The sustainable development goals are critically important. My department reports, like all departments, on the sustainable development goals in relation to the projects and the programs under its department, but we do it to ESDC.
I was actually involved in this as Minister of Environment and Climate Change. We had to report on Canada's progress on the sustainable development goals, which included progress at every level of government. It is not just the federal government, but every community. Everyone has to weigh in.
In some ways it is a bit strange to put the onus on us. We actually have a department that is required to report, including to the UN, on how we are tracking progress on the sustainable development goals. However, my department does track its projects and how we're contributing to sustainable development goals.
As to the reporting in the Auditor General's report, I think my deputy can explain how many departments, how many programs and how many projects. That's a separate type of reporting. However, for the reporting on SDGs, we should be clear: Our government is reporting across government, for every department, to the United Nations, which is critically important.
