The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development published Report 2: Greening Government Strategy on April 26th, 2022. Along with the report, a news release (Annex A) and an infographic (Annex B) were also published. TC is not mentioned in these documents.
Following the tabling of Report 2, there was one article published, which mentioned TC, specifically our emission reductions to date as well as a summary of the ferries (their emissions and replacement plans). It also mentions that TC acknowledges that it’s complex fleet may offer challenges in meeting the net-zero targets.
TBS received one media request following the tabling of the audit report which consisted of questions focused on the gaps in reporting identified in the audit report.
Annex A: CESD News Release
Greening of government falling short of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050
Ottawa, 26 April 2022—A report released today by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry V. DeMarco concludes that, at the 5 year mark, the federal government’s efforts to green government operations fall short in several areas, including planning, reporting and risk management.
“We found that the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat had taken initial steps to support departments’ efforts to reduce the federal government’s environmental footprint,” said Mr. DeMarco. “This is important given Canada’s publicly stated commitment to reach netzero emissions by 2050 and to be a national and global leader in transitioning to carbon-neutral government operations.”
The audit found that 8 of 27 departments had created reduction plans covering 81% of departmental emissions. However, some important information on greening government was hard to find, unclear or incomplete. In general, there was a lack of detail on costs and savings. For example, in the case of National Defence—the largest emitter in government—there was no clear information to show how the department was contributing to the overall reduction target. This lack of information makes it difficult for decision-makers, Parliament, and Canadians to know whether the government will meet its 2050 target and whether Canada is actually being the global leader in greening government that it has set out to be.
“More work is needed to ensure that the Greening Government Strategy delivers the desired results and that complete plans and methods are put in place to track and report on emission reductions,” said Mr. DeMarco.
Annex B: CESD Infographic
Html online version: CESD Infographic
Text Version:
This infographic presents findings from the 2022 audit report on the federal government’s Greening Government Strategy.
Overall message
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat took initial steps to support the federal government’s efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. However, 5 years into the Greening Government Strategy, these efforts were not as complete as they could have been.
Some of the pieces are in place . . .
For planning, we found the following:
- Guidance and tools provided to departments
- Strategic approach developed
For implementation, we found the following:
- Some emission reduction plans developed by departments
For reporting, we found the following:
- Direct and indirect emissions from government-owned property and assets monitored and reported
But more need to come together.
For planning, we found the following:
- Most emission reduction plans not independently reviewed
- Emission reduction plans for government-owned properties incomplete
For implementation, we found the following:
- Limited risk management approach
For reporting, we found the following:
- Not all sources of federal greenhouse gas emissions reported
- Costs and savings not monitored or reported