Adaptation Governance in Canada

The executive summary argues that Canada's first National Adaptation Strategy requires a revitalized cross-departmental governance structure to ensure effective implementation. It identifies the need for clarified institutional roles, formalized accountability mechanisms, and coordination structures that account for departmental differences in mandates and financing. The report suggests that success depends on senior-level leadership, increased awareness of adaptation's unique characteristics compared to mitigation, and sufficient funding for adaptation units and secretariats.

• Effective federal adaptation governance in Canada requires the clarification of institutional roles and responsibilities, the creation of knowledge-sharing and coordination structures, and the formalization of accountability mechanisms to measure progress.
• Governance of climate adaptation is complicated by several factors, including a fragmented landscape of priorities and actors, uncertainty regarding climate changes, and a lack of understanding among senior decision-makers about the nature of adaptation.
• The success of a revitalized horizontal governance system depends on three primary elements: senior-level leadership commitment to long-term resilience, senior-level awareness of how adaptation differs from emergency management and mitigation, and adequate funding for adaptation units and secretariats.

APA

Hammill,, J.-E. P. O. (2023). Adaptation Governance in Canada. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/adaptation-governance-canada

Chicago

Hammill,, Jo-Ellen Parry,Sarah O'Keefe,Anne. Adaptation Governance in Canada. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2023. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/adaptation-governance-canada.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hammill, |first1=Jo-Ellen Parry,Sarah O'Keefe,Anne |title=Adaptation Governance in Canada |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=17 May 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/adaptation-governance-canada |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hammill2023adaptation, author = {Hammill,, Jo-Ellen Parry,Sarah O'Keefe,Anne}, title = {{Adaptation Governance in Canada}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/adaptation-governance-canada}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }