1997 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment
and Sustainable Development
My
first report
8.
This is my first report to the House of Commons, and the first report
by a Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. In
preparing this report, I have consulted with parliamentarians and
stakeholders on their expectations. The report describes my mandate,
outlines my priorities and presents my work program for the coming years. It
sets the stage for future reports on the federal government's efforts to
protect the environment and foster sustainable development.
9.
By enacting the amendments to the
Auditor General Act
that
created my position (see
Appendix A
), parliamentarians sent a strong
message to Canadians. They indicated that they shared Canadians'
concern about the quality of our environment and our desire for sustainable
development. They formally committed themselves to encouraging stronger
performance by the federal government in both areas.
10.
My job is to assist parliamentarians in that task. I will provide
objective, independent analysis and recommendations to members of
Parliament to help them examine the federal government's performance and
hold it to account for that performance. I also plan to work directly with
federal departments and agencies to promote accountability and best
practices in the management of environmental and sustainable development
issues.
11.
My position is Commissioner of the Environment
and
Sustainable
Development. My perspective on both of these issues is therefore
fundamental to my approach to the job, and to the objectives and priorities
that I have established to guide my work.
12.
I have been working on environmental and sustainable
development issues for most of my career. Based on that experience - and
my professional training - I believe strongly that government has an
essential role to play in protecting the environment and fostering sustainable
development.
13.
To achieve the results Canadians are expecting, governments must
provide strong leadership and a clear vision. And if we expect to change
behaviour across society, the federal government must lead by example and
demonstrate that it is fostering a culture of environmental protection and
sustainable development within its own departments and agencies.
14.
Furthermore, I believe that a healthy environment is critical for a
prosperous economy and for our broader social well-being. The environment
that we share provides many of the resources that we consume and that we
use to produce goods and services. And without clean air and water, or the
protection provided by the earth's atmosphere, there would be no life.
15.
I also believe that environmental protection is best pursued within a
framework of sustainable development. The World Commission on
Environment and Development defined sustainable development as
"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their needs." This definition was
included in the amendments to the
Auditor General Act
that created the
position of Commissioner, and serves as an important starting point for my
work.
16.
Sustainable development makes sense to me, and I think to most
Canadians. Sustainable development recognizes the importance we attach
to a healthy environment, to a prosperous economy and to issues of equity
and fairness. It stresses the need to integrate these factors in our decision
making, so that progress can be made on all of them. The goal is to take
care of people and the environment that supports them, both at the same
time.
17.
The pursuit of sustainable development presents us with unique
challenges. Can we integrate social, economic and environmental
concerns? Can we provide for economic growth and social development
without seriously impairing the natural environment on which we all depend?
I think we can.
18.
While the goal is to achieve a reasonable balance among the many
elements of sustainable development that are important to Canadians, my
immediate work plan pays particular attention to the environment. Economic
and social priorities have traditionally received more explicit recognition in
the mandates of departments. Part of my job is to redress this imbalance by
bringing the environment into the equation more systematically.
19.
It has been 25 years since the key underpinnings of sustainable
development were first enunciated at the United Nations Conference on the
Human Environment in Stockholm. It has been 10 years since the release of
the landmark document
Our Common Future
by the Brundtland
Commission. And it has been five years since representatives of
178 nations gathered at Rio de Janeiro to chart a path for global sustainable
development. It is time to take sustainable development seriously; to get on
with the job and put the concept into practice.
20.
There are few quick solutions to environmental problems, and
achieving sustainable development will require persistence, sustained and
focussed effort and patience. We are on a long journey, one that demands
systemic change in order to make a real difference for present and future
generations.
We
all have a role to play
21.
In performing my duties, I will be seeking advice from experts in the
field of environmental and sustainable development policy and practice. A
14-member advisory committee has been struck to help me establish
priorities and a work program (see
Appendix D
).
22.
Individual Canadians also have an important role to play.
Departments will be consulting with clients and stakeholders during the
preparation of their strategies. And the petition process provides a formal
vehicle for Canadians to comment on environmental issues that are the
responsibility of federal departments, and to obtain a response.
