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

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 2012–2013: 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. 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

Program Activity: Advisory Program on Environment and Economy Issues

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2012–13		2013–14		2014–15
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
17	3,327.7	17	3,327.7	17	3,327.7
Expected Result		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.

2.4 Planning Highlights

2.4.1 Produce Policy Advice

The Round Table’s policy research and analysis will focus on the following key initiatives in 2012-2013:

Climate Prosperity: The Economic Risks and Opportunities of Climate Change for Canada

Climate Prosperity is a multi-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.

To date, the Round Table has published the first four reports in its 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; Parallel Paths: Canada-U.S. Climate Policy Choices and Paying the Price: The Economic Impacts of Climate Change for Canada

In the coming fiscal year the Round Table plans to complete its extensive work on this initiative and issue the fifth and sixth reports in the series:

• Report 5: Facing the Elements: Building Business Resilience in a Changing Climate. This Report will explore what Canadian industry needs to do to prepare and take action to adapt to climate change impacts and how governments can help. It will help draw connections between business resilience in a changing climate and core business strategies and priorities. It will also provide advice for businesses on how to best navigate climate change risks and seize opportunities, and give advice to Canadian governments on how best to support industry engagement and action on this issue.
• Report 6: Policy Pathway Report for Global Low-Carbon Transition. Report 6 will characterize the opportunities available to Canada through early transition to a low-carbon economy in terms of both resilience (risk mitigation in the context of global de-carbonization) and domestic and international market growth in low-carbon goods and services. It will identify what the opportunities are, where they reside (sectors, regionally), and how they should be harnessed in terms of investment, governance structures and mechanisms, energy infrastructure and emissions reduction actions, trade policies, and innovation and labour market policies. It will set out a practical integrated low-carbon growth framework for Canada.

More information on the initiative can be found at http://www.nrtee-trnee.ca.

2.4.2 Government References

In March, 2011 the Round Table was asked by the government to undertake two distinct policy research projects.

In the first, a request was made to undertake a comprehensive assessment of provincial/territorial climate change plans and policies to assess their likely contribution to Canada meeting its 2020 greenhouse gas emission target, and help inform federal policy approaches. The NRTEE report will qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the provincial/territorial plans, assess their impacts on the 2020 target and their interaction with federal targets and approaches and provide advice on how greater interjurisdictional coordination can occur on this issue.

In its second reference, the government asked the Round Table to consider how the Life Cycle Approach (LCA) to sustainable development can contribute to environmental stewardship and economic competitiveness. This report will include recommendations to increase the uptake of LCA’s in the Canadian private sector and within the federal government. The recommendations will help the government assess how LCA’s could contribute to long term sustainability in Canada, determine the role of government in their implementation and evaluate in what context LCA’s could lead to clear benefits.

Both reports will be issues by the NRTEE in Spring, 2012. More information of these two references may be found at the NRTEE website at http://www.nrtee-trnee.ca.

2.4.3 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.

2.4.4 Enhance Stakeholder Convening Activities

In 2012–2013, 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 use of webinars and other forms of e-convening will be used to expand stakeholder participation while containing costs.

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. 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 considered public policy advisor, and will utilize its various members to give voice to that message.

2.4.5 Improve Strategic Communications

The NRTEE will integrate its research and convening activities in a strategic way. This will be accomplished principally through the dissemination of the Round Table’s policy reports, discussion papers, website content and media engagement. These reports are informed by meetings with, and by research derived from, leading experts and stakeholders from across the country.

The NRT Review, a new electronic bi-monthly newsletter, will be disseminated to some 4,000 legislators, officials, stakeholders, NGOs and other interested parties across Canada. Content will be developed to proactively inform target audiences on current NRTEE initiatives and upcoming events, soliciting their engagement and participation as appropriate.

In 2012-2013 the NRTEE will expand upon its preliminary successful forays into the field of social media. 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 will expand the use of its web analytical tools to better understand its website traffic and to use this information to more strategically target its constituencies and be more effective in its communications tools and efforts.

2.4.6 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.

2.4.7 Setting the Future Round Table Policy Agenda

The NRTEE’s recent policy initiatives in the areas of Climate Prosperity and Water Sustainability are wrapping up and a new, forward looking policy agenda is required. Initial scoping work on possible new directions has commenced with Round Table Members and a broader consultation with stakeholders, looking for their input and ideas, is being undertaken. This will form the basis of the NRTEE’s next policy advisory agenda commencing in Fall 2012.

2.5 Program Activity: Internal Services

Program Activity: Internal Services

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2012–13		2013–14		2014–15
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
13	1,912.7	13	1,912.7	13	1,912.7

2.6 Planning Highlights

There are no major new initiatives planned for the Internal Services Activity for 2012-13. The focus will be on consolidation and refinement of earlier information management and information technology change initiatives and ongoing improvements and upgrades to financial and human resources tools. This will continue to make the NRTEE more efficient and help cut internal operating costs, continuing recent trends of finding ways to deliver more reports and undertake more stakeholder based activities without any increased funding.

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