Public Services and Procurement Canada
Letter on Implementation of the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion

Summer 2021 update

Dear Ms. Charette:

I am writing to you in response to the Clerk of the Privy Council’s January 22 message asking all leaders in the Public Service to take action on anti-racism, equity and inclusion.

I asked the chairpersons of Public Services and Procurement Canada’s (PSPC) five diversity networks to set the tone and direction for this letter; here is what they have to say about their communities, challenges, barriers and - most importantly - aspirations.

“There are two main challenges to inclusion for the Indigenous employees, trust and linguistic barriers. Indigenous employees who were not born with French as a first or second language have their own bilingualism dismissed by the government. Ongoing harassment, discrimination, as well as stagnant careers also greatly impact the level of trust. The Indigenous Circle of Employees (ICE) strives to create a safe educational environment to enable networking for mentorship and community, for example our “Indigenous Talk Tuesdays”, which has become a favorite day for many of our members. As we move forward with co-development and meaningful consultations, the Circle strives to Indigenize our work place and develop a strong community of Indigenous employees and allies. One of the most significant advances we would like to see is the incorporation of Indigenous Elders into the departmental fabric.”
- Kelly Bush, Chairperson, Indigenous Circle of Employees

“Employee networks like the Federal Black Employee Caucus have been at the forefront of the push for transformational change that recognizes equity as a foundational piece of diversity and inclusion. This important work began well before 2020. This effort relies on dedicated volunteers with little resourcing. While PSPC’s Diversity Network Chairs now have full-time roles, the challenges and work remain considerable. We must continue building on the existing resources if we are to meet our objectives. The Government of Canada prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion; however, it must become an organizational imperative with leadership at all levels doing their part to support adequate resourcing, in order to make this a reality.”
- Liza Daniel, Chairperson, Federal Black Employee Caucus

“Many employees with disabilities fear repercussions from self-identifying. Some will even refrain from asking for accommodations, if they can. Having been a manager as well as an employee with disabilities, I can attest that the fear is valid. Let’s shift the line of thought from considering issues to actually addressing them. For meaningful change to happen, we need intentional leadership from senior management to move the dial. Our members aspire to truly be included and for their untapped contributions to be fully leveraged in the service of Canadians.”
- Pierre Losier, Chairperson, Persons with Disabilities Network

“Members of the visible minorities’ community at PSPC continue to suffer the consequences of systemic racism, discrimination and harassment. Our members require appropriate mechanisms to report and disclose these unacceptable behaviors and we need senior management to ensure those responsible are held accountable. We need managers and all employees to have access to the right tools, training and recourse mechanisms to keep the momentum for change. We envision a PSPC where members of our community truly feel included and respected at all stages of their careers.”
- Samir Moussa, Chairperson, Visible Minorities Network

“As an equity-seeking group, LGBTQ2+ communities strive to be included in programs, policies and initiatives that benefit the current employment equity designated groups. Our members have intersecting identities that often create more barriers to inclusion in a predominantly white cisgender environment. Networks like PRIDE at work are essential to promote greater visibility and inclusion of LGBTQ2+ employees.”
- Jessica Vis, Chairperson, PRIDE at Work

Through the experiences and perspectives of our employees one thing is clear: racism, discrimination, micro-aggressions, phobias and pervasive barriers to inclusion are unacceptable realities that many face on a daily basis in their professional and personal lives.

Here at PSPC, we are acutely aware that what we tackle and what we set in motion need to be co-designed and implemented through systemic and sustainable changes. We set in motion eight (8) DM commitments and 18 resulting actions in October 2020, some of which are already achieved or will be ongoing.

Also as part of this, our 2021-2024 Diversity Action Plan is being built to be evergreen so that it may reflect the evolving nature of the ongoing dialogue with our diverse workforce on the decisions, policies, programs and initiatives that affect their professional and personal outcomes. This ongoing dialogue is the cornerstone of our approach. The 2021-2024 Diversity Action Plan will have three operational themes:

• shifting towards a more inclusive culture;
• strengthening representation; and,
• building for the future by updating our policies and programs.

To make progress in these areas and contribute to making the Diversity Action Plan a success, PSPC is setting in motion a number of co-developed initiatives with the Diversity Networks. These initiatives represent actions to deliver tangible results and transformative change for Indigenous people, Black people and other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, and members of LGBTQ2S+ communities within our organization. A snapshot of activities is attached for your reference (annex 1).

Over and above the plan itself, I wanted to highlight that in November 2020 PSPC conducted an Employment Systems Review to examine our policies, processes and barriers to diversity and inclusion. This was done for the first time in 15 years, and it provided us with insights and  a way forward towards removing barriers to full and equitable participation of EE groups in our workforce. PSPC was one of the first departments to complete this round of reviews.

Our objective is clear - to make good on the promise of inclusion for all employees and to ensure that employees can participate and have an equal opportunity to succeed. The way we bring about change is as important as the changes we bring, especially in our own follow-through on our commitments to one another. A shift in workplace culture is not instantaneous: it requires honesty, commitment, reinforcing positive behaviours, sensitivity, and leading by example. Bringing about cultural change needs ongoing and meaningful engagement with employees on racism and discrimination.

I look forward to keeping you informed of our department’s progress on creating a truly inclusive and equitable organization.

Bill Matthews
Deputy Minister
Public Services and Procurement Canada

Combating racism, discrimination, and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion at PSPC through a meaningful and enduring dialogue and taking concrete actions

FY 20/21 Snapshot of PSPC action to combat racism and discrimination, bolster equity, and foster inclusion.

• The Task Force on Anti-Racism, Workplace Culture and Equity was created in December 2020. The Task Force is a dedicated team led by members of equity groups and allies with necessary functional expertise who will work to ensure PSPC is well positioned to carry out a vast majority of the new Deputy Minister commitments on diversity and inclusion, including bridging our employment equity gaps.
• To complement the Task Force, an advisory council was created, comprised of equity group members and key stakeholders. This advisory council is strengthening the cultural competence and policy expertise at PSPC by providing input and advice on issues related to anti-racism and inclusion. The advisory council is also our sounding board for initiatives and decisions that impact our diverse workforce. In order to be sustainable and viable, solutions need to be co-developed with the individuals and communities they seek to better serve. With this in mind, the first task of the advisory council is to establish PSPC’s vision on anti-racism, equity and inclusion. This vision will be our cornerstone to engage all employees going forward.
• We allocated funds to each of our diversity employee networks for full-time resources to enable them to mobilize, organize and represent their communities’ interests to senior management. The new chairpersons were appointed to their new positions in April 2021. The Chairs play a crucial role in our joint efforts to create safe spaces where employees feel empowered to speak up on issues related to racism and discrimination, as well as guiding their members with the tools and services available to feel included. The networks benefit from contracted capacity-building services from a culturally competent firm we hired to establish a maturity model and undertake a needs assessment for each of the networks, and to provide tailored capacity- building help.
• PSPC was selected as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2021), where our national reconciliation and Indigenous engagement unit was highlighted for developing the department's Reconciliation Framework and Strategy, the creation of the mental health ombud (the first such position within the federal public service), and the launch of a Positive Measures program to hire persons with intellectual disabilities. Over the past year, the Department has expanded this latter initiative across its branches and regions (in partnership with non-profit organizations such as LiveWorkPlay).
• We have also hired a culturally competent firm to facilitate discussions with equity groups on their lived experiences at PSPC. By engaging a third party, we are creating a safe, neutral space for open dialogue.
• We know that our efforts to build a more inclusive workplace culture at PSPC will need to be coupled with definitive and bold actions to bridge our employment equity gaps over the next four years. We are working to establish base-line data as well as to collect new statistics and disaggregated data that will help us measure our equity and inclusion commitments. That said, this is an important area of challenge and a barrier.
• We have developed quarterly senior management dashboards to monitor and improve efforts to meet employment equity goals over the next four years. We are doing so by taking staffing and talent management measures, including making appointments within our executive ranks and our senior management tables to add and retain highly talented candidates. We are establishing inventories of talent from external organizations across the country. We are also establishing collective pools to address occupational group gaps, creating a list of selection board members from designated and equity-seeking groups, and supporting our managers to make more equitable and inclusive staffing decisions by working with our Managers Community Network to build a toolkit to better equip managers. While there has been progress in making tools and supports available, there remain challenges in making progress in staffing results, and this will require continual focus, measurement, and additional measures within the department.
• Recruitment also implies being connected and fostering significant relationships with communities across Canada. To that end, we are developing a strategy to partner with civil society groups, employment organizations, and communities across the country, to facilitate the recruitment and retention of qualified talent.
• One of the most exciting initiatives in PSPC is the launch of the Sponsorship Plus pilot program, following the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO)’s Mentorship Plus model, to support our designated and equity- seeking groups by preparing them for leadership roles, including providing tailored career and leadership development program support, as well as providing second- language training. We have identified 15 Sponsors at the EX04 and EX05 levels and 15 Protégés who are currently in the process of being matched with their sponsors. A second cohort is already identified and planned for this Fall.
• Since PSPC created a Reconciliation and Indigenous Engagement Directorate in 2019, over 40 socialization sessions have been held, reaching over 3,500 employees. These sessions sensitize and raise the awareness of the role of employees’ in Reconciliation. A DG Steering Committee on Reconciliation and Indigenous Engagement has also been established to help guide the department’s work. PSPC also continues to look for opportunities to better align its policies and practices with the goal of Reconciliation, such as establishing a more culturally appropriate Elder Honoria process and the creation of an Indigenous Cultural Space in collaboration with other departments.
• On leadership training, all executives completed unconscious bias training before the end of the past fiscal year; 96% have completed the initial training module. To complement this, we are holding a series of quarterly Executive Town Halls on diversity and inclusion, and we will conduct more in-depth unconscious bias training for all executives through the year in smaller groups. 
• We will be launching a diversity and inclusion learning path for all employees, which contains courses and learning resources on Reconciliation, Accessibility, an internally-designed mandatory course related to Harassment and Violence Prevention in the Workplace specific to PSPC employees, and other key content from the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS), as well as courses developed within PSPC. Employees will be required to commit to a minimum of four hours of training from modules in the learning path.
• The PSPC Onboarding program has integrated the needs of accessibility and accommodation into the onboarding tools to reflect the diversity of PSPC and our society. We are currently designing awareness sessions for managers on the importance of welcoming and integrating specific targeted groups such as Indigenous employees and employees with disabilities for Fall 2021. We are also designing an escalation and feedback protocol to help strengthen and improve the onboarding processes, especially for persons with disabilities.
• The PSPC Interim Accessibility Plan, launched in September 2020, sets out the accessibility objectives and activities that will move the department towards its ultimate goal: universal accessibility and inclusion for PSPC employees, other government departments, and the public. The plan focuses on eight priority areas: culture; employment; built environment; information and communication technologies; communication; procurement of goods, services and facilities; design and delivery of programs and services; and transportation.
• PSPC employees are encouraged to take part in virtual events, such as armchair discussions, throughout the year to learn about the realities of our designated and equity- seeking groups and how they can become allies and agents of change themselves. The first such event took place on March 29 with an armchair discussion with Deputy Minister Quan-Watson on the subject of allyship and inclusion. Over 2,000 PSPC employees attended the event. I also held an armchair discussion for all staff with our five Diversity Network chairs to ensure outstanding questions from the previous event were aired out and discussed in a candid and open fashion.

