The Role of Climate Change Policy Work in Canada

Abstract

An ongoing concern with many Canada’s governments is avoiding climate change related policy failure, including that associated with climate change. In response, there has been a spate of government-led climate change vulnerability and risk assessments, studies, and strategies. With a growing attention on developing the ‘right’ policies and program to address climate change needs to be examined as an important factor in ‘adaptive capacity’. As governments turn their attention from broad strategizing to policy-making, we argue that a consideration of the often overlooked micro-level and seemingly routine government based capacity—especially the advice needed to formulate and implement policy changes—is required. A high level of policy capacity is an important factor in avoiding policy failures. The questionnaire was delivered through a webbased survey of 1469 Canadian provincial and territorial government policy analysts working in nine provinces and three territorial jurisdictions in the climate change, environmental, financial, forestry, natural resource, infrastructure, transportation, and water sectors. A comparison of mean scores across key indicators of policy work was conducted. A number of policy implications were raised. First, those in financial sector do very little climate change policy work. Second, the fracturing of roles in those departments responsible for forestry reflects the complexity of the climate change issue and a developed division of labour. Those who identified with forestry sector, under performed despite their concern about climate change, in terms of key policy tasks, the level of complexity that the issues were addressed and a low level engagement with stakeholders with those outside of government. Policy capacity was also undermined with a view that departments were committed vis a vis their mission statements but that this commitment was not reflected in their daily operations.