2023 to 2024 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy Report
Table of contents
Introduction to the 2023 to 2024 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy Report
The 2022 to 2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) presents the Government of Canada’s sustainable development goals and targets, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. This is the first FSDS to be framed using the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and provides a balanced view of the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development.
In keeping with the purpose of the Act, to make decision-making related to sustainable development more transparent and accountable to Parliament, the Canadian Transportation Agency (the Agency) supports the goals laid out in the FSDS through the activities described in the Agency’s 2023 to 2027 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS). This Report provides a report on progress related to the Agency’s DSDS in the fiscal year 2023 to 2024.
The Federal Sustainable Development Act also sets out 7 principles that must be considered in the development of the FSDS as well as DSDSs. These basic principles have been considered and incorporated in the Agency's DSDS and 2023 to 2024 DSDS Report.
To promote coordinated action on sustainable development across the Government of Canada, the Agency’s departmental strategy reports on Canada’s progress towards implementing the 2030 Agenda and advancing the SDGs, supported by the Global Indicator Framework (GIF) and Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) targets and indicators. The Report also now captures progress on SDG initiatives that fall outside the scope of the FSDS.
Commitments for the Canadian Transportation Agency
Goal 10:
Advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and take action on inequality
FSDS context:
Social, economic, and environmental inequalities persist in Canada. These inequalities disproportionately affect people with multiple intersecting identity factors such as gender identity and expression, race and ethnicity, faith community, Indigeneity, disability, sexual orientation, and low socioeconomic status.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is essential to addressing social, economic and environmental inequalities and achieving substantive equality. Urgent action is needed to close the social, economic, health, environmental protection, and educational gaps between Indigenous Peoples and the rest of Canada to ensure that everyone in Canada can enjoy the same quality of life, regardless of who they are or where they were born.
Target theme: Advancing reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis communities
Target: Between 2023 and 2026, and every year on an ongoing basis, develop and table annual progress reports on implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada)
Implementation strategy
Implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Departmental action
1) When a potential Agency determination triggers the Crown’s duty to consult and, where appropriate, accommodate, the Agency ensures, before making any determination, that this duty has been fulfilled in a manner consistent with the honour of the Crown, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the objectives of reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and other Canadians.
2) Renewal and implementation of Agency approach to Indigenous consultation and engagement.
Program: All Programs
Performance indicator — Starting point — Target
Performance indicator: When an Agency activity could have an adverse impact on potential or established Indigenous or treaty rights, the percentage of these occurrences where the Agency has taken steps to successfully fulfill the Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate.
Starting point: New
Target: 100%
How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs
The Agency is a government entity whose authorizations under the Canada Transportation Act may trigger the Crown’s duty to consult and, where appropriate, accommodate. The Agency therefore has the responsibility to develop and implement tools, including policies and guidelines, to ensure that the duty to consult is fulfilled before issuing determinations that may be expected to adversely impact potential or established Indigenous or treaty rights.
The Agency’s approach also reflects the Updated Guidelines for Federal Officials to Fulfill the Duty to Consult, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Principles respecting the Government of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples.
Relevant targets or ambitions: GIF Target: 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.
Results achieved
Indicator result: New data will be available in 2024-2025.
Notes: A number of Agency activities related to the approval of railway construction are currently on-going, e.g. the Lac Mégantic bypass, the Vancouver Logistics Park Project. These will be included in the calculation of the Indicator result once these activities have been completed.
Goal 12:
Reduce waste and transition to zero-emission vehicles
FSDS context:
By transitioning to a cleaner and more circular economy that prioritizes reducing consumption and waste generation, reusing the resources already extracted, and finding processes and technologies that take a holistic systems-based approach to minimizing waste throughout the economy, we can help reduce negative impacts on the environment. Doing this also improves resilience to resource shortages, rising or volatile prices, and supply chain interruptions.
The circular economy is founded on 3 principles: design pollution and waste out of the economy, keep products and materials in use (through sharing, reuse, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, repurposing and recycling), and work with nature to regenerate and enhance ecosystems. Using these principles, we can sustainably manage our economy for the benefit of current and future generations.
