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

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Section 2: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

2.1 Strategic Outcome

The NRTEE has a single 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.

The NRTEE’s approach to achieving its strategic outcome is to produce, disseminate, and promote policy advice about sustainable development challenges and opportunities; to increase the understanding of decision-makers of these issues; to inform the debate on current and emerging issues; and to endeavour to ensure that NRTEE advice is considered in policy decisions.

Target for 2011–2012: NRTEE advice is considered in assessing relevant policy choices made by federal government policy makers.

Performance indicator: A key indicator of the NRTEE’s performance is the extent to which federal government policy makers consider the NRTEE’s advice in federal policy decisions and use its research results when developing policy recommendations.

2.2 Program Activities (PA)

The NRTEE has two program activities under the Main Estimates:

• Advisory Program on Environment and Economy Issues  
• Internal Services

Each will be described below in Sections 2.3 and 2.4. All the expected results from the Program Activities directly support the NRTEE’s two key priorities as well as the NRTEE’s single strategic outcome.

2.3 Program Activity: Advisory Program on Environment and Economy Issues

PA Description

Raising awareness and understanding among Canadians and their governments about the challenges of sustainable development and promoting viable solutions are vital to Canada’s environmental and economic future. Through this program, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) strives to influence policy development and decision making on select sustainable development issues pertaining to the environment and the economy. The NRTEE conducts research and analysis and produces information and advice on selected sustainable development issues. The agency promotes its findings and recommendations through a variety of communications channels such as media relations, stakeholder briefings and other events, publications, and the agency website to influence policy and decisions of policy makers in the federal government and other key sectors such as other levels of government, industry, and non-government organizations across the country.

Program Activity: Advisory Program on Environment and Economy Issues

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
17	3,333.3	17	3,333.3	17	3,333.3

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
Increased awareness and understanding	Level of awareness and understanding by federal decision-makers of NRTEE advice on selected issues	Decision-makers have high level of awareness of challenges and potential solutions proposed by the NRTEE. NRTEE is perceived as a leader, able to bring stakeholders together to discuss current and emerging issues.
Useful recommendations and advice	Usefulness of policy advice and recommendations	Informed and regular contact with government decision-makers at all appropriate levels. Detailed policy briefings provided. Policy analysis is seen as relevant, timely, and useful. High stakeholder satisfaction.
Effective communication of recommendations	Quality and reach of external communications	High visibility with stakeholders. Communications reach wide range of target audiences. Broad range of communications products, perceived to be of high quality. Periodic media coverage, generally positive.
High quality research and consultations	Effectiveness of stakeholder consultation	Frequent consultation with stakeholders at national and regional levels. Consultations confirm high-quality NRTEE research and build support for policy advice. High level of participation in NRTEE events. Events are perceived to have high added value.

Program Activity 1—Plans and Initiatives for 2011–2012 and Beyond:

2.3.1 Generate Policy Advice

The Round Table’s policy research and analysis will focus on two key initiatives:

Water Sustainability and the Future of Canada’s Natural Resource Sectors

The sustainability of Canada’s agriculture, energy, forestry, and mining sectors is heavily dependent on the continued availability of water. Rising water consumption/use and the prospects of climate change are two key drivers that may potentially affect critical watersheds across the country, as well as the economic prosperity of Canada’s important natural resource sectors.

This program seeks to evaluate the best policies, approaches and mechanisms that governments, industry, and water management authorities can use to manage water and foster both ecosystem health and the various resource sectors’ economic sustainability.

The NRTEE’s work will explore these issues through a phased approach and take a forward-looking perspective. Building on extensive consultations with industry and other stakeholders, a first report, Changing Currents, was published in June, 2010.  This report described the key water issues for those sectors and highlighted areas for recommendations and action. The NRTEE is investigating those key issues further, which will lead to the publication of a second report in 2011-12. This will focus on policy recommendations to improve water governance and management in Canada and foster long-term sector sustainability.

Specifically the Round Table will examine:

• Future water demands by natural resource sectors
• Policy instruments for water allocation
• Water use information and accounting
• Governance structures and processes including collaborative governance

For more information go to: http://www.nrtee-trnee.ca/eng/issues/programs/water/water.php 
Climate Prosperity: The Economic Risks and Opportunities of Climate Change for Canada

Climate Prosperity is a two year policy initiative focussing on two principal research streams.

• The economic implications for Canada resulting from a changing climate, how we should adapt to it and the costs associated with this.
  
  
• The economic implications for Canada resulting from the transition to a low-carbon economy, what this means for our future competitiveness, and what strategies are needed to succeed.

In 2010-11, the Round Table published its first three reports in its seven part series on Climate Prosperity;  Measuring Up: Benchmarking Canada’s Competitiveness in a  Low -Carbon World, Degrees of Change: Climate Warming and the Stakes for Canada and Parallel Paths: Canada-U.S. Climate Policy Choices.

In the coming fiscal year the Round Table plans to advance its extensive work on this initiative and the final four reports in the series:

• Report 4: Net National Costs of Climate Change. This report will provide for the first time, national economic costing of the impact of climate change on Canada, together with a detailed look at three key sectors: coastal zones, human health, and forests.
  
  
• Report 5: Policy Pathway Report for Climate Impacts and Adaptation. This advisory report will provide a range of policy pathways and actions to help Canada take advantage of its potential to adapt to a changing climate.
  
