What we examined (see Focus of the audit)

This audit forms part of the Commissioner’s annual monitoring of sustainable development strategy commitments. The audit focused on the government’s 2010 FSDS commitment to strengthen consideration of the environment in its decision making by more stringently applying strategic environmental assessment.

The audit objective was to determine whether Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Health Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Transport Canada, the Privy Council Office and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat have mechanisms in place

• to support compliance with important aspects of the Cabinet directive and its related guidelines, and
• to ensure that environmental implications and considerations are integrated into proposals submitted to an individual minister or to Cabinet for approval.

The audit covered activities and documentation prepared between September 2010 and June 2014.

What we found

Mechanisms to apply the Cabinet directive

Overall, we found that most of the five audited departments have mechanisms in place to apply the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals and have established some good practices to help strengthen their strategic environmental assessment processes. However, most departments examined have not established mechanisms to apply the Cabinet directive to proposals going to individual ministers. Central agencies have recently revised their internal processes to help ensure that the Cabinet directive is applied to proposals going to Cabinet or the Treasury Board. These findings are important because the Cabinet directive was issued to ensure that decision makers receive information to help them consider the environmental effects of their decisions.

• Most departments examined have mechanisms to apply the Cabinet directive to proposals going to Cabinet (see paragraphs 5.20-5.22)

  Recommendation. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada should update its strategic environmental assessment process to ensure compliance with the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals and its related guidelines.

• Most departments examined have not established mechanisms to apply the Cabinet directive to proposals going to individual ministers (see paragraphs 5.23-5.25)

  Recommendation. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Health Canada should review their strategic environmental assessment processes to ensure that the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals and its related guidelines are applied to proposals going to their ministers.

• Departments have established some good practices in support of their strategic environmental assessment processes (see paragraphs 5.26-5.33)

• Central agencies have recently revised their processes to help ensure the Cabinet directive is applied to proposals going to Cabinet or the Treasury Board (see paragraphs 5.34-5.37)

Results of applying the Cabinet directive

Overall, we found gaps in applying the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals in relation to conducting strategic environmental assessments, including information on the environmental aspects in proposals to Cabinet or the Treasury Board, and publicly reporting the results of strategic environmental assessment processes. This finding is important because it indicates that environmental implications and considerations are not yet systematically included in policy, plan and program proposals submitted to Cabinet or the Treasury Board. Without this information, it is difficult for ministers to make informed decisions that support sustainable development.

• Assessments are not going beyond the preliminary scan step (see paragraphs 5.40-5.44)

  Recommendation. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Health Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Transport Canada should ensure that they are appropriately concluding on the need to complete a detailed strategic environmental assessment when assessing the environmental implications of each policy, plan, and program proposal.

• Information on the strategic environmental assessment process is not consistently included in proposals going to Cabinet (see paragraph 5.45)

• Most departments examined are not making public statements related to preliminary scans (see paragraphs 5.46-5.48)

Response

The audited entities agree with our recommendations, and have responded (see List of Recommendations).

Why we did this audit

By passing the Federal Sustainable Development Act, the government acknowledged the need to integrate environmental, economic, and social factors in all government decision making. The Act requires that a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) be developed that would make environmental decision making more transparent and accountable to Parliament.

The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development is required to report on the government’s progress toward sustainable development. The Commissioner must also monitor and report annually on how well departments and agencies have met the objectives and implemented the plans set out in their departmental sustainable development strategies, including their contribution to meeting the targets set out in the FSDS.

Details of the audit

For more information

Ghislain Desjardins
Manager, Media Relations
Tel.: 613 952 0213, extension 6292
E-mail: infomedia@oag-bvg.gc.ca

Twitter: CESD_CEDD