Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy – Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, 2019–20 Departmental Results Report

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

Percentage change in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from federal facilities for 2019–20 from 2005–06 (base year)

• GHG emissions from federal facilities in 2005–06 (base year): 1,630 kt CO₂ eq (kilotonnes (thousands of metric tonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalent)^{table 1 note *}

Percentage of the government’s electricity from clean sources

Data from 2019–20 show that emissions from federal facilities were 1,054 kt, representing a reduction of 576 kt, or 35.4% relative to 2005–06 levels.

Data from 2019–20 show that the Government of Canada consumed 2,502 GWh of electricity. Of this, 2,105 GWh came from electricity generation that produced very low GHG emissions. In addition, the Government of Canada purchased 145 GWh of renewable energy certificates to displace some electricity use from non-renewable energy sources.

These actions resulted in 2,250 GWh of clean electricity out of a total consumption of 2,502 GWh, corresponding to 90% of the government’s total electricity demand that comes from clean sources.

FSDS: Promoting the switch to cleaner sources of energy will lead to reductions in GHGs

UN SDG target 13.3: Improve education, awareness raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

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 Silver certification (219 Laurier) to LEED Gold certification (90 Elgin) certification for all office accommodation sites

Percentage change in TBS’s space utilization rate based on total usable office space in 2016–17 and full-time equivalents outlined in the departmental business plans

Note: 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.

This action has been completed. In 2018–19, TBS moved the 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. The lease at Esplanade Laurier has been closed.

In 2019–20, 236 employees, 63 more than the target, were using activity-based workspaces before nearly all employees started working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The building at 90 Elgin was awarded LEED Gold certification in 2014. The building at 219 Laurier was awarded LEED Gold certification in April 2020.

FSDS: TBS maximized space utilization, which led to a smaller footprint; it also adopted the latest environmental technologies

UN SDG target 13.3: Improve education, awareness raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

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.

Percentage change in GHG emissions from the federal fleet in 2019–20 from 2005–06 (base year).

• GHG emissions from federal fleet in 2005–06 (base year): 169.1 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.

Data from 2019–20 show that the government has reduced its GHG emissions from the federal fleet by 27.3% from 2005–06 levels. GHG emissions from the federal fleet in 2019–20 were 123 kt CO₂ eq.

The federal government’s executive fleet currently includes 56 hybrid and 15 zero-emission vehicles, representing 81% of the current executive fleet. All executive vehicles purchased in 2019–20 were hybrid or zero-emission vehicles.

As of September 2020, baseline data on the number and percentage of hybrid and zero-emission vehicles deployed in the federal light-duty administrative fleet was still being collected. Final results will be published on the Greening Government Strategy website.

FSDS: Replacing portions of the fleet with zero-emission vehicles has reduced fuel consumption for the fleet.

The switch to less GHG-intensive sources of fuels will contribute to GHG reductions.

UN SDG target 13.3: Improve education, awareness raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

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

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

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

Since the 2018–19 results, one of three TBS vehicles has been replaced with a hybrid model. The other two vehicles are slated to be replaced during 2020–21 with a hybrid or zero-emission vehicle.

FSDS: The replacement of the current fleet with hybrid-type vehicles will reduce the amount of fuel consumed for fleet operation, ultimately contributing to GHG reductions

UN SDG target 13.3: Improve education, awareness raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

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

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

More than 40% of PSPC standing offers and supply arrangement (SOSAs) include environmental considerations (based on approximately 2,880 SOSAs).

TBS piloted a requirement that suppliers of a major financial-insurance services contract disclose their carbon emissions and set a science-based GHG emissions target.

Working with PSPC, TBS completed a study on the carbon footprint of government procurement and identified the 20 highest-impact categories (including energy, vehicles, and construction materials and services). The Greening Government Fund is funding a project with PSPC to develop tools to quantify embedded emissions in key categories.

Working with the National Research Council Canada, TBS launched a 4-year project to develop a national inventory and lifecycle assessment tool for quantifying the embodied carbon in construction materials. This project was supported by funding from the Greening Government Fund.

TBS supported PSPC in leading the government-wide effort to purchase 100% clean electricity by 2022 and no later than 2025.

TBS published guidance on reducing plastic waste at meetings and events.

TBS is working with departments (for example, Library and Archives Canada, PSPC) so that new buildings are net-zero carbon.

FSDS: This contributing action will motivate government suppliers to
“green” their goods and services.

UN SDG target 12.7:
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

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

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

Percentage of procurement approved through the On-line Contract Initiation Form (OCIF) (e-signature) in 2019–20.

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

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

All TBS procurement officers at TBS completed the training on green procurement as of 2019–20.

All procurement requests were approved through the OCIF (e-signature) in 2019–20, unless a request had initially been approved with a paper-form.

