Canada Revenue Agency’s 2020–21 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy Interim Report
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Canada Revenue Agency, 2021
ISSN 2563-996X
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Canada Revenue Agency’s 2020–21 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy Interim Report
This report on progress supports the commitment in the Federal Sustainable Development Act (FSDA) to make environmental decision-making more transparent and accountable to Parliament. It also contributes to an integrated, whole of government view of activities supporting environmental sustainability.
The departmental information reported accounts for information previously prepared in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) 2020 to 2023 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS).
1. Introduction to the DSDS
The 2019 to 2022 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) presents the Government of Canada’s sustainable development (SD) goals and targets, as required by the FSDA. In keeping with the purpose of the Act, to provide the legal framework for developing and implementing an FSDS that will make SD decision-making more transparent and accountable to Parliament, CRA has developed this report to demonstrate progress in implementing its DSDS.
2. SD in the CRA
CRA’s 2020 to 2023 DSDS describes the department’s actions in support of achieving the FSDS goal of greening government. This report presents an interim progress update for the DSDS. Previous years’ reports are provided in the Departmental Results Report Supplementary Information Tables posted on the CRA’s website.
3. Interim progress update
The 2020 to 2023 CRA DSDS was tabled on June 3, 2020, within one year of the tabling of the FSDS, in accordance with the legislative requirements of the FSDA. Previous progress updates against the DSDS were included as part of the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Departmental Results Report process which occurs in the fall. The timing of this process enabled the CRA to provide year-end progress updates along with the rest of federal departments permitting a whole-of-government view of progress towards FSDA commitments.
Following amendments to the FSDA in December 2020, however, departments are now required to table their progress reports within one year of tabling their DSDS. For the CRA, a progress update is required by June 3, 2021. The CRA’s DSDS includes many performance indicators for which data will not be available until after the legislated deadline. This includes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data and paper savings due to electronic filing for the current tax season. As such, the CRA is presenting this interim update and with a full year-end report to follow in fall 2021 when data will be available and the majority of other departments will table their progress reports.
Overview of SD at the CRA
The CRA pursues SD within the context of our corporate mandate to administer taxes, benefits, and related programs for governments across Canada. The CRA is committed to contributing to the economic and social well-being of Canadians in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
As an employer of more than 46,000 people, we recognize the impact we have in the communities in which our employees live and work. We are committed to continuing to:
- minimize harmful emissions from our vehicle fleet;
- purchase products responsibly to reduce environmental impacts;
- ensure that our decision-making process includes consideration of FSDS goals and targets through the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process and make public statements on the results of CRA’s assessments when an initiative that has undergone a detailed SEA;
- take action to understand climate change impacts that could potentially affect our assets, services and operations across the country; and
- contribute to the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for SD and the United Nations' SD goals.
Interim Progress to Note
We are taking important steps to reduce our waste and were awarded funding for a three-year pilot project in partnership with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) through the Greening Government Fund. The project involves the implementation of an innovative on-site composting system at both CRA and GAC headquarters locations to increase waste diversion and reduce GHG emissions. The project will not only divert waste from landfill, thereby reducing GHG emissions from waste decomposition and transportation, but also has the potential to generate a source of clean energy. This important and innovative project contributes to the CRA’s DSDS and to the Government of Canada’s Greening Government Strategy commitments to reduce GHG emissions from operations and divert non-hazardous waste from landfills. We will provide an update on this project and all of our SD performance indicators in fall 2021.
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