SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
Progress Report
2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

• Background
• This Year's Report

PROGRESS TOWARD ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS

• Figure 1: Status of 2001 SDS Commitments
• Figure 2: Overall Status of SDS Commitments
• SDS Accomplishments in 2001
  • Goal 1: To Minimize the Negative Environmental Impacts of Departmental Operations.
  • Goal 2: To Promote Awareness of Sustainable Development Principles and Objectives Among Departmental Staff, Clients and Stakeholders.
  • Goal 3: To Better Integrate Environmental Considerations Into Departmental Policy Development and Decision-Making Processes.
  • Goal 4: To Promote Accountability and Ensure Compliance.

APPENDIX 1: SUMMARY TABLE

• Goal I : To minimize the negative environmental impacts of departmental operations.
• Goal II : To promote awareness of sustainable development principles and objectives among departmental staff, clients and stakeholders.
• Goal III : To better integrate environmental considerations into the departmental policy development and decision-making processes.
• Goal IV : To promote accountability and ensure compliance.

INTRODUCTION

 
Background

Since 1997 the Department has been required to table a Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) in the House of Commons every three years. During the first generation of SDSs, covering 1997-2000, departments were encouraged to outline their strategies through the Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) and report on them in the Departmental Performance Report (DPR).

As the second generation of SDSs (2001-2003) have resulted in more comprehensive reporting by departments, the limitations of the current reporting structure have become apparent. The two greatest shortcomings, the limited amount of space available (approximately two pages) in which to report on the SDS and the fact that the DPR reports on a fiscal year, whereas the SDS is reported on by calendar year, have caused some difficulty for departments in the preparation of accurate comprehensive reports.

Given the limitations and difficulties this places on departments' abilities to report on their SDS, Treasury Board (TB) officials, along with representatives from the office of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD), are now encouraging departments to use alternative reporting mechanisms, such as stand-alone reports which would specifically report on departments' SDS, while still including a high-level overview in the DPR.

This report represents the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC) first stand-alone progress report on our SDS. As this is the first report using this new format, it is expected that future reports will further improve the Department's sustainable development reporting. Additionally, future reports will strive to further incorporate the principles of good public performance reporting and the lessons learned from our reports, as well as those of other federal departments and agencies. Lastly, as the Department has historically reported on our SD commitments through the DPR, which covers fiscal years (April 1^st through March 31^st), this report will cover the timeframe April 1^st, 2001 through December 31^st, 2001. Future reports will cover calendar years.

It must also be noted that some of the activities planned during this period were not met due to the disruptions resulting from the events of September 11, 2001. While the timelines for some of our planned actions have slipped, the commitments have not been dropped from the SDS and the Department will strive to meet them in 2002.

 
This Year's Report

CIC's policies and programs have a direct impact on the social, cultural and economic conditions in Canada. However, the Department also plays a role in environmental issues.

In our current SDS, we note:

"Sustainable development and its applications within the CIC mandate is an evolving process. The Department needs to improve its understanding of sustainable development and the linkages between sustainable development and CIC policies and programs. To that end, CIC has undertaken the challenge of balancing environmental considerations against our broader social and economic goals".

This continues to apply today and is reflected in the four key goals of our SDS:

• to minimize the negative environmental impacts of departmental operations;
• to promote awareness of sustainable development principles and objectives among departmental staff, clients and stakeholders;
• to better integrate environmental considerations into departmental policy development and decision-making processes; and
• to promote accountability and ensure compliance.

The following information represents results CIC has achieved with regard to the overall scope of sustainable development from April 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001. Appendix 1 contains detailed information on the progress made on the planned action for every objective under the goals described in the Department's Sustainable Development Strategy, published in December 2000.

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PROGRESS TOWARD
ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS

 
From April 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001 CIC made progress toward achieving objectives planned under the four goals of its SDS. Of the 35 actions planned throughout the life of the strategy, 13 have already been completed and an additional five have almost been completed. Perhaps the most important of these accomplishments was the creation of CIC's Coordinating Committee on Sustainable Development (CCSD). The CCSD, which has representatives from all branches across the Department, meets quarterly to coordinate the implementation of our SDS. This body will be instrumental to the Department if we are to successfully achieve the objectives outlined in our SDS.

