Evaluation of the International Actions Theme of the Clean Air Agenda

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6 Recommendations

The following recommendations were developed based on evaluation findings and conclusions. These recommendations are directed to the responsible ADMs of the International Affairs Branch at EC, the Global Issues Branch at DFAIT, the Energy Sector at NRCan, the Industry Sector at IC and the Associate ADM of the Environmental Stewardship Branch at Environment Canada. They were developed to continue improving and advancing the CAA International Actions Theme.

Recommendation 1: EC, in consultation with other participating departments, should review and implement options for enhancing coordination and management of program components in order to improve the strategic direction and  effectiveness for the Theme overall.  

Although there is some overall coordination across departments, each program component within the International Actions Theme is essentially implemented and managed separately by the department(s) responsible. This theme is not managed or implemented as a “theme” as originally articulated. Therefore, areas for improving possible synergies and connections between the goals of program components and departmental mandates should be explored, and formal mechanisms should be put in place (e.g., regular senior-level meetings across participating departments) to ensure that shared objectives for this theme and the CAA overall are met.

Recommendation 2: EC should consider the costs and benefits of integrating PM Annex program activities with CARA activities.

Streamlining all air quality activities together within the Department can lead to a more coordinated and coherent approach to planning, completing and reporting on the results for initiatives related to PM. Under the existing CAA structure, the majority of air quality activities are funded by sources within CARA. Since PM Annex activities are more closely aligned with the domestic objectives for CARA than to international climate change activities, EC should explore the appropriateness of integrating PM Annex resources and activities with those of CARA. This integration should facilitate the coordination of all work related to PM at EC

Recommendation 3: EC should improve the effectiveness of its engagement with provinces, territories and other domestic stakeholders for the PM Annex, by considering the most appropriate formal mechanisms for consultation that will provide strategic direction for the future.

There was little evidence that the provinces, territories and other domestic stakeholders were engaged as part of the PM Annex’s negotiations process. Given the role that these groups play in implementing clean air and clean energy programs and technologies, regional partners and other levels of governments should be engaged to enhance opportunities and articulate region-specific issues and context to inform priorities and negotiating positions for the Annex. Because the Annex experienced some delays in implementation, it is imperative to develop effective processes that will enable the Annex to move forward efficiently toward achieving its expected outcomes in the future. EC should therefore review existing processes for consultations and consider formal mechanisms for implementation of consultations that will provide strategic direction for the Annex’s negotiating positions.

Recommendation 4: EC, DFAIT and NRCan should develop an overarching strategic framework to guide the selection of international climate change voluntary contributions to international bodies and programs.

Within the International Actions Theme, there are multiple and sometimes conflicting goals assigned to Canada’s voluntary (non-assessed) contributions to international bodies and programs, which makes it difficult to determine the cohesiveness of these contributions in meeting broader thematic objectives. While some program components allocate funds using specific selection criteria based on their specific objectives, some components allocate funding based on opportunity rather than proactively. Therefore, an overarching framework should be developed to guide the selection of the International Actions Theme’s voluntary contribution projects. This framework should articulate the overarching strategic priorities, criteria for selection, appropriate terms and conditions, and broad processes to review, select, approve and monitor/oversee contribution projects.

This recommendation’s aim is to ensure that all funds are allocated to those initiatives that can best achieve the Theme’s broad expected outcomes. This overarching strategic framework should apply to all voluntary contributions in the Theme, to enable a more integrated process for soliciting, reviewing and approving proposals based on common expected outcomes and priorities (e.g., GHG reduction potential, trade-development potential, or value in developing partnerships, or some combination of these or other objectives). The intention is to have a Theme-level framework and a set of priorities that govern all voluntary grants and contributions programs under the Theme. However, this framework is intended to guide, not replace, the component-specific processes that are already in place for program components.

To support international partnerships and negotiations, this contributions strategy should also consider the goal of developing strategic alliances with developing countries, particularly with LDCs and SIDS, to better understand the potential adverse effects associated with climate change (e.g., adaptation in SIDS and LDCs), thereby building on commitments to support the poorest and those most vulnerable to climate change. Engagement with other federal departments not included in the International Actions Theme (e.g., the Canadian International Development Agency) may be beneficial.

Recommendation 5: EC, NRCan, DFAIT and IC should consider how APP program activities and outputs can be used to provide trade opportunities for the development, diffusion and deployment of clean technologies. 

The initial portfolio of APP projects focused less on technology deployment and more on capacity building and technology research. However, opportunities for Canadian businesses to develop and promote clean technologies internationally are emerging as large developing countries articulate their climate change actions and technology requirements to reduce GHG emissions. In order to maximize these opportunities (e.g., enabling technologies for smart‑grid development in countries looking to improve energy efficiency), federal departments should explore how the International Actions Theme’s voluntary contributions can be used to increase support for these emerging trade opportunities for Canadian businesses.

Recommendation 6:  EC, DFAIT, NRCan and IC should develop and implement mechanisms that will ensure the ongoing collection of meaningful and accurate performance measurement data.

Given that this evaluation occurred early in program implementation, the achievement of immediate outcomes was assessed at this time. Ongoing performance measurement data are required to assess progress toward achievement of intermediate and final outcomes in subsequent evaluations. However, some program components under this theme do not have a clear strategy for collecting ongoing performance information. As well, the performance measurement data collected as part of the HMARF are not used by, or seen as useful for, program managers. Therefore, EC, in consultation with participating departments and working with CAA–RMS, should enhance the performance measurement strategy for this theme, including the development of specific, measureable performance indicators. A clear plan should then be developed for the ongoing collection of performance measurement data, and mechanisms should be established in all participating departments to maintain the accuracy and usefulness of these data for each of the program components under this theme.

For example, performance indicators should be developed and a mechanism should be implemented to collect and maintain these performance measurement data for APP-funded projects. While it is too early to assess project success, there should be a system in place that will capture outcomes for funded projects so that these project outcomes can be assessed against established APP objectives in the future. Because of the dynamic nature of the policy directions and context of some activities under the International Actions Theme, it is challenging to develop accurate and useful ongoing performance indicators. Flexible strategies for program‑component‑level performance measurement and reporting may be considered to account for changing policy directions, but a clear plan should be developed that describes how these data will be recorded and managed.

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