ARCHIVED - National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy - Report

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Message from the President and CEO

Much has been achieved in 2010—2011, beginning with the May 2010 release of the first report under the Climate Prosperity series of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE or Round Table). Measuring Up: Benchmarking Canada's Competitiveness in a Low-Carbon World, assessed Canada's low-carbon competitiveness against other G8 nations in areas such as emissions and energy, skills, investment, innovation, and governance.

The second report released later in the winter, Degrees of Change: Climate Warming and the Stakes for Canada, featured a unique illustration of how climate change could impact Canada over the 21st century if global warming trends continue and summarized what we can expect from climate change across eight major categories of impacts.

The NRTEE launched a special collaborative initiative with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society to present the original Degrees of Change diagram in the October editions of the Canadian Geographic and Géographica magazines. Numerous resources in support of this initiative were developed, including interactive websites, the Canadian Atlas Online, regional dialogues, and lesson plans on climate change destined for hundreds of thousands of young Canadian students.

Parallel Paths: Canada-U.S. Climate Policy Choices is the third report of the Climate Prosperity series released this year. The report offered new analysis, insight, and advice on the implications of harmonizing climate policies in Canada with those of the United States and showed how Canada could progress even if the U.S. delayed action.

Throughout 2010–2011, the Round Table also continued to focus on its other major policy research program, Water Sustainability and the Future of Canada's Natural Resource Sectors. Building on extensive consultations with industry and other stakeholders, a first report, Changing Currents, was released in June 2010, and described the key water issues for those sectors and highlighted areas for recommendations and action.

The NRTEE also fulfilled its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act, undertaking a review and assessment of the government's 2010 KPIA Action Plan. The report represents the fourth response of the Round Table under the KPIA.

In addition to our research efforts, the NRTEE was more engaged in convening activities than ever before in 2010-2011, either by hosting or participating in over 60 stakeholder sessions and speaking engagements throughout Canada and abroad. We specifically used our convening authority to bring together business, governments and experts to further a dialogue on the sustainable development of the oil sands.

Since 1988, the NRTEE has developed expertise that positions us well to provide a unique and substantial contribution to Canada's economic prosperity through sustainable development. We look forward to continuing to provide the Government of Canada, Parliament, and Canadians with useful, timely, and relevant policy advice throughout 2011–2012.

David McLaughlin
NRTEE President and Chief Executive Officer

Section I: Organizational Overview

Raison d'être and Responsibilities

The raison d'être, or purpose, of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE or Round Table) is to play the role of catalyst in identifying, explaining, and promoting, in all sectors of Canadian society and in all regions of Canada, principles and practices of sustainable development.

The NRTEE interprets this broad mandate through a strategic focus on issues of national interest at the intersection of the environment and the economy. It examines the environmental and economic implications of priority issues and offers independent advice on how to address them.

Through its work, the NRTEE strives to influence policy development and decisions on issues pertaining to the environment and the economy. These promote economic prosperity for all Canadians while striving to preserve the environment for current and future generations.

Legislative Purpose

Legislative Purpose undertaking research and gathering information and analyses on critical issues of sustainable development; advising governments on ways of integrating environmental and economic considerations into their decision-making processes and on global issues of sustainable development; advising those sectors and regions on ways of incorporating principles and practices of sustainable development into their activities; promoting the understanding and increasing public awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and policy changes required to attain sustainable development; and facilitating and assisting cooperative efforts in Canada to overcome barriers to the attainment of sustainable development. National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy Act, Section 4

Created in 1988 by the Prime Minister, the NRTEE is an independent national advisory body reporting to the federal government and Parliament through the Minister of the Environment (see Figure 1 for the agency's internal organization and relationship to the federal government). The Round Table had its status formalized in a 1993 Act of Parliament, Bill C-72, An Act to establish the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE Act).

The NRTEE is a departmental corporation (Financial Administration Act, Schedule II).

Drawing on their expertise and insight, the Round Table members direct the work of the NRTEE. The members are part-time Governor-in-Council appointees. They represent different regions of Canada and are distinguished leaders from business, labour, universities, public service, and environmental organizations. A complete list of the NRTEE's members can be found in section 4.

The Round Table normally meets four times each year in plenary sessions where members discuss priorities and review and approve the work of the Secretariat. A Secretariat in Ottawa, headed by a President and CEO, supports the members. In this context, the Secretariat provides program management, policy and research analysis, communications, and administrative services to the NRTEE members.

General information about the NRTEE and its membership can be found on the agency's website at www.nrtee-trnee.ca

Figure 1: NRTEE internal organization and relationship to the federal government

[D]

Strategic Outcome(s) and Program Activity Architecture (PAA)

As approved by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in June 2007, the NRTEE has a single Strategic Outcome and a key program activity, which the NRTEE strives to achieve in the effective pursuit of its mandate. It is as follows:

Federal policy development

Federal policy development and decisions in other key sectors are influenced by advice on sustainable development issues pertaining to the environment and the economy.

In addition, the NRTEE has the standard Government of Canada Internal Services program activity.