23.
I am confident that government can be a positive force in fostering
sustainable development. Even in this era of cost cutting and deficit
reduction, the federal government can provide strong leadership, a clear
vision and a commitment to improving its own performance.
24.
The challenge can be met. What we need is the will, the discipline
and the management commitment to translate talk into action.
A
Long-standing and Growing Concern
The
international context
25.
This report comes on the anniversary of three key events that have
defined the domestic and international agendas for the environment and
sustainable development (see
Exhibit 1
).
-
The 25th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment
. The "Stockholm
Conference" recognized the interdependence of people and the environment, and the ties between economic and
social development and environmental protection.
-
The 10th anniversary of the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development
.
Our
Common Future
presented a global vision for sustainable development, linking social well-being to a prosperous
economy and a healthy environment.
-
The fifth anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
. The "Rio
Conference" focussed on the globalization of environmental issues and the need for international co-operation to
ensure sustainable development.
26.
Countries around the world are taking stock of progress made in
protecting the environment and fostering sustainable development. What
have we accomplished? What have we learned? What do we do next?
Canada has made progress, but there is still a lot to do.
27.
Canada brings a broad range of assets to the pursuit of sustainable
development. Some of these are natural assets. For example, Canada
extends over almost 10 million square kilometres, and borders on three
oceans. We are custodians of about nine percent of the world's renewable
fresh water supply, 10 percent of its forests, and significant reserves of oil,
gas, coal and other minerals.
28.
But perhaps even more important is the talent, energy and
resourcefulness of Canadians. Much of Canada's economic development
and well-being has come from the application of ever more sophisticated
technology, by an increasingly educated work force, to our rich base of
renewable and non-renewable resources. Canada has achieved a level of
human development that is the envy of much of the world.
A
number of achievements
29.
Over the last quarter-century, Canada has been a leader in
international co-operation on environmental issues. For example, Canada
played a major role in establishing the Montreal Protocol, an international
regime to protect the earth's ozone layer. Another example is the
Canada-United States Air Quality Accord on acid rain and other
transboundary air pollution issues.
30.
The recent
State of Canada's Environment - 1996
documents
progress we have made in a number of areas toward a healthier
environment. For example, compared with most other countries, Canada
enjoys water of a relatively high quality. Key industries have significantly
reduced their pollution levels. Air quality has improved and progress has
been made in protecting natural areas and reducing waste.
31.
Significant challenges remain, however, including the management
of new toxic chemicals, urban smog and groundwater contamination.
Compared with other countries, per capita we are a large consumer of
energy and other natural resources and a large generator of pollution and
waste. Recent projections prepared for federal-provincial energy and
environment ministers suggest that Canada will fall far short of meeting its
target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
32.
In short, we must work hard to reduce the burden of pollution,
manage our natural resources, integrate environmental, social and
economic decision making and meet our international commitments.
Canadians
expect more to be done
33.
Canadians are worried about the quality of the environment, and its
impact on their health and the health and opportunities of their children.
Recent public opinion research by Synergistics Consulting Limited and
Environics Research Group Ltd., in their Environmental Monitor surveys,
suggests that:
-
Canadians remain deeply concerned about the quality of the environment.
A majority of Canadians are
"very concerned" about key issues such as toxic chemicals and air and water quality. This concern has remained
constant over the past decade.
-
There is still much to do.
Canadians recognize that some progress has been made in the past 10 years in
reducing pollution to safe levels, but that we still have a long way to go. On average, Canadians feel that we are
only one third of the way toward achieving the goal of a "safe" environment.
-
Canadians are questioning the government's capacity to make a difference.
A slim majority of
Canadians agree that the federal government seems no longer capable of playing a major role in achieving a
sustainable environment in Canada over the longer term.
34.
As the Auditor General indicated in his November 1996 Report, a
number of analysts have concluded that one of the most significant changes
in recent years has been a loss of public confidence in governments. The
failure of governments to deliver in key areas of importance to Canadians is
cited by those analysts as a major cause of this loss of confidence. The
environment is one of those key areas.
The
federal government's role
35.
The federal government has an important role to play in protecting
the environment and fostering sustainable development. Its influence is felt
in three ways:
-
As an employer, landlord and purchaser
, the federal government is the largest single enterprise in Canada.
How it manages its day-to-day operations has significant implications for the environment and for sustainable
development.
-
As a rule-maker and enforcer
, the federal government's policies have an important influence on decisions
made by individual producers and consumers. In particular, the federal government shares responsibility for
establishing the framework of laws and regulations that affect our use of the environment.
-
As a service and program provider
, the federal government contributes to our overall economic and social
well-being. For example, it provides much of the scientific expertise needed to protect the environment and foster
sustainable development. And it delivers key services like weather forecasts and food inspection.
The
federal government's performance
36.
Although progress has been made in a number of areas, it has not
been uniform. Many environmental and sustainable development issues are,
by their very nature, difficult to manage. They present governments with
significant challenges. They are often scientifically complex, involve long
time frames and do not fit neatly within a single department's or
government's mandate or jurisdiction.
37.
The global nature of environmental issues has also increased the
complexity of problem solving. It is no longer enough to focus on
environmental problems in our own backyard, although this remains
important. As the ozone depletion problem demonstrates, all people share
the same environment. We suffer the consequences of not only our own
actions and inaction but also those of people elsewhere in the world.
38.
Over the past decade, the Office of the Auditor General has
become progressively more active in the environmental area and has done
pioneering work in applying audit principles to the environment. Some 42
audits of issues with a significant environmental or sustainable development
component have been undertaken. (These audits are listed in
Appendix B
.)
39.
These audits provide valuable insights into the federal
government's performance in managing individual environmental or
sustainable development issues. Three key themes emerged from our
review of them.
-
The implementation gap
. In many areas, the federal government's performance falls short of its stated
objectives. This gap reflects the failure to translate policy direction into effective action. It ranges from instances
of lack of conformity with the Environmental Assessment and Review Process to the failure to meet targets for
key programs.
-
Lack of co-ordination and integration
. Many of the most pressing issues facing government today cut
across departmental mandates and political jurisdictions. Managing these so-called horizontal issues has proved to
be a particular challenge for governments. Recognizing the broad sharing of responsibility for the environment
and sustainable development, in his 1990 Report to Parliament the Auditor General asked: "Who's minding the
store?" That question could as easily be asked today.
-
Inadequate performance review and information to Parliament
. Performance review is an important
management tool, and reporting to Parliament is critical for accountability. The Auditor General has found
weaknesses in both areas. Both senior management in departments and parliamentarians lack information on the
benefits Canadians are deriving from the government's environmental programs. For example, the Auditor
General indicated that reporting on the federal government's efforts to "green" its operations was neither complete
nor objective.
The
Mandate of the Commissioner of the Environment and
Sustainable Development
The
need to improve accountability
40.
Discussion of the need for a position of this kind can be traced back
at least as far as 1989 (see
Exhibit 2
). In that year, a coalition of
environmental, conservation and Aboriginal groups proposed the
appointment of an environmental auditor general (EAG) as one part of a
comprehensive environmental strategy for Canada. The proposed EAG
would report directly to Parliament, and would focus on whether the federal
government was complying with environmental laws and regulations.
41.
A common thread in subsequent discussion surrounding an EAG
was the need for the federal government to improve its performance in
protecting the environment and fostering sustainable development and to be
more accountable for that performance. Parallels were drawn with the
Auditor General's role in helping Parliament to hold the government
accountable for the collection and spending of public funds.
42.
A number of variants of the EAG concept were discussed by
parliamentarians. Much of the debate centred on the need to avoid
duplication of roles and responsibilities with other participants in the public
policy process, such as environmental groups, Environment Canada and the
Auditor General.
43.
The federal government chose a package of initiatives aimed at
enhancing public accountability and public involvement. Among these were
the amendments to the
Auditor General Act
that provided for the creation of
a Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (see
Appendix A
). The Commissioner assists the Auditor General in performing
the duties set out in the Act that relate to the environment and sustainable
development.