The OCIF asked all clients to consider green procurement as a primary purchasing mechanism. In addition, TBS procurement specialists directed all clients to green procurement options and processed client contracting requests using existing green procurement mechanisms, when possible.

FSDS: These actions will reduce GHG emissions by incorporating environmental considerations into TBS’s purchasing decisions

UN SDG target 12.7:
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

Engage with 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

Number and value of federal projects that leverage the Build in Canada Innovation Program for greening government operations in 2019–20.

In March 2019, the Build in Canada Innovation Program was incorporated into the Solutions Canada Testing Stream. From now on, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada will report on results.

FSDS: This action will facilitate state-of-the-art innovative clean technologies that lower the environmental footprint of government operations and contribute to the success of clean-tech businesses in Canada

UN SDG target 12.7:
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

UN SDG target 13.3: Improve education, awareness raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

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

Offer offsetting options to reduce that impact of government travel

Annual reduction in GHG emissions from federal work-related air travel (base year 2016–17)

Work-related air travel emissions were 219 kt, representing a reduction of 32.8 kt from 2018–19 (the first year of reporting).

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.

FSDS: The actions taken to reduce the amount of work-related air travel and the switch to less GHG-intensive modes of transportation will reduce GHG emissions

UN SDG target 12.7:
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

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

Percentage of TBS’s employees who use sustainable commuting options

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

• continued the online Green Challenge, which promotes more sustainable commuting options by Government of Canada employees
• coordinated participation of its employees in Bike to Work Month 2019; participating TBS employees logged almost 8,000 km, reducing CO₂ emissions by over 2,040 kg (assuming car travel) and over 216 kg (assuming bus travel)

In addition, to reduce the need for employees to travel, TBS:

• dedicated over 13,500 square feet of space to meeting, collaboration and training rooms that are equipped with videoconferencing, teleconferencing and other telepresence tools
• fully enabled all employees to host virtual events; further enhancements are planned for 2020–21

FSDS: The actions taken to reduce the amount of travel and switch to less-GHG-intensive modes of transportation will reduce GHG emissions

UN SDG target 12.7:
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

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

Percentage of federal departments that have incorporated climate change adaption into departmental risk planning or equivalent in 2019–20

TBS published the Departmental Climate Risk Assessment and Adaptation Planning Guidance on GCpedia to support departments in assessing the risks climate change presents to operations and in developing appropriate measures to adapt.

TBS initiated its own departmental climate risk assessment.

TBS commissioned the Council of Canadian Academies to identify and rank the top risks faced by Canada and the federal government from climate change impacts, to indicate their relative significance and which ones have the most potential to be minimized by adaptation measures. 

To support government efforts to better understand climate change and build resilience, TBS continued to develop a new policy instrument on managing real property, which would contain provisions to help fulfill the commitments in the Greening Government Strategy that relate to the transition to climate resilient operations.

FSDS: Factoring climate variability and change into policy, programs and operations is:

• one of the most important ways the government can adapt to a changing climate
• consistent with the government's risk management approach of enhancing the protection of public assets and resources and of strengthening planning and decision making

UN SDG target 13.1:
Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

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 GHG inventory and expanding the number of departments that report GHG emissions

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

Percentage of departments that are reporting on GHG emissions

Annual public reporting of federal GHG emissions completed

Data for 25 departments that are required to report publicly on their GHG emissions were published on open data channels and on Canada.ca. This represents an increase over the number of departments that reported in 2018–19 (23) and in 2017–18 (15).

TBS collected data through the Management Accountability Framework to examine whether departments considered environmental performance information and priorities in real property and materiel management strategies and decision-making.

FSDS: Regular reporting helps parliamentarians, Canadians and the government track what is being done and the results being achieved

UN SDG target 13.1:
Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

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 are submitted to the Treasury Board
• climate change impacts and adaption have been taken into consideration

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

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).

The Policy on Management of Real Property (2006) and the Policy on the Planning and Management of Investments (2019), include requirements that help meet government environmental commitments and objectives. For example, departments are now required to consider opportunities to advance environmental objectives, such as reducing GHG emissions, when making investment decisions.

In addition, TBS drafted proposed policy instruments on managing real property, procurement, materiel and land vehicle fleets. If adopted, these instruments would help fulfill the government’s environmental commitments and objectives.

TBS has also worked with expert departments to develop criteria in key areas of procurement that have a large carbon footprint (for example, construction materials, fuels, and plastics).

Through the Greening Government Fund, the Centre for Greening Government is supporting government departments in projects they undertake to reduce GHG emissions in innovative ways. As of March 31, 2020, the fund has committed to supporting 8 departments through 13 projects and committed about $10.6 million over 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.

