G21-P039 Using the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals as Key Indicators for Societal Well-Being [ Rejected ]

This proposal was rejected at VGM-2.

Submitter Name

Margo Sheppard

This proposal was incorporated into G21-P019 during workshop at VGM-2.

Proposal

Canada should adopt the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a replacement for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of overall national environmental, economic and social well-being.

Objective

The objective is to specifically reference and employ the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a grassroots-driven set of indicators and targets, in order to replace the use of gross domestic product (GDP) metrics and other less-complete indicators which have not been as widely adopted (and which currently appear in the policy). Current policy G14-p42 does not mention GDP at all. Rather it addresses gross national product (GNP), an indicator not as familiar to ordinary Canadians as GDP.

Benefit

GPC will benefit from a clearer vision on how to replace GDP as a measure of national welfare. Replacing it with measures having more widespread grassroots input and support will raise the public profile/recognition of Canada’s achievement of progress on the UN’s 17 SDGs which have been ratified by 193 countries.

Supporting Comments from Submitter

2018 International Monetary Fund study looking at using a system of national accounts to measure progress towards the SDGs. https://www.sipotra.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Sustainable-Development-Goals-SDGs-and-GDP-What-National-Accounts-Bring-to-the-Table.pdf

Article by Ethical Markets Founder and author, Hazel Henderson, that makes the point that GDP incentivizes bad behavior (the 7 Deadly Sins) while the SDGs, ratified by grassroots input worldwide, rewards systemic cultural norms we learned and teach our children: The Golden Rule.

https://www.ethicalmarkets.com/steering-societies-beyond-gdp-to-sdgs-by-hazel-henderson/

The 2018 Voluntary National Review, 2018, Government of Canada which states that “The Government of Canada’s policies, programs and priorities are already well-aligned to the SDGs. Canada’s 2018 Federal Budget allocated new funds to establish an SDG Unit, which will ensure effective 2030 Agenda coordination across federal departments and agencies and with Canadian stakeholders, and to track Canada’s progress on the SDGs.”

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/canada

Vince Molinari and Hazel Henderson on moving towards SDGs and away from GDP.

https://fintech.tv/hazel-henderson-founder-ceo-ethical-markets/

Results of survey of UN member states, 2009-2020 on expanding indicators beyond GDP.

https://www.ethicalmarkets.com/global-survey-finds-most-prefer-expanding-gdp-with-health-education-and-environmental-data/

Green Value(s)

Ecological Wisdom, Sustainability, Social Justice

Relation to Existing Policy

Rescind and replace G14-P42 “Replace GNP with parameters which better measure the wellbeing of present-day Canadians.”