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Section 5 – Performance Discussion – NRTEE – DPR – 2003-2004

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Section 5: Performance Discussion

Figure 5.1 illustrates the linkages between the NRTEE’s outcomes, priority and resources. An in-depth discussion of performance follows. Please note that this reporting structure differs significantly from the Report on Plans and Priorities 2003–04. An explanation for these changes and a crosswalk can be found in Annex 4.

Figure 5.1: High-level logic model

STRATEGIC OUTCOME: Federal policy development on environment and economy issues, as well as decisions in other key sectors, are influenced by NRTEE advice

When decisions affecting both the environment and the economy are based on careful analysis and advice, such as that provided by the NRTEE, all Canadians benefit. Personal health and well-being, which rely on clean air, soil and water, are of central importance to Canadians, who also want the prosperity that a healthy economy provides. The NRTEE helps decision makers to integrate these vital considerations. Planned spending: $5.0 million Actual spending: $4.9 million FTEs: 27

INDIRECT OUTCOME: New working partnerships are formed between industry, government, non-governmental organizations and other major societal actors

The NRTEE’s multistakeholder programs prepare the ground for further debate on contentious issues. They do this by facilitating the development of partnerships across sectors and regions of the country—partnerships that are crucial to breaking down the barriers to sustainable development in Canada. As this outcome is a by-product of spending on the strategic outcome, there are no specific funds allocated at this level.

IMMEDIATE OUTCOME: Federal clients and national stakeholders are aware of and understand the problems, opportunities and practical solutions identified and examined by the NRTEE

In order to make balanced decisions, decision makers require a clear understanding of the views of key stakeholders, main areas of convergence and debate, and the range of potential solutions. By involving decision makers in NRTEE task forces and consultations, and by extensive promotion of the resulting information, the agency expects to see an increase in understanding. This outcome is a direct precursor to achieving the strategic outcome. As such, spending and FTEs are reflected only at the strategic outcome level.

PLANS AND PRIORITY at the ACTIVITY LEVEL

The NRTEE has one activity, providing advice on the environment and economy. This activity is therefore our priority. Much of the NRTEE’s planning takes place at the level of two sub-activities: Producing advice (commissioning research, convening stakeholders). This year, the NRTEE produced major reports on urban sustainability, the use of environment and sustainable development indicators, and conserving nature. Details of this and other work follow in the discussion. Promoting advice (advising federal clients, promoting advice to other stakeholders). This year, the NRTEE promoted its major reports to a range of target audiences, using various means including a cross-country urban tour. Details of these efforts are discussed below. Spending on this single activity equals spending on the strategic outcome and, as such, is reflected only at that level. (Beginning with DPR 2004–05, the agency will be able to report spending in the two sub-activity areas.)

A new performance measurement system and evaluation function within the NRTEE

This reporting year, the NRTEE has a stronger basis for describing its performance than in previous years. The implementation of its new performance measurement system provides quantitative and qualitative insights into activities, outputs and the extent to which the agency has increased awareness and understanding—its immediate outcome. The agencyapplied this new system to its cross-countryurban tour and used it to guide the planning ofnew programs. As a result, performance information willbe available as new programs go forward.

Thisyear, the NRTEE also introduced an evaluation function,using a case study approach to evaluate recently concludedprograms. For example, it commissioned four independentevaluation pilots that focused on higher-level results,including its influence on policy development and decisionsin other sectors. The agency plans to evaluate one ormore programs each year. It is anticipated that, througha five-year synthesis process, the combination of thesedistinct evaluations, together with ongoing performance measurement, will provide a relatively complete picture of the NRTEE’s performance story. More information about the NRTEE’s approach to performance measurement and evaluation are available in its Results-based Management and Accountability Framework.

A discussion of the agency’s performance follows, including a description of progress toward achieving its outcomes and priority, as well as its status with regard to government-wide initiatives.

Influencing federal policy development on environment and economy issues, as well as decisions in other key sectors:

Our strategic outcome

When decisions affecting both the environment and the economy are based on careful analysis and advice, such as that provided by the NRTEE, all Canadians benefit. Personal health and well-being, which rely on clean air, soil and water, are of central importance to Canadians, who also want the prosperity that a healthy economy provides.

