A Message from the Clerk of the Privy Council

The Government of Canada is committed to integrating sustainable development in its plans, policies and programs. This requires that decision-makers have good information and advice on the potential environmental, social, and economic impacts of proposed initiatives.

The Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals calls for strategic environmental assessments to be conducted for any policy, plan, or program proposal that is submitted to a Minister or to Cabinet for approval and that is likely to have important environmental effects, positive or negative. The Directive also establishes criteria to help federal departments and agencies determine when such an assessment is appropriate, and offers guidance on its preparation.

The Directive was recently amended to include provisions for improved transparency. As of January 2004, public statements of environmental effects must be prepared whenever an assessment of environmental effects has been conducted.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is committed to assisting departments in improving their SEA capacity and has developed materials to support the Directive’s implementation.

These materials are available on-line at:
http://publiservice.gc.ca/services/ceaa-acee/directive_e.html
http://publiservice.gc.ca/services/ceaa-acee/casestudy_e.html
http://publiservice.gc.ca/services/ceaa-acee/faq_e.html

(Please note that these links are accessible to federal public servants only.)

I encourage departments to make use of the material and to contact the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency directly if questions arise.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Himelfarb