During the 2018 round of bargaining, the Treasury Board, as employer, tabled proposals to amend collective agreements with groups that did not already include a provision limiting the number of printed collective agreements. Currently, improved language reducing the number of collective agreements to be printed has been negotiated for 17 of 27 existing collective agreements covering employees in the core public administration. The employer will continue to seek opportunities to negotiate similar changes.

In 2019–20, TBS updated the Treasury Board’s submission template and guidance, including an update to the Environmental and Sustainable Development Requirements Appendix. The new template provides for a greater focus on how sustainable development considerations are incorporated into program design.

FSDS: Policy requirements help establish consistent practices across government that help reduce carbon emissions

UN SDG target 13.3:
Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaption, impact reduction and early warning

TBS’s operational activities that support the broad FSDS goals are as follows:

Modernize work practices:

• Continue transforming its digital workplace through modernized business processes, systems and tools that further reduce dependence on paper as the department transforms into a fully digital organization
• Engage in broad consultation to update the Green Meetings Guide
• Create a work environment that is effectively enabled and supports alternative, sustainable work arrangements such as telework and compressed work schedules (where operationally feasible)

Mobilize employees through the TBS-FIN Green Network

Only indicators that measure reduction in paper usage are currently available:

• Percentage reduction year-over-year in paper purchased for printing and photocopying for TBS in 2019–20 from 2016–17 (base year)

New indicators to measure the progress of the remaining actions will be identified and implemented. 

In 2019–20, TBS began a remote-work pilot project to determine the feasibility of reducing the workplace footprint of one of the department’s work teams. The direct impact on CO₂ reduction was not calculated, but emissions were reduced by 50%. Initial feedback from employees participating in the pilot was positive. The results and testing of collaborative tools used during the pilot informed other employees’ transition to working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

TBS reduced the amount of paper purchased for its printers by 10% in 2018–19 and sustained this reduction in 2019–20.
TBS also initiated a review of electronic approvals in the department to enable a more digital workplace.

In 2019–20, TBS updated the Green Meetings Guide to reflect new Government of Canada commitments to eliminate the unnecessary use of single-use plastics in government operations, events and meetings.

TBS promoted the use of reusable stainless steel water canisters for recurring meetings to eliminate the need to purchase plastic water bottles.

FSDS: Adopting a digital workplace while reducing paper usage and the unnecessary use of single-use plastics helps create a more sustainable workplace.

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

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

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

So that departments could focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, TBS postponed collecting certain data for 2019–20 , including the data on employment equity. Collection and reconciliation of this data is underway. TBS will provide it to Parliament when it is available.

Although the final data for 2019–20 was not available at the time of publishing, the public service has been meeting or exceeding workforce availability rates for women, Indigenous peoples, and members of visible minorities. At the executive level, representation rates for women and members of visible minorities have been exceeding workforce availability, but rates for Indigenous persons and persons with a disability have fallen short of their availability in the workforce.

Actions taken in 2019–20 to address gaps in representation are outlined in TBS’s 2019–20 Departmental Results Report.

UN SDG target 5.5: 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 SDG target 16.7: 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.

Percentage 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

Through the 2019 Public Service Employee Survey, respondents provided feedback on their experiences with harassment and discrimination in the public service:

• 14% of respondents indicated that they had been the victim of harassment on the job in the past 12 months
• 1.3% of respondents indicated that they had been the victim of sexual harassment on the job in the past 12 months
• 8% of respondents indicated that they had been the victim of discrimination on the job in the past 12 months. Of these respondents, 29% indicated that the discrimination they experienced was based on their sex

Actions taken in 2019–20 to continue to reduce harassment and discrimination are outlined in TBS’s 2019–20 Departmental Results Report.

UN SDG target 10.6: 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 SDG target 16.1: 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.

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

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 2019–20. Results of the next survey are expected by March 2022.

In 2019, TBS released the Report on Service a website that reports on the progress made on key initiatives identified in the Government of Canada service strategy, including moving toward a single online window for all services, simplifying tax filings and improving access to Employment Insurance benefits.

However, as noted in the 2019-20 Departmental Results Report, continued attention is needed to improve government service delivery:

• 70% of priority services met their service standard (compared to 69% the previous year), which is still below the established target of 80%. Guidance, tools and advice that TBS provides to departments, will encourage departments to set meaningful, comprehensive and transparent service standards and to review those standards regularly.
• 69% of priority services were available online, down from 74% the previous year and narrowly missing the 70% target. The result is lower this year because, as part of implementing the new Policy on Service and Digital, TBS is using more rigorous standards when assessing whether departments’ services are available online. TBS is working to improve this result by communicating with departments regularly and by providing up-to-date guidance and tools.

UN SDG target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels