How to Track Canada's Sustainable Jobs Progress: A Practical Guide for a Just Transition

Monitoring Canada's Sustainable Jobs: A Practical Guide

Protecting and strengthening the well-being of workers and communities through the economy-wide transition away from fossil fuels is an incredibly complex challenge. Canada's federal sustainable jobs legislation sets up some key governance mechanisms to advance an equitable transition and create good, long-term jobs in low-carbon industries. Ensuring that policies are effectively progressing toward sustainable jobs goals and learning lessons to course-correct along the way are essential.

Why Tracking Progress Matters

Tracking progress on sustainable jobs is essential to sustaining public and worker support for the transition and informing the Sustainable Jobs Action Plan. Effective monitoring strengthens accountability, improves decision making, and enables governments to course-correct when progress is off track.

Learning from Global Leaders

Canada does not need to start from scratch. This guide draws on interviews with experts in countries at the forefront of just transition monitoring, including Scotland, South Africa, and Ireland. It offers practical guidance on indicators and monitoring frameworks, based on international best practices.

Key Recommendations for Success

• Strong data collection and coordination: Implement robust systems to gather and analyze relevant employment and economic data.
• Sharing lessons learned: Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange between stakeholders to improve policies.
• Transparency and clear public communication: Ensure that monitoring results are accessible and understandable to build trust and engagement.

This guide supports monitoring and accountability for federal sustainable jobs efforts, providing a detailed review of 19 proposed indicators to support transparent, evidence-based just transition policy in Canada.