipts, account statements or audited financial statements for any organization to which it provides financial support, for those of its partner organizations and for related organizations.

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Contact information

Please send your financial support application forms to this address.

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Forms and documents

For applications submitted after the 1^st of April 2021:

PARC Normative Framework 2021-2022 to 2022-2024 [In French] (PDF, 794 ko)

Application for a grant

• Grant application – form 2021-2024 (Word, 69 ko)
• Grant application – budget worksheet 2021-2024 (Excel, 74 ko)
• Grant application – drafting guide 2021-2024 (Word, 57 ko)

Production of the final report

• Final report – form 2021-2024  (Word, 74 ko)
• Final report – statement of revenues and expenditures 2021-2024 (Excel, 71 ko)
• Final report – drafting guide 2021-2024 (Word, 48 ko)

Other documents

• Table of accommodation expenses (PDF, 20 ko)
• Table of meal expenses (PDF, 32 ko)
• Visibility guide (Word, 45 ko)

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For applications submitted before the 31^st of March 2021:

PARC Normative Framework 2018-2019 to 2020-2021 [In French] (PDF, 78 ko)

Production of the final report

• Final report – form 2018-2021 (Word, 55 ko)
• Final report – statement of revenues and expenditures 2018-2021 (Excel, 76 ko)
• Final report – drafting guide 2018-2021  (Word, 48 ko)

Other documents

• Table of accommodation expenses (PDF, 80 ko)
• Table of meal expenses (PDF, 79 ko)
• Visibility guide (Word, 45 ko)

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