ARCHIVED - Annex 1 – The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Internal Sustainable Development Management Framework

Effective Date
This framework is effective April 1, 2011.

Application
This framework applies to all Public Health Agency of Canada branches and regions.

Recognizing that:

• The Government of Canada signed the Rio de Janeiro Declaration in 1992 and endorsed the Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development which stated as its first principle, “Human beings are the centre of concern for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.”
• Sustainable development is required for the maintenance and improvement of health and acknowledges the need to integrate environmental, economic and social factors in the making of public health decisions.
• The 2008 Federal Sustainable Development Act replaced the 1995 amendments to the Auditor General Act and now requires that the Government of Canada develop a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy based on the precautionary principle every three years, the first having been tabled October 6, 2010.
• The 2008 Federal Sustainable Development Act also requires that each department prepare a Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy that complies with and contributes to the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy. Treasury Board Secretariat directed departments to integrate Departmental Sustainable Development Strategies into the Report on Plans and Priorities and to report on their success via the Departmental Performance Report.
• The 2010 Government of Canada revised Guidelines for Implementing the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals. The Cabinet Directive is a key policy that formally integrates environmental considerations into federal government decision-making and federal and departmental sustainable development strategies through the use of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA).

Framework Objective

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Internal Sustainable Development Management Framework objective is to strive towards integrating sustainable development into policy development and decision-making in order to derive added benefits or to avoid or mitigate negative impacts on human health for both present and future generations.

Guiding Principles

There are three key principles that provide the conceptual foundation upon which this framework should be based. They include:

1. Integrated decision-making
2. Sustainable development
3. Precautionary principle

Integrated decision-making

Integrated decision-making occurs in two ways:

1. With respect to issues identified under the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, Public Health Agency of Canada’s contribution will be integrated into planning and reporting mechanisms including the Report on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Report. This includes linking Strategic Environmental Assessments as per 2010 revised Guidelines for Implementing the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals.
2. Application of the 2010 Government of Canada revised Guidelines for Implementing the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals to integrate environmental considerations into Public Health Agency of Canada’s decision-making through the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).

Sustainable Development

The Federal Sustainable Development Act states that, “The Government of Canada accepts the basic principle that sustainable development is based on an ecologically efficient use of natural, social and economic resources.” Acceptance of this principle identified in the FSDS reflects the Public Health Agency of Canada’s commitment to minimize the environmental impacts of its policies and operations and at the same time, maximize the efficient use of natural resources and other goods and services.

Precautionary principle

The precautionary principle states that: “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation” (United Nations, 1992). The Public Health Agency of Canada’s sustainable development policy will be guided by the precautionary principle.

Framework Requirements

Public Health Agency of Canada will:

• Apply sustainable development principles when developing or amending legislation, regulations, policies, plans and programs.
• Integrate sustainable development into corporate planning processes such as the Report on Plans and Priorities and the Departmental Integrated Operational Planning process.
• Prepare a Sustainable Development Strategy in consultation with internal stakeholders that complies with and contributes to the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy. This will be done within prescribed timelines and within one year after the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy is tabled and at least every three years thereafter, in compliance with the requirements of the Federal Sustainable Development Act.
• Monitor and track progress made on commitments from the Sustainable Development Strategy on an ongoing basis and report every year on the progress in the Departmental Performance Report.
• Develop and implement strategies to inform, educate and promote a “plan, do, check and improve” approach to sustainable development.

Related Legislation

Relevant to sustainable development, this framework must be applied in conjunction with the following:

• Auditor General Act (2008, Amendments)
• Federal Sustainable Development Act (2008)
• Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals (2010)

Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Public Health Officer and Associate Deputy Minister (Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer)

The Chief Public Health Officer and the Associate Deputy Minister are responsible for ensuring that the Public Health Agency of Canada adopts the principles of sustainable development by preparing and implementing a triennial Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy in accordance with the Federal Sustainable Development Act. These two executive functions ensure that the Public Health Agency of Canada incorporates sustainable development objectives and performance information in the Report on Plans and Priorities and the Departmental Performance Report.

Assistant Deputy Ministers, Executive Directors, Regional Directors General

Assistant Deputy Ministers, Executive Directors and Regional Directors General ensure that the principles of sustainable development are applied to new or amended legislation, regulations, policies, plans and programs prior to approval. In this role, they ensure that sustainable development is integrated into their respective branch, region or agency planning processes including the Agency’s Integrated Operational Planning process, the Reports on Plans and Priorities and the Departmental Performance Reports. It is also their responsibility to approve, ensure implementation, and report on Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy commitments for their respective branch, region or agency.

Directors General

Directors General are responsible for reviewing the policies, plans and programs in areas under their responsibility to ensure that they have been developed with a due application of the principles of sustainable development and that their initiatives are linked to the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, where applicable.

Director General, Sustainable Development Advocate

Serving as the Sustainable Development Advocate, the Director General of the Corporate Administration and Services Directorate serves as a spokesperson for sustainable development at the Public Health Agency of Canada. Through this position, the Advocate promotes sustainable development principles to employees and to senior executive colleagues. The Sustainable Development Advocate leads the development of the Agency’s Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy under the Federal Sustainable Development Act.

