Departmental Plan 2021-2022, overviews

Appearance before the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development – May 12, 2021

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Issue

• The Departmental Plan 2021-22 was tabled in Parliament on Thursday, February 25, 2021, and committee members may pose questions on its contents.

Points to register

• The ECCC Departmental Plan provides information to parliamentarians and Canadians on the department’s plans, priorities and intended results for the coming year.
• This year’s plan builds on important work already underway to address clean growth and climate change, prevent and manage pollution, conserve nature, and predict weather and environmental conditions. It also outlines bold new strategic actions such as those outlined in Canada’s strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy.
• The Department’s programs continue to reflect the interdependence of environmental sustainability and economic well-being.
• In a year that marks the department’s 50th anniversary and the Meteorological Service of Canada’s 150th anniversary, ECCC will continue to deliver on its mandate by taking action to address immediate challenges, and looking ahead to secure a cleaner and more prosperous future.

Background/current status

• As part of the Expenditure Management System each Minister must present a departmental plan.
• The departmental plan provides information on ECCC’s priorities, the plans and resources dedicated to achieving those priorities, and expected performance over a three-year period. Departmental priorities are aligned with your mandate letter commitments and Government-wide priorities.
• The Government of Canada has a plan to exceed Canada’s Paris Agreement target of a 30% reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below 2005 levels by 2030, and to put Canada on a path to achieving a prosperous, net-zero emissions future.
• The Government is investing in a healthy environment and healthy economy to build on the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The Plan includes 64 new measures to improve current and future results, and improve economic and environmental benefits.
• ECCC will continue to lead the Federal Leadership Towards Zero Plastic Waste Initiative, a comprehensive agenda to achieve the Government of Canada’s goal of zero plastic waste by 2030.
• To achieve the Government of Canada’s ambitious goal to conserve 25% of lands and oceans by 2025 and work towards 30% by 2030, ECCC will develop a plan in collaboration with the Parks Canada Agency and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and in partnership with provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous peoples and the private, philanthropic, and non-profit sectors.
• In 2021-22, the Department will replace six outdated radars across Canada and will install a new radar in the lower Athabasca region, making use of the most modern technology available to forecast short-term severe weather events associated with thunderstorms, tornadoes, ice storms and blizzards.

Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

Issue

• The Departmental Plan was tabled in Parliament on February 25, 2021, presenting the plans, priorities, and expected performance of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC).

Points to register

• Reporting to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, IAAC is the lead federal organization responsible for conducting and administering environmental and impact assessments. In leading these assessments, IAAC is responsible for assessing the designated projects’ environmental, economic, social, health, and gender effects.
• Similar to the previous year’s plan, IAAC’s Departmental Plan 2021-22 focuses on delivering high quality environmental and impact assessments, ensuring timely, credible, and predictable processes, managing cumulative effects, supporting reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, enhancing opportunities for meaningful participation, and strengthening collaboration with other jurisdictions and organizations.
• IAAC leads the Horizontal Initiative Framework put in place to monitor delivery of the impact assessment and regulatory system with eight other federal departments and agencies and ensures that performance measurement information supports evidence-based decision-making and transparency.
• IAAC is committed to fostering a healthy, respectful, diverse, accessible, and inclusive workplace while making appropriate accommodations in an evolving work environment.

Supplemental messages

• To conduct high quality assessments, IAAC strives to use science, evidence, and Indigenous knowledge to inform decisions in the public’s interest, promoting positive effects while minimizing adverse impacts.
• In 2021-22, IAAC will continue to implement the Planning and Impact Statement Phases for designated projects and prepare for the Impact Assessment Phase, including meaningful engagement activities with Indigenous peoples and the public and evidence-based assessments that consider proponent, Indigenous and public views.
• To provide Indigenous peoples, the public, and stakeholders with meaningful participation opportunities, IAAC will tailor activities for Indigenous peoples and help reduce their financial barriers and implement innovative approaches during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, IAAC is committed to identifying and addressing Indigenous concerns at an earlier stage in the assessment process, including in the Planning Phase.
• Through the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry, IAAC offers transparency throughout the assessment process by providing access to scientific and impact assessment information, submitted comments, and reasons for decisions.
• To ensure assessments result in mitigation measures that minimize the adverse effects of projects, IAAC will establish follow-up programs to verify the accuracy of the project assessment predictions and determine the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
• Amendments were made to the approved reporting framework since 2020-21 to reflect IAAC’s expanded mandate following the creation of the Impact Assessment Act resulting in two new programs: Assessment Administration, Conduct and Monitoring; and Indigenous Relations and Engagement.

Background/current status

• The Departmental Plan is a forward-looking document that describes IAAC’s priorities, results, and associated resource requirements over the next three years.
• On August 28, 2019, the Impact Assessment Act(IAA) came into force expanding the Agency’s mandate and responsibilities as the lead federal organization responsible for conducting and administering assessments and repealing the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012).
• IAAC’s Departmental Plan 2021-22 was developed as the Agency continues to implement the IAA and transition to the new impact assessment system. In this transition period, the assessment process established under the previous CEAA 2012 and the current IAA coexists with other impact assessment requirements created under some land claims agreements (e.g., the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement).
• To address broader issues, the IAA established regional assessments to focus on issues specific to a defined geographic region, as well as strategic assessments to focus on broader federal government policies, plans, or issues relevant to impact assessment.
• In partnership with other jurisdictions and organizations, IAAC identifies the most efficient means of supporting the objective of “one project, one assessment.”
• Noteworthy accomplishments from 2020-21 include the following: the approval of the Milton Logistics Hub (the most stringently regulated intermodal logistics hub in Canada), starting three exploratory drilling projects east of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and the creation of the Minister’s Advisory Council on Impact Assessments, which offers advice on issues related to the new impact assessment regime.
• In the COVID-19 recovery period, IAAC is committed to maintaining meaningful public engagement and Indigenous consultations by making appropriate adjustments to engagement and consultation activities and providing flexibility to prioritize Canadians’ health and safety.