Canada needs a whole-of-government approach to climate change: How do we get there?

The Canadian Climate Institute asserts that Canada requires a whole-of-government approach to climate change to ensure that all departments work collaboratively rather than in silos. While some structures exist, such as a climate secretariat in the Privy Council Office, the author recommends establishing a dedicated cabinet committee for climate change, expanding the Privy Council Office's secretariat, and implementing a 'climate lens' for all government decision-making. Success depends on sustained executive leadership from the Prime Minister, buy-in across the public service, adequate resources, and external accountability through advisory bodies.

• Current Canadian climate policy is hindered by departments working in silos, which leads to policies that are ineffective or conflicting across and within government agencies.
• The author proposes several specific structural changes for the federal government, including the creation of a cabinet committee dedicated solely to climate change, the formation of cross-departmental task forces like a clean growth committee, and the expansion of the Privy Council Office’s climate change secretariat.
• The implementation of a 'climate lens' is recommended to integrate both climate adaptation and mitigation considerations, as well as clean growth objectives, into all government decision-making processes.
• Four critical factors are identified as necessary for the success of a whole-of-government approach: sustained executive leadership from the Prime Minister, buy-in from political and public service staff at all levels, sufficient funding and mandates, and transparency through external advisory bodies.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2021). Canada needs a whole-of-government approach to climate change: How do we get there? https://climateinstitute.ca/canada-needs-a-whole-of-government-approach-to-climate-change-how-do-we-get-there/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. Canada needs a whole-of-government approach to climate change: How do we get there? 2021. https://climateinstitute.ca/canada-needs-a-whole-of-government-approach-to-climate-change-how-do-we-get-there/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=Canada needs a whole-of-government approach to climate change: How do we get there? |date=22 November 2021 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/canada-needs-a-whole-of-government-approach-to-climate-change-how-do-we-get-there/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianclimateinstitute2021canada, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{Canada needs a whole-of-government approach to climate change: How do we get there?}}, publisher = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/canada-needs-a-whole-of-government-approach-to-climate-change-how-do-we-get-there/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }