2017-2020 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

October 2017

This publication may be reproduced for personal or internal use without permission, provided the source is fully acknowledged. However, multiple copy reproduction of this publication in whole or in part for purposes of redistribution requires the prior written permission from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3, or info@ceaa-acee.gc.ca.

Catalogue No.: En104-17E-PDF

ISSN: 2561-1917

This document has been issued in French under the title: Agence canadienne d’évaluation environnementale : Stratégie ministérielle de développement durable de 2017 à 2020.

Alternative formats may be requested by contacting: info@ceaa-acee.gc.ca.

Section 1: Context for the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
Section 2: Sustainable Development in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Section 3: Commitments for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Section 4: Integrating Sustainable Development

Section 1: Context for the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) is a federal body accountable to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. The Agency provides high-quality environmental assessments (EA) that contribute to informed decision making, in support of sustainable development. The Agency is the responsible authority for most federal EAs. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and the National Energy Board (NEB) are the authorities responsible for federal EAs of projects they regulate.

The Agency, through its delivery of EAs, serves Canadians by helping to eliminate or reduce a project's potential environmental effects. The Agency:

manages the environmental assessment process for projects that may require an EA and do not fall under the mandate of the CNSC or the NEB;
provides opportunities and funding to support public participation in EAs;
serves as the coordinator for consultation with Indigenous groups during the EA for projects it manages;
works to ensure that mitigation measures are applied and are working as intended;
promotes uniformity and coordination of EA practices across Canada through research, guidance and ongoing discussion with stakeholders and partners;
works with a range of international jurisdictions and organizations to exchange best practices in EA; and
conducts strategic environmental assessments (SEA) for its policy, plan and program proposals as required under the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals as a tool to contribute to informed decisions in support of sustainable development.

The Policy on Green Procurement supports the Government of Canada’s effort to promote environmental stewardship. In keeping with the objectives of the policy, the Agency supports sustainable development by integrating environmental performance considerations into the procurement decision-making process through the activities in this Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS).

Although the Agency is not bound by theFederal Sustainable Development Act and is not required to develop a DSDS, the Agency adheres to the principles of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) by implementing the Policy on Green Procurement.

Section 2: Sustainable Development in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

As of April 1, 2014, the Government of Canada will continue to take action to embed environmental considerations into public procurement, in accordance with the federal Policy on Green Procurement.

FSDS Goal: Low Carbon Government

The Agency procured approximately one million dollars in goods in fiscal year 2016-17. The Agency is focusing its green procurement efforts on its three most commonly acquired goods: office supplies, information technology equipment and leases of multifunction units.

Section 3: Commitments for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

Low-Carbon Government: The Government of Canada leads by example by making its operations low-carbon

Low-Carbon Government FSDS target(s)	FSDS Contributing Action(s)	Corresponding departmental action(s)	Contribution by each departmental action to the FSDS goal and target	Starting point(s) where available, and your choice of performance indicators for departmental actions	Program(s) in which the departmental actions will occur
Reduce GHG emissions from federal government buildings and fleets by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, with an aspiration to achieve this reduction by 2025	Support the transition to a low-carbon economy through green procurement	Integrate environmental considerations into procurement management processes and controls Ensure decisions makers have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement Ensure key officials include contribution to and support for the Government of Canada Policy on Green Procurement objectives in their performance evaluations Set departmental targets to reduce the environmental impact of specific goods or services: Maintain or exceed the use of consolidated green procurement instruments provided by Shared Services Canada and/or Public Services and Procurement Canada for 95% of information technology (IT) hardware equipment purchases made by the Agency. Reduce the use of multi-functional devices to decrease energy costs and paper consumption. Ensure 95% of functional specialists and acquisition cardholders at the Agency have received green procurement training.	Green procurement incorporates environmental considerations into purchasing decisions and is expected to motivate suppliers to green their goods, services and supply chain. GHG reductions are one area of consideration in green procurement.	Percentage of specialists in procurement and materiel management who have completed training on green procurement (starting point, as of 2016-17, 7, 100%). Number and percentage of managers and functional heads of procurement and materiel whose performance evaluation includes support and contribution towards green procurement in the current fiscal year (starting point, as of 2016-17, 0, 0%). Departmental indicators: Total volume of IT hardware acquisitions against volume of green vehicles used -- baseline 95% (starting point, as of 2016-17, 100%). Total volume of multi-functional devices (photocopier-printer-scanner) will be reduced – baseline 22 (starting point, as of 2016-17, 0%). Combined total of functional specialists and acquisition cardholders against total of those who have received green procurement training to date (starting point, as of 2016-17, 32,100%).	Internal services

Low-Carbon Government
FSDS target(s)

FSDS Contributing Action(s)

Corresponding departmental action(s)

Contribution by each departmental action to the FSDS goal and target

Starting point(s) where available, and your choice of performance indicators for departmental actions

Program(s) in which the departmental actions will occur

Reduce GHG emissions from federal government buildings and fleets by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, with an aspiration to achieve this reduction by 2025

Support the transition to a low-carbon economy through green procurement

Integrate environmental considerations into procurement management processes and controls
Ensure decisions makers have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement
Ensure key officials include contribution to and support for the Government of Canada Policy on Green Procurement objectives in their performance evaluations
Set departmental targets to reduce the environmental impact of specific goods or services:
- Maintain or exceed the use of consolidated green procurement instruments provided by Shared Services Canada and/or Public Services and Procurement Canada for 95% of information technology (IT) hardware equipment purchases made by the Agency.
- Reduce the use of multi-functional devices to decrease energy costs and paper consumption.
- Ensure 95% of functional specialists and acquisition cardholders at the Agency have received green procurement training.

Green procurement incorporates environmental considerations into purchasing decisions and is expected to motivate suppliers to green their goods, services and supply chain. GHG reductions are one area of consideration in green procurement.

Percentage of specialists in procurement and materiel management who have completed training on green procurement (starting point, as of 2016-17, 7, 100%).
Number and percentage of managers and functional heads of procurement and materiel whose performance evaluation includes support and contribution towards green procurement in the current fiscal year (starting point, as of 2016-17, 0, 0%).
Departmental indicators:
- Total volume of IT hardware acquisitions against volume of green vehicles used -- baseline 95% (starting point, as of 2016-17, 100%).
- Total volume of multi-functional devices (photocopier-printer-scanner) will be reduced – baseline 22 (starting point, as of 2016-17, 0%).
- Combined total of functional specialists and acquisition cardholders against total of those who have received green procurement training to date (starting point, as of 2016-17, 32,100%).

Internal services

Section 4: Integrating Sustainable Development

The Agency will continue to ensure that its decision-making process includes consideration of FSDS goals and targets through its Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. An SEA for policy, plan or program proposals includes an analysis of the impacts of the given proposal on the environment, including on FSDS goals and targets.

Public statements on the results of the Agency’s assessments are made public when an initiative that has undergone a detailed SEA is announced (see here). The purpose of the public statement is to demonstrate that the environmental effects, including the impacts on achieving the FSDS goals and targets, of the approved policy, plan or program have been considered during proposal development and decision making.

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Date modified:: 2019-10-31

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