ARCHIVED - Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development Strategy, 1997-2001
Safeguarding our Assets, Securing our Future

Moving from Concept to Action: Making the Strategy Work

A strategy is little more than words on paper until it is put into effect. Policies must translate into actions that produce concrete results. NRCan is not only committed to implementing its sustainable development strategy, but to holding itself accountable to Canadians for its actions.

We will be putting in place the following steps to ensure implementation of the actions outlined in our sustainable development strategy:

• The Assistant Deputy Minister of the Canadian Forest Service will act as a Champion of the strategy at the senior management level and will assume responsibility for its overall implementation;
• The Department will realign the goals of its business plan to match those in this strategy, ensuring sustainable development is incorporated into the on-going planning of NRCan's business;
• Senior departmental managers will be accountable to implement specific actions outlined in this strategy. Action plans will be updated annually and included in the Department's Business Plan;
• An annual report will be prepared detailing the implementation of this strategy. This report will be reviewed by the Department's Management Committee and published on NRCan's Internet site. A summary will be part of the Department's annual report on performance submitted to Parliament;
• NRCan's performance will be reviewed by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development in the Office of the Auditor General of Canada;
• The strategy will be updated in three years (by December 2000). Prior to that time, an independent advisory panel, made up of a cross-section of interested stakeholders, will be asked to review NRCan's progress in sustainable development against this strategy and to advise the Minister of Natural Resources on priorities for the year 2000 and beyond; and, finally,
• To gauge our Department's success, we will develop the means to measure and report on results (See Appendix B).

In the final analysis, government alone cannot effect the changes which will result in meaningful progress.

The successful implementation of sustainable development rests with every Canadian. Each of us must play our part - as better-informed consumers, as conscientious corporate and public policy decision makers, and as positive role models for our children and grandchildren.