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Home / Corporate Reporting / Report on Plans and Priorities – 2004-2005 / RPP – 2004-2005 – Section 3

RPP – 2004-2005 – Section 3

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

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SECTION 3: PLANNING OVERVIEW

3.1 Organizational Overview The NRTEE consists of a membership of distinguished Canadians, supported by a secretariat in Ottawa. Members are appointed to the NRTEE by the Prime Minister and represent a broad range of sectors including business, labour, academia, environmental organizations and First Nations, as well as diverse regions across the country. The Secretariat, headed by the President and Chief Executive Officer, provides program management, analytical, communications and administrative services to the NRTEE members and their task forces. General information about the NRTEE and its membership can be found on the agency's Web site (www.nrt-trn.ca/eng/overview/overview_e.htm). 3.2 Planning Context The NRTEE is an independent agency funded by a vote of Parliament with the authority to collect funds from other sources as well. Operating at arm's length from government, the agency brings together key stakeholders from government, industry and other sectors on NRTEE task forces to oversee specific programs. These task forces examine critical issues and develop practical solutions to improve policy and decision making with respect to the environment and the economy. The result is targeted policy recommendations that government and industry can implement or react to with confidence. The NRTEE's multistakeholder programs also 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. The NRTEE partners with all levels of government and various national-level stakeholders. Environment Canada, Finance Canada and Natural Resources Canada are its primary federal partners. These departmental partners are also the NRTEE's clients in that they are often the primary recipients and focus of its work. Municipal, provincial and territorial governments are other key partners, since most environment and economy issues involve all levels of government. Key stakeholder partners range from industry leaders and environmental groups to academia and First Nations. The agency addresses a number of challenges as it moves beyond providing advice to acting as an agent of change. The most significant is the general lack of understanding of the close links between the environment and economy. The NRTEE is addressing this challenge through a communications effort that focuses on raising the awareness of decision makers and opinion leaders. Another ongoing challenge for the agency is finding effective ways to incorporate the outcomes of its consultations into policy- and decision-making processes. There is growing acknowledgement that long-term benefits result when the sensitivities and views of stakeholders are well understood and acknowledged. The NRTEE process of producing new knowledge in a given issue area and validating it through a multistakeholder process requires approximately two years. An exception is the Green Budget Reform program, which is ongoing and submits annual recommendations. In this planning period, the agency expects to complete its current two-year programs and to begin examining a new, as yet undetermined, set of issues. Within this planning context, the NRTEE has two priorities: Priority 1: Advise federal decision makers on key environment and economy issues. Using a multistakeholder approach to balance and validate its advice, the NRTEE is currently examining issues related to:
  • enhancing natural capital in the boreal forest;
  • ecological fiscal reform and energy; and
  • capital markets and corporate responsibility.
The NRTEE is in the early stages of examining a fourth area related to energy and climate change planning for Canada. In addition to advice provided on these issue areas, the agency will deliver recommendations for the annual federal budget. Priority 2: Raise awareness and understanding of problems, opportunities and practical solutions. This effort is targeted at the federal government and beyond to national-level decision makers in other sectors. In this planning period, the NRTEE will work to raise awareness with regard to previous and new issue areas.