[All] Federal Sustainable Development Strategy

Thu Jun 24 12:16:32 EDT 2010

Link for more information: http://www.ec.gc.ca/dd-sd/default.asp?lang=En&n=E19EE696-1

Public Consultation on the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy

Invitation from the Federal Minister of Environment:

To maintain our standard of living in the 21st century, Canada must  
address the challenge of environmental sustainability. The issues are  
well known; we need to address climate change and air quality,  
maintain water availability and quality, and protect our natural  
heritage. Environmental issues must be balanced with economic  
considerations. By doing so, we can make long-term sustainable  
progress on the environment that is integrated with progress on the  
economic and social agenda for Canadians.
I am pleased to present to Canadians this consultation paper, Planning  
for a Sustainable Future: A Federal Sustainable Development Strategy  
for Canada, that will both strengthen how government promotes  
environmental sustainability, and improve the transparency and  
accountability of how we do it.
This Federal Sustainable Development Strategy represents a major step  
forward for the Government of Canada by including environmental  
sustainability as an integral part of its decision-making processes.  
It replaces a system that was established in 1995, when amendments to  
the Auditor General Act required key federal departments and agencies  
to table in Parliament their individual strategies for sustainable  
development. The old system had many problems and did not achieve the  
intended results. Without one government-wide strategy, environmental  
sustainability issues were often pushed to the margins of federal  
planning and reporting. There were no goals, no targets, and no way to  
measure federal accomplishments. In government as elsewhere, what gets  
measured gets done.
This system had many critics. In 2002, for example, the Commissioner  
of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) observed that  
watching 32 departments and agencies try to prepare their strategies  
in the absence of an over-arching government-wide plan was like  
watching people try to assemble a large jigsaw puzzle without the  
picture on the box. Because the individual strategies were not  
integrated into broader government goals and targets, their  
contribution to environmental sustainability was very modest. The  
federal government was not showing leadership, and it was not  
delivering results.
To strengthen the system and to address some of the weaknesses found  
by the CESD, we are proposing a new approach.  The three key elements  
of this strategy represent the first major improvement in the system  
since 1995. First, the strategy will provide an integrated, whole of  
government picture of actions to achieve environmental  
sustainability.  Second, we are linking sustainable development  
planning and reporting with the government’s core expenditure planning  
and reporting system.  And finally, we are establishing effective  
measurement, monitoring and reporting in order to track and report on  
progress to Canadians.
The Government of Canada welcomes this opportunity to improve planning  
and reporting for environmental sustainability. Taking into account  
international best practices and the purpose of the Federal  
Sustainable Development Act, Canada’s first Federal Sustainable  
Development Strategy will take a pragmatic approach, based on key  
priorities.
The proposed approach is one of responsible, practical progress. It  
will deliver a significant advance in terms of sustainable development  
in Canada, and will also allow the government to build on it as we  
learn over time. Focusing on environmental sustainability at the  
outset will allow the government to address environmental  
sustainability in a clear and coherent way, while at the same time  
placing an emphasis on getting the framework right.
This consultation paper outlines the Strategy. It responds to the  
advice of many, including the CESD, on how to improve transparency and  
accountability. Now we are seeking further input and advice from the  
Commissioner, the Sustainable Development Advisory Council,  
Parliament, and all interested Canadians.
The paper sets out long-term goals and, for each goal, a series of  
targets for short- and medium-term action. Each goal and target is  
supported by specific government initiatives--some of which have  
already been launched, and some that will lead very soon to specific  
policies and programs.
Planning for a Sustainable Future will help Canadians and Parliament  
identify whether there are gaps in the system, and how effective the  
government has been in hitting the targets it has set. It will become  
a very valuable tool to help government set ambitious goals that will  
lead to a more sustainable Canada.
For the first time the Government of Canada will have a coherent  
strategy for sustainable development across the various departments  
and agencies. The Strategy will streamline the way these departments  
and agencies report, and put sustainable development at the heart of  
government decision-making. This Strategy will be more transparent to  
Canadians, hold government departments and their Ministers more  
accountable, and will deliver better results.
I am looking forward to receiving guidance from Canadians on the  
issues that are presented in this consultation paper, and I am looking  
forward to implementing the new Strategy.
Jim Prentice
Minister of the Environment

How to provide input
The Federal Sustainable Development Strategy Consultation Paper is  
available here and for download from the links below in PDF format.
Download the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy Consultation  
Paper:
Planning for a Sustainable Future: A Federal Sustainable Development  
Strategy for Canada (PDF FORMAT - 296 KB)
Download free Acrobat PDF Reader.  Alternative formats are available  
by submitting a request by email at sdo-bdd at ec.gc.ca.
Your comments on the draft Federal Sustainable Development Strategy  
can be provided by email to sdo-bdd at ec.gc.ca

Tanya I. Markvart
M.E.S. University of Waterloo
PhD (Planning) Candidate
School of Planning
University of Waterloo
tanoon at mac.com
(519) 746-5179

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