At VAC, sustainable development means managing our programs, services and operations in a way that is environmentally, economically and socially responsible. It also means contributing to the various initiatives designed to protect Government assets, such as Protecting Critical Habitat on Federal Lands and maintaining our federal lands and contaminated sites. It is also about encouraging employees to consider and apply the principles of sustainable development in their work.
More specifically VAC’s DSDS incorporates 3 goals, 6 targets and 8 implementation strategies designed to incorporate sustainable practices into our every day objectives.
Veterans Affairs Canada looks forward to reinforcing the objectives of the FSDS through their departmental response, focussed on
- Advancing Reconciliation With Indigenous Peoples And Take Action On Inequality
- Reducing Waste And Transition To Zero-Emission Vehicles
- Taking Action On Climate Change And Its Impacts
We also will continue to promote and educate on small practices that can make a significant difference. By transitioning to a cleaner and more circular economy that prioritizes reducing consumption and waste generation, reusing the resources already extracted, and finding processes and technologies that take a holistic systems-based approach to minimizing waste throughout the economy, we can help reduce negative impacts on the environment.
Veterans Affairs Canada will continue to ensure that its decision-making process includes consideration of FSDS goals and targets through its SEA process. An SEA for a policy, plan or program proposal includes an analysis of the impacts of the given proposal on the environment, including on relevant FSDS goals and targets.
Public statements on the results of Veterans Affairs Canada’s assessments are made public when an initiative that has undergone a detailed SEA (see here). The purpose of the public statement is to demonstrate that the environmental effects, including the impacts on achieving the FSDS goals and targets, of the approved policy, plan or program have been considered during proposal development and decision making.