The NRTEE helps decision makers to integrate these vital considerations.

Four recent evaluations of our work have shed light on this contribution, confirming that our work is relevant and highly regarded by federal officials, leaders of civil society and the private sector. Despite this, our influence on federal policy has been moderate. We learned that federal executives expect us to provide a broader context for sustainable development advice and that we could improve our overall effectiveness in several ways.

 

The NRTEE’s work is consistently viewed as an important source of policy advice by executive- and program-level federal officials. The majority of those interviewed felt that the NRTEE has the potential to add “very significant” or “significant” value on issues of national importance. Federal officials identified no other single organization as being better placed to address national-level issues such as environment and sustainable development indicators, redevelopment and sustainability.

Literature reviews confirm that the agency’s work in areas such as brownfields, nature conservation, sustainability, fiscal reform and indicators is widely cited by key departments. A six-month analysis of the NRTEE’s website during the last year showed that federal officials are the largest single group of visitors to the website, making frequent and repeated visits to browse or download documents including the popular State of the Debate reports.

 

A final indicator that the federal government values the NRTEE’s advice is the extent to which it asks the agency to conduct additional work in specific policy areas. In past years, the agency has responded to requests to broaden the awareness and understanding of domestic emissions trading among Canada’s opinion leaders and to develop a set of national indicators relating to the environment and sustainable development. In August 2003, the Prime Minister asked the NRTEE to “study and inform Canadians on the potential for future emissions reductions.” The NRTEE is now responding to this most recent request.

Some specific examples of influence on federal policy this year are set out below:

• The Environmental Quality in Canadian Cities report was released less than a year ago, yet federal officials stated that it had already provided important input to federal policy and at least one recommendation has been announced for adoption.
• With respect to the development of a national set of indicators,officials reported that the NRTEE’s Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators Initiative had accelerated consideration of the use of indicators in the definition of national accounts.
• The NRTEE’s indicators are starting to be integrated into government reporting, such as Canada’s Performance 2003, the President of the TreasuryBoard’s annual report to Parliament.

 

The NRTEE indicators were mentioned in two key federal agenda documents, the 2004 Speech from the Throne and Budget 2004, which announced $15 million to build on the initiative.

Performance indicator: Decision makers in other levels of government and the private sector regard the NRTEE as an important source of advice

Because much of the NRTEE’s advice focuses on the federal government’s policy role, its influence on other levels of government and sectors is smaller. Although three evaluations included representatives of non-federal sectors, there is not sufficient evidence from which to draw broad conclusions at this time. However, a small set of findings suggest that the agency is having an impact outside the federal government:

 

• Significant attention is being paid to the  Environmental Quality in Canadian Cities report (the “urban” report) at the municipal level, with some municipal councils officially endorsing the report (City of Toronto and the Greater Vancouver Regional District)and disseminating it to a wider network of contacts to increase awareness.

 

• Think tanks and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are using the urban report to advocate to government policy makers at several levels. At least one think tank is also using the report to inform provincial decision makers on recommended policy directions in Ontario.

• Although influence at the provincial level has been varied, one province indicated that it was already using the urban report to guide its decision making. Provincial jurisdictions can be sensitive to national-level studies or policy recommendations pertaining to urban issues. However, the evaluation revealed that this concern did not arise with respect to the NRTEE report. This is an important positive finding.

• The NRTEE’s Domestic Emissions Trading Initiative is generally recognized as making an important contribution to understanding about the subject among non-expert opinion leaders and decision makers

• National stakeholders reported that the Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators Initiative had made a contribution to the development of indicators at all levels of government.

More information on the value of the NRTEE’s advice is presented in the discussion of our priority, below.

NRTEE’s influence: What can we do better?

Senior federal officials who were interviewed confirmed that the NRTEE’s advice is widely respected for its credibility, neutrality and relevance to important national issues. However, these officials also suggested that the NRTEE’s influence on federal policy should be greater, concluding that it should seek to integrate itself as a key, if not leading, player in sustainable development within the federal system. This enhanced role would likely include the provision of high-level, strategic advice to the government on sustainable development.

Reaching this objective would require significant changes to the way the NRTEE currently approaches its work. The agency is considering the implications of such a move as part of its current strategic planning efforts.

New working partnerships are formed between industry, government, NGOs and other major societal actors:

A valuable indirect outcome

New partnerships that form to continue dialogue and maintain momentum on sustainable development issues are an important side benefit of NRTEE processes.

The NRTEE’s multistakeholder programs prepare the ground for further debate on contentious issues. They do this by facilitating the development of partnerships across sectors and regions of the country—partnerships that are crucial to breaking down the barriers to sustainable development in Canada.

Stakeholders and officials involved in the NRTEE’s Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators Initiative reported that its contribution to work in other levels of government owes much to the agency’s ability to work with multiple levels of government, regions and sectors in developing the indicators. The program provided an opportunity for participants to meet face to face, many for the first time, and to identify opportunities for further collaboration.

In a similar vein, the agency’s work on brownfield redevelopment resulted in the creation of the Canadian  Brownfields Network to assist in implementing the NRTEE’s recommendations and act as a continuing liaison between government, stakeholders and practitioners (see sidebar).

The Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN) tries to accelerate brownfield redevelopment and promote effective urban revitalization. Building on the work of the NRTEE, the CBN provides its members, both brownfield practitioners and stakeholders, with a continuing opportunity to interact, exchange successful case studies and actively identify new mechanisms that will improve a community's environmental and economic performance.

Increased awareness and understanding of environment and economy problems, opportunities and practical solutions:

Our immediate outcome

To make balanced decisions, decision makers require a goodunderstanding of stakeholder views, areas of convergence and debate, and the range of potential solutions in specific policy areas. By involving these decision makers in NRTEE task forces, workshops and consultations, the agency helps them gain this understanding, which is an essential precursor to achieving the agency’s strategic outcome. Extensive promotion of the resulting information to targeted audiences and opinion leaders across the country builds even broader understanding among key sectors and constituencies, as well as a foundation of support for key policy themes and directions. This support, in turn, provides an additional source of confidence for decision makers.

Performance indicator: Greater awareness and understanding on the part of affected federal officials and national stakeholders

As an advisory body, the NRTEE has little ultimate control over policy decisions. Instead, it devotes considerable effort to building the prerequisite understanding. The agency has become highly skilled in achieving this outcome, a conclusion that is strongly supported by performance measurement and evaluation. Participants in NRTEE stakeholder processes and information sessions expressed familiarity with our work. They commonly agreed that they now had better awareness and understanding of the issues, even though most were already well informed before they took part in NRTEE processes and events. Surveys and evaluations demonstrated the link between raising awareness and understanding, on one hand, and building the momentum and support necessary for change, on the other:

• The NRTEE conducted a major cross-country tour to promote the recommendations of its sustainable cities and brownfield redevelopment work, targeting middle- and senior-level municipal and provincial officials, other key stakeholders and opinion leaders in the media. The majority of participants reported that they had increased awareness and understanding as a result of attending the information sessions (93 percent said “yes” or “somewhat”).
• On the same tour, 71 percent of participants said theyagreed with the NRTEE’s recommendations, and over half said they were likely to act on the information they gained at the sessions. Three-quarters said the information would assist them in their decision making and in generating more discussion within their work communities.
• All federal officials interviewed were aware of the contents of the Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators Initiative report, and 80 percent indicated that their understanding of the issues had increased as a result of the initiative. Two-thirds of non-federal stakeholders indicated that their understanding of the issues had increased, although many were already experts in this area.
• Stakeholders generally believed that the Domestic Emissions Trading Initiative had made an important contribution to awareness and understanding of the subject among non-expert opinion leaders and decision makers. This initiative prepared the ground for further work by the federal government.
• No significant areas for improvement were suggested bythe evaluations or other performance measurement findings.

Providing advice on environment and economy issues: Our priority The single priority of the NRTEE is to provide advice on issues that lie at the intersection of the environment and the economy. With its small budget of $5.5 million, the agency nevertheless delivers an ever-growing body of advice on issues of national importance— advice that decision makers in and beyond the federal government agree makes a valuable contribution to the state of our knowledge about sustainable development. Providing advice involves two sub-activities. The first is to produce the advice, which involves conducting original research and convening stakeholders to ensure balance and credibility. This work typically takes 18 to 24 months and is directed by a task force representing a range of stakeholder perspectives. Because the issues explored are often sensitive, the NRTEE process is designed to help stakeholders overcome their entrenched differences. Research is commissioned to analyze the environmental and economic facts and trends underlying each issue area. A broader group of stakeholders is then convened and asked for their input. Areas of consensus and debate are clarified, and the consequences of action and inaction are pinpointed. The culmination of this effort is the publication of a State of the Debate report presenting the task force’s research findings, analysis and recommendations. At this point, the agency engages in a second sub-activity, which is the promotion of its advice. Once released, a report’s contents are vigorously promoted through a variety of communications channels to ensure it reaches targeted decision makers and opinion leaders across the country. The agency has learned that this second step is crucial to raising awareness and understanding and to influencing policy development and decision making.

2004 Arthur Kroeger College Award for Policy Leadership Presented to the NRTEE in the spring of 2004, this prestigious award is given to an individual or organization that serves as a model to others on how to define an issue and successfully advance the policy process through the use of innovative leadership. In the NRTEE's case, the awards jury noted excellence in “pursuing policy consensus in the midst of contending economic and environmental perspectives and interests.”

Sub-activity one: Producing advice throughcommissioned research and stakeholder consultation In 2003–04, the NRTEE worked in four program areas, three of which published advice in State of the Debate reports, and produced its annual Greening of the Budget report. It also began scoping in four potential program areas. The status of this work is summarized in Figure 5.2 and described below. Figure 5.2: NRTEE program areas and status as of March 31, 2004

Program area	Status
Conservation of Natural Heritage	Concluded - State of the Debate report
Urban Sustainability	Concluded - State of the Debate report
Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators Initiative	Concluded - State of the Debate report
Ecological Fiscal Reform	Ongoing
Greening of the Budget	Report issued annually
Conserving Canada’s Natural Capital: the Boreal Forest	Scoping concluded
Capital Markets and Sustainability	Scoping concluded
Energy and Climate Change	Scoping underway
Governance	Scoping concluded

Conservation of Natural Heritage: The NRTEE established this program in 2001 to shape and support new tools that would help Canadians at all levels to undertake stewardship of lands and waters. A State of the Debate report was released in June 2003, outlining key challenges and opportunities for conservation in Canada. The report also presented 20 recommendations that, if acted on, would make Canada a global leader in conservation. Urban Sustainability: The NRTEE generated a body of original research on how the federal government could better orient its role in urban environmental issues through the more effective use of fiscal policy. The program released a State of the Debate report in May 2003. Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators (ESDI) Initiative: Observing that “we must come to grips with the fact that the current means of measuring progress are inadequate,” the Minister of Finance announced the ESDI initiative in the 2000 spring budget. The NRTEE conducted a comprehensive comparison and analysis of data and indicators related to five areas of natural capital (non-renewable resources, lands and soils, renewable resources, air quality and atmospheric conditions, and water resources) and one area of human capital (educational attainment). This ground-breaking body of knowledge resulted in a set of robust, credible and easily understood national indicators of environment and sustainable development, which were released in May 2003. Ecological Fiscal Reform: This ongoing program demonstrates how governments can use fiscal policy to achieve environmental and economic objectives. For the past year, it has been assessing the role of fiscal policy in promoting long-term reductions in carbon emissions, both as a percentage of economic growth and in absolute terms. The program is currently carrying out case studies in three areas where the use of fiscal policy appears promising in terms of long-term carbon emission reductions: energy efficiency, hydrogen and renewable power. The program is also working on a State of the Debate report on fiscal policy and energy, which is due for release in late 2004. Greening of the Budget: By incorporating a number of 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. Recommendations are presented to the Minister of Finance and the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance each year. New areas of work were explored for future programming Conserving Canada’s Natural Capital: the Boreal Forest: This area was scoped in 2003, and a decision was made to proceed to a full program in 2004. A time-limited opportunity exists to secure our natural capital in Canada’s boreal forest, as industrial development is increasingly moving northward and many provinces are opening up previously untouched areas in the boreal for development. The full program will examine the integration of conservation and resource development in the boreal forest. Its final report, expected in the spring of 2005, will recommend a set of regulatory and fiscal policy instruments to help achieve that integration. Capital Markets and Sustainability: This area was extensively scoped in 2003–04, and a decision was made to proceed to a full program in 2004. The NRTEE will facilitate an independent multistakeholder debate on responsible investment and corporate responsibility by exploring the links between sustainability (comprising environmental and social issues) and financial performance in Canada. Energy and Climate Change: This work was in its scoping phase in 2003–04. In August 2003, the Prime Minister asked the NRTEE to “study and inform Canadians on the potential for future emissions reductions.” He later specified that this work should enrich future energy and climate change strategies and help enhance competitiveness. Through this program, the NRTEE hopes to initiate a discussion that will start to address some of the major energy-related challenges that Canadians will face over the next 30 to 50 years, such as climate change, volatile energy costs, the continental context of Canada’s energy policy and security of the energy supply. The NRTEE continues to work with Natural Resources Canada and Environment Canada to specify the parameters and timelines of this initiative, which is expected to become a full program in 2004. Governance: Observing that many of the issues it examines have had a strong governance component, the NRTEE undertook scoping on the potential for a full program on this subject, as reported in RPP 2003–04. The scoping resulted  in a decision not to proceed with a full program but to ensure instead that each new NRTEE program includes an examination of governance issues. Performance indicator: Stakeholders and clients indicate that the NRTEE provides new information that is relevant, useful and credible   The true measure of the value of our advice is its usefulness to federal decision makers and stakeholders. Since usefulness is a function of credibility and relevance, the NRTEE works hard to ensure these are the core qualities of the advice it produces. The credibility of our work is based on our ability to remain neutral, balancing the different and often competing stakeholder perspectives in our State of the Debate reports. The fact that these reports are reviewed and approved by the full NRTEE membership prior to release helps ensure their neutrality. The NRTEE was not able to monitor the perceptions of all stakeholders with regard to credibility; however, feedback from senior federal decision makers was very positive. This group found the NRTEE’s reports and documents to be analytical, clear, professional and balanced, and they gave the NRTEE high marks for the professionalism of its policy development and consultation processes. In their comments, interviewees stated that they were impressed by the calibre of expert participants attracted to the NRTEE’s discussions and by the agency’s fairness and neutrality in chairing meetings and in developing its conclusions and recommendations on key issues. The strong analytical foundation that underlies the NRTEE’s policy development and consultation processes was recognized and endorsed. The relevance of our work to the issues that occupy federal decision makers and national stakeholders is also critically important to our success. Because of this, programs are typically built upon extensive scoping. The agency proceeds to a full program only if stakeholders indicate a clear appetite to address a given issue and a clear desire for the NRTEE’s involvement. Stakeholdersare engaged on task forces to guide the work and keep it relevant. The results of evaluations this year confirm that stakeholders consistently find the work of the NRTEE to be highly relevant. A sample of the findings appears below:

• The issue of domestic emissions trading has continued relevance with federal government priorities and objectives relating to climate change, particularly with respect to the most economically efficient means of achieving greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
• Interviews confirm that environment and sustainable development indicators remain an important priority for federal, provincial and municipal governments, non-governmental organizations/not-for-profit organizations and organizations in the private sector. In addition, the ESDI Initiative is mentioned in key federal agenda documents such as the 2004 Speech from the Throne Speech and the 2004 budget plan.
• The subject of urban sustainability, including urban infrastructure, is a consistently stated key national priority and is identified in the objectives of federal government agenda documents, such as the budgets, the 2004 Speech from the Throne and departmental sustainable development strategies. The issue received heightened focus as a national priority in 2004.

On the subject of adding value, the evaluations produced the following findings:

• The NRTEE is able to add “very significant”or “significant” value on the topic of urban sustainability. Moreover, no other single organization was consistently identified as being better placed to address national-level urban issues. No comparable initiatives were undertaken by other organizations, including federal government agencies or task forces and public policy think tanks. The types of activities carried out by the NRTEE have high potential to be useful for urban sustainability issues on a national scale, as well as on regional and local scales. The development of specific recommendations for the federal role in urban sustainability was regarded as particularly useful.

The NRTEE looks forward to surveying non-federal stakeholders in 2004–05 to gain a fuller picture of the usefulness, relevance and credibility of its advice.

Sub-activity two: Promoting advice to federal clients and other targeted sectors In 2003–04, the NRTEE continued its efforts to ensure that federal decision makers, stakeholders in key sectors, the media and the public recognize it as a leader in providing objective views and analysis relating to the “state of the debate” on the environment and the economy in Canada. The NRTEE was extremely active this year, releasing three State of the Debate reports: Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators for Canada, Environmental Quality in Canadian Cities: The Federal Role, and Securing Canada’s Natural Capital: A Vision for Nature Conservation in the 21st Century. These reports were the basis for a variety of efforts to promote advice related to the environment and the economy.  

Performance indicator: A diversity of strategies are employed to reach target audiences in the federal system, opinion leaders and decision makers in Canadian society, and the Canadian public

 Urban sprawl, rapid growth, gridlock, noise, smog and site contamination were among the issues addressed by a series of cross-Canada information sessions organized by the NRTEE in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax this year, building on NRTEE recommendations and key findings from the agency’s reports on urban sustainability and brownfield redevlopment. Sessions stimulated discussion among local municipal leaders, including the mayor or appointed deputy in each city, regional experts, leading urban specialists and interested citizens. Designed to generate momentum for the development of a coherent response to Canada’s urban issues, the NRTEE engaged more than 1,600 people in the “cities” debate and garnered extensive media coverage at both the local and national levels. The NRTEE also organized briefings with key federal officials, industry groups and NGOs to discuss the findings from its programs as well as work in progress. These briefings often took the form of one-on-one sessions, interdepartmental briefings, or speaking engagements at major industry or NGO association conferences. The agency received extensive national media coverage throughout the year on a variety of issues including brownfield redevelopment, urban sustainability, conservation of natural heritage and environment and sustainable development indicators. The NRTEE website remained an important tool for disseminating key information to stakeholders and members of the public. In 2003–04, the number of unique visitors to the site continued to grow, increasing by 50 percent over the 2002–03 figure. The Virtual Library feature enabled people to easily access over 300 NRTEE documents on sustainable development, while the agency’s signature series, the State of the Debate reports, continued to have strong brand recognition and are among the most popular for downloads.   Providing value

The NRTEE is widely respected as a non-partisan and highly credible source of information on sustainable development issues. In a typical 18–24 month cycle, it generates in-depth analysis and recommendations in four to five areas of relevance to government priorities. At the same time, it works to build awareness and receptivity to new approaches among the nation’s most influential opinion leaders. The NRTEE does this work with an annual budget of just over $5 million, representing less than 0.003 percent of the government’s total spending.

Where we could do better The NRTEE learned through its evaluation efforts that it must redesign its approach to its Greening of the Budget submissions to ensure they are timelier, focused on fewer priorities, better costed and more clearly targeted to the current priorities of federal decision makers. The agency is currently assessing options in response to this significant finding. Although the agency has built a reputation for providing useful analysis and recommendations in discrete policy areas, federal decision makers have told us that they would also like to receive advice that is more strategic. In response, the agency is considering ways to provide a balance of strategic and issue-oriented advice in the future. Finally, the NRTEE would like to strengthen and regularize its contact with senior federal officials, working more closely with them at the beginning of NRTEE processes to identify mutual concerns and opportunities. Although federal decision makers are already included in all NRTEE processes, reaching the most senior officials could lead to better alignment of advice and policy development. This would involve finding ways to brief federal ministers or participating in the agendas of relevant federal–provincial discussions. The agency is exploring how it could achieve these communications objectives. Progress on government-wide initiatives This final section describes the NRTEE’s efforts with regard to several key government-wide initiatives. Figure 5.3 summarizes the level of maturity reached in each case. Figure 5.3: NRTEE status on government-wide initiatives

Initiative	Status: Foundation / Transition / Mature
Management Accountability Framework	Foundation established
Modern Comptrollership:
Integrated performance information	Approaching maturity
Appropriate systems of control	Approaching maturity
Integrated risk management	Transition stage
Values and ethics	Foundation established
Government on Line	Approaching maturity
Sustainable Development Strategies	N/A
Security and Business Continuity Planning	Foundation established
Management of Government Information	Foundation established

Management Accountability Framework and Modern Comptrollership During 2003, the NRTEE began to address the new Management Accountability Framework (MAF), using the MAF indicators and measures to identify areas of strength and weakness as an initial step. A senior manager has been appointed to promote the integration of MAF into the NRTEE’s management culture in 2004–05. MAF implementation will build on the base the agency established under Modern Comptrollership. The elements of modern comptrollership are progressing well according to the NRTEE’s Modern Comptrollership Action Plan and are described below. Integrated performance information: This element of modern comptrollership is approaching maturity. With the completion of a Results-based Management and Accountability Framework (RMAF) for the agency, a substantial revision to its Activity-based Costing system, and the finalization of the Program Activity Architecture, the NRTEE is now monitoring results and associating costs against its strategic outcome. All staff members have received training and ongoing support for implementation. Performance findings are regularly reviewed by all senior managers and integrated into the annual strategic planning cycle. Appropriate systems of control: This element is also approaching maturity. The NRTEE has strong systems of control, including appropriate delegations of signing authority, segregation of duties, detailed accounting policies and procedures, and documented administrative, contracting, hospitality and asset management policies and practices. In 2003, the NRTEE continued to improve its systems of control by reviewing, updating and formalizing its human resources regime. The systems of control are continuously assessed and adjusted as necessary, and agency employees are provided with training on the roles and responsibilities related to these key areas. In addition, the NRTEE is audited annually to the agency’s level of materiality. Integrated risk management: The agency is in a transition stage with regard to the integration of risk into its management processes. In 2003, the NRTEE undertook a formal risk assessment process and developed a corporate risk profile. The agency found that it has a number of effective risk management measures in place, such as contingency funds in its annual budget and a senior management forum that implicitly considers areas of risk on an ongoing basis. The agency is currently working on security and business resumption planning. In 2004, the agency will make risk an explicit element of strategic and program planning, as well as reporting. Values and ethics: This element is in the foundation stage of maturity, with senior management commitment to embedding values and ethics in the agency’s management culture. The NRTEE’s capacity assessment highlighted the agency’s common set of values, which include respect, tolerance, a willingness to serve and a desire to find common ground. Senior management regularly discuss values and ethics with front-line staff. However, the NRTEE did not formally establish common values and ethics for the benefit of staff and NRTEE members in 2003–04 as planned, due to the need to concentrate on implementing other elements of management capacity. The agency will address this element in 2004–05. Government on Line The NRTEE uses its official website to provide decision makers, opinion leaders and the Canadian public with advice and recommendations on promoting sustainable development. It offers access to all of the NRTEE’s publications in both official languages, and it takes advantage of the latest technologies to facilitate on-line registration for events, electronic subscription services, multi-format dissemination of information and effective content management. Since 2002, the NRTEE has complied with the federal government’s Common Look and Feel Standards for government websites. The NRTEE is committed to the government’s goal to provide Canadians with access to all government information and services on-line by 2005. Sustainable development strategy As the federal agency mandated to explain and promote sustainable development, the agency’s program is, in effect, its sustainable development strategy. For this reason, the NRTEE does not have a formal SDS. Security and business resumption planning In the past year, the NRTEE has recognized the physical and operational risks that it faces in the event of a disaster such as fire, flood or civil disaster or of a security breach such as theft, vandalism or computer virus. Should an emergency occur, the NRTEE will need plans and procedures in place that will enable the organization to resume its business operations in the shortest possible interval, in a temporary location if necessary. A comprehensive Business Continuity Plan is in development that will integrate information management (IM) strategies with business resumption planning to create an emergency preparedness plan for the NRTEE. The Business Continuity Plan is expected to be authorized and operational by the end of 2004.

Information management system

In March 2003, in response to the Treasury Board policy on the Management of Government Information, the NRTEE initiated a major records and information management project, which is taking place from June 2003 to March 2005. This project will develop the tools, policies and procedures, and electronic systems necessary to manage information in all media. In 2003–04, the NRTEE put in place the human resources needed to support the project, developed a file plan for operational records and developed the strategy for a Record Document Information Management System (RDIMS) implementation project that will run from May 2004 to March 2005.