A
mandate to assist parliamentarians
44.
The amendments to the
Auditor General Act
respected the
traditional lines of ministerial accountability to Parliament. Ministers are
responsible for policy choices. The role of the Commissioner of the
Environment and Sustainable Development is to assist parliamentarians in
their oversight of the federal government's efforts to protect the environment
and to foster sustainable development.
45.
More specifically, the Commissioner has responsibilities in four
main areas:
-
Monitoring sustainable development strategies.
Twenty-four federal departments and agencies are
required to prepare sustainable development strategies and to table them in the House of Commons by
15 December 1997 (see
Appendix C
). The Commissioner is responsible for monitoring the extent to which
departments have implemented the action plans and met the objectives associated with their strategies.
-
Audits and special studies of environmental and sustainable development issues.
The environment and
sustainable development are now formal considerations in the Auditor General's determination of which issues to
review and report on to the House of Commons.
-
Petitions.
The Commissioner receives petitions on environmental matters that are the responsibility of
federal departments and agencies, and monitors the government's responses to them.
-
Reporting.
The Commissioner reports annually to the House of Commons on these and other matters
relating to the environment and sustainable development that he believes should be brought to the attention of the
House.
Work
Plan for the Commissioner's Office
46.
There are four objectives that will guide the work of the
Commissioner's office over the next two years:
-
To provide objective, independent analysis and recommendations to members of Parliament to help them
examine the government's environmental and sustainable development activities and hold it to account.
-
To work with federal departments and agencies to help strengthen their capacity to manage environmental
and sustainable development issues by promoting the adoption of best management practices.
-
To address both environmental protection and sustainable development, by emphasizing better decision
making within the federal government. In the shorter term, particular attention will be paid to the federal
government's efforts to protect the environment.
-
To continue to focus on key weaknesses in the federal government's management of sustainable development
issues identified in previous work by the Office of the Auditor General, and the success and failure of departments
in dealing with them. These weaknesses include: the implementation gap; a lack of co-ordination and integration
among departments and across jurisdictions; and inadequate performance review and information to Parliament.
47.
The Commissioner's work plan has four main components; the key
elements of the work plan are summarized in
Exhibit 3
.
Review
of sustainable development strategies
48.
Departmental sustainable development strategies are critical for
advancing the federal government's sustainable development agenda, and
for measuring progress against it. Over the next year, in consultation with
departments and agencies, the specific criteria for reviewing departmental
strategies will be developed.
49.
The framework set out in
A Guide to Green Government
will be
used as the starting point. The
Guide
indicates that each strategy should be:
-
comprehensive
, dealing both with departmental policies and programs and with the management of the
department's internal operations;
-
results-oriented
, identifying in sustainable development terms the main results the department will achieve,
and how it will measure performance toward them; and
-
developed in consultation
with the department's clients, partners and other stakeholders.
50.
The
Guide
suggests an approach for departments to use in
preparing their strategies. The main elements are set out in
Exhibit 4
. The
government has also released other documents dealing with more specific
elements of departmental strategies:
Directions on Greening Government
Operations
and the
Environmental Management System (EMS)
Self-Assessment Guide
. These documents will form part of the framework
for assessing strategies.
51.
Strategies will also need to address the management of
environmental and sustainable development issues that cut across
departmental mandates and political jurisdictions. A number of mechanisms
have been put in place to share information and experience among
departments on the preparation of sustainable development strategies. We
will determine how well they work.
52.
In December 1996, deputy ministers and heads of agencies were
asked to complete a brief questionnaire on the status of their preparation of
sustainable development strategies. Most of the respondents are in the
early stages of preparing their strategies, although some departments have
already conducted internal and external consultations. Three or four
departments are sufficiently advanced that they plan to table their strategies
well before the December 1997 deadline.
53.
In responding to the questionnaire, departments cited performance
measurement, issues that cut across departmental mandates, and
awareness/understanding of requirements within the department as the
three main difficulties in preparing strategies.
Integrating
the fourth "E" into the work of the Office
54.
