Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy: 2018–19 Departmental Results Report, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Develop real property guidance and work with departments to:

• accelerate improvements in energy efficiency in federal buildings
• promote clean electricity, heating and cooling
• improve building operations and maintenance

Target: 13.3

Improve education, awareness‑raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

Percentage change in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from federal facilities from the 2005–2006 fiscal year:

• GHG emissions from federal facilities in the 2005–2006 fiscal year (base year): 1480.4 kt CO₂ eq (kilotonnes (thousands of metric tonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalent)

Percentage of the government’s electricity from clean sources

It is important to note that the starting point for this indicator has changed, given that in 2018–19, the government’s GHG reporting was extended to include all departments that own significant numbers of vehicles and buildings. The starting point should read 1,628.7 kt of CO₂ eq in 2005–06 instead of 1,480.4 kt.

Data from 2018–19 show that emissions from federal facilities were 1,083.6 kt, representing a reduction of 545 kt, or 32.6% relative to 2005–06 levels.

Data from 2018–19 show that the Government of Canada consumed 2,690 GWh of electricity. Of this, 2,157 GWh came from electricity generation that produced very low GHG emissions. In addition, the Government of Canada purchased 141.3 GWh of renewable energy certificates to displace some electricity use from non-renewable energy sources.

These actions resulted in 2,298.3 GWh of clean electricity out of a total consumption of 2,690.0 GWh, corresponding to 85.4% of the government’s total electricity demand that comes from clean sources.

Reduce its footprint by moving the remaining 35% of its employees from L’Esplanade Laurier to 219 Laurier Avenue West

Pilot an activity-based workspace for up to 200 employees at 219 Laurier Avenue West

Commit to a minimum in operations and maintenance of LEED^{table 1 note 1} Silver certification (219 Laurier) to LEED Gold certification (90 Elgin) certification for all office accommodation sites

Target: 13.3

Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

Percentage change in TBS’s space utilization rate based on total usable office space in the 2016–2017 fiscal year and full‑time equivalents outlined in the departmental business plan

*TBS occupies space leased by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). As part of its government-wide leadership efforts, TBS is working with PSPC to explore opportunities to track GHG emissions from leased space

With the completion of its third fit-up project, TBS moved remaining employees from L’Esplanade Laurier to 219 Laurier. As a result, TBS’s space utilization rate dropped by 11% between 2016–17 and 2018–19.

TBS implemented activity-based workspaces for an additional 163 employees. In total, 236 employees now use the activity-based workspace model, which exceeded TBS’s target. These spaces are designed to make better use of space and to make work more effective, efficient and enjoyable.

The building at 90 Elgin was awarded LEED Gold certification in 2014. The application for LEED certification for the 219 Laurier building is being processed. It is anticipated that 219 Laurier will be awarded LEED Silver certification.

Work with Natural Resources Canada and other expert departments to facilitate federal coordination and develop tools and training to support greener practices for federal departments, including optimizing departmental fleets

Support the deployment of zero‑emission vehicles in the federal fleet by identifying and working to address barriers to adopt zero‑emission vehicles

Target: 13.3

Improve education, awareness‑raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

Percentage of change in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the federal fleet in the 2005–2006 fiscal year:

• GHG emissions from federal fleet in the 2005 to 2006 fiscal year (base year): 154.1 kt CO₂ eq

Number of electric or zero‑emission vehicles deployed in the federal executive fleet

Percentage of electric or zero‑emission vehicles in the federal administrative fleet

It is important to note that the starting point for this indicator has changed, given that in 2018–19, the government’s GHG reporting was extended to include all departments that own significant numbers of vehicles and buildings. The starting point should read 169.1 kt of CO₂ eq in 2005–06 instead of 154.1 kt.

Data from 2018–19 show that the government has reduced its GHG emissions from the federal fleet by 24% from 2005–06 levels. GHG emissions from the federal fleet in 2018–19 were 128.7 kt CO₂ eq.

The federal government’s executive fleet currently includes 44 hybrid and 14 zero‑emission vehicles, representing 66% of the current executive fleet.

To support progress on these results, the Treasury Board Directive on Fleet Management: Executive Vehicles was approved in May 2018. Pursuant to this directive:

• new executive fleet vehicles purchased must be zero-emission or hybrid-electric vehicles
• the expected life cycle of executive fleet vehicles was increased from 3 years to 6 years to help offset the higher purchase price of green vehicles

Through its materiel management and fleet governance committees, TBS also conducted outreach activities with departments on the requirements set out in the new directive.

Baseline data will be available for reporting in the DSDS results report that will be released with TBS’s Departmental Results Report for 2019–20.

Replace TBS’s fuel-efficient vehicles at the end of their life cycle with hybrid or zero-emission vehicles

Target: 13.3

Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

Percentage of TBS’s fleet replaced by hybrid or zero‑emission vehicles by 2020

*Given the number of TBS’s vehicles (3), GHG emissions from its fleet are insignificant.

Currently, 2 TBS owned vehicles are not hybrid or zero-emission. TBS will replace these vehicles with hybrid or zero-emission vehicles when new vehicles are purchased.

Develop green procurement guidance that applies to real property and fleets and that promotes clean technology in order to increase green procurement uptake

Target: 12.7

Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

Number of new or renewed federal procurement instruments (standing offers or supply arrangements) in which environmental considerations are incorporated per reporting year

A baseline of approximately 2,880 standing offers and supply arrangements has been established.

To support the transition to a low-carbon economy, TBS has:

• updated the Canada School of Public Service’s training course on green procurement for acquisition card holders (C215)
• launched an interdepartmental green procurement solutions team
• integrated greening considerations into the new Treasury Board Policy on the Planning and Management of Investments, which requires departments to ensure that investment decisions consider opportunities to advance government environmental objectives
• started developing guidance on how departments can incorporate socio‑economic and environmental benefits into procurement (the new considerations will be incorporated into the Canada School of Public Service’s training course on green procurement)
• drafted a proposed new policy instrument on managing real property, which contains provisions to help fulfill the commitments in the Greening Government Strategy; supporting guidance is being developed

Integrate environmental considerations into its procurement management processes and controls

Ensure that its decision-makers have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement

Ensure that its key officials include contribution to and support for the objectives of the Government of Canada Policy on Green Procurement in their performance evaluations

Target: 12.7

Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

Number of new procurement officers who have completed training on green procurement within their first month on the job

Per cent of procurement approved through the On-line Contract Initiation (OCIF) (e-signature)

All key officials involved in the procurement process consider green procurement in their contracting requests

Per cent of requests received that consider green procurement as a primary resourcing mechanism for applicable procurement activities

As of March 31, 2019, 11 of 13 procurement officers (PG-02 to PG-06) have completed the Canada School of Public Service’s training course on green procurement.

100% of TBS contracts were issued or approved using OCIF.

Key officials contributed to and supported green procurement by:

• considering purchasing environmentally preferable goods and services, when they are available, through a standing offer or a supply arrangement that Public Services and Procurement Canada has identified as being green
• not printing any contract or related documents (OCIF documents, statements of work, proposals, requests for proposal, and so on)
• using digital approvals from clients (sometimes by email) for their requests
• using the digital signature option, when available, to sign contracts, amendments and other approvals
• using email to send contract documents
• conducting communications by email or by phone

Engage with the Clean Tech Hub to leverage and connect clean technology funding and support programs such as the Build in Canada Innovation Program to assist departments with greening their government operations

Target: 12.7

Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

Target: 13.3

Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

Number and value of federal projects that leverage the Build in Canada Innovation Program for greening government operations

As of March 2019, the Build in Canada Innovation Program had awarded a total of 80 clean-technology innovation contracts. These contracts were valued at $28.6 million, which represents approximately 21% of all contracts awarded through the program. As of March 2019, based on initial company survey data, 7.5% of these innovations have been purchased by the federal government for use in operations.

Promote sustainable practices for air travel for the public service where feasible

Offer offsetting options to reduce the impact of government travel

Target: 12.7

Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

Annual reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from federal work related air travel (baseline: 2016–2017 fiscal year)

The government has committed to tracking emissions from federal air travel by 2019–20. Results will be reported in the DSDS results report that will be released with TBS’s Departmental Results Report for 2019–20.

In 2019, TBS launched the Greening Government Fund, which aims to:

• promote and share innovative approaches to reducing GHGs
• provide funding to certain federal government departments and agencies to reduce GHG emissions in their operations

Funding for this program comes from departments and agencies that generate more than 1 kilotonne of GHGs per year from air travel.

TBS also worked with Environment and Climate Change Canada to develop The Green Meeting Guide, which encourages the use of virtual participation in meetings.

