As required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act, Veterans Affairs Canada has taken into account comments on the draft 2022-2026 FSDS made during the public consultation held from March 11 to July 9, 2022. During the public consultation, more than 700 comments were received from a broad range of stakeholders, including governments, Indigenous organizations, non-governmental organizations, academics, businesses, and individual Canadians in different age groups and of various backgrounds. The draft FSDS was also shared with the appropriate committee of each House of Parliament, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and the Sustainable Development Advisory Council for their review and comment.
What We Heard
Across the submissions received, Veterans Affairs Canada identified sustainable development priorities and issues that affect us. During the public consultations, it was noted that many of the comments centered on Climate actions as a top priority to be considered, such as the transition to zero fleet vehicle emission and the importance of more action for a circular economy. Comments also urged an inclusion of additional perspectives from equity seeking groups such as racialized and 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
The department also recognizes the need for more support for consumers to make sustainable lifestyle choices including regulations and awareness campaigns around food choices, water usage, plastic-free alternatives, and access to clean tech products, and extended producer responsibility. We will continue our outreach efforts aimed at educating Veterans Affairs Canada employees on the positive effects of sustainable lifestyle choices.
What We Did
Veterans Affairs Canada took the above-mentioned key priorities and issues into consideration in this DSDS. The department continues its commitment to Greening the Government. Based on public feedback, we are working to improve our targets by making them more specific and measurable, or more ambitious and long-term. We will continue to push for the reduction of GHG emissions from our facilities and the goal of a zero-emission fleet vehicle. Among our many milestones and targets, we are also striving to strengthen our procurement and disposal policies to be in line with a more circular economy. We will also continue our education and awareness campaigns regarding indigenous perspectives, minority perspectives, food choices or plastic-free alternatives and many other goals. Sustainable Development is an ongoing conversation.
As a shared responsibility, we will continue to listen and improve each new DSDS as an evolving document.
Please find more information on the FSDS public consultation and its results in the FSDS Consultation Report.