A new report from Julie Gelfand, Canada’s commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, shows the government is not keeping up with various issues related to the environment.

“Despite some initiatives and progress in certain areas, there remain many unanswered questions,” Gelfand said of the report. “In many key areas that we looked at, it is not clear how the government intends to address the significant environmental challenges that future growth and development will likely bring about.”

The findings reveal that Canada is not comprehensively monitoring the environmental effects of oil sands development and has no plan to do so beyond March 2015.

Additionally, Canada is behind on meeting international greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) targets, with lack of action translating to future higher costs.

In 2006, the government first announced its intent to regulate GHG emissions from the oil and gas industry but has not yet done so even though emissions are growing fastest in this sector.

Although some progress has been made in the Arctic, the government still does not know what services it will provide to support increased navigation and minimize environmental risk.

Meanwhile, Arctic shipping routes gain popularity as Arctic sea ice melts, increasing environmental risks in that delicate ecosystem.

Gelfand also pressed for meaningful citizen engagement, stating that federal departments can find a more integrated approach to decision making by investing in better information, acting on the knowledge they gather and engaging Canadians in their decisions.