Supplementary Information Tables

Report 2 - Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change: 2017 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

This audit focused on the extent to which federal organizations had made progress in adapting to climate change. To do this, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) examined progress by determining whether 19 key departments and agencies identified and assessed climate change risks and took measures to adapt to climate change in their areas of responsibility. More specifically, they examined federal leadership efforts and whether departments and agencies implemented the 2011 Federal Adaptation Policy Framework, which was led and developed by Environment and Climate Change Canada. Since each federal organization is responsible for applying its experience in risk management to the climate change issues that could affect its ability to deliver its mandate, Fisheries and Oceans Canada was included in scope of the audit.

CESD concluded that Environment and Climate Change Canada, in collaboration with other federal partners including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, did not provide adequate leadership to advance the federal government’s adaptation to climate change impacts. Although the Federal Adaptation Policy Framework and the recent Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change provided a foundation, there was no action plan, nor clear direction to ensure that the federal government would integrate climate change considerations into its own programs, policies, and operations.

While most of the federal departments and agencies examined did not take appropriate measures to adapt to climate change impact, Fisheries and Oceans Canada was highlighted as a leader in this field and was among five departments that demonstrated advanced efforts in assessing their climate change risks and shared its best practices.

There were no recommendations for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.