Office of the Auditor General of Canada and the Commissioner of
the Environment and Sustainable Development. 1999 . [extract]
2.79 For the next round of strategy consultations, departments should pay particular
attention to the issues of participant feedback, interdepartmental co-ordination and
involvement of senior management.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Heritage, Canadian International Development
Agency, Human Resources Development Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Transport
Canada and Environment Canada's response:
The Commissioner's recommendations
respecting the processes used by departments in developing their first sustainable
development strategies (SDS) are sound and the chapter includes many helpful observations
and suggestions for improving consultations in the future.
It is essential that citizens, clients, stakeholders and Aboriginal peoples have real
opportunities to shape the many decisions that will impact on their health and well-being,
environment and prosperity. In this vein, departments remain committed to effective
consultation and engagement of these partners in the development of major policy
initiatives, programs and services.
Departments intend to use the lessons learned from the first round of consultations on
SDSs to improve their consultation processes when updating their SDSs. In particular,
departments will be examining, in the coming months, options available for better
co-ordinating their respective consultation efforts and will explore new and innovative
means of engaging partners through, for example, new information technology.
It is important for senior departmental managers to be informed at all stages of the
consultation process and departments are committed to senior management participation,
where appropriate, in consultations to renew their SDSs. In addition, departments concur
with the Commissioner's view that providing feedback to participants on how their comments
are taken into account in the SDS renewal process is a beneficial undertaking and will
help to strengthen relations.
Sustainable development is everyone's business. This makes it all the more important to
effectively involve citizens, clients, stakeholders and Aboriginal peoples in shaping
their future so that it is an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable one.
|
