Archived: Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy 2016-17, Environment and Climate Change Canada, chapter 6

Section 6: Strategic Environmental Assessment

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) ensures that it continues to comply with the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals. A departmental policy on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) establishes the core elements of a well-functioning SEA management system (e.g., clear accountabilities and procedures, updated guidance materials and a comprehensive SEA tracking system).

ECCC continues to implement its SEA policy and develop opportunities to further strengthen the strategic value of its SEA performance by ensuring that:

• high-quality SEAs are completed for policy, plan and program proposals as required by the Cabinet Directive;
• SEAs include a detailed integrated forward looking analysis of the potential environmental effects of proposals as well as potential impacts on the achievement of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) goals and targets;
• SEAs also include, as appropriate, measures to mitigate negative environmental effects and enhance positive environmental effects (including effects on the FSDS goals and targets); and
• public statements are issued when SEAs have been formally approved or announced and support the transparency objectives of the Cabinet Directive.

In addition, ECCC will provide departments and agencies upon request with expert policy, technical and scientific analysis and advice on sustainable development and the potential environmental effects of initiatives.

Public statements on the results of ECCC’s detailed assessments will be made public when an initiative is announced. 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.