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

Summer 2021 update

Dear Ms. Charette:

In response to the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service, released on January 22, 2021, the following represents our collective departmental response inclusive of input from our employee networks, corporate services providers, as well as Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Executive Vice President, Kathy Thompson and myself.

Collectively, we are committed to ensuring that the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC or the Agency) builds and supports a workplace that is diverse, safe, respectful, healthy and inclusive – free of racism and discrimination. We consider diversity and inclusion to be foundational to creating a welcoming workplace, and we strive to achieve this goal through meaningful engagement and co-development with our employees to ensure their perspectives are included. We also work to ensure all employees have a safe, healthy work environment, one where every voice is valued, and where all employees are treated with respect, dignity and fairness. This is imperative in our continued response to the Call to Action.

Highlighted in this letter are concrete actions that PHAC has taken to identify and address issues of systemic racism, discrimination and harassment within the organization. Also highlighted in this letter are the accomplishments we have achieved collectively to date, and the early impacts they are having in positively transforming our organizational culture. Finally, while we still have work to do as an organization, we are committed to the continuation of those initiatives, checking in on their progress, adjusting where necessary and rebuilding systems where appropriate. Accordingly, also included in this letter are examples of planned initiatives and measures to further address and take action on anti- racism, equity and inclusion within the organization.

Implementation of the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion

Actions

To establish a culture of inclusiveness that values diversity and will combat racism and address systemic barriers, our actions have included the following:

• Diversity and Inclusion Office and Anti-Racism Team:

  We strengthened corporate support provided through our Diversity and Inclusion Office with a Network Secretariat to act as a liaison for the employee networks; we also created a new Anti-Racism and Anti- Discrimination Team, both led by senior leaders who are racialized employees.

  As part of its role in supporting managers and employees in understanding the level of diversity of the workforce, the Diversity and Inclusion Office has published Employment Equity Workforce Demographic Reports on our intranet to provide all employees access to our workforce representation data. Only by knowing the composition of our workforce can we understand trends in representation gaps, and what resulting staffing actions will achieve a workforce representative of the population we serve.

• Strengthening network support:

  We took concrete steps to strengthen the employee networks, including providing clear written direction to managers to support network members in their regular participation. More specifically, recognizing the need for additional support for our employee networks, we implemented a new flexible funding model that provides funded assignments for network Chairs and Co-Chairs, either full or part-time, to allow them time to dedicate to the work of their network. The new model also enables each network to staff a junior resource to support their work. For employees with an active role in the various networks, this means they will be better able to balance the workload of their substantive position with the important work they do for their network. For managers, this provides them with clarity about the time required for network activities and allows them to manage their operations. Employee time and contributions to network activities have high value, and as such will be included in the employee’s Performance Management Agreements, learning and talent management plans.

• Employee Networks and Network Champions:

  Additionally, we supported the revitalization and strengthening of our collaboration with our employee networks, including the Gender and Sexual Diversity Network, the Indigenous Employees Network, the Managers’ Network, the Persons with Disabilities Network, the Visible Minorities Network, and the Young Professionals Network, and collectively, we have responded to the needs of the employees we serve. These employee networks, alongside their respective senior leader Champions have helped to ensure that the perspectives of their members have been represented and their ideas brought forward at senior management tables. Collectively, their work includes advancing initiatives that matter to Indigenous, Black, and other racialized employees, as well as persons with disabilities, such as addressing systemic barriers in the workplace; ensuring policies and programs are inclusive and equitable; and promoting recruitment, retention, development and career advancement opportunities.

To increase the representation of Indigenous, Black, other racialized communities, as well as persons with disabilities within all levels of the organization, our actions have included the following:

• Targeted employment equity (EE) Recruitment:

  To improve representation and increase diversity, and help ensure that our workforce is more reflective of the population we serve, we focused on the hiring of Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities, as well as persons with disabilities for both the non-executive and executive levels.

  • More specifically, during 2019-2020, Indigenous students accounted for 3% of the employees hired, while racialized students accounted for 28% of employees hired (including more than 7% being Black students). For the period of 2020-2021, there was a slight decrease in the number of Indigenous students hired (under 2%) and the rate of racialized and Black students hired held constant at 28% (including 7% being Black students).