Below is a summary of the status of our SDS commitments for 2001, as well as for the entire duration of the Strategy.

 
Figure 1: Status of 2001 SDS Commitments

 
Figure 2: Overall Status of SDS Commitments

 
SDS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2001

Goal 1: To Minimize the Negative Environmental Impacts of Departmental Operations.

Participated in the Interdepartmental Performance Measurement for Government Operations (PMSGO) Working Group in order to develop a set of indicators which are of common interest to several departments.

Distributed policies and information to departmental staff who have delegated responsibility for procurement under $5,000, fleet management, and facilities management.

Developed and implemented awareness sessions on procurement management. Similar sessions on fleet and facilities management, which were originally developed for other government departments, were also used.

Created an environmental management system resource centre on the departmental Intranet, focusing on greening initiatives, policies, and achievements.

Identified and finalized a list of companies which produce green products and disseminated the list to purchasing agents and Responsibility Centre (RC) managers.

Conducted a Waste Management Audit to review the current levels of consumption of office materials / waste at National Headquarters.

 
Goal 2: To Promote Awareness of Sustainable Development Principles and Objectives Among Departmental Staff, Clients and Stakeholders.

Expanded departmental awareness-building events, including promoting sustainable development, disseminating the Waste Audit results, holding environment week activities, and conducting awareness raising campaigns on polystyrene cup usage.

Included a section on sustainable development in two major departmental documents, A Newcomer's Introduction to Canada, which is distributed to visa-ready immigrants, and A Look at Canada, which is distributed to new Canadians.

 
Goal 3: To Better Integrate Environmental Considerations Into Departmental Policy Development and Decision-Making Processes.

Participated in interdepartmental networks and working groups to acquire information on and approaches to sustainable development, and to contribute a citizenship and immigration perspective to horizontal policy issues. CIC participated in the following initiatives:

• Interdepartmental Network on Sustainable Development Strategies (INSDS) and its various working groups;
• Interdepartmental working group on Performance Measurement for Sustainable Government Operations;
• Interdepartmental Working Group on Promoting Sustainable Communities;
• Policy Research Initiative's Sustainable Development Network and Sustainable Communities Conference;
• NRTEE Conference on Sustainable Development Indicators;
• Canadian Information System for the Environment consultations; and
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference on sustainable communities.

 
Goal 4: To Promote Accountability and Ensure Compliance.

Created the Coordinating Committee on Sustainable Development (CCSD), an intradepartmental working group to assess the progress on attaining sustainable development objectives. The CCSD also helps guide and coordinate the implementation of sustainable development initiatives within the department.

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APPENDIX 1: SUMMARY TABLE

5c) Identify reporting requirements and the subsequent development of a new vehicle logging method, including:

• number of vehicles;
• number of annual kilometers traveled;
• number of vehicles in the vehicle management system with reported fuel consumption;
• number of vehicles with complete vehicle utilization records;

• regional reporting of monthly odometer readings within the framework of the new vehicle management system.

In 2001, CIC participated in the following initiatives:

• Interdepartmental Network on Sustainable Development Strategies (INSDS) and its various working groups;
• Interdepartmental Working Group on Promoting Sustainable Communities;
• PRI's Sustainable Development Network and Sustainable Communities Conference;
• NRTEE Conference on Sustainable Development Indicators;
• Canadian Information System for the Environment (CISE) consultations;
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference on sustainable communities.

Notes:

1. Integration-Net was created by CIC as a communications and research tool to support the work of the Canadian settlement community.

2. This document is distributed to all applicants for citizenship.

3. This document is an information guide about living in Canada and is distributed to all newcomers who come through major ports of entry.

Produced by Strategic Policy and Partnerships
In consultation with the Department of Citizenship and Immigration's
Coordinating Committee on Sustainable Development

For additional copies, please contact:

Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Fax: (613) 954-2221

© Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2002
Cat. No.: Ci51-120/2001E
ISBN: 0-662-32824-8

November 2002

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