2019–20 Departmental sustainable development strategy - results

1. Introduction to the departmental sustainable development strategy

The 2016 to 2019 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) presents the Government of Canada’s sustainable development goals and targets, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying adheres to the principles of the FSDS, and while not bound formally by the Act, supports reporting on the implementation of the departmental sustainable development strategy.

2. Sustainable development in the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying

This supplementary information table presents available results for our actions pertinent to a low-carbon government.

3. Performance by FSDS goal

The following table provides performance information on departmental action in support of the FSDS goal of a low-carbon government.

We support transition to a low-carbon economy by considering environmental factors in our purchasing decisions, operations, and travel practices.

Low-carbon government: The Government of Canada leads by example by making its operations low-carbon

FSDS target
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from federal government buildings and fleets by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, with an aspiration to achieve it by 2025
FSDS contributing action	Our corresponding actions	Starting points, performance indicators, targets	Results achieved	Contribution by each result to the FSDS goal and target
Support the transition to a low carbon economy through green procurement	Acquire AV equipment, IT hardware, and office furniture through Public Service & Procurement Canada (PSPC) acquisition mechanisms. Include relevant sustainability provisions in all goods and services contract awards.	Green procurement clauses are embedded in PSPC acquisition mechanisms.	This standard clause is embedded in all of the Office’s acquisition mechanisms.	Directly contributed to responsible consumption by using sustainable procurement practices (UN target 12.7) and improved adaptation focused on climate change mitigation (UN target 13.3).
Improve the energy efficiency of our buildings/operations	Invest in upgraded LED lighting in new office location.	Office space uses fluorescent lighting.	Installed energy efficient LED lighting in our new office location, as well as energy-saving motion-detecting light switches in several meeting and collaboration rooms.	Directly contributed to improved efficiency of operations by reducing our impact on energy use (UN target 13.3).
	In accordance with the Directive on the Disposal of Surplus Material, assets no longer required by OCL are assessed for condition then, when possible, redeployed elsewhere in government or sold to the public rather than being disposed of as waste.	(none)	All of the Office’s surplus furniture and equipment resulting from its relocation were redeployed to another federal government organization.	Directly contributed to the reduction of waste through the recycling and reuse (UN target 12.5).
Promote sustainable travel practices	Promote use of conferencing tools such as WebEx and Skype to reduce face-to-face meetings. Assess the viability and value of purchasing carbon offsets when flights are necessary.	All employees have access to Skype on their OCL devices.	Used digital collaboration tools to offset the volume of travel /transportation for meetings with employees, stakeholders and peer organizations located across Canada.	Directly contributed to mitigating operational impacts on the climate by adapting past travel practices to new remote collaboration using technology (UN target 13.3).

4. Report on integrating sustainable development

We are committed to integrate sustainability into our internal policy and operational processes.

In practical terms, we have implemented and will continue to sustain the following:

• use of reusable dishes and cutlery in the office kitchen and for meetings
• preference to hospitality suppliers offering reusable and compostable items given
• use of a water dispenser in the office to support the use of refillable water bottles
• mobile technology tools to enable telework arrangements and paperless meetings
• priority use of greener transportation options when possible (public transit, trains, etc.)

During the 2019–20 reporting cycle, we had no proposals that required a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and no public statements were produced.