  • As well, we continue to access highly qualified candidates through our Post-Secondary Recruitment program (PSR) and work directly with universities to meet and recruit Indigenous science students from across Canada to work in labs at the Agency. The Agency is committed to expanding the recruitment of Indigenous science students, and we welcome opportunities to engage with universities to attract Indigenous students into PHAC’s science cadre.

• Executive inventories and pools:

  To improve representation and increase diversity, we implemented initiatives to promote recruitment and retention at the executive level; we also supported the participation of Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees in leadership development programs and career development services. For example:

  • We developed potential candidates for executive levels from established inventories and pools, and our talent management process. These initiatives offer high-potential employees leadership training, interview preparation coaching, mentoring, education, learning and development opportunities.

  • We also created an Executive Level Indigenous Inventory. This inventory is open to Indigenous peoples across Canada who are fully or partially qualified in an executive level (EX-01 to EX-03) process within the Public Service.

Additionally, we are pleased to have welcomed this year the new VP of the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch who is Algonquin Anishnaabe.

• Supporting development:

  Likewise, to improve representation and increase diversity, we also promoted programs that sponsor high potential, aspiring Indigenous, Black, and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles. These programs were created and are managed in collaboration with a number of partners, including other departments, the employee networks, our corporate learning unit, alongside senior diversity and inclusion leaders who have been voluntarily sharing their time, expertise, and lived experiences to nurture these future leaders. These programs develop leadership skills through various means, from direct learning assignments, formal training and language training, to informal mentoring, coaching, and/or networking opportunities, by matching participating employees with senior leaders who have similar career interests.

  Programs available include the Indigenous Management Development Program (for aspiring executives), the Indigenous Career Management for Employees Program, and various mentoring/coaching sessions for students and employees. Also available are a number of internal, branch and regional specific initiatives such as student hiring initiatives to work with Indigenous and Afrocentric Atlantic communities to promote public health equity, with the opportunity to subsequently appoint them to permanent positions at PHAC.

• Training and communications:

  To address systemic barriers to increasing diversity, we continued to ensure mandatory training sessions for managers on unconscious bias in staffing, and championed co-development in reforming training, inclusive staffing and recruitment, and retention practices with employee networks. We have increased the use of inclusive recruitment efforts and diverse selection boards in staffing processes, targeted recruitment strategies and mentorship programs and developed resources for managers and employees (e.g., the Practical Guide for Managers and HR Advisors on Inclusive Recruiting, and the Guide to Supporting GenderDiversity in the Workplace). The Agency is also working with employee networks to develop an Anti-Racism Guide that will provide practical information to managers and employees on how to nurture a respectful and inclusive workplace that is free of racism.

As well, PHAC is planning to implement the following actions later this fiscal year:

• The Equitable Access to Language Training Program – an initiative dedicated to supporting staff from employment equity (EE) groups, as part of a priority to accelerate development of staff from EE groups for executive positions.

• Mentoring and support initiatives for employees from under- represented groups to gain experience in assignments and participate in targeted EX entry competitions. Specifically, the Agency is committed to implementing the Mentorship Plus program in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

• A fall 2021 Self-Identification Campaign wherein we will be working together with the corporate Diversity and Inclusion Office, alongside the employee networks, to support communications on promoting the benefits of self-identifying. The campaign will also inform employees of the new categories of disabilities associated with the persons with disabilities employment equity group. The goal is to increase the accuracy of our EE data such that we can take corresponding actions to ensure that the composition of our workforce is reflective of the population we serve.

• Anti-Racism Listening Sessions – an initiative to identify and understand the lived experiences and perceived barriers of Indigenous and racialized employees to recruitment, retention, development and promotion at PHAC.

• Expanding on the Human Resources Council’s Fall 2020 initiative with Heads of HR, we will be signing and encouraging the Vice Presidents of our branches to sign a Statement of Action Against Systemic Racism, Bias, and Discrimination in the Public Service inclusive of the following two commitments:

  • To eliminate barriers to inclusion in the workplace by taking a zero tolerance approach to all forms of racism and discrimination towards Indigenous, Black, other racialized communities and other equity-seeking groups.

  • To speak out against injustices and create an environment where employees feel safe to speak up against racism, discrimination, harassment and oppression, while centering and amplifying the voices of Indigenous, Black, other racialized communities and other equity-seeking groups.

  This statement will demonstrate a clear and direct commitment to act and to recognize our personal and professional responsibility to identify and reduce systemic racism, bias and discrimination, to achieve a diverse and inclusive workforce and workplace.

• Additionally, in collaboration with the corporate Anti-Racism and Anti- Discrimination Team and other employee networks, the Human Resources Services Directorate (HRSD) has developed changes to executive, manager and supervisor performance management agreements, which focus on reconciliation, anti-racism, anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion. The reconciliation measure moves beyond the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #57 and requires executives to commit to ongoing learning, cultural change in their business areas, and ongoing commitments to recruitment, development and retention of Indigenous employees.

Measurement and Results

Knowing the composition of our workforce is essential to ensuring that our workplace is representative of the population we serve. We are measuring our progress, both in terms of representation and improvements in the employee workplace experience, through EE representation rates, EE Workforce Demographic Reports, as well as through regular reviews and discussions at all levels of management to determine whether strategies and efforts are having an effect on reducing representation gaps.

An employment systems review, anticipated to take place this fall, will help us to identify what changes are needed for us to create and support a more equitable workplace for all employees, particularly employees from equity deserving groups. The findings from this review will also help to support the development of our 2022-2025 Multi-Year Diversity and Employment Equity Plan (MYDEEP), 2022-2025 Official Languages Action Plan, Accessibility Action Plan, as well as support human resources planning throughout the department.

Also of importance to us is the feedback received from employees through the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES). As noted in our departmental results for 2020, specifically under the Diversity and Respect theme, while the feedback is positive for many measures under this theme and an improvement over 2019 PSES results, we clearly have more work to do in improving our workplace culture to be more respectful and mindful of diversity and inclusion. For example, 20% of persons with disabilities respondents – versus 10% of non-persons with disabilities respondents – indicated that they had been a victim of harassment on the job in the past 12 months. And, 10% of Indigenous respondents and 11% of racialized respondents and 17% of persons with disabilities respondents – compared to 6% of non-Indigenous respondents and 5% non-racialized respondents and 5% of non-persons with disabilities respondents – indicated that they had been a victim of discrimination over the past 12 months.

Challenges and Barriers

We typically use the trends in our representation data to help support recruitment, retention, development and promotion efforts, as well as review and discuss potential systemic barriers to inclusion. Over the past year, however, the urgency and heavy workload related to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic required the Agency to mass hire an unprecedented number of employees to meet the country’s needs. The urgency of needing service providers in these unprecedented circumstances created a challenge whereby we were unable to give as much prioritization to meeting or closing representation gaps for Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities as we had planned. As a result, the Agency’s current workforce does not reflect the labour market availability for these EE groups across Canada. Future recruitment, retention, development and promotional efforts will need to focus on addressing these gaps.

Despite these pandemic-related challenges and barriers, we have remained committed to supporting our organizational efforts to build and support a more diverse, safe, respectful, healthy and inclusive workplace for our employees.

We recognize and acknowledge that while some progress has been made, there is much more to be done, and we are committed to working together with our employees to better understand how we can improve our collaboration to action concrete and measurable responses to deal with issues of racism, discrimination, inequities and harassment in our workplace. For example, based on the feedback from employees, we learned that:

• Access to language training is not the same for all employees, and employees who are members of EE groups (Indigenous, racialized and persons with disabilities) are more likely to be disadvantaged, creating a systemic barrier to their career advancement. The concerns include unconscious biases and inequities in how language training is prioritized for individuals and positions that are primarily occupied by non-EE group members, resulting in inequitable access to language training opportunities. To address this issue, as previously mentioned, we plan to launch the Equitable Access to Language Training Program – an initiative to support language training and career development for indeterminate employees from EE groups.
• More training and support is required to ensure that hiring managers are aware of their responsibility to help ensure that the composition of our workforce is reflective of the population we serve. For those who do understand what our representation gaps are, more training and support is required to ensure that EE representation gaps are recognized as floors, and not ceilings, when considering the recruitment, retention, development and promotion of EE group members. There are many variables affecting the acknowledgement of this realty – variables including resistance to change and an unconscious bias to perpetuate the status quo.
• There is an increased focus on the importance and value of disaggregated data as a means of revealing otherwise hidden inequities within the racialized persons EE group, and PHAC will work with central agencies as they update their reporting systems.
• Similarly, more support is required to ensure we include our LGBTQ2+ communities as an equity seeking group particularly from an intersectional perspective.

Working with our employee networks and Champions, we will continue to co- develop and implement initiatives and supports that address the issues raised by employees and that allow us to further diversify our workforce and ensure an inclusive work environment.

Employee Response

Achieving diversity, equity, inclusion and EE objectives is a shared responsibility, and, we have welcomed the opportunity to work together, and alongside, the employee networks to deliver and meet these goals. These networks provide a forum for members, employees and managers to discuss issues, ideas and provide advice and support to each other. They also serve as consultation bodies for policies and programs. For more information about the mandate and work of the employee networks, as well as challenges they have identified at PHAC, please see Annex A.

Momentum

As demonstrated by the information provided thus far, PHAC is committed to fostering an inclusive, safe, accessible workplace and diverse workforce for all employees. While we are proud of the many actions that we have collectively achieved together to date, we recognize that there is still much to be done. To sustain the momentum and address the identified challenges, as well as support the continuation of the various activities and initiatives that have been actioned thus far, our work will be included in our updated departmental 2022-2025 Multi-Year Diversity and Employment Equity Plan (MYDEEP). This plan, to be drafted and discussed in consultation with our employee networks, has identified four priority areas:

1. Building a diverse, representative and talented workforce across the organization
2. Leveraging positive people management policies and practices to remove systemic barriers and address PSES results
3. Nurturing accountable leadership and engagement at all levels
4. Continuing to improve accommodation and accessibility measures.

PHAC’s 2018-2021 MYDEEP was developed in consultation with employees, the employee networks, and branch leads, and focused on EE representation gaps, recruitment needs and methods to close such gaps. Annual progress reports are presented to us alongside members of our executive committee. Moving forward, a new consultation will be undertaken with the employee networks and the branches to identify additional actions to include in PHAC’s 2022-2025 MYDEEP.

As previously mentioned, PHAC will be undertaking an Employment Systems Review this year such that a comprehensive review of the Agency’s internal policies, procedures and practices can be done with the goal of identifying possible barriers to recruitment, retention, development and promotion for employees, particularly members of the four designated EE groups. The report will include recommendations on how to address the identified barriers and will be shared with the organization and used to identify specific action items and strategies for improvement.

Regular discussions on diversity, accessibility and inclusion, ensures ongoing monitoring of targets/gaps and forms part of decision-making. For example:

• HRSD and hiring managers’ use of EE dashboards and reports to identify EE gaps as compared to labour market availability, including regional variances, industry specifics, and current/future organizational needs. The dashboards used by HRSD and hiring managers for planning/recruitment is available to all staff via the intranet.
• HRSD continues to provide support and guidance to managers on staffing values, diversity, EE and related tools (e.g., EE gap analysis dashboard, guide on inclusive staffing), including presentations to Branch Executive Committees, management, and HR teams.
• Branches conduct yearly planning exercises where HR needs are discussed, including EE gaps, anticipated needs within the branch and divisions/directorates.

To address the renewal and recruitment of the best and brightest, PHAC leverages the use of existing Public Service of Canada talent pools (e.g., pools for Indigenous students and students with disabilities), the Aboriginal Centre of Expertise, etc.) and strategies related to talent management. Additionally, our Student Office is working on three initiatives in the upcoming year:

1. Facilitated Student Recruitment (FSR) via the Public Service Commission’s Indigenous Student Employment Opportunity (ISEO) program and the Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities (EOSD) program. FSR approach entails a process where HR will take a lead in pre-screening applications, conducting candidate assessments, and completing the security process with a goal to have fully qualified candidates that are ready for our managers to hire.
2. Broadening engagement with accessibility offices at institutions so we have a better understanding of the role of student accessibility offices in the various post-secondary institutions. The intent is to understand their role in persons with disabilities recruitment, and to cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships.

Data Annex

Please see the Annexes that refer to Intake, Departures, and EX promotions data (Annex B), and an Employment Equity at a Glance for Racialized persons/Visible Minorities – at April 2020 (Annex C).

Conclusion – A Commitment to Ongoing Meaningful Change

We are committed to meaningful change and implementing programs and strategies to respond to the insights shared by our employees. We strive to create a workplace centered on continuous improvement, where policies, programs and services create and environment free of systemic discrimination and one that is fully accessible. We will continue to foster a workplace culture that embraces employment equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the design (Yes by default) and delivery of all programs and services. We are also committed to ensuring increased productivity and innovation resulting from staffing strategies that are barrier-free and create an organization that is reflective of the population we serve.

Our employees have demonstrated their commitment, through open and honest conversations about racism and discrimination, to be co-leaders in responding to racism and discrimination. We commit to building on the actions outlined above, through co-development and delivery with employees. Our goal is a healthy, safe and inclusive workplace for all.

Thank you for the opportunity to set out our work and underline our commitment through the Call to Action. We are pleased to share this progress report with you, and we will continue to take action to create the workplace all employees deserve.

Annex A – Employee Response

At the Public Health Agency of Canada, the following employee networks exist in our organization, and included below are their roles and mandates, as well the activities and achievements they have accomplished in relation to diversity and inclusion:

Gender and Sexual Diversity Network (GSDN)

The Gender and Sexual Diversity Network (GSDN) consists of employees who represent the spectrum of gender identities, gender expression and sexual orientations at PHAC. The network has worked hard to raise awareness of issues related to sexual diversity and gender plurality. Key GSDN accomplishments and activities supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• Distributing a newsletter regularly to build awareness of current events related to sexual diversity and gender plurality within Canada and internationally.
• Promoting the use of pronouns that support inclusivity (e.g., in email signature blocks).
• Hosted an interdepartmental meeting to share best practices on initiatives that advance awareness and equity for sexually diverse and gender plural communities.
• Co-hosted an event with the Visible Minorities Network to explore intersectionality and how societal norms shape our understanding of sexual diversity and gender plurality.
• Initiated a re-launch of a modernized positive space initiative at PHAC and HC.
• Amplified events, tools and resources on topics related to sexual diversity and gender plurality (e.g., gender-inclusive writing resource from the Translation Bureau, Microsoft Teams backgrounds, a Guide to Supporting Gender Diversity in the Workplace, and public service pride season events).

Indigenous Employees Network (IEN)

The Indigenous Employees Network (IEN) provides First Nations, Inuit and Metis employees with a proactive voice on initiatives affecting Indigenous people in the workplace. Key IEN accomplishments and activities supporting a shift toward greater cultural safety, diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• Providing support to Indigenous employees with the emotional impact of events, such as the death of Joyce Echaquan in a Quebec Hospital, as well as the discovery of unmarked and mass graves of children who did not make it home from Indigenous Residential Schools. The IEN has arranged for Knowledge Keepers to provide Healing Circles.
• Arranging a large Teaching Circle on Residential Schools open to all PHAC employees. Over 500 employees participated in this Teaching Circle.
• Distributing and discussing with IEN members the Indigenous inclusion resources provided by central agencies so that they are aware of available supports.

Managers’ Network (MN)

The MN seeks to build a strong, vibrant and valuable community of managers who actively support each other regardless of level, when dealing with change, or in fulfilling their mandate and obligations. Key MN accomplishments and activities undertaken and planned include:

• In addition to participating in various consultations and discussions relations to diversity, the network hosted its Annual Forum in March 2021. The 2020-2021 theme was “Nuggets of Gold: Raising Your Game as a Manager in Challenging Times.” Themes were identified through consultation with members to identify priority needs and gaps, as well as through results of surveys such as the PSES. The forum focused on leading with empathy and respecting diversity as each employee is different and brings unique experiences and backgrounds to the team. There was also a deliberate focus on ensuring diversity among the presenters.
• The network is planning to continue competency building for managers on various diversity-related topics including an overview of the Calls to Action.

Persons with Disabilities Network (PWDN):

The Persons with Disabilities Network (PWDN) seeks to empower persons with disabilities and to collaborate with all employees in influencing positively the culture within PHAC.

• Both in collaboration with Health Canada’s PWDN and on its own, this network is a leader in accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion for persons with disabilities.

The following are challenges the network has identified that need to be addressed:

• Many of our Indigenous, Black, or racialized colleagues (or potential colleagues) may face barriers to access in many facets of their life, including both health and employment.
• Persons with disabilities often find themselves underrepresented in the workforce. The recent Public Service Commission Audit of EE Representation in Recruitment clearly showed that persons with disabilities were much less successful in being appointed to positions than their EE peers. This likely makes persons with disabilities reluctant to self-identify if not absolutely necessary, due to fear of negative career consequences. For persons with disabilities who are members of other EE groups, the combined risk of negative consequences can be more than just additive.
• Stigma and discrimination (sometimes due to unconscious bias, sometimes much more explicit) are also an issue once employed. The network acknowledges that PHAC has started work on changing workplace culture; however, a great deal of work remains before many persons with disabilities will feel comfortable with self-identifying. De-identified and disaggregated data can be a double-edged sword – as a network, the PWDN could use such data to demonstrate that persons with disabilities are less likely to be recruited, retained, or promoted, or outline issues with accommodation processes, but such finely-grained data could also result in employees being targeted for reprisals, or have disabilities ‘outed’ to colleagues and management. There is a lot of concern about exactly who would be able to see self-identification data, and how it might be shared.
• There are more practical issues as well. PeopleSoft is not fully accessible, which can make it hard for persons with disabilities to update their self-identification and other information without involving a colleague or family member. Lack of accessibility of PeopleSoft, Phoenix, and other key systems needs to be addressed in a whole of government approach. Self-identification forms also need to be updated and made more accessible (in all senses of the word) to better reflect intersectionality, invisible disabilities, the Yes-By-Default approach, and a more modern understanding of ‘disability’. For many persons with disabilities, if a Yes-By-Default approach leads to ready access to the tools an employee needs to do their job, they may no longer consider themselves to be ‘disadvantaged’.

Visible Minorities Network (VMN)

The Visible Minorities Network (VMN) provides a venue where visible minority (racialized) employees can feel visible, vocal and valued. The network engages in leadership activities with the Visible Minorities Champions and Chairs Committee. Key VMN accomplishments and activities supporting accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• VMN collaboration/help during the fight against COVID by contributing knowledge in different languages to broaden the messages about staying healthy and the importance of testing.
• VMN executive team members provided support to their community during the period surrounding George Floyd’s death and the aftermath of the events.

Concerns raised through the VMN demonstrate that there is a need for concrete actions to support the recruitment, retention and promotion of racialized employees. The network has collaborated with other employee networks and recognizes the value this brings, but also notes that some of the network’s priorities do not align with those of other networks and need to be addressed individually:

• There is a need for to support continuous learning sessions to increase the understanding of historical and present issues of racism and discrimination that have a significant impact on our community. This includes sessions on allyship with Black, Indigenous and racialized communities.
• Employee talent and career progression should be transparent and include initiatives such as equitable access to language training in order to remove barriers that prevent members from attaining higher positions.
• There is a need to ensure that members of the network are consulted on the creation of PHAC’s action plans to address systemic change and to advance anti-racism, equity and inclusion. The focus should be on involving, collaborating and empowering racialized employees in decisions that affect them.
• PHAC realities are such that many of the planned activities listed by the Agency have not been fully implemented and as such do not represent achievements yielded yet this year.

Young Professionals Network (YPN)

