Federal Government's National Adaptation Strategy Fails to Deliver, Says Auditor General

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada has released an audit report highlighting significant challenges in the design and implementation of the National Adaptation Strategy, a plan aimed at responding to the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. The report, authored by Commissioner Jerry V. DeMarco, found that the strategy lacks essential elements, including prioritization of climate change risks, economic analysis, and a comprehensive federal action plan. The Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan, a key component of the strategy, was neither systematic nor comprehensive, and implementation of its 73 actions was limited.

Key Takeaways:

• The National Adaptation Strategy, released in 2023, lacks essential elements to make it effective, including a prioritization of Canada's climate change risks, an economic analysis, a comprehensive federal action plan, and an effective framework for measuring and monitoring results.
• The Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan, which was meant to be the centrepiece component of the strategy, was neither systematic nor comprehensive, and its 73 actions were a mix of new and existing federal programming.
• The department failed to assess the outcomes of its actions on vulnerable populations.
• Implementation of the 7 key actions assessed in the audit was limited.
• The Federal, Provincial and Territorial Bilateral Action Plans and the Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda, the other 2 components of the strategy, were still works in progress.

Commissioner Jerry V. DeMarco emphasized the need for urgent attention to achieve impactful action, stating, "Although the release of the National Adaptation Strategy in 2023 was an important first step, urgent attention is still needed to achieve impactful action. The sooner that Canada acts, the more sustainable the outcomes for people's health, safety, and livelihoods."

Statistics:

• The National Adaptation Strategy lacked essential elements, including prioritization of Canada's climate change risks and economic analysis.
• 73 actions were included in the Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan, but implementation was limited.
• 7 key actions were assessed in the audit, and implementation was limited.
• The Federal, Provincial and Territorial Bilateral Action Plans and the Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda were still works in progress.

Sources:

• "Audit of the National Adaptation Strategy" by Commissioner Jerry V. DeMarco, Office of the Auditor General of Canada.
• "Recommendation to Develop a National Adaptation Strategy," Auditor General of Canada, 2005.
• "National Adaptation Strategy," Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2023.