NRTEE - 2004-2005 Estimates: Part III - Report on Plans and Priorities

SECTION 4: PLANS AND PRIORITIES BY STRATEGIC OUTCOME

4.1 Strategic Outcome

Decisions throughout Canadian society manifest balanced concern for the environment and the economy. Total planned spending ($ thousands): 5,077

The NRTEE is one of many contributors to policy and decision making in Canada at this level. Consequently, we have decided that it is more feasible and manageable to demonstrate success through the achievement of three intermediate outcomes:

• Federal policy development on environment and economy issues is influenced by advice from the NRTEE;
• Federal clients and national stakeholders are aware of and understand the problems, opportunities and practical solutions identified and examined by the NRTEE; and
• Decisions in other key sectors are informed and influenced by the NRTEE.

The NRTEE’s priorities for this period primarily support the first and second intermediate outcomes; however, the agency’s planned activities will also contribute to the third intermediate outcome.

4.2 Summary

Table 1 – Strategic Outcome, Priorities, Associated Resources and Type

Strategic Outcome	Priorities	Associated Resources ($ thousands)	Type
Decisions throughout Canadian society manifest balanced concern for environment and economy.	1. Advise federal decision makers on key environment and economy issues.	3,554	Ongoing
	2. Raise awareness and understanding of problems, opportunities and practical solutions.	1,523	Ongoing
Total planned spending:		5,077

The plans and priorities for fiscal year 2004–2005 reflect two areas of effort that are ongoing and strategic to achieving the NRTEE’s planned outcomes (results). First, the NRTEE seeks to influence decisions at the national level. In particular, it focuses on advising federal clients, because many of its recommendations relate to this sector. Second, the agency has also made improving awareness and understanding a priority, because of the importance of these factors in preparing the ground for informed public debate and the eventual adoption of recommendations.

The next section discusses these two priorities, plans to address them, planned outcomes and how they will be monitored. This section also reviews the NRTEE’s current efforts under modern management.

4.3 Detailed Priorities for 2004–2005

4.3.1 Advise federal decision makers on key environment and economy issues.

The availability of reliable and necessary information is central to good policy and decision making. When the issues lie at the intersection of the environment and the economy, this is a particular challenge, because the information often does not exist. By providing new analysis and recommendations endorsed by stakeholders, the NRTEE supports the decision-making process in government. The new information also supports the work of stakeholders in other sectors of Canada’s economy.

Plans

With respect to its priority to advise federal decision makers, the NRTEE plans to:

• produce analysis and recommendations in five issue areas;
• convene and consult national stakeholders with regard to those five areas; and
• brief senior officials, ministers and parliamentarians on findings in each area.

Produce analysis and recommendations in five issue areas

The NRTEE’s programs often deal with issue areas of emerging importance, where there are significant gaps in existing information and analysis. Consequently, the agency commissions independent research and analysis for each new issue area, which then form the basis for discussion and debate in a multistakeholder consultative process. The work in each program area is eventually consolidated into a State of the Debate report, which reflects the new information, insights and recommendations derived during the research and consultative phases. During the next two years, the NRTEE will produce analysis and recommendations in the following four issue areas:

• Conserving Canada’s Natural Capital: The Boreal Forest
Canada’s boreal forest is considered one of the few remaining areas in Canada where it is still possible to secure our natural capital. A globally significant and largely intact ecosystem, the boreal forest is subject to rapidly mounting pressure as provinces permit development in areas that are as yet untouched and as industrial development moves northward. The challenge is to find a balance between conservation and resource development. The NRTEE will recommend ways in which natural capital in the boreal forest can be enhanced through regulatory and fiscal policy reform.

• Ecological Fiscal Reform (EFR) and Energy
An ongoing and important area of NRTEE research is the use of economic instruments to achieve both environmental and economic objectives. The EFR program is currently focusing on energy issues. In particular, it is exploring ways in which fiscal policy can be used to promote the decarbonization of Canadian energy systems, while maintaining and supporting options and opportunities for existing energy sources and uses. This issue, which is of strategic importance to Canada, relates directly to the government’s priority of addressing climate change and clean air, along with the economic opportunities afforded by new energy technologies. Areas being addressed are energy efficiency, hydrogen-based energy and renewable energy.

• Capital Markets
Corporate practices and investment decisions can have both positive and negative impacts on the environment. Decisions made within Canada’s capital markets are a tremendous—and as yet largely unexplored—point of leverage for influencing the state of our environment. The NRTEE is currently developing new information, insights and recommendations on how Canadian capital markets could better support and stimulate environmentally responsible activities.

• Energy and Climate Change
On August 12, 2003, the Prime Minister asked the NRTEE to “study and inform Canadians on the potential for future emissions reductions.” He stipulated that this work should enrich future energy and climate change strategies and help enhance competitiveness. It should be carried out by examining, among other things, how G8 nations are approaching long-term energy and climate change strategies. The NRTEE is now in the early stages of responding to this request. It is negotiating with the Privy Council Office, Natural Resources Canada and Environment Canada to specify the parameters and timelines of this initiative.

The NRTEE will also work on a fifth issue area, an annual endeavour known as Green Budget Reform.

• Green Budget Reform
By incorporating significant environmental initiatives in its annual budget, the federal government can start to develop a balanced, integrated and sustainable legacy of economic, community and ecological well-being. The result of intensive analysis and stakeholder consultations, the Greening of the Budget submission is presented to the Minister of Finance and House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance each year.

Convene and consult national stakeholders

A fundamental and distinctive feature of the NRTEE’s work is its reliance on the views of national stakeholders. The agency draws on the knowledge of stakeholders through program task forces, broader consultative workshops and quarterly meetings of its own membership. The results of this process form the basis of the NRTEE’s advice to its federal clients.

Program task forces: The NRTEE establishes separate multistakeholder task forces for each issue area examined. A task force is made up of approximately 15 to 20 decision makers, opinion leaders and representatives of the sectors and regions of the country affected by an issue area. In the neutral environment provided by the NRTEE process, task forces guide and examine commissioned research and analysis, debate opposing views and develop widely endorsed recommendations and solutions. They also identify areas and sources of disagreement and their implications for public policy.

Consultative workshops: To support the work of the program task forces, the NRTEE holds consultative workshops attended by a wider range of stakeholders. These consultations provide broad-based and valuable feedback on issues, ideas and approaches under consideration by each program task force.

Membership meetings: Quarterly plenary meetings of NRTEE members, who themselves are key stakeholders from across Canada, provide a forum for discussing issues being examined by the various NRTEE task forces.

Brief senior government officials, ministers and parliamentarians

When a program concludes, the NRTEE distributes State of the Debate reports to policy makers at all levels within government. Importantly, it also provides end-of-project briefings for senior government officials, since this is a highly effective way of reaching key decision makers in the federal government. Briefings are tailored to individual portfolios of responsibility and emphasize the specific information and analysis that deputies, ministers and parliamentarians should consider in policy decisions. In this planning period, the NRTEE will provide briefings on current as well as recently completed NRTEE programs. The Minister of Finance and House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance will also receive our annual Greening of the Budget submission.

Planned results and monitoring for this priority

• A significant body of new knowledge and advice has been validated through national multistakeholder processes in the five areas described above (conserving Canada’s natural capital in the boreal forest; ecological fiscal reform and energy; capital markets; long-term energy planning for Canada; and green budget reform).
• Senior decision makers in the federal system have been briefed on these areas of critical importance to Canadians.

Collectively, these results will contribute to the agency’s first intermediate outcome:

• Federal policy development on environment and economy issues is influenced by advice from the NRTEE.

The agency has a performance measurement strategy in place to (1) monitor the quality of advice provided and (2) ensure that parliamentarians and key government officials are targeted for briefings. Success in achieving the above intermediate outcome will also be indicated when federal decision makers:

• find that the NRTEE’s information helps them understand issues and potential solutions;
• consider the NRTEE’s analysis and recommendations in developing new policy or programs;
• indicate changes in thinking or action on issues; or
• request examination of other issues.

4.3.2 Raise awareness and understanding of problems, opportunities and practical solutions.

The NRTEE notes a general lack of awareness and understanding of the links between the environment and the economy. Accordingly, one of its priorities is to raise awareness and understanding in this area.

Recognizing the importance of this priority, the NRTEE is allocating a greater proportion of its budget to communications in this planning period. Communications efforts will focus on opinion leaders and key decision makers in Canadian society generally (not just decision makers in government), because their support is crucial for the successful adoption of recommendations. In the longer term, encouraging a broader understanding of the issues prepares the ground for complex societal debates on environmental and economic challenges.

The NRTEE’s appropriation precludes mounting a campaign to educate all Canadians on the issues. However, the agency does reach a wider audience through the media, public events and its highly successful Web site, which provides access to all the NRTEE’s published materials and descriptions of its program activities.

This priority is also reflected in an increased effort to deliver regional information sessions. Such sessions enable the agency to reach a broader community of stakeholders while taking into account differing regional sensitivities and contexts across the country. As well, these sessions help to develop the necessary regional constituencies of understanding and support around key issues examined by the NRTEE. Based on the success of regional sessions on urban issues, the NRTEE plans to use this approach with selected programs as they reach completion in this planning period.

The NRTEE will also continue to raise awareness and understanding through other means. These include distributing reports, newsletters and electronic briefings to decision makers and opinion leaders across Canada, carrying out speaking engagements and hosting national events on key issues. The agency will also continue to provide media interviews and produce opinion/editorials for publication in major newspapers, thus leveraging the media to reach and inform Canadians across the nation.

Planned results and monitoring for this priority

• Regional and national information sessions are held and speeches are delivered.
• E-briefs and quarterly newsletters are distributed.
• Media briefings are held and materials distributed.
• Original research, analysis and reports are available on the NRTEE’s Web site.

Collectively, these results will contribute to the agency’s second intermediate outcome:

• Federal clients and national stakeholders are aware of and understand the problems, opportunities and practical solutions identified and examined by the NRTEE.

The agency monitors its communications activities to ensure new knowledge reaches targeted leaders. Achievement of this intermediate outcome will also be indicated when national stakeholders:

• indicate an increase in their awareness and understanding of the issues; and
• indicate that new knowledge will assist them in raising awareness and understanding in their communities and constituencies.

4.4 Modern Management

The NRTEE strives for excellence in its management practices. In this planning period, the agency will strengthen seven elements of management accountability:

• Performance measurement: Continue to lead a joint performance measurement project, involving the Canadian Transportation Agency and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, that will result in tools and lessons to assist the community of small federal agencies and departments. This work will culminate in a workshop for 65 small agencies in 2004.
  
• Evaluation: Complete an evaluation framework and pilot an element of evaluation each year in this period. It is expected that the NRTEE will play a leadership role in addressing the challenge of evaluation in the small agency community.
  
• Integrated risk management: Finalize a corporate risk management profile and management strategy in the first year of this period.
  
• Values and ethics: Produce a formal statement and guidelines for the benefit of staff and members in the first year of this period.
  
• Costing system: Restructure the activity-based costing system to provide information on intermediate outcomes in support of performance reporting in the first year of this period.
  
• Information management: Develop and implement an electronic records and information management system in the first year of this period, including a staff training program, in response to the Government of Canada’s Framework for the Management of Information; and
  
• PAA and EMIS: Comply with Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) in its new approach to expenditure management, through the Program Activity Architecture (PAA) and the Expenditure Management Information System (EMIS).
  

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