The Young Professionals Network (YPN) is a joint network between PHAC and Health Canada. The network seeks to connect and equip current and future leaders of Canada’s public service by creating spaces for professional growth, cultivating community, and amplifying the voices of young/young-at-heart professionals. Key YPN accomplishments and activities supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• A diverse and intersectional membership, with 89% of respondents (212) in the network’s annual survey for 2020-2021 identifying as part of one or more EE groups. Over the past year, the YPN has aimed to integrate this intersectional lens through all of its activities.
• Creating space for its members to share their diverse and unique experiences at PHAC through the Voices of Young Professionals feature in their biweekly newsletter. By submitting original content, members have shared their experiences advancing anti-racism efforts within PHAC and created infographics and resources in support of diversity and inclusion.
• Connecting members with opportunities to engage in different diversity and inclusion activities. For instance, the YPN shared a call-out to participate in a survey and provide feedback on an anti-bias tool being developed by the Inclusive Staffing Working Group, which is led by Health Canada’s Visible Minorities Network and the corporate Human Resources Services Directorate (HRSD). The YPN has also worked to bring forward the perspectives of young/young-at-heart professionals in corporate discussions.
• Continuing to prioritize the work needed to build the inclusive and diverse workplace young professionals want to see by supporting targeted professional development and training opportunities, increasing collaboration with other employee networks, and providing opportunities for its members perspectives to be shared during these important discussions.
• Fostering a community of young/young-at-heart professionals that embodies a diverse and inclusive culture and has the potential for transformational change as their members go on to become the future leaders of PHAC and the public service.

Annex B - Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) – Intake, Departures, and EX Promotions Data

Source: HR Reporting

Number of Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees who:

Intake: Joined PHAC in 2020/2021 compared to the total number of employees who joined in 2019/2020

The following information examines all Indeterminate and Term > 3 Months employees who have joined the organization and are considered new employees during the fiscal year presented. Upon joining the department, employees are provided with an opportunity to Self-identify. This information is used to determine departmental representativeness of the four Employment Equity Groups.

	FY 2019-2020	FY 2020-2021	Total
Indigenous	19	24	43
Non-Indigenous	329	812	1141
Total	348	836	1184
% Intake	5.5%	2.9%	n/a
Racialized persons	89	178	267
Non-Racialized persons	259	658	917
Total	348	836	1184
% Intake	25.6%	21.3%	n/a
Black	19	36	55
Non-Black	70	142	212
Total	89	178	267
% Intake Black	5.5%	4.3%	n/a
% Intake Non-Black	20.1%	17.0%	n/a

Intake by source: Joined PHAC in 2020/2021 compared to the total number of employees who joined in 2019/2020

The following information examines how Employees joined the Public Health Agency of Canada. They joined from either outside the Federal Public Service (Recruitment) or through a transfer in from other Federal Public Service Organizations (Inter-departmental Transfers IN).

	Source Intake	FY 2019/2020	FY 2020/2021	Total
Indigenous	Total	19	24	43
	Recruitment	8	15	23
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	11	9	20
Non-Indigenous	Total	329	812	1141
	Recruitment	208	553	761
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	121	259	380
Racialized	Total	89	178	267
	Recruitment	58	135	193
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	31	43	74
Non-Racialized	Total	259	658	917
	Recruitment	158	433	591
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	101	225	326
Black	Total	19	36	55
	Recruitment	14	30	44
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	5	6	11
Non-Black	Total	70	142	212
	Recruitment	44	105	149
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	26	37	63

Departures: Left PHAC in 2020/2021 compared to the total number of employees who left in 2019/2020

The following information accounts for all Indeterminate and Term > 3 Months employees who left the organization and are no longer considered employees during the fiscal year presented. The employees most recent Self-Identification information is used to determine the employment equity designated group that they belong to. This information then is used to determine the rate of departure of employees in these designated groups. The information below includes employees who left the Federal Public Service all together (departures such as resignations or retirements) and those that move to other Federal Public Service organizations (Inter-departmental Transfers OUT).

	FY 2019-2020	FY 2020-2021	Total
Indigenous	11	10	21
Non-Indigenous	237	217	454
Total	248	227	475
% Departure	4.4%	4.4%	n/a
Racialized persons	42	47	89
Non-Racialized persons	206	180	386
Total	248	227	475
% Departure	16.9%	20.7%	n/a
Black	11	6	17
Non-Black	31	41	72
Total	42	47	89
% Departure Black	4.4%	2.6%	n/a
% Departure Non-Black	12.5%	18.1%	n/a

Promotions: Appointed to Executive positions in 2020/2021 compared to the total number of employees appointed to Executive positions in 2019/2020

The following information examines all Non-Executive Indeterminate and Term > 3 Months employees within the organization who have moved into the Executive Cadre (EX Group) during the fiscal year presented. This only includes employees’ movement into this group from within the organization and does not account for those who join from either outside the Federal Public Service or from other Federal Public Service organizations. The employees’ most recent Self-Identification information is used to determine the employment equity designated group.

