2016-2017 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
Overview of the federal government’s approach to sustainable development
The 2013–16 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) presents the Government of Canada’s sustainable development activities, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. In keeping with the objectives of the Act to make environmental decision making more transparent and accountable to Parliament, the Veterans Review and Appeal Board supports the implementation of the FSDS through the activities described in this supplementary information table.
Our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
This Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy describes the Veterans Review and Appeal Board’s actions in support of Theme IV: shrinking the environmental footprint, beginning with government. The report for 2016–17 presents a high level overview of results and is the final report under the 2013–16 FSDS. Last year’s report is available on the Board’s website.
Departmental performance highlights
Theme IV: Shrinking the environmental footprint, beginning with government
Under Theme IV, the Veterans Review and Appeal Board contributed to the 2013–16 FSDS through two implementation strategies for Goal 7: waste and asset management.
| FSDS goal | FSDS target | FSDS performance indicator | FSDS performance results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal 7: waste and asset management Reduce waste generated, and minimize the environmental impacts of assets throughout their life cycle. | Target 7.2: green procurement As of April 1, 2014, the Government of Canada will continue to take action to embed environmental considerations into public procurement, in accordance with the federal Policy on Green Procurement. | Departmental approach to further the implementation of the Policy on Green Procurement in place | Yes |
| Number and percentage of specialists in procurement and/or material management who have completed the Canada School of Public Service Procurement course or equivalent, in the given fiscal year. | Procurement services are provided to the Board under a Memorandum of Understanding with Veterans Affairs Canada | ||
| Number and percentage of managers and functional heads of procurement and materiel whose performance evaluation includes support and contribution toward green procurement, in the given fiscal year | Procurement services are provided to the Board under a Memorandum of Understanding with Veterans Affairs Canada | ||
Departmental performance indicators for departmental green procurement targets
|
94%
|
Implementation strategies: performance summary
- The Board receives procurement services from Veterans Affairs Canada under a Memorandum of Understanding; it does very little of its own procurement (approximately 10%).
- As a small organization that does very little of its own procurement, it is more effective for the Board to leverage the benefits of existing green procurement instruments. The Board will maximize the use of green procurement instruments provided by Public Services and Procurement Canada, such as standing offers and supply arrangements, as environmental considerations are integrated into the planning process. These common use instruments are designed to meet federal government green procurement standards.
- Where possible, the Board has put management processes in place to support the achievement of its targets to reduce the environmental impact of purchases.
Report on Strategic Environmental Assessment
During the 2016–17 reporting cycle, the Veterans Review and Appeal Board considered the environmental effects of initiatives subject to the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals, as part of its decision-making processes. As the Veterans Review and Appeal Board did not develop any initiatives that required a Strategic Environmental Assessment, no related public statements were produced.