Figure 2 illustrates the NRTEE's framework for its program activity, contributing toward the Agency's single Strategic Outcome.

Figure 2: NRTEE Program Activity Architecture (PAA)

[D]

Organizational Priorities

Two overarching ongoing priorities were identified in the 2010–11 RPP, each with specific underlying initiatives.

Priority	Type	Strategic Outcome
Produce and promote advice to decision makers on environment and economy issues.	Ongoing	Federal policy development and decisions in other key sectors are influenced by advice on sustainable development issues pertaining to the environment and the economy.
Status: Mostly Met
All identified initiatives were successfully completed with one minor exception. The planned institution of a policy brief program has been deferred to the following fiscal year, to be implemented as part of a broader strategic communications strategy. Advice was provided to government through the first three reports under the Climate Prosperity research series, with positive reception from the stakeholder community. The first report under the other major research program, Water Sustainability and the Future of Canada's Natural Resource Sectors, was released early in the fiscal year. A unique collaborative initiative was entered into with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, which greatly expanded the reach and influence of the Round Table's messages on climate change impacts. This experience demonstrated the need for similar co-operative ventures to leverage limited resources and extend the reach of the Round Table. Communication efforts, including media relations' initiatives, consultation, and convening activities resulted in positive media coverage and an informed, supportive stakeholder community.

Communication efforts

Priority	Type	Strategic Outcome
Apply sound management practices	Ongoing
Status: Met all
Both identified management initiatives priorities were successfully implemented during 2010–11.

Risk Analysis

Context

The NRTEE strives to influence the government's approach to important sustainable development issues. To accomplish this, the NRTEE must produce and promote relevant, neutral, and credible advice in a timely manner. Its ability to do so is affected by both external and internal factors.

Changes in our operating environment have been, and will continue to be, a challenge for a small agency such as the NRTEE. We expect to experience continuing pressures to adapt and respond over the next few years. Key risk factors are discussed below.

Risk Factors and Challenges

• A key indicator of the NRTEE's performance is its ability to influence government policy development. In Canada, particularly for the issues typically examined by the NRTEE, federal policy is not developed in isolation. It is affected by the government's relationships with other Canadian and international jurisdictions and by a range of other factors over which the NRTEE has no control, creating a complex decision-making environment.
• The ability to influence government is a difficult performance indicator to measure, a fact substantiated by feedback from both internal and external stakeholders. In addition to the challenge described above, the NRTEE's influence on government decisions may translate into action only years after NRTEE's reports and recommendations are published. Therefore, the causal effect may not always be clear.
• The timing of the appointment of new members to the Round Table has, in the past, posed challenges for the NRTEE in terms of ensuring continuity for its work. Ensuring balanced representation of members is an ongoing goal. The NRTEE mitigates risk in this regard by broadly consulting with stakeholders to ensure that its work reflects representation from all sectors and regions of the country.
• The members' expertise and insight is critical to directing the NRTEE's research and analysis. Because of the inherent risk in having insufficient members and representation of interests, experience, and regional diversity, it is important that appointments occur in a timely manner.
• One of the NRTEE's unique strengths is its ability to convene disparate groups on difficult issues. This ability stems from it being viewed as a trusted, neutral, and credible organization. As a result there is an implicit reputational risk in everything the NRTEE does. It must carefully guard its position as independent and balanced for it to function successfully within its stakeholder community.

Summary of Performance

Financial Resources Summary ($ thousands)

Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
5,243.3	5,491.8	5,152.1

 

Human Resources Summary (FTEs)

Planned	Actual	Difference
31	31	0

Strategic Outcome: Federal policy development and decisions in other key sectors are influenced by advice on sustainable development issues pertaining to the environment and the economy.

Performance Indicator	Targets	2010-11 Performance
Extent to which NRTEE advice is considered in policy decisions by federal decision makers	NRTEE advice is partly responsible for a number of policy decisions and is often considered in assessing relevant policy choices by federal government policy makers	While priorities established in the 2010–11 RPP were substantially met and stakeholder feedback supports the relevance and usefulness of the NRTEE's work, clear attribution of outputs and results to the achievement of the defined targets and the strategic outcome remains a distinct challenge for the Round Table, as it is for all policy advisory bodies.

Program Activity

Program Activity	2009–10 Actual Spending ($ thousands)	2010–11 ($ thousands)				Alignment to Government of Canada Outcome
		Main Estimates	Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
Advisory program on environment and economy issues	2,971.5	3,329.1	3,329.1	3,476.3	3,362.4	Strong Economic Growth
Internal Services	1,949.0	1,914.2	1,914.2	2,015.5	1,789.7
Total	4,920.5	5,243.3	5,243.3	5,491.8	5,152.1

Expenditure Profile

In 2010–2011, the Round Table's spending was $5.15 million. In this period, there were no transfer payment programs or significant shifts in spending. The resource base and associated spending patterns have been very stable for a number of years, with only minor inconsequential variances.

Estimates by Vote

For information on our organizational Votes and/or statutory expenditures, please see the 2010–11 Public Accounts of Canada (Volume II) publication. An electronic version of the Public Accounts is available on the Public Works and Government Services Canada website.

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