Sustainable Development at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

The Government of Canada committed to sustainable development under the Federal Sustainable Development Act (FSDA) passed in June 2008.

At the federal level, sustainable development is guided by the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS), the government’s main tool for sustainable development planning and reporting. Every 3 years, the FSDA requires each department to prepare a Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS), which describes the department’s contributions to the FSDS.

The 2022–2026 FSDS (PDF, 9.59 MB) presents 17 goals, which align with international sustainability commitments. This includes environmentally focused Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

IRCC contributes to FSDS Goals 10, 12, and 13. This includes taking action on inequality, transitioning to low-carbon operations, and promoting greener activities.

IRCC is working to identify and implement new sustainable development activities such as

• reducing inequalities
• promoting green procurement
• reducing climate risk impacts on operations and programs
• disposing of waste in an environmentally sound and secure manner
• reducing the use of single-use plastics in government operations, events and meetings
• updating our fleet to zero emission vehicles
• decreasing the number of printers and the amount of paper used
• encouraging staff to improve their carbon footprint

Each year, IRCC reports on its DSDS goals through the annual Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy report.

Strategic environmental and economic assessments

The Cabinet Directive on the Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment requires departments and agencies to conduct a strategic environmental and economic assessment (SEEA) for policy plans or program proposals submitted to an individual minister or Cabinet for approval.

Departments must consider the impacts of their proposals on the achievement of FSDS goals and targets. Public Statements on the results of IRCC’s assessments are posted when an initiative has undergone a detailed SEEA and significant environmental and/or economical impacts are identified.

Public Statements - 2025

• Funding of the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP)

Related resources

• IRCC 2023 to 2027 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
• IRCC Departmental Results Reports
• Federal Sustainable Development Strategy for Canada
  • Federal Sustainable Development Strategy 2022–2026 (PDF, 9.9 MB)
• Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment
• 2008 Federal Sustainable Development Act
• Greening Government
• Government of Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
• Policy on Green Procurement