Canadian Grain Commission
Letter on Implementation of the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion

Summer 2021 update

Dear Ms. Charette;

The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) is a small science-based and regulatory department of approximately 450 employees located in several sites across the country with its headquarters situated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The CGC’s core responsibility is grain regulation which results in many non-traditional and highly technical positions that work to ensure Canada’s grain is safe and dependable and that our country’s farmers are fairly compensated.

The CGC has various programs to support the organization in the areas of employment equity, diversity and inclusion; respectful workplaces; mental health and well-being; values and ethics; and official languages. Our multi-year employment equity, diversity, and inclusion plan has guided our actions to increase awareness, address representation gaps, and to work towards implementation of the requirements of the Accessibility Act. A very active, employee-driven National Employment Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee who provides diverse perspectives from across the organization, supports this work.

We are committed to employing a workforce that is reflective of the clients we serve and is representative of the Canadian population. The CGC has placed focus over the past number of years to close our representation gaps for women and visible minorities. Women are well represented in both our senior management cadre and amongst our scientist population. We are at or above workforce availability in representation across the organization for Women, Indigenous Peoples, and Visible Minorities (See Annex A). Continued emphasis is being placed on addressing representation gaps for persons with disabilities and for women in our technical inspection group. 

Working with our partners at the Public Service Commission, we continue to utilize employment equity recruitment options and flexibilities to address our representation gaps. We are examining our staffing methodology and will take action to make necessary improvements to address any systemic barriers that exist. Working within our communities, we are looking at ways to expand our outreach efforts and explore initiatives that allow partnerships to promote CGC as an accessible employer of choice. 

Over the past eighteen months, the pandemic provided opportunities to bring the whole of the organization together in a virtual setting more frequently. This allowed us to continue to advocate for diversity, inclusion and anti-racism as topics for discussion at employee town halls and on our Yammer social media platform. Additionally, we established a virtual manager’s forum whereby supervisors and managers regularly connect to share ideas, best practices and to support each other. Our regular participation in Regional and Federal Council discussions as well as collaboration with other Government departments including our Portfolio leads at Agriculture & Agrifood Canada (AAFC), has enhanced our learning and positioned us to advance Employment Equity, Diversity & Inclusion initiatives within the organization. 

The perspectives of our employees are very important. The CGC had a very high response rate of 83% for the 2020 Public Service Employee Survey (See Annex B). Our results reflect increasing positive sentiments for our workplace being one that demonstrates respect, respects differences and supports a diverse workplace. Our employees indicated that more efforts could be placed on the promotion of anti-racism. The tragic events in Canada earlier this year of the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools caused pause for reflection as a Nation, a Government, and for our Department to place a renewed focus on truth & reconciliation.  The CGC also released internal surveys, conducted focus group discussions and analyzed the results across various demographic factors to ensure we have a clear understanding of the diverse views across the organization to shape the future of work. 

Over the past few years, the CGC has focused on fostering a positive and connected culture of mental health and well-being by educating our organization, sharing tools and resources and creating a safe environment for the exchange of ideas. Our dedicated champions and mental health awareness team have hosted many events including Walk the Talk days, mindfulness sessions, and most recently a discussion to normalize conversations and reduce stigma about men’s mental health. We are building upon our lessons learned to create the same safe spaces to continue the dialogue on equity, diversity, and inclusion to address any barriers, discrimination, or disadvantages experienced by any group in the organization. 

Our immediate next steps will be provision of further education on unconscious bias, launching a speaker series to share experiences and open the dialogue about how to address systemic racism and/or barriers in the workplace, and the development of evidence-based measures to monitor our progress.

Sincerely;

Doug Chorney
Chief Commissioner & Deputy Head
Canadian Grain Commission

Co-signed by:
CGC Executive Management Committee
Elizabeth Tabert, Chair, National Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Annex A

CGC Employment Equity Representation

Data as of March 31, 2021
Gaps: are indicated by a negative number

Employment equity gaps in the PI group (Technical Category)

The estimated gaps for women in the PI occupational group are shown in the table below.

Annex B

CGC 2020 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) Results
(83% employee response rate)