Report 2—Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies

What we examined (see Focus of the review)

This review focused on whether federal departments and agencies contributed to the goal of safe and healthy communities in the 2016–2019 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.

Why we did this audit

This review is important because departmental results reports are intended to inform Parliament about how departments and agencies performed against their departmental strategies. By reviewing progress, we can give assurance to Parliament on the quality of the reports. In turn, these reports can help Parliament and Canadians understand progress toward the goal of safe and healthy communities, which is important for health and well-being. As the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy says, “Canadians need to have clean air to breathe,” and the chemicals that provide many benefits in our everyday lives could be harmful if not properly managed.

Overall message

Overall, the organizations that contribute to the goal of safe and healthy communities reported activities that largely supported the actions set out for this goal in the government’s Federal Sustainable Development Strategy. However, the organizations’ reporting was at times unclear or incomplete, making it difficult for parliamentarians and Canadians to gain a clear sense of overall progress against the goal. For example, no organization stated in its reporting how it intended to address 2 actions related to outdoor air quality. For other actions, organizations omitted to mention key aspects of what they aimed to achieve, such as a performance target, making it challenging or impossible for the reader to grasp the extent of progress made. Clear and complete reporting on progress is important to convey whether departments’ efforts are coming together to support the achievement of Canada’s sustainable development goals.

What we found about …

Federal sustainable development goal: Safe and healthy communities

Federal departments and agencies did not completely and clearly report on their contributions to the goal of safe and healthy communities

Responses to recommendations

See List of Recommendations.

Related information

Report of the	Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
Type of product	Performance audit
Topics	Environment Environmental assessment
Entities	Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada Health Canada Indigenous Services Canada National Defence Canada Natural Resources Canada Parks Canada Public Safety Canada Public Services and Procurement Canada Transport Canada
Completion date	23 July 2020
Tabling date	27 October 2020
Related audits	Report 2―Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies, 2019 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Report 4—Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies, 2017 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Report 4—Review of the 2015 Progress Report of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, 2016 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Report 3—Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies, 2015 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Chapter 5—Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies, 2014 Fall Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Chapter 8—Federal and Departmental Sustainable Development Strategies, 2013 Fall Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable