Sustainable Development Strategy – 2001-2003

Introduction

• The future of Canada's aquatic ecosystems and the way we use our aquatic resources are key to the quality of life in Canada. Coastal and fishing communities across Canada gain social and economic value from using oceans resources. How to maintain those economic and social benefits while protecting and restoring environmental health, such as productive fish habitat, is a key challenge for all Canadians. Environmental health is critical to human health. Understanding the role of oceans in global climate change and how to manage Canada's freshwater resources are increasingly urgent concerns. Uses of aquatic resources often sustain cultural values among Canadians. The mandate and responsibilities of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) gives the department a leading role in addressing this major public issue in Canada.

Many Canadians are keenly aware of the various pressures affecting Canada's oceans and freshwater resources:

• consumption and population pressures;
• climate change and its unpredictable effects on the life cycles of fish;
• increasing use of waterways for marine transportation and increased risk of oil spills;
• loss of biodiversity and productive fish habitat and gaps in addressing the needs of species at risk and their habitats;
• excessive fish harvesting capacity;
• environmental challenges of aquaculture development;
• challenges of socio-economic viability and diversification in coastal communities;
• industrial pollution deriving from various sources, such as forestry, mining and transportation activities and urban sprawl;
• pressures affecting provision of government services, such as search and rescue;
• and increasing demands on ocean and freshwater resources for tourism and recreational purposes.

Concerns regarding conservation and management of Canada's fisheries and fish habitat, of other ocean resources and of marine and freshwater environments relate in part to the significance of these resources in the Canadian economy. The oceans sector generated almost $20.0 billion of Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) in 1996 (latest figures available), from such sectors as commercial fishing, shipping and shipbuilding, tourism, manufacturing and services, and oil and gas industries. Increasingly, the economic value from Canada's oceans derives not from exploitation of renewable or non-renewable resources but from services such as international sea-borne trade, tourism, especially cruise ship tourism, and communications infrastructure, such as submarine fibre-optic cables. In addition, the oceans sector contributes indirectly to economic activity in other sectors of the Canadian economy.

Canada has the world's longest coastline, and approximately 7.1 million Canadians (23%) live in coastal communities, many depending on the coast and seas to make a living. Canada's total territory — its landmass plus the continental shelf off our three coasts — is 40% submerged, under coastal waters, such as the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, or under internal waters, such as the Great Lakes or Hudson Bay. It is an important, and increasingly urgent, challenge to protect and manage this geographic and ecological heritage.

Demand for conservation and sustainable development of our fisheries and ocean resources relates also to Canada's international commitments. At the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, representatives from 178 nations, including Canada, endorsed a plan of action — Agenda 21 — to address the pressing issues of international development and environmental protection. The cornerstone of that action plan was the concept of sustainable development, and all countries were called upon to produce strategies to achieve sustainable development.

To strengthen Canada's international commitment, the federal government amended the Auditor General Act in 1995, making sustainable development an integral element of Government policy. These amendments also established the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development, whose role is to help Parliament and the Canadian public monitor implementation of sustainable development strategies and federal commitments to action. In accordance with the Act and the "Guide to Green Government", 28 federal departments and agencies, including the Fisheries and Oceans Canada, tabled their first sustainable development strategies in Parliament in 1997.

The Government of Canada has acknowledged the fundamental relationship between environmental health and a healthy economy and social quality of life in Canada. Plans to address a number of environmental problems both domestic and global were indicated in the 1999 Speech from the Throne, including a promise to place greater emphasis on sustainable development in government decision making. The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development produces a report every May to record the Government's performance on sustainable development, its successes and its failures in meeting commitments. In his December 1999 Report, entitled Moving Up the Learning Curve: The Second Generation of Sustainable Development Strategies, the Commissioner outlined his expectations of federal departments and agencies in preparing their second sustainable development strategies. "Moving Up the Learning Curve" stressed the need to close the "implementation gap", making suggestions on how to improve performance, notably by analyzing experience gained during the term of the first sustainable development strategies and by setting clear and measurable targets for change.

DFO and Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is fundamental to DFO's legal mandate, its policies and programs. In cooperation with other federal departments, other levels of government, Aboriginal groups and private and voluntary sector stakeholders, DFO is responsible to Parliament and the people of Canada as follows:

In addition to its mandated responsibilities, DFO operates a large fleet of ships, houses its staff and facilities and maintains light stations. It is also responsible for influencing and regulating the behaviour of others, such as fishermen, marine shippers, fish farmers, recreational boaters, tourism operators and many others, as they interact with the aquatic environment and aquatic resources. DFO's legislative mandate includes the Oceans Act, the Fisheries Act, and the Navigable Waters Protection Act, as well as other statutes. In addition, DFO shares responsibilities with other federal government departments under the Canada Shipping Act and other statutes. Provinces, territories and some Aboriginal groups also have responsibilities with respect to fisheries which DFO takes into account in carrying out its mandate. The federal/provincial/territorial Agreement on Inter-jurisdictional Cooperation, ratified by Canadian Ministers responsible for fisheries and aquaculture in Quebec City in 1999, guides the department's relations with the provinces and territories on these issues. With respect to Aboriginal communities, DFO, as part of the federal government in general, has a responsibility to manage fisheries in a way that is consistent with the constitutional protection provided to Aboriginal and treaty rights.

DFO also has responsibilities under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), which came into force in 1995. DFO plays a major role in the application of CEAA, primarily from its regulatory decision-making responsibilities under the Fisheries Act, the Navigable Waters Protection Act, and the National Energy Board Act.

In 1997, DFO published its first Sustainable Development Strategy, A Framework for Action, and has worked at implementing it over the past three years. With continued direction from the Office of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) and following the assessment of our first Strategy, DFO is now 'moving up the learning curve' to ensure that Canada's marine and freshwater resources and ecosystems are managed responsibly and developed sustainably for Canadians today and for future generations. This document proposes a second Sustainable Development Strategy and Action Plan for DFO for the next three years.

Assessing our Progress on Sustainable Development

A Snapshot of DFO Success Stories
DFO's successes in advancing sustainable development outcomes since 1997 would include the following:

• Sustainable development of Canada's oceans through implementation of the Oceans Act in collaboration with other federal departments and agencies, provincial and territorial governments, Aboriginal organizations, coastal communities and other stakeholders and interested Canadians.
  
  The sustainable development of Canada's oceans is being implemented through several programs, including Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Integrated Management (IM) and Marine Environmental Quality (MEQ). These programs form the backbone of the national Oceans Management Strategy, together with horizontal initiatives such as the National Programme of Action* for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (NPA).
   
• Conservation and sustainable fisheries through development of new policy frameworks such as A New Direction for Canada's Pacific Salmon Fisheries, the Wild Salmon Policy Discussion Paper and the Atlantic Fisheries Policy Review.
   
• Increased stakeholder responsibility and shared stewardship through support for industry implementation of the Canadian Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing Operations.
   
• Sustainable fisheries and protection of fisheries habitat through selective harvesting technology projects and training programs in cooperation with industry, DFO and provincial governments. DFO's Methodology Manual: Measurement of Fishing Gear Selectivity to facilitate reporting on selectivity indicators and comparative fishing research is one example. Another is the Responsible Fishing Technology Network, a partnership of DFO and the Memorial University of Newfoundland, which supports collaborative research projects with industry participation.
   
• Improved boating safety in Canada through introduction by the Canadian Coast Guard of amended and new regulations following extensive consultations with stakeholders. The new regulations include a mandatory competency program and came into effect on April 1, 1999.
   
• Improved maritime safety through investment in technology management to deliver timely data and information to stakeholders. For example, in partnership with Canada Economic Development and St. Lawrence Vision 2000, the Maurice Lamontagne Institute at Mont-Joli, has created the St. Lawrence Observatory, an Internet based system for rapid access to data on the St. Lawrence ecosystem.
   
• International cooperation and negotiation of international fishing regimes consistent with Canada's domestic conservation objectives. Examples would be the Pacific Salmon Treaty long term agreement and participation in multilateral negotiations to bring into effect the UN Agreement on Management of Straddling Stocks and Highly Migratory Stocks (UNFA).
   
• Reduced environmental "footprint" of DFO operations by defining and following a long-term, step-by-step approach consistent with the ISO 14001 Standard for Environmental Management Systems^t, and launch of an Environmental Policy for Fisheries and Oceans Operations and an Environmental Management Framework.
   
• Safe, navigable and environmentally sound waterways through the delivery of services and programs related to navigation, marine communications and vessel traffic services, icebreaking, search and rescue, and environmental response. A recent example that incorporates several of these program areas is the full implementation, in partnership with Transport Canada, the shipping industry and the international marine community, of the Electronic Chart and Display Information System^* (ECDIS).
   
• Protection of the marine environment through prevention and preparedness. The Canadian Coast Guard Environmental Response program oversees in excess of 250 spill cleanup operations annually. The program also provides support and expertise for disasters such as the crash of Swiss Air 111 and the 1997 Red River Flood. In addition to its domestic role, the Environmental Response program responds to international requests for assistance through the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC)*
   
• Marine safety and environmental protection in ship and fleet management by strengthening and enhancing Fleet Safety Manual procedures and accountabilities for ship operations with significant environmental aspects through the Document of Compliance and Safety Management Certificates issued to shore offices and the Coast Guard Fleet pursuant to the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code).

Lessons Learned from the 1997 Strategy
Through an internal self-assessment, DFO learned some lessons relating to the gap between sustainable development commitments made in 1997 and results achieved to date. We learned that our 1997 commitments were repetitive or worded too broadly, making the achievement of specific outcomes difficult to determine. The planned outcomes in the 1997 Sustainable Development Strategy were not always clear or measurable, a key weakness identified by the Commissioner for almost all federal departments. As well, commitments were too numerous and not linked clearly to each other or the departmental business plans. While DFO did achieve many important sustainable development results since 1997, it is not clear that this performance stemmed from a committed focus on implementation of DFO's first Sustainable Development Strategy.

The internal assessment confirmed the findings of the Commissioner for Environment and Sustainable Development during an audit in the fall of 1999 of implementation of DFO's 1997 Sustainable Development Strategy. The audit indicated that, with the exception of the environmental management policy and system for DFO operations, most functional areas of DFO had not instituted a management systems approach to implementation of its sustainable development planned outcomes. To achieve consistency with the ISO 14001 standard being used by the Commissioner, DFO's new Sustainable Development Strategy will have to include a management or tracking system to help identify if and why planned outcomes are not met and to provide for management review and corrective action as necessary. The audit also disclosed a need for training and capacity building among DFO staff and managers and a requirement for improved documentation.

In Moving Up the Learning Curve, the Commissioner highlights the challenges of moving from plans to actions, noting, "We need to close that gap — not by lowering our expectations but by strengthening our performance." While DFO's sustainable development performance since 1997 has in practice been good, mechanisms and processes to track progress and to document and demonstrate performance will have to be features of DFO's new Sustainable Development Strategy.

DFO and its Environment Today

DFO has undergone significant changes since the first Sustainable Development Strategy was tabled in Parliament in 1997. A dynamic, changeable working environment remains a constant for DFO. The shock in the early 1990s of the collapse of commercial groundfish fisheries was undoubtedly one signal of the need for a new approach to fisheries conservation. The year 1995 marked the merger of DFO with the Canadian Coast Guard, which expanded DFO's legal mandate to include the Navigable Waters Protection Act and shared administration of other statutes with Transport Canada. DFO's mandate was further expanded in 1997 when the Oceans Act came into effect, assigning the Department responsibility to lead federal activities relating to oceans, and providing new policy and program tools aimed at conservation and sustainable development of Canada's oceans resources. Program review aimed at resolving government-wide deficit problems began in 1995, prompting an examination of DFO's core responsibilities and options for doing things differently. Consumers are tending more frequently to expect eco-labelling and certification that products have been sourced from sustainable fisheries. Emerging and expanding oceans industries and uses such as hydrocarbon exploration and production, routing of submarine fibre-optic cables and methane hydrate research are intensifying the challenge of conservation and sustainable management of marine resources. These emerging uses highlight the need to find new regulatory and other tools and processes to reduce the risk of adverse impact on the aquatic environment and to protect the interests of all users.

Changes to DFO's legal mandate and policy framework have expanded the department's client or stakeholder population as well. Harvesters' organizations, Aboriginal groups, harbour authorities and the fish processing and marketing industry continue to play an active role. However, these groups have been joined by others representing environmentalists, cruise ship and eco-tourism operators, members of the aquaculture industry and the forest products industry, municipalities and community groups, anglers and boaters, and oil, gas and mineral extraction companies, to name a few.

The legal landscape with respect to DFO's Aboriginal stakeholders has particularly changed. Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 recognizes and affirms the existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. Several court cases in recent years have helped to refine the meaning of aboriginal rights in the fisheries resource context. Along with evolving development in the law, the importance of the natural environment, including fisheries resources, in the culture and traditions of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada is increasingly recognized and reflected in federal policy and programs. Aboriginal groups increasingly expect a more prominent role in the decision-making and policy-making processes with respect to sustainable use of natural resources and the environment, including fish resources. The federal government's policy on self-government for Aboriginal groups will continue to enhance the role of Aboriginal communities in these processes.

Adjusting to these changes in both its structure and its operating environment has been accelerating in DFO since 1997. For the past two years, the Department has been engaged in a profound examination of its culture, values and governance to produce a new Strategic Plan, "Moving Forward with Confidence and Credibility", and a new Vision Statement. Development of the Plan began in 1998 to address the department's need for future direction, to break down barriers to change, both internal and external, and to give both the Department and its stakeholders a sense of cohesion and purpose. The new Vision Statement aims similarly at defining the Department and its overall purpose to members of the Department, its stakeholders and the general public. DFO has also sought to establish a framework for more collaborative relations with its provincial and territorial counterparts through the 1999 Agreement on Inter-jurisdictional Cooperation and the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers* (CCFAM). These instruments are grounded in the principles of sustainable development and their ultimate aim is to help DFO to meet its mandate to Parliament and the people of Canada.

A comprehensive environmental scan, concluded in February 1999 during preparation of the new Strategic Plan, identified a variety of major political and socio-economic forces shaping the context within which DFO must now work:

• globalization and technological change;
• tension between protecting the environment and economic growth;
• calls for increased scientific knowledge about nature, in particular about the interdependence of ecosystems and the impact of climate change; and
• increased demand by the public for access to information on which decisions are based.

Certain conclusions can be drawn from the sketch of major external drivers of change for DFO. These are:

• Canadians want to be more directly involved in decision-making;
• with continued economic growth, Canadians will become more concerned with environmental issues; and
• federal government priorities are shifting away from deficit reduction and toward quality of life, knowledge-based economy and competitiveness.

DFO's new sustainable development strategy will have to take into account these new challenges and expectations.

Integrating Sustainable Development into the DFO Policy Framework

A policy statement to guide the actions of departmental managers and employees is an important first step in expressing DFO's commitment to sustainable development. Articulating that commitment in a public policy statement is consistent moreover with the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems advocated by the CESD. Such a policy statement will also support integration of the sustainable development commitments into the departmental Strategic Plan and the business planning and management framework.

DFO's new policy on sustainable development is:

Principles for Working toward Sustainable Development
Principles that will help to guide application of the sustainable development policy include:

INTEGRATED DECISION-MAKING:
Integrated decision-making recognizes that decisions aimed at sustainable development:

• have a long term focus that seeks to preserve and enhance economic, social and natural capital in order to sustain aquatic species and to improve the quality of people's lives and ensure continuing benefits for future generations;
• take a horizontal perspective that incorporates economic, environmental and social aspects;
• feature an ecosystem approach; and
• accept shared responsibility and commit to transparency and communication of how and why decisions were made.

ACCOUNTABILITY:
The Department will accept and define its accountability for its role in supporting sustainable development. This means that the Sustainable Development Strategy will:

• develop a management system to review performance against commitments at regular intervals and thereby to document progress and the need for corrective action as necessary to ensure continuous improvement;
• determine the specific real world expected outcomes to be achieved, in a way that is measurable and time-bound;
• define a reporting framework that is committed to and supportive of consultative and transparent operations and decision-making;
• set an example as a way of encouraging and influencing clients, stakeholders and partners to support decisions aimed at sustainable development;
• outline the Department's accountability in its operational activities for compliance, for instance, with standards and requirements for fishing activities, environmental protection and prevention of pollution; and
• reaffirm a commitment to partnership in our relations not only with our private sector stakeholders and members of the public but also with other federal government departments, other levels of government and Aboriginal groups.

SCIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
The Department understands the essential knowledge provided by science and the critical role that knowledge and understanding play in making decisions that are sustainable over time. Therefore, as a basis for its decisions, the Department will:

• be guided by a precautionary approach and risk analysis, recognizing the limitations of our understanding of oceans related sciences;
• provide timely, reliable and best available scientific knowledge, understanding and advice on key aquatic resources and ecosystems;
• complement and integrate scientific knowledge and understanding with community and traditional knowledge; and
• integrate and share information and data to enhance cost-effective decisions based on anticipation and prevention of problems, in part through conducting environmental assessments of policies, plans and programs in accordance with the 1999 Cabinet Directive.

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^tInternational Organization for Standardization: Standard 14001 specifies elements of an effective environmental management system (EMS) for organizations and is but one component of the ISO series of standards. See Glossary at Annex 3.