Promote the use of its videoconferencing, teleconferencing and telepresence facilities

Promote sustainable commuting options for employees such as walking, cycling, and using public transit and carpools

Target: 12.7

Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

Percentage of TBS’s employees that practise sustainable commuting options

Data are not available on the percentage of TBS employees that practise sustainable commuting options. However, to promote sustainable travel practices in the department, TBS:

• dedicated 13,500 square feet of space to meeting and training rooms that are equipped with videoconferencing, teleconferencing and other telepresence tools
• launched the TBS-FIN Green Challenge, which aims to promote more sustainable commuting options among TBS and Department of Finance Canada employees
• coordinated participation of its employees in Bike to Work Month 2018, which was held in May; participating TBS employees logged over 11,000 km, reducing CO₂ emissions by over 2,800 kg (assuming car travel) and over 295 kg (assuming bus travel)

Work with Environment and Climate Change Canada and other departments to understand and address the wide range of climate change impacts on federal assets and operations

Strengthen integration of adaptation to climate change into departmental risk planning

Target:13.1

Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

Percentage of federal departments that have incorporated climate change adaptation into departmental risk planning or equivalent

To support government efforts to better understand climate change and build resilience, TBS:

• in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada, held a workshop with other departments to share best practices for departmental climate risk assessment and adaptation planning
• to support efforts in the real property community to assess and address climate change risks, launched a real property adaptation community of practice that will enable exchange of best practices and address gaps and challenges
• drafted a proposed new policy instrument on managing real property, which contains provisions to help fulfill the commitments in the Greening Government Strategy that relate to the transition to climate‑resilient operations; supporting guidance is being developed

Baseline data will be available for reporting in the DSDS results report that will be released with TBS’s Departmental Results Report for 2019–20.

Explore integration of a carbon lens when assessing performance of government management practices through the Management Accountability Framework

Ensure a comprehensive approach to performance reporting by creating a comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and expanding the number of departments that report GHG emissions in the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year

Continue to provide timely updates on progress through full disclosure of emissions

Target: 13.3

Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

Percentage of departments that are reporting on GHG emissions

Annual public reporting of federal GHG emissions completed

The 2018–19 Management Accountability Framework (MAF) had 2 questions that assessed real property management practices, including elements related to:

• government environmental priorities
• the use of environmental performance information in decision-making

Question 19 requested that federal real property custodians^{table 1 note 2} demonstrate the development and/or update of strategies for acquisition, maintenance and disposal that:

• consider asset performance information, ongoing program needs and value for money
• reflect government priorities and legislation, including the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy and the Greening Government Strategy

Question 20 requested that federal real property custodians demonstrate the use of performance information, including reductions in GHG emissions, to inform their real property decisions.

15 departments reported their GHG emissions for 2017–18.

To further improve government-wide transparency and accountability, the number of departments reporting for 2018–19 increased from 15 to 23 to ensure that all major emitters are reporting emissions annually.

All 15 departments required to report publicly on their GHG emissions for 2017–18 did so through open data channels and on Canada.ca.

Review key Treasury Board policy instruments in order to:

• Identify policy areas of high impact and value in lowering carbon emissions (that is, assets, procurement and projects)
• Integrate incentives and remove barriers to facilitate the transition to low-carbon government

Explore opportunities to improve integration of environmental assessment considerations to further sustainability into the government’s regulatory process as part of the review of the Cabinet Directive on Regulatory Management

Explore with bargaining agents opportunities for the Government of Canada to be a greener employer

Update the Treasury Board submission template and guidance to confirm that:

• departments are compliant with Strategic Environmental Assessment requirements for proposals submitted to the Treasury Board
• climate change impacts and adaptation have been taken into consideration

Develop additional guidance to strengthen integration of low‑carbon, climate‑resilience and green considerations in investment planning

Target: 13.3

Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

Currently, only output-based indicators are available (for example, the Policy on Green Procurement is reviewed)

Outcome-based indicators will be identified and implemented (once the reviews and the exploratory work have been completed)

To support government-wide leadership, TBS:

• updated the Policy on Green Procurement and the Directive on Fleet Management: Executive Vehicles
• included elements related to environmental government priorities and the use of environmental performance information in decision-making in 2 questions in the 2018–19 MAF related to assessing real property management practices

To support government-wide leadership, TBS is developing a proposed new policy instrument on managing procurement to support government environmental objectives where appropriate.

TBS has drafted a proposed new policy instrument on managing real property. It contains provisions to help fulfill the commitments in the Greening Government Strategy that relate to reducing carbon emissions. Supporting guidance is being developed.

The Treasury Board’s new Directive on Fleet Management: Executive Vehicles was approved in May 2018. New executive fleet vehicles purchased must be zero-emission or hybrid-electric vehicles. In addition, a requirement has been included in the draft Mandatory Procedures for Land Vehicle Fleet Management to ensure alignment with commitments in the Greening Government Strategy when substantiating the requirement for acquiring or replacing government vehicles.

