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Contributions in Line with Our Resources

Sustainable Development Strategy 2007–2010

BY Paul Provost, M.Sc., National Coordinator, Environmental Protection Programs

Photo: Bill Rankin

Pushkar Godbole, Acting Director General, Technical Services; Ruth Rathwell, Officer, Environmental Programs; Paul Provost, National Coordinator, Environment Protection Programs; and Lucien Gosselin, Manager, Environmental Programs, have coordinated the development of the SDS in close consultation with all regions. Absent from the photo: Jocelyne Landriault, Environmental Programs Officer.

On March 1, 2007, the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety Canada, tabled to Parliament the Correctional Service of Canada’s (CSC) fourth Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS).The strategy set out CSC’s environmental commitments for April 2007 to March 2010, building on the 1997, 2000 and 2003 SDSs. With the experience gained throughout the last decade, we produced an SDS that seeks a balance between the sustainable development goals we wish to reach and the targets we can reasonably achieve. Our task is proving to be rather challenging because federal departments required to submit SDSs can be audited by the Office of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development on their success in meeting recommended targets. Considering that the list of requirements keeps growing while dedicated resources remain limited, we needed to adjust our expectations to bring them in line with our resources.

Nature of the Contributions

Although environmental issues have remained relatively unchanged since our first SDS, this time we focused more rigorously toward our forthcoming environmental contributions. On these grounds, we encourage you to consult our 2007–2010 SDS which includes a four-level logic model based on a hierarchical structure of goals, objectives, commitments and targets.

To achieve the strategic outcome to “contribute to a just, peaceful and safe Canadian society, respectful of natural resources and ecological capacities,” the new strategy renews our commitments to the following aspects:

1. reduction of greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change
2. protection of the atmosphere
3. conservation of air quality in the lower atmosphere
4. protection of the hydrosphere
5. support for sustainable communities
6. sustainable use of natural resources
7. strengthened governance and decisions that support sustainable development.

CSC has made a commitment to pursue diligently, until 2010, fourteen specific, measurable, attainable targets that are realistically achievable in a timely manner.

Scope of Commitments

Some will think that the scope of commitments in the new SDS is too modest since the targets—although more numerous than in the 2000 and 2003 SDSs— may appear to make an insignificant contribution to sustainable development. However, we must look beneath the surface and consider long-term gains. Except for the SDS 2003, previous strategies failed to achieve most of the expected targets, primarily because we did not have the resources to improve and accurately assess our performance in certain areas. This time we have tried to reap maximum benefit from those lessons learned by making specific commitments that are in line with the resources currently available to us. Aspiring to do more for the environment and sustainable development is definitely a laudable goal, and we should pursue it tirelessly. However, if we keep repeating the same mistakes we will end up losing the credibility that is crucial to the progress of any undertaking. In short, sometimes it is better to backtrack somewhat so we can review and strengthen our foundations, rather than to keep working on unsettled ground.

Priority Action

Both financial and human resources allocated to environmental programs and sustainable development have remained relatively unchanged since 1997, while environmental demands have continued to grow. To reduce this gap, we must focus on wisely allocating resources, especially at the institution level. This approach is vital to keeping environmental protection a priority and will result in concrete actions leading to significant outcomes. In brief, we are counting on the  2007–2010 SDS to exceed all our past commitments!

For more information about CSC’s Sustainable Development Strategy 2007–2010, please go to http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/publictitle-eng.shtml ♦