Sustainable Development

Health Canada's Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

The Federal Sustainable Development Act (The Act), provides the legal framework for developing and implementing a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS). It is a legislative requirement for Health Canada to table a Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS) and report on it once in each of the two years after it is tabled. These reports must also be tabled in Parliament.

Planning: 2023 to 2027 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

Reporting: 2023 to 2024 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy report

For additional information:

• Access archived Sustainable Development Plans and Report by referring to the Reports and Publications page
• 2022-26 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (available now)

Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment

The Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment (Cabinet Directive on SEEA) supports decision-making by highlighting the economic and environmental impacts of policy or program proposals submitted to Cabinet for approval, as well as Budget proposals and regulatory packages. Application of the SEEA requires completion of a mandatory template called the Climate, Nature and Economy Lens (CNEL), that is intended to facilitate clear, consistent, and comparable assessments across federal organizations.

Through application of the Cabinet Directive on SEEA and completion of the supporting CNEL, applicable linkages to federal commitments, strategies, and goals, particularly the goals and targets of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, are identified. This analysis helps decision-makers advance the government’s broad environmental objectives, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate change and protecting biodiversity, while ensuring decisions are taken with sufficient consideration of both environmental and economic effects.

Public Statements

The Cabinet Directive on SEEA requires that departments and agencies prepare a public statement when a detailed assessment of a proposal has been conducted through the CNEL. The public statement is issued following the proposal’s implementation or announcement, and provides assurance that environmental and economic effects have been considered during proposal development and decision-making and will be mitigated or monitored as appropriate.

Health Canada’s public statements