Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy 2020 to 2023

September 2020

Section 1: Introduction to the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

The 2019 to 2022 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) presents the Government of Canada’s sustainable development goals and targets, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. In keeping with the purpose of this Act to provide the legal framework for developing and implementing a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy that will make environmental decision-making more transparent and accountable to Parliament, Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) supports the goals laid out in the FSDS through the activities described in this Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS).

Section 2: Sustainable development vision and context for Women and Gender Equality Canada

In September 2015, Canada and all other 192 United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the UN General Assembly. The 2030 Agenda is a global framework of action which integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, as well as peace, governance, and justice elements. Key to this agenda is an ambitious set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The government of Canada is committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda through concrete actions on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). All federal ministers, departments, agencies, and Crown corporations are accountable for implementing SDGs relevant to their operations and supporting the development of the FSDS through their departmental programs, policies, and strategies, such as the DSDS.

As one of the six federal government departments leading the Government of Canada’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, WAGE will work with Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Secretariat (Employment and Social Development Canada) and SDG data hub (Statistics Canada) to ensure that the Gender Results Framework aligns with the upcoming Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and its indicators.

In support of the FSDS goal for Greening Government, WAGE’S DSDS 2020 to 2023 includes measures, detailed in Section 3, to reduce its carbon footprint such as:

understanding climate change impacts
maintaining a zero-emission or hybrid executive vehicle fleet
promoting green procurement

Section 3: 2020 to 2023 commitments for Women and Gender Equality Canada

Greening Government: The Government of Canada will transition to low-carbon, climate resilient, and green operations

Responsible Minister: All ministers

This goal captures commitments from the Greening Government Strategy, as well as reporting requirements under the Policy on Green Procurement.

Greening Government Communities FSDS target(s)	FSDS contributing action(s)	Corresponding departmental action(s)	Contribution by each departmental action to the FSDS goal and target	Starting point(s) Performance indicator(s) Target(s)	Program(s) in which the departmental actions will occur
By 2022, departments have developed measures to reduce climate change risks to assets, services and operations	Increase training and support on assessing climate change impacts, undertaking climate change risk assessments and developing adaptation actions to public service employees, and facilitate sharing of best practices and lessons learned	By 2021, the department will take action to understand the wide range of climate change impacts that could potentially affect federal assets, services and operations across the country.	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 and is consistent with the government’s risk management approach of enhancing the protection of public assets and resources and strengthening planning and decision-making. Relevant SDG: SDG 13: Climate Action	Starting point: Not started Performance indicators: Completion of a departmental climate risk assessment. Target: Completed by March 31, 2021	All Programs
Our administrative fleet will be comprised of at least 80% zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2030	Fleet management will be optimized including by applying telematics to collect and analyze vehicle usage data on vehicles scheduled to be replaced	Continue to purchase executive vehicles that are zero-emission vehicles or hybrids	FSDS: As conventional vehicles are replaced over their lifetimes with ZEVs, and/or the size of the fleet is reduced, a greater proportion of the fleet will be ZEV. Relevant SDG: SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy	Starting point: 100% Performance indicator: Percentage of executive vehicles that are ZEV or hybrid Target: 100% by 2030	Internal Services
Actions supporting the Goal: Greening Government	Support for green procurement will be strengthened, including guidance, tools and training for public service employees	Ensure managers, specialists in materiel management and procurement have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement	FSDS: Green procurement incorporates environmental considerations into purchasing decisions and is expected to motivate suppliers to green their goods, services and supply chain. Relevant SDGs: SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production SDG 13: Climate Action	Starting point: 8% Performance indicator: Percentage of specialists in materiel management and procurement, credit card holders and managers with a financial delegation who have completed training on green procurement Target: 75% by March 31, 2021 100% by March 31, 2022	All Programs
Actions supporting the Goal: Greening Government	Departments will use environmental criteria to reduce the environmental impact and ensure best value in government procurement decisions	Integrate environmental considerations into purchasing decisions, processes and controls		Starting point: 100% Performance indicator: Percentage of contracts that include a green procurement clause, when applicable Target: 100% by March 31, 2021	Internal Services
Actions supporting the Goal: Greening Government	Other	Increase the number of employees who can access the departmental network from home	FSDS: The increased access to the departmental network from home can help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by reducing daily travel to and from work. Relevant SDGs: SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production SDG 13: Climate Action	Starting point: 71% Performance indicator: Percentage of employees who can access the network from home Target: 100% by March 31, 2021	All Programs

Section 4: Integrating sustainable development

WAGE will continue to ensure that its decision-making process includes consideration of FSDS goals and targets through its Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. A SEA for a policy, plan or program proposal includes an analysis of the impacts of the given proposal on the environment, including on relevant FSDS goals and targets.

Public statements on the results of WAGE’s assessments are made public when an initiative that has undergone a detailed SEA. The purpose of the public statement is to demonstrate that the environmental effects, including the impacts on achieving the FSDS goals and targets, of the approved policy, plan or program have been considered during proposal development and decision making.

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Date modified:: 2021-04-14

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