Through the Greening Government Fund, the Centre for Greening Government is facilitating projects undertaken by government departments to reduce GHG emissions in innovative ways. So far, the fund has committed to supporting 8 departments through 12 projects and has committed about $9.5 million over the next 4 years.

The Cabinet Directive on Regulation, implemented in September 2018, increased analytical rigour by, among other things, strengthening environmental impact analysis requirements in regulatory development.

The employer tabled identical proposals to amend collective agreements with all groups during the 2018 round of bargaining, except for the Ships’ Officers group. The new proposed wording would change the employer’s obligation to supply each employee with a paper copy of the relevant collective agreement to an obligation to provide electronic access to it.

Effective October 2018, TBS updated the Treasury Board’s submission guidance and developed a checklist that organizations that prepare Treasury Board submissions will submit to help demonstrate that strategic environmental assessment requirements are met, including that climate change impacts and adaptation have been taken into consideration.

The Treasury Board’s submission guidance and a mandatory checklist (Mandatory Checklist: Consideration of Important Environmental Effects) was developed and made available to departments on Canada.ca in summer 2018.

TBS has drafted a proposed new policy instrument on managing real property. It contains provisions to help fulfill the commitments in the Greening Government Strategy that relate to reducing carbon emissions and making the transition to climate‑resilient operations. Supporting guidance is being developed.

Additional guidance is being developed in support of a proposed new policy instrument on managing materiel.

Initiatives that support broad UN sustainable development goals:

TBS is taking action to increase representation of women and members of other minority groups in leadership positions, through the Minority Groups in Positions of Leadership Initiative. This initiative supports:

• UN sustainable development Goal 5 on gender equality (ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life)
• UN sustainable development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions (ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels)

TBS is leading departmental action to strengthen the approach to addressing and preventing harassment and violence in the public service. This initiative supports:

• UN sustainable development Goal 10 on reduced inequalities (ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including through eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and actions in this regard)
• UN sustainable development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions (significantly reduce all forms of violence)

TBS is working with service delivery departments to develop and implement a client-first service strategy to support government-wide improvements to service delivery to Canadians and businesses. This initiative supports UN sustainable development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions (develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels).

Per cent of executive employees (compared with workforce availability) who are:

• members of a visible minority group
• women
• persons with a disability
• Aboriginal persons

Per cent of employees who indicate that they have been a victim of:

• harassment on the job in the past 2 years
• discrimination

Percentage of employees who indicate that the nature of harassment experienced is a sexual comment or gesture

Degree to which clients are satisfied with the delivery of Government of Canada services

With respect to minority groups in positions of leadership:

• As of March 2019, representation of 3 employment equity groups (visible minorities, women and persons with a disability) at the executive levels of the public service exceeded the targets set in the 2018–19 Departmental Plan.^{table 2 note 1}
• Although the representation of Aboriginal^{table 2 note 2} persons at executive levels increased from 3.7% in 2018 to 4.1% in 2019, it did not achieve the target of 5.2%.

A Career Pathway Initiative for Indigenous Employees is being developed in response to the report Many Voices One Mind: A Pathway to Reconciliation. The initiative will aim to support the retention and career development of Indigenous employees by:

• addressing the barriers faced by Indigenous employees at the executive, mid‑career and entry levels, when it comes to onboarding, retention and career development
• increasing the engagement and accountability of managers and the role they play in fostering a culturally competent and supportive workplace for Indigenous employees

Through the 2018 Public Service Employee Survey, employees provided feedback on their experiences with harassment and discrimination in the public service:

• 15% of employees indicated that they had been the victim of harassment on the job in the past 12 months
• 1.5% of employees indicated that they had been the victim of sexual harassment on the job in the past 12 months
• 8% of employees indicated they had been the victim of discrimination on the job in the past 12 months

Past versions of the survey asked employees about their experiences with harassment and discrimination over 2 years. Starting in 2019–20, the survey will be conducted every year, which means that TBS will be able to track year‑to‑year changes.

Every few years, the Citizens First survey, conducted by the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service, collects data on the degree of satisfaction with Government of Canada services. There was no survey in 2018–19. Results of the next survey are expected by March 2022.

The results for other indicators related to government services were as follows:

• 74% of Government of Canada priority services were available online, up from 62% the previous year. This increase aligns with the Policy on Service, which requires departments to annually increase the proportion of their services that are available online.
• The percentage of priority services that met their service standard (69%) was about the same as in the previous year (70%).