(Chapter 8—Federal Sustainable Development Strategies—Fall 2013 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)
Ottawa, 5 November 2013—The government is producing plans and is reporting to Canadians on its progress, but both these plans and reports need to be clearer, says Neil Maxwell, interim Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD), in his Fall 2013 report tabled today in Parliament. The report presents the results of the CESD’s reviews of the draft 2013–2016 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS), of the government’s progress report on the implementation of the 2010–2013 FSDS, and of six organizations’ progress in implementing their own sustainable development strategies. The strategies and progress reports are required by the 2008 Federal Sustainable Development Act.
“Canada’s sustainable development strategies are a key tool for directing the government’s priorities and communicating results in this area,” said Mr. Maxwell.
Our review found that the draft 2013–2016 FSDS covers issues that are relevant and important to Canadians, but many of the accompanying targets do not indicate the extent of the changes that are needed, and only about half have timelines. Some key government initiatives are also missing or not fully considered, such as recent actions taken to enhance tanker safety. As a result, the draft FSDS’s potential, as a guide to help get results on sustainable development and communicate those plans to Canada, has not been fully realized.
The review of the government’s progress report under the 2010–2013 FSDS found that the report provides useful information about some of the government’s key environment and sustainable development priorities, but it does not provide enough information to give readers a complete picture of the extent of progress. The report presents status and trend data for the majority of targets, but the lack of benchmarks makes it difficult to interpret the significance of the information being presented.
The review of the progress within six organizations on their commitments to greening government operations and to improving strategic environmental assessments showed that they are generally making satisfactory progress and have begun to see some concrete results from their efforts. For example, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada has removed 4,000 printers from its operations and estimates it is saving $1 million in reduced energy, and maintenance costs.
“The purpose of the federal sustainable development strategy is to raise the transparency and accountability around environmental decision-making in government,” said Mr. Maxwell. “Our reviews show that more work needs to be done to realize the strategy’s potential.”
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