Office of Sustainable Development (OSD)

The Office of Sustainable Development is the coordinating body for sustainable development within the Agency. Its role is to promote and provide expert advice across the Agency concerning the application of the principles of sustainable development. The Office fulfills this role by developing and promoting sustainable development tools and training for Agency employees and by working across the Agency’s branches, regions, and with other Federal departments in order to advance shared sustainable development objectives. In addition, the Office provides training for policy and program officers on Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) and oversees the SEA process.

Other responsibilities of the Office of Sustainable Development include coordination and preparation of the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. The Office works with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer’s Planning, Performance, Reporting and Risk Division in coordinating the integration of sustainable development objectives and performance information for the Report on Plans and Priorities, the Departmental Performance Report and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy’s supplementary website report.

Asset and Materiel Management Division

The Assets and Materiel Management Division is responsible for all aspects of Supply Chain Management. The Division develops contract and materiel management policies, directives, standards, procedures and best practices in accordance with Government of Canada policies and direction, with special attention given to green procurement options for goods and services. The Division also serves as a quality assurance centre of expertise on all medium to high risk contracting activities and reports on the Agency’s supply chain activities to senior management and central agencies.

The Assets and Materiel Management Division provides expert advice to all employees on green procurement and green options, related to: contract management policies, directives, standards, procedures, tools, templates and best practices; training to officers engaged in contract management; the development of procurement sourcing and evaluation strategies; and supply chain information to assist in decision-making.

Office of the Chief Financial Officer’s Planning, Performance, Reporting and Risk Division

The Planning, Performance, Reporting and Risk Division coordinates and facilitates the annual Agency operational planning process for the preparation of the Report on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Report. This Division will work with the Office of Sustainable Development and Branch Planners to identify, coordinate and integrate Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy targets and implementation strategies into the Agency’s Integrated Operational Planning process, the Report on Plans and Priorities, Departmental Performance Report and the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategies supplementary website report. The Office of Sustainable Development will also work with the Planning, Performance, Reporting and Risk Division to engage branch planners to track and monitor commitments from the Sustainable Development Strategy for their branch or region and report on these commitments to the Office of Sustainable Development for the Report on Plans and Priorities and the Departmental Performance Report.

Management Committees

Executive Committee

Chaired by the Chief Public Health Officer and consisting of senior-level management, the Executive Committee serves as a forum for guidance, leadership and final decision-making for the Agency. Guided by the principles of accountability and transparency, among other issues, the Committee advises on horizontal issues like the Report on Plans and Priorities and the Departmental Performance Report, particularly with the integration of sustainable development objectives.

Information Management/Information Technology (IM/IT) Management Committee

This committee operates from the senior management level made up of Directors General, Assistant Deputy Ministers and other senior executives. By aligning IM/IT infrastructure and services with Government of Canada policies and strategic directions, the Agency’s IM/IT policies and practices are consistent with the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.

Public Health and Policy Committee

Comprised of Directors General from each branch, centre and region, this Committee is responsible for advising the Executive Committee on policies and initiatives respecting the implementation of sustainable development in the Agency. The Public Health and Policy Committee engage their respective areas in sustainable development by promoting the principles of sustainable development.

Public Health Agency of Canada Heads-Up Committee

Comprised of Directors General from each branch, centre and region, this Committee is a forum to preview Agency business, with emphasis on the short-term, and serves as a platform to raise and seek advice and guidance on issues that pose risks to the Minister or Chief Public Health Officer; or risks to the Agency and its employees.

Resource Planning and Management Committee

Membership consists of senior management from different branches, including the Chief Public Health Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Audit and Evaluation Executive, this Committee ensures that policies, procedures and activities relating to material and asset management encompass elements of sustainable development.

Sustainable Development Working Group

Identified Sustainable Development representatives in each centre across the Agency serve as liaisons between the Office of Sustainable Development and their respective branches, centres or regions on technical issues. Coordinators work within their respective branch, centre or region to ensure that sustainable development is integrated into planning processes. They assist in the preparation of the Sustainable Development Strategy by consulting with their branch, agency or region in developing commitments for the strategy that may fall outside of those goals identified under the Federal Sustainable Development Act, such as the development of Green Teams or ad hoc specialty groups and teams.

The Coordinators also act as ambassadors of sustainable development within their branch, centre or region by helping the Office of Sustainable Development in advancing sustainable development.

Reporting and Monitoring

Annually, Environment Canada is responsible to report on the progress of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. The Office of Sustainable Development will coordinate the collection and preparation of information concerning the Agency’s commitments under the federal strategy. The Public Health Agency of Canada’s input to Environment Canada will be reviewed by the Public Health and Policy Committee.

Through the Public Health and Policy Committee, a working group will be established on an ad hoc basis to address sustainable development issues and policies as they become known in the Agency. PHP will also prepare revisions to this framework as needed in response to the report on the implementation of the Federal Sustainable Development Act and effectiveness of sustainable development integration into the Public Health Agency of Canada’s new or amended legislation, regulations, policies, plans and programs.

Enquiries

Any enquiries concerning this framework should be directed to the Office of Sustainable Development at the Public Health Agency of Canada.