Annex A: Data

In 2020-2021, entries of employees at PSPC from both outside of Government and from other government departments went down significantly in comparison with the previous fiscal year. In spite of this, EE member entries within PSPC as a proportion of OGD entries increased in 2020-2021 compared to the previous year.

Furthermore, out of 1608 employee entries within PSPC, approximately 26% (418) were members of Visible Minorities, Indigenous and Persons with Disabilities.

When looking specifically at the EX level within PSPC for 2020-2021, the gap for Indigenous employees was eliminated. For the overall employee (non EX) population of the Department, the gap decreased for Indigenous employees as well as for Persons with Disabilities and there remains no gap for Visible Minorities.

Representation Table Comparison Between April 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021

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Annex B: Anti-racism, workplace culture and equity

Combating racism, discrimination, and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) through a meaningful and enduring dialogue and taking concrete actions on:

• employee engagement and participation
• co-development
• innovative and lasting solutions
• removing barriers to inclusion
• greater visibility and positive outcomes of equity groups

Key deliverables for fiscal year 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022

• 18,066 full time employees
  • 5,750 full time employees from equity groups (including LGBTQ2+ but excluding women [estimated])
• Performance Management Framework
• Communications and Engagement Strategy
• 8 Deputy Minister (DM) commitments
• 18 resulting actions
• Task Force  on Anti-Racism, Workplace Culture and Equity
  • established November 2020
  • led by equity group members
  • leads and coordinates DM Commitments and 4-year Action Plan
• Advisory Council
  • inaugural meeting February 16, 2021
  • will be the sounding board for  anti-racism, diversity and inclusion initiatives

Changing the public service culture

• Allocated funds for 5 fulltime Chairpersons for PSPC’s Diversity Networks (December 2020)
• Host quarterly townhall meetings for executives on Diversity and Inclusion (began April 29, 2021)
• Issued directive for mandatory unconscious bias training for executives (EX) (96% have completed)
• DM Matthews hosting an armchair discussion with DM Quan-Watson for all PSPC employees (March 29, 2021)
• Hired a culturally competent firm to carry out facilitated discussions with employees on their lived experiences at PSPC
  • first facilitated discussions starting in Fall 2021
• Launch a new diversity and inclusion learning path for executives, managers and all employees (Fall 2021)
• The Translation Bureau will work with Women and Gender Equality Canada and/or Canadian Heritage on a whole-of-government lexicon of Diversity and Inclusion terminology

Reflecting diversity and promoting inclusion

Present a 4-year plan to bridge employment equity gaps.

Staffing Strategy highlights

• Focus on augmenting visibility of diverse talent within PSPC
  • leverage collective employment equity talent pools to help bridge gaps (ongoing)
  • Identify diverse talent ready for advancement (ongoing)
• Evidence-based targets, progressive, realistic and incremental approach, with special focus paid to regional labour markets and disaggregated data (2021)
• Review recruitment and staffing processes to remove barriers (ongoing)
  • diversify interview boards membership (ongoing)
• Launch a sponsorship/mentorship program to support equity group members identified for developmental opportunities (April 2021)
• Issue and promote a Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit for Managers (Fall 2021)

Updating policies and programs: Our future workplace

• Finalized an Employment Systems Review (March 2021)