Recommendation 1

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada introduce amendments to the purpose provision of the Federal Sustainable Development Act. The new purpose should be to require the Government to develop a strategy to lead Canada on a path towards sustainable development and contribute to meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose should clarify that sustainable development encompasses and requires thorough consideration of economic, social and environmental factors.

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada introduce amendments to the Federal Sustainable Development Act to enable a whole-of-government approach and comprehensive engagement of all central government agencies in the development and implementation of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy and in championing federal sustainable development government‑wide.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada introduce amendments to the Federal Sustainable Development Act to add a list of well-accepted sustainable development principles on which to base the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, as well as departmental sustainable development strategies.

Recommendation 4

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada introduce amendments to the Federal Sustainable Development Act and the Auditor General Act, as appropriate, to provide:

• that the draft of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy be submitted to all appropriate committees of each House of Parliament for review and comment;
• that a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy that is tabled in a House of Parliament is deemed to be referred to all relevant committees of that House;
• that a report on the progress of the federal government in implementing the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy that is tabled in a House of Parliament is deemed to be referred to all relevant committees of that House; and
• that a report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development relating to the Government’s progress report, as well as the Commissioner’s reports relating to departmental sustainable development strategies, be referred to all relevant parliamentary committees.

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that the central agencies of the Government of Canada that may be assigned responsibility for federal sustainable development undertake a review process to determine which federal bodies that are not currently obliged to prepare a departmental sustainable development strategy should be required to do so. The Government should introduce any amendments to the Federal Sustainable Development Act necessary to facilitate the process of amending the Schedule of the Act.

Recommendation 6

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada introduce amendments to add to the Federal Sustainable Development Act specific federal sustainable development goals that take into account Canada’s international commitments to sustainable development, including those made under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.

Recommendation 7

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada introduce amendments to the Federal Sustainable Development Act to specify that the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy must include short‑, medium‑ and long-term targets that meet the SMART criteria (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound).

Recommendation 8

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada introduce amendments to the Federal Sustainable Development Act:

• to establish a new two-year, staggered time frame for developing a new Federal Sustainable Development Strategy and for producing the report on the Government’s progress in implementing the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy;
• to require the Government to revise the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy to respond to indications of insufficient progress or new information; and
• to clarify that section 12, which relates to performance-based contracts, applies in respect of all targets in the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy relevant to a specific department, agency or other federal body.

Recommendation 9

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada adopt a concise and simple format for its biennial report on the progress of the federal government in implementing the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, including performance metrics and a plain-language scorecard.

Recommendation 10

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada develop additional measures for improving enforceability and accountability in support of meeting the sustainable development targets. In developing these measures, the Government should seek the advice of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development.

Recommendation 11

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada establish an advocate for Canada’s future generations. In developing the mandate of the advocate, the Government should be informed by the mandates of similar entities established in other jurisdictions as well as international best practices in promoting intergenerational equity.

Recommendation 12

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada undertake a public consultation on “The Canada We Want” in order to build and maintain an ongoing conversation with Canadians towards the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Recommendation 13

The Committee requests that, one year following the tabling of its comprehensive response to this report, the Government report back to the Committee on its progress in implementing all of the recommendations contained in this report.