Developing the circular economy provides opportunities for innovation in the way that material resources are able to be reclaimed and reused throughout supply chains as well as changing the norm of throwing out old or broken products. As Canada aims to reduce the amount of waste produced, it will be important to look at circularity sector by sector to overcome unique barriers and take advantage of existing and emerging opportunities.
Target theme: Federal Leadership on Responsible Consumption
Target: The Government of Canada’s procurement of goods and services will be net-zero emissions by 2050, to aid the transition to a net-zero, circular economy (All Ministers)
Implementation strategy
Strengthen green procurement criteria
Departmental action
The Agency adheres to the principles of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) by complying with the Policy on Green Procurement.
Program: All Programs
Performance indicator — Starting point — Target
Performance indicator: Percentage of procurement and materiel management specialists trained in green procurement within one year of being identified
Starting point: New
Target: 100%
How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs
Green procurement incorporates environmental considerations into purchasing decisions and is expected to motivate suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services they deliver, and their supply chains.
Relevant targets or ambitions:
CIF Ambition: Canadians consume in a sustainable manner
CIF Indicator: 12.2.1 Proportion of businesses that adopted selected environmental protection activities and management practices
GIF Target: 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
Results achieved
Indicator result: 100% in 2023-2024
Notes: The Agency’s two procurement officers have completed green procurement training.
Goal 13:
Take action on climate change and its impacts
FSDS context:
The effects of human-caused climate change are being felt across our country. Canadians are seeing more extreme temperatures and precipitation as well as more frequent and severe wildfires, heatwaves, droughts and flooding. Canada is warming at two times the global rate, and this rate is even greater in the Canadian Arctic. Meanwhile, rising sea levels, along with less visible effects such as increased acidity and reduced levels of oxygen in the oceans, are damaging ecosystems and industries such as fisheries.
Climate change is one of the top drivers of global biodiversity loss, which further threatens ecosystems and the beneficial services they provide to society. It affects the health of Canadians, especially the most at-risk populations such as youth, seniors, Indigenous populations, those with chronic health conditions, and marginalized low-income, and racialized communities. It also puts increased strain on the country’s health systems during extreme weather events. Climate change has also been linked to the increased spread of invasive species and intensity of zoonotic (animal-borne) and vector-borne (mosquitos, tick or flea-borne) diseases.
Target theme: Federal Leadership on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions and Climate Resilience
Target: The Government of Canada will transition to climate resilient operations by 2050 (All Ministers)
Implementation strategy
Implement the Greening Government Strategy through measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve climate resilience, and green the government’s overall operations
Departmental action
Ensure all relevant employees are trained on assessing climate change impacts, undertaking climate change risk assessments, and developing adaptation actions within one year of being identified.
Program: Internal Services Branch (ISB)
Performance indicator — Starting point — Target
Performance indicator: Percentage of relevant employees trained on assessing climate change impacts, undertaking climate change risk assessments, and developing adaptation actions.
Starting point: 0% in 2022-2023 trained
Target: 100% trained by 2026-2027
How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs
Trained staff can identify risk to critical program delivery, and develop responses to increase the resilience of operations to impacts of climate change.
Relevant targets or ambitions:
GIF Targets: 13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
Results achieved
Indicator result: 0% in 2023-2024
Notes: The Agency is in the process of identifying the relevant positions who would be required to be trained on assessing climate change impacts, undertaking climate change risk assessments, and developing adaptation actions, and is on track to meet its target by 2026-2027.
Integrating sustainable development
The Agency will continue to ensure that its decision-making process includes consideration of FSDS goals and targets through its Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. An SEA for a policy, plan or program proposal includes an analysis of the impacts of the given proposal on the environment, including on relevant FSDS goals and targets.
Public statements on the results of the Agency’s assessments are made public when an initiative has undergone a detailed SEA. The purpose of the public statement is to demonstrate that the environmental effects, including the impacts on achieving the FSDS goals and targets, of the approved policy, plan or program have been considered during proposal development and decision making.
The Agency did not complete any detailed SEAs in 2023-24.
- Date modified: