Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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235 Queen St
Ottawa, ON K1A 0H5
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, formerly known as Industry Canada, works to improve conditions for investment, enhance Canada's innovation performance, increase Canada's share of global trade and build a fair, efficient and competitive marketplace.

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Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Strategic communications and marketing employees receive Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's charitable campaign award at the C.D. Howe Building in Ottawa  

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) and National Capital Region's Top Employers (2025):

By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 14, 2024)

Here are some of the reasons why Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) and National Capital Region's Top Employers (2025):

  • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada encourages ongoing education with tuition subsidies for courses taken at outside institutions and a unique micro-assignment program that allows employees to develop skills and experience outside of their department -- employees can also apply for education leaves of absence
  • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada helps employees plan for life after work with retirement planning assistance services, contributions to a defined benefit pension plan and a health benefits plan that extends into retirement with no age limit -- and employees may be able to take advantage of phased-in retirement work options
  • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada supports new families with generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments, to 93 per cent of salary for up to one year for new mothers, and up to 37 weeks for new fathers and adoptive parents -- and parents on leave can apply to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada employees from the Office of the Ombud for Mental Health and Employee Well-Being at the C.D. Howe Building in Ottawa  

    Employer Background

    Work Environment Rating: B+

    Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: B+

    Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: A

    Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: A+

    Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: B

    Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: A+

    Training & Skills Development Rating: A

    Community Involvement Rating: B+

    Recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2025):

    By Kristina Leung, Chantel Watkins, and Cypress Weston, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Feb 24, 2025)

    Here are some of the reasons why Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada was selected as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2025):

    • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada employs a chief equity and inclusion officer to support equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and anti-racism initiatives across the department and recently launched an equity assessment to determine the extent to which the organization's programs and services are accessible by equity seeking groups
    • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada supports dedicated recruitment officers for people with disabilities and Indigenous Peoples, and recently added a third role for Black Canadians -- recruitment officers focus on intra and inter-departmental projects and programs that aim to create long-term, tangible impacts on inclusion, access to key talent sources, and improve retention and career progression
    • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada recently launched the Getting EX Ready program for individuals from underrepresented equity groups -- the program offers coaching, sponsorship, stretch assignments, access to networks, and learning and development opportunities, as well as placement on an EX pre-qualified list to equip participants for executive-level roles
    Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada team members participate in the organization's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Summit  
      [The Getting EX Ready Program] has been incredibly enriching, providing me with valuable knowledge that I’ve already started to apply professionally and personally. Humility, understanding one another despite our differences, generosity and the growth mindset, are some of the attributes I noticed amongst people I was surrounded by during this program. The inclusive environment and the supportive network have not only fostered my growth, but also highlighted how much my department really values its equity, diversity and inclusion commitments. Anonymous

      Highlights

      Industry Federal government, industry and economic development programs
      Major Canadian locations Dartmouth NS, Edmonton AB, Québec QC, Montréal QC, Toronto ON, Sudbury ON, London ON, Hamilton ON, Gatineau QC, Ottawa ON
      Full-time employees in Canada 6,724
      Management of diversity and inclusion initiatives employs a chief equity and inclusion officer to support equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and anti-racism initiatives across the department, employs dedicated champions to advance key initiatives in the following areas: diversity and inclusion, accessibility, LGBTQ2+ network, visible minorities, women, Indigenous employees, GBA+, mental health, and official languages, equity, diversity and inclusion committee (consists of assistant deputy ministers from each sector of the organization, provides strategic direction for internal and external policies, plans, services and initiatives related to EDI and accessibility)
      Performance management and accountability organizes self-identification campaigns a minimum of once per year and tracks various aspects of diversity through its workforce analysis, diversity and inclusion objectives are included in managers' performance management assessments, statistics are compiled into a departmental dashboard and shared with management on a biannual basis, deputy ministers and associate deputy ministers are held accountable for achieving corporate priorities (focus for 2023-2024 was promoting wellness, diversity and inclusion in a hybrid workplace, and advancing anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Public Service), executives are assessed by senior management on achieving commitments based on key leadership competencies
      Employee resource groups Persons with Disabilities Network, Indigenous Employee Network, 2SLGBTQI+ Employee Network, Black Employees Network, Racial Equity Network (REN), Women's Network
      Noteworthy diversity strategies and policies maintains an ombud for mental health and employee well-being
      Recruitment initiatives recruits persons with intellectual disabilities in partnership with LiveWorkPlay, the Federal Internship for Newcomers Program, dedicated recruitment officers for employment equity groups (Persons with Disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, and Black Canadians), Indigenous career navigator program
      Retention and development programs pilot mentorship program for non-executive women (applies an intersectionality lens to ensure participation of equity seeking groups), getting EX ready program for underrepresented employment equity groups (participants receive coaching, sponsorship, stretch assignments, access to networks, and learning and development opportunities and are placed on a EX pre-qualified list upon completion), formal sponsorship program for underrepresented groups (sponsors are deputy ministers and their management teams), formal mentorship program for underrepresented groups (executive-level mentors)
      Training and awareness initiatives mandatory training on GBA+, accessibility and unconscious bias, orientation for new employees includes resources on diversity, inclusion and mental health, in-house training on creating accessible documents and presentations, access to a variety of courses through the Canada School of Public Services (courses include LGBTQ2+ inclusion learning path, accessibility learning series, gender-based analysis plus, and mental health learning series, to name a few)
      Diversity highlights is investing in Canada’s first-ever Women Entrepreneurship Strategy to provide direct investments for women-owned or women-led businesses, workplace accommodation centre created to provide centralized approach to support employees with disabilities, program and administrative services employees who self-declare as Indigenous receive 2 paid days and 3 unpaid days for traditional Indigenous practices, designated inclusion steward mitigates potential bias during senior level succession planning (ensures all talent is equitably considered with a focus on unconscious bias)
      Highlights from the past year external equity, diversity and inclusion advisory board (comprised of subject matter experts from private sector and academia, to provide impartial and external advice) equity assessment determines the extent to which the organization's programs and services are accessible by equity seeking groups, internal equity, diversity and inclusion summit, pilot onboarding program with built-in EDI lens, Indigenous Elder services (provides advice, guidance, and support on Indigenous cultures, shares traditional knowledge and beliefs, provides spiritual counselling, conducts traditional ceremonies, and offers guidance on career development), accessibility feedback panel (offers employees the opportunity to share ideas to a panel of employees with disabilities and receive accessibility advice), accessibility ambassadors program (volunteers participate in monthly learning and training sessions and share gained knowledge and resources with other employees), guide to accessible meetings and invitations

      The Career Directory

      Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.

      Highlights for New Grads

      Industry Federal government, industry and economic development programs
      Full-time employees in Canada 5,001 to 10,000
      Parent company Government of Canada
      Parent company head office Ottawa ON
      Major Canadian locations Dartmouth NS, Edmonton AB, Québec QC, Montréal QC, Toronto ON, Sudbury ON, London ON, Hamilton ON, Gatineau QC, Ottawa ON
      Student opportunities paid internships, summer jobs, co-op opportunities
      Training subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring, leadership training
      Tuition subsidies (related to job) yes
      Typical new grad positions Patent Examiner, Junior Inspector, Competition Law Officer, Investment Analyst, Bankruptcy Analyst, IT Analyst, Application Development Designer, User Interface Designer, Junior Legal Metrologist
      Starting salary $55K to $60K
      Work benefits health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours, telecommuting
      Vacation allowance new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

      Academic fields recruited

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