Media Advisory—Tabling of the 2017 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Media Advisory—Tabling of the 2017 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development—Tuesday, 3 October 2017

Ottawa, 6 September 2017—The 2017 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Julie Gelfand, will be tabled in the House of Commons on Tuesday, .

Media lock-up:

Journalists accredited by the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery are invited to attend the Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s media lock-up to be held Tuesday, 3 October 2017, from 7 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. (Eastern Standard TimeET).

Please proceed to the Office of the Auditor General of Canada'sOAG’s security checkpoint on the main floor of 240 Sparks Street, West Tower. Please be prepared to present photo identification.

IMPORTANT: We are moving to paperless

Thank you for supporting our efforts by bringing your Wi-Fi enabled laptop or tablet to the lock-up so that you can connect to our secure wireless network. Through this wireless network, you will be able to access an embargoed copy of our 2017 Fall Reports, videos and other related material, and the Office of the Auditor General of Canada website for information and research purposes. We will unlock the wireless network once the reports are tabled in the House of Commons so that you can file your articles without delay. Please note that very few paper copies of the reports will be on hand.

Journalists will be allowed to leave the media lock-up at 9:45 a.m., but they remain obligated to respect the embargo until the reports are tabled in the House of Commons, shortly after 10:00 a.m. Internet access will be available for filing stories once the reports have been tabled for the convenience of those journalists who prefer to remain at the lock-up.

News conference: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (ET) National Press Theater, 150 Wellington Street, Ottawa

Interviews: To book an interview, please call 1-888-761-5953.

The 2017 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development are as follows:

Report 1—Progress on Reducing Greenhouse Gases—Environment and Climate Change Canada. We examined whether Environment and Climate Change Canada, with support from other government departments and agencies, made progress toward meeting Canada’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Report 2—Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change. This audit focused on the extent to which federal organizations have made progress to adapt to climate change. We examined federal leadership efforts and whether departments and agencies implemented the Federal Adaptation Policy Framework.

Report 3—Funding Clean Energy Technologies. We examined whether Natural Resources Canada and Sustainable Development Technology Canada managed demonstration projects in three federal funds for clean energy technology in compliance with the conditions of the funds. We also looked at whether Natural Resources Canada and Sustainable Development Technology Canada articulated how selected funded projects were contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Report 4—Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies. This audit focussed on the government’s 2010 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy commitment to strengthen consideration of the environment through strategic environmental assessments. We examined whether the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Canada Border Services Agency, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Public Safety Canada, and Western Economic Diversification Canada adequately applied the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals; reported on the extent and results of their strategic environmental assessment practices; and met their commitments to strengthen their strategic environmental assessment practices.

Report 5—Environmental Petitions Annual Report and Retrospective. This annual report on petitions is required under section 23 of the Auditor General Act. It informs Parliament and Canadians about the number, nature, and status of environmental petitions and the government’s responses received between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. We have also included a retrospective that looks back on environmental petitions submitted since 2007. It includes results from a survey we conducted in 2017 with petitioners as well as government departments and agencies.

The 2017 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development will be available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada Website immediately following tabling.

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