Thank you very much to the members of the committee for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Government of Canada on its commitment to implement the 2020 agenda for sustainable development, both at home and abroad.
I'd like to acknowledge my colleague, Deirdre Kent, who is the director general for international assistance policy at Global Affairs Canada, and whose group, among other things, is leading the development of Canada's voluntary national review report, which will be going to the UN in July.
As you know, five federal departments have been identified as leaders in preparing Canada for the implementation of the sustainable development goals: Employment and Social Development Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Global Affairs Canada; Indigenous Affairs Canada; and Status of Women Canada.
Together, we appreciate and welcome the commissioner's interest in the 2030 agenda and in ensuring that Canada is on track to effectively support all 17 sustainable development goals. The government agrees with all the commissioner's recommendations, including developing a governance structure, establishing an inclusive engagement strategy, and developing national targets and sustainable development goals specific to Canada. The five audited departments are working actively together to respond to all of these recommendations.
As the Auditor General noted, many government priorities, such as taking action on climate change, renewing the government's relationship with indigenous peoples, advancing gender equality, and working to ensure a safe, clean, and sustainable environment already support the 2030 agenda.
Internationally, Canada is contributing to achieving the SDGs through programs such as the new feminist international assistance policy, the progressive trade agenda, and the second national action plan on women, peace, and security.
The government is committed to building on these successes and elevating the good practices embedded in these programs to bring together a comprehensive and cohesive approach to the SDGs. One example of this was announced on April 17, when the government said that it was taking steps to develop such a national strategy. It launched a voluntary national review web portal to learn about how Canadians are helping to advance the SDGs both at home and abroad.
Over the coming months, the government will reach out to Canadians, including indigenous peoples, civil society, the private sector, and other levels of government to develop a national strategy that will catalyze action on the SDGs across Canada. We will work with all partners to build awareness among the public and to foster new partnerships and networks to advance the SDGs. We will take steps to ensure all federal departments and agencies integrate the SDGs into their policies and programs, and a robust SDG team will be established to coordinate and to support these efforts. This team will also help to gather data, report, and communicate on progress towards the SDGs.
Finally, the government is committed to continuing to work through Statistics Canada with the United Nations and Canadian partners on the global SDG indicator framework to help both Canada and the world measure our progress.
In recognition of the complex nature of coordinating the SDGs, as has been mentioned, budget 2018 proposed a significant investment of $49.4 million over 13 years to establish an SDG unit that will provide overall policy coherence and coordination, and to fund monitoring and reporting activities by Statistics Canada.
To further facilitate meaningful engagement, the budget also proposed providing just under $60 million over 13 years for programming to support implementing the SDGs. This means developing a national strategy in consultation with all levels of government, indigenous peoples, the private sector, academia, and civil society to catalyze action, build awareness, and foster new partnerships and networks to advance the SDGs.
Canada's efforts to implement the agenda will be presented in July at the UN, where we will also put forward our first national review.
With that, let me conclude. Thank you.