Section IV Horizontal Initiatives

(i) Regulatory Initiatives
(ii) Sustainable Development

(i) Regulatory Initiatives

(ii) Sustainable Development

In an effort to ensure that federal departments pursue a coordinated, sustainable course of action in their policy, programs, and operations, amendments to the Auditor General Act, 1995, required that departments and agencies table sustainable development strategies (SD) in the House of Commons before December 15, 1997 and update their strategy at least every three years thereafter.

Our first SDS recognized the contributions of its program and operational areas to a prosperous economy, a vibrant and just society, and a healthy environment. The 1997 SDS committed to three goals:

• strengthening internal capacities to contribute to sustainable development;

• integrating sustainable development considerations into decision-making; and

• reducing the environmental impact of our operations in support of sustainable development.

Sustainable development means using resources (human, financial, and natural) efficiently to ensure a future that is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable.

Achieving sustainable development requires action on the part of all managers and employees. It involves changing the basis for decisions so that the impact of options considers not only the financial/economic implications but also the human/social and environmental implications.

Before December 2000, we will update the 1997 SDS for the period from 2000 to 2003.

CCRA's Journey Toward Sustainable Development

The proposed dateline on the following chart suggests the timeframe in which the CCRA will undertake to integrate SD into the way we do business, and how we will progress from a reactive to a proactive management of our environment and sustainable development issues.

The SD vision for CCRA, expressed very simply, is decision-making, for all programs, policies, and operations, that considers not only the economic (or financial) implications of the decision, but also the social and environmental (or human and natural resource) implications of the decision.

The impact of CCRA decisions go beyond our internal workings. Our programs and operations touch on all Canadians, therefore we recognize opportunities to influence and assist stakeholders in achieving their SD goals and objectives. Whether as employer of choice or as world class customs and revenue agency, it will become increasingly important for the CCRA to recognize the national and global advantages of institutionalizing the concept of sustainable development.

Key Challenges to the Sustainable Development Program:

Integrating SD into the way an organization does business involves change. It also involves the cooperative efforts of all areas of an organization. Time and resource commitments are inevitable.

Since its official launch in the federal government in 1995, the workload, related to coordinating the development and implementation of SD commitments by the branches and regions, has been absorbed through the reallocation of resources. Environment and sustainable development responsibilities have increased dramatically over the years. New legislation and regulations have expanded the level of environmental risk for the CCRA related in particular to contaminated sites management and pollution prevention. Maintaining due diligence and meeting expectations on government-wide targets, for issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency, pose further challenges.

In addition to these issues, departments and agencies are required to establish their own targets and performance measures for reducing the environmental impacts of their operations. A key role of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Office of the Auditor General, is to monitor and report on the progress that departments and agencies are making. In view of increasing demands and liabilities, we need to review the adequacy of resource requirements for the sustainable development program.

Another key challenge for the SD program relates to defining SD issues for the CCRA. The 1997 SDS established the fact that much of our business contributes to a prosperous economy, a safe and vibrant society, and a healthy environment. Key business lines are in the process of establishing performance measures for their expected results, but have not engaged in the discussion of measuring these results in terms of `big picture' impacts on sustainable development.

Given that the CCRA administers, rather than develops, policy and legislation, two questions require further discussion: How far can we go in making commitments and measuring results for sustainable development? Should our SDS remain fundamentally an environmental strategy, or should it envelop the economic and social impacts of our activities?

A final challenge for the SD program involves the level of awareness of SD throughout the CCRA. Progress on integrating sustainable development considerations into all programs, operations and business decisions requires that employees are aware of the impact that their decisions and actions may have on sustainable development. In the increasingly regulatory environment in which we are operating, this will be of particular importance to the CCRA. Raising the level of awareness will require concerted communications and awareness training efforts.

Strategy for the short and medium term

We will respond to the challenges of the SD program over the short and medium terms by:

• reviewing resource requirements for the SD program;

• focusing existing resources and efforts on environmental compliance issues that will help to minimize risks and liabilities;

• working with key areas of the CCRA to integrate SD considerations into existing business planning processes and tools, to achieve efficiencies and maintain our one-plan, one-process model; and

• raising the level of awareness through concerted communications and awareness training efforts.

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Date modified:

2002-01-04