At the United Nations in September this year, the global community will agree to a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at realizing a more sustainable, prosperous and equitable future for people and planet by 2030. Unlike the Millennium Development Goals – which expire in 2015 and applied largely to developing countries – the SDGs will be universal in nature and apply to all countries, including Canada. The SDGs are based on an explicit recognition that poverty, inequality, improving social services and environmental sustainability, for example, are challenges shared by all countries regardless of their level of development. Under the SDG framework, high-income countries, like Canada, will be responsible for providing support to developing countries as was the case under the Millennium Development Goals. They are also expected to adopt and implement the SDGs back at home.
Engagement on the SDGs in Canada has been fairly minimal to date. Yet, efforts by Canada’s provinces and territories to reduce poverty align quite closely with the priorities that are now being discussed at the global level under the SDGs. Though federal leadership has been lacking to date, potential exists to harness momentum in Canada and internationally to establish a national plan aimed at reducing poverty and realizing sustainable development in Canada.
In an effort to unpack the implications of the SDGs for Canada, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs partnered with the Centre for the Study of Living Standards to road-test the proposed SDGs. Part of a broader, seven country research initiative, their report, Canada 2030: An Agenda for Sustainable Development, examines Canada’s sustainable development priorities in seven key areas. They include poverty, education, employment and inclusive growth, energy and infrastructure, environmental sustainability and disaster resilience, governance and global partnership (which looks at Canada’s engagement on sustainable development issues globally).
Notwithstanding the government’s recent request for feedback on the SDGs, the report found that the conversation on the SDGs has been limited in Canada, largely confined to development and environmental communities. At this point, the extent to which the Canadian government has engaged with domestic stakeholders, including provincial, territorial and municipal governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and academia, is unclear. Yet, as I’ve argued elsewhere, the realization of the SDGs in Canada will require significant efforts from a broad range of stakeholders moving beyond the federal government. This is particularly so given the role different levels government play in the provision of social services, job creation and addressing environmental concerns.
Despite the lack of engagement to date, the report also notes that efforts to realize sustainable development outcomes in Canada are underway, and in many cases, with provincial and territorial governments leading the way. A good example of this is in the area of poverty reduction.
With the exception of British Colombia, all provinces and territories have poverty reduction strategies in place or are in the process of developing them. These poverty reduction plans take a multi-dimensional approach to poverty. They include issues like housing, income and social assistance, employment, education, social inclusion and addressing the needs of vulnerable groups (figure below). In almost all cases, the implementation of these plans has seen positive results.
The multi-dimensional approach taken by Canada’s provinces and territories coincides largely with what is planned for the SDGs. The proposed 17 SDGs currently include issues related to improved access to better quality social services, affordable housing, job creation, reducing inequalities and addressing the needs of the poorest and the most vulnerable. As noted in Canada 2030, there is no need to re-invent the wheel as Canada moves forward on translating the SDGs to the national level – a veritable roadmap could be established drawing from existing strategies.
Issues addressed by provincial and territorial poverty reduction strategies
Notwithstanding the commendable efforts of Canada’s provinces and territories, an ongoing critique in the Canadian context has been the lack of vision and leadership from the federal government on poverty reduction. Though the income assistance programmes provided by the federal government demonstrate a commitment to poverty reduction in a sense, there is no official federal poverty reduction plan.
In the past, a number of initiatives have been launched based on previous poverty reduction goals set at the national level – such as Campaign 2000, a national, regional and local movement focused on promoting the House of Commons 1989 resolution to end child poverty by the year 2000. In 2008, as a result of this growing interest, the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities conducted a study on the federal government’s involvement in attempting to reduce poverty levels. A key point raised during the study is that in order to reduce and eliminate (extreme) poverty in Canada, a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach in which the federal government plays an active role is needed. Ensuring that “no one is left behind” in the implementation of the SDGs also necessitates federal leadership to ensure address disparities between and within provinces. As Charles Plante points out, Canada’s Aboriginal populations, particularly people living on federal reserves, continue to face higher rates of poverty.
The time may be ripe for the establishment of a federal plan on poverty reduction as part of Canada’s implementation of the SDGs. Domestic and international policy drivers are in play. Canada’s international commitments will require the government to develop and report back on a national plan to realize sustainable development outcomes. To ensure buy-in on the SDG agenda and realize synergies between different levels of government, the federal government should harness the momentum and strategies of provincial and territorial governments (as well as municipal governments) on poverty reduction and in other areas relevant to the SDGs, such as climate change, environmental protection, energy and infrastructure. Domestic and internationally focussed Canadian civil society groups have not missed the opportunity presented by the SDGs, which is also putting pressure on the federal government. The “We Can Do Better” campaign is calling for the Canadian government to make the SDGs an important part of government plans and priorities going forward. For civil society, a key aspect of SDG implementation in Canada is addressing inequalities and improving outcomes for all people, particularly the poorest and most marginalized Canadians.
In sum, Canada’s adoption of the SDGs can build on the poverty reduction initiatives of Canada’s provinces, territories and many of its municipalities. The only missing party is the federal government.
Shannon Kindornay is an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Follow her on twitter @skindornay.
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