  
• Report 6: Policy Pathway Report for Global Low-Carbon Transition. This advisory report will provide policy pathways and actions necessary for Canada to thrive in a global low-carbon economy in areas such as energy, innovation, skills, investment and governance.
  
  
• Report 7: Citizen Engagement. The last report in the series will highlight input from Canadian citizens to ensure action on climate change is underpinned by a broad social consensus informed by democratic dialogue and debate.

More information on the initiative can be found at http://www.climateprosperity.ca.

2.3.2 Comply With Bill C-288

The NRTEE will comply with its annual legislated responsibilities under the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act with respect to the government’s Climate Change Plan and Statement. In order to carry out its statutory obligations, the NRTEE will undertake research, gather information, and produce a written response as required within the mandatory time frame.

2.3.3 Respond to Government References

The NRTEE recognizes the importance of responding to government "references" or requests for advice on specific issues, and will do so as required.

2.3.4 Promote Advice

Promoting the research and policy advice of the Round Table is essential to raising awareness and influencing government. The NRTEE promotes its advice through media relations, its website, direct electronic distribution to stakeholders, as well as by undertaking outreach activities, speaking engagements, and collaborative activities with non-governmental sectors, stakeholders, academia, and other organizations. Each targeted audience and activity is critical to the agency’s efforts to reinforce its acknowledged reputation as a credible and trustworthy source of research and advice.

Enhance Stakeholder Communications Activities

In 2011–2012, the NRTEE will continue its extensive briefings and stakeholder engagement on its ongoing work. These activities will be part of a targeted effort to increase the level of awareness and understanding of its recommendations and advice by federal decision makers and national and regional stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of influencing policy development on the issues addressed. The meetings provide a forum to present the NRTEE’s advice and also to hear from stakeholders. This exchange of ideas is important for ensuring that the advice is useful and relevant; it also assists in framing future possible work on specific issues.

The agency will continue its efforts to improve the reach of its advice and influence through increased contacts with government, the media, NGOs, stakeholders, and others. Recent efforts to improve linkages and coordination within the portfolio will continue. By increasing its visibility, the NRTEE plans to raise its profile with the public and, in turn, strengthen its influence with various levels of government. The NRTEE will reinforce its efforts to more broadly communicate its role as a public policy advisor, and will utilize its various members to give voice to that message.

Improve Strategic Communications

During 2010-2011 an in-depth examination of the ‘NRTEE Brand’ was conducted. The results confirmed the Round Table’s position as a trusted, credible, balanced source of high quality research with a unique capacity to convene disparate parties on difficult issues in a safe neutral environment. The NRTEE will use and leverage this perception to guide and reinforce its strategic communication efforts going forward. This will be accomplished principally through the dissemination of the Round Table’s policy reports. These reports are informed by meetings with, and by research derived from, leading experts and stakeholders from across the country.

In 2011-2012 the NRTEE will explore, and implement where feasible, a social media marketing strategy. This has the potential to encourage citizen and stakeholder engagement and participation on new levels, helping to drive the national conversation on sustainable development issues. The effective use of social media tools will enhance the Round Table’s reputation as a credible and reliable research body and help further establish it as a leader in national thinking on these issues. It will also establish a more engaged and inter-active stakeholder community.

The NRTEE’s recent efforts to improve its website and increase its use utilization of digital media to disseminate its reports have proven very successful. Website visits have more than doubled from the prior year and Round Table reports are being downloaded from the website in unprecedented numbers.. What is not currently well understood are details on the composition of website visitors. The NRTEE plans to invest in web analytical tools to better understand its website traffic and to use this information to better and more strategically target its constituencies and be more effective in its communications.

The recent branding exercise and strategic communications assessment confirmed that the NRTEE’s core communication messages remain essentially valid. Key communications messages for 2011-2012 are as follows:

• A leading national public policy organization that offers critical advice on how best to integrate environmental and economic concerns as part of sustainable development.
• A credible and trustworthy source of policy guidance, thanks to its original research and reliance on input from experts and interests.
• A trusted, neutral space to discuss issues and solutions affecting sustainable development.
• A catalyst for needed public policy ideas in sustainable development.

2.4 Program Activity: Internal Services

Program Activity: Internal Services

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
13	1,915.9	13	1,915.9	13	1,915.9

Program Activity 2—Plans and Initiatives for 2011–2012 and Beyond:

There are no major planned initiatives planned for the Internal Services Activity for 2011-12. After several years of significant undertakings, the focus will be on consolidation and refinement of earlier information management and information technology change initiatives.

2.5 Performance Measurement in 2011–2012

The NRTEE’s Performance Measurement Framework and the Management Resources and Results Structure are used as the basis for identifying the expected results and indicators.
Key data sources for populating the framework are as follows:

• Feedback from federal decision-makers and national stakeholders.
  
  
• Feedback provided by participants after NRTEE consultation sessions.
  
  
• Operational data related to communications and overall management of the NRTEE.
  
  
• Website traffic and analytics.

The NRTEE plans to monitor the usefulness and relevance of the various elements of the framework and to make adjustments as required to ensure their ongoing value to management for planning and decision making.

2.6 Benefits for Canadians

The NRTEE benefits Canadians by addressing an issue of critical importance to Canada’s long-term prosperity and quality of life, namely sustainable development. The agency provides forward recommendations to decision-makers with the ultimate goal of influencing policy on issues at the nexus of the environment and the economy. These recommendations, are consistent with Canada’s national interest and the government’s objective of building a globally competitive, sustainable, technologically innovative economy.

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