The principal activity of the Office of the Auditor General is
legislative auditing, which includes auditing and reporting on the federal
government's financial statements; its compliance with federal statutes and
regulations; its safeguarding of public assets; its collection of revenue; and
its implementation of its policies and programs. The latter category is called
"value-for-money" auditing.
55.
Traditionally these audits have been conducted in terms of
economy, efficiency and
effectiveness
- known as the three "E"s. As a
result of the amendments to the
Auditor General Act
, the "environment"
formally joins the three "E"s that the Auditor General takes into
consideration in deciding what to report to the House of Commons. An
explanation of the four "E"s is contained in
Exhibit 5
.
56.
Three priorities have been established for the review of
environmental and sustainable development issues. In order of importance,
they are:
-
Improved decision making
. Environmental problems and unsustainable development are ultimately failures
of decision making. A number of federal government activities affect how decisions are made, within the federal
government and across society. Over the next two years, three such activities will be audited: environmental
assessment, environmental reporting and environmental compliance and enforcement.
-
Key issues of concern to Canadians
. A number of key environmental and sustainable development issues
will also be reviewed. Examples include the transboundary movement of hazardous waste, ozone depletion,
climate change and sustainability of fisheries. For these key issues, questions of accountability and best practices
are particularly important.
-
Program issues
. Finally, other, more specific program issues with an important environmental or sustainable
development dimension will be audited. Examples include energy efficiency and the capital assets in our national
parks.
Studies
of special interest to Parliament
57.
Another part of the Commissioner's work involves exploring
environmental and sustainable development issues of significant interest to
Parliament. A series of studies on "cutting edge" issues will be conducted,
and the results will be presented in future annual reports to Parliament.
58.
The purpose behind these studies is three-fold:
-
to help build the capacity of federal departments to prepare and implement strategies for sustainable
development;
-
to review key elements of government performance in protecting the environment and fostering sustainable
development that may not lend themselves to a strict audit framework; and
-
to develop criteria for audits and for examining sustainable development strategies.
59.
In the coming year, special studies will be conducted on the
following topics:
-
Meeting our international obligations
. Canada is a signatory to a wide range of international agreements to
safeguard and improve the environment. This study will provide an inventory of those agreements, and an initial
assessment and overview of the extent to which Canada is meeting its commitments under them.
-
Public and private sector performance
. A 1995 audit reported that the private sector organizations
interviewed were generally further advanced than federal departments and agencies in implementing
comprehensive environmental management systems. Nevertheless, very few of the system elements were fully
developed in either the public or private sector. Further studies on the differences between public and private
sector performance will be conducted to identify best practices and assess their transferability between the two
sectors.
-
Performance measurement
. As part of preparing their sustainable development strategies, departments are
required to identify goals and objectives for sustainable development, including benchmarks for measuring
performance. This study is intended to advance the state of the art in applying performance measurement to the
management of environmental and sustainable development issues.
-
Accounting for sustainable development
. Wise decisions affecting the environment and sustainable
development require an understanding of the relative costs and benefits of action and inaction. In some areas,
these costs and benefits can be measured and taken into account as decisions are made. In others, the ability to
measure is currently quite limited. An assessment of the current state of knowledge will be prepared to identify
best practices.
60.
Openness and transparency are two of the key elements of a
sustainable development approach to public policy. The Commissioner, on
behalf of the Auditor General, is charged with co-ordinating the receipt of
petitions from Canadians, monitoring responses by the appropriate minister
and reporting to the House of Commons on the subject matter and status of
petitions.
61.
Exhibit 6
sets out the steps in the petition process. To date, one
petition has been received concerning the environmental assessment of a
project sponsored by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. The
petition was forwarded to the Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada
Opportunities Agency (ACOA). The Minister has formally responded to the
petition, and a copy has been received by the Commissioner.
Making
a Difference
62.
Like the Auditor General, I took this job because I want to make a
difference. At the end of my term as Commissioner, I want to be able to
point to concrete achievements to which we have contributed - that the
environment is healthier, and that we are closer to making sustainable
development a reality. The priorities and work program set out in this first
report are means to that end.