7. Conclusion and Next Steps

We are pleased to conclude that SD Strategy 2004-2007 was, in general, a success based on a year 3-completion rate of 78% for activities, and an overall Strategy completion of 85% for activities. In terms of targets, we achieved 14 of our targets and made significant progress on the others. We also established baseline performance measures for 15 of the 22 targets, and progressed on finalizing measures for the remaining 7 targets. Most of the 11 activities that were in progress at March 31, 2007 were substantially complete. They addressed issues of SD communications and integration, and work will continue to advance them in SD Strategy 2007-2010.

We are proud of our achievements that included:

• Best rating for CRA SD Strategy 2004-2007 from among all federal SD Strategies based on the 2005 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to the House of Commons;
• A 79% average solid waste diversion rate at select facilities;
• Positive results in reducing internal paper use per employee by 1.5%;
• Strong senior management support for SD; and
• Leadership in the federal government with our green procurement and solid waste management.

These accomplishments were not without challenges, and there remains room for improvement. The challenges included:

• Availability and timeliness of data for measuring and reporting on SD progress; and
• Staff turnover rate in the SD Division and SD Network, which challenged our capacity building efforts.

We identified the ever-increasing need to simplify SD implementation and reporting requirements for our SD Network. To this end, we will be taking steps to strengthen the support and guidance provided to the SD Network in 2007-2008.

Notwithstanding, based on the completion rates of scheduled targets and activities, the positive SD results achieved through systematic measurement, and the overall favourable assessments of elements of CRA's SD Program by the CESD, we conclude that the CRA's third Sustainable Development Strategy 2004-2007 has been successfully implemented.

Date modified:

2008-03-27