	FY 2019-2020	FY 2020-2021	Total
Indigenous	0	0	0
Non-Indigenous	5	3	8
Total	5	3	8
% of Promotion	0%	0%	n/a
Racialized persons	2	1	3
Non-Racialized persons	3	2	5
Total	5	3	8
% of Promotion	40.0%	33.3%	n/a
Black	0	1	1
Non-Black	2	0	2
Total	2	1	3

Prepared by: Corporate Services Branch – Human Resources Services Directorate - HR Reports

Annex C – Public Health Agency of Canada - Employment Equity at a Glance - April 2020

Everyone benefits and everyone has a role to play in embracing diversity, inclusiveness and respect.

Overall - Visible Minorities

Fostering a workplace culture that values diversity and promotes an equitable workforce.

Historical representation % and #

	Apr 2016	Apr 2017	Apr 2018	Apr 2019	Apr 2020
Representation	19.0%	19.9%	20.0%	20.3%	21.6%
Number	397	405	394	427	462
WFA	15.0%	15.1%	15.2%	15.3%	19.3%

Current Gaps and Utilization Rates

Group	Utilization Rate	Gaps
GS	46%	-2
CS	71%	-1
EC	94%	-11
PM	97%	-2

Current % of Designated Group – Top 5

By Branch	Percentage	Total
OSPP	3%	94%
CFO	4%
HPCDP	18%
HSIB	23%
IDPCB	47%

By Group	Percentage	Total
BI	7%	84%
PM	10%
AS	12%
EG	15%
EC	40%

Recruitment

The intake of designated employment equity (EE) groups is in line or above that of Workforce Availability (WFA) to ensure continued support of inclusiveness and diversity.

% of Intake

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Intake	53	65	76	76
% of Intake	25.7%	23.8%	19.3%	25.4%
Average WFA	15.1%	15.2%	15.2%	17.3%

Intake Source % and #

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
Inter-Departmental Transfer IN #	21	22	26	19
Inter-Departmental Transfer IN %	39.6%	33.8%	34.2%	25.0%
External Recruitment #	32	43	50	57
External Recruitment %	60.4%	66.2%	65.8%	75.0%

Intake Rates

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
EE Designated	12.3%	15.1%	17.3%	16.0%
Non-EE Designated	8.9%	12.3%	18.4%	12.4%

Professional Development

That existing employees have access to developmental opportunities for career advancement.

% of Promotions (Permanent)

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Promotions	19	21	31	42
% of Promotions	19.6%	16.0%	20.9%	25.1%
Average Representation	19.4%	19.9%	20.1%	21.0%

% of Lateral Transfers

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Laterals	15	18	35	11
% of Laterals	16.7%	17.8%	26.7%	12.5%
Average Representation	19.4%	19.9%	20.1%	21.0%

% of Actings (Temporary Promotions)

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Actings	221	235	220	179
% of Actings	17.9%	21.5%	21.2%	20.9%
Average Representation	19.4%	19.9%	20.1%	21.0%

Retention Plan

That existing employees want to stay and work at Health Canada.

% of Departures

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Departures	43	63	61	33
% of Departures	18.0%	21.1%	21.5%	15.3%
Average Representation	19.4%	19.9%	20.1%	21.0%

Departure Type #

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
Transfers out #	29	40	39	18
Resignation #	7	5	9	5
Retirement #	1	5	4	6
Other #	6	13	9	4

Departure Type %

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
Transfers out %	67.4%	63.5%	63.9%	54.5%
Resignation %	16.3%	7.9%	14.8%	15.2%
Retirement %	2.3%	7.9%	6.6%	18.2%
Other %	14.0%	20.6%	14.8%	12.1%

Departure Rates

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
EE Designated	10.0%	14.7%	13.9%	6.9%
Non-EE Designated	11.4%	13.9%	12.9%	10.1%

Post-Secondary Recruitment (PSR) & Student Bridging

To create an environment where the intake of students and graduates leads to future employment.

	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20
Student Hires (All)	418	361	424	448
Student Bridging & PSR (All)	70	91	110	101
# EE Designated	22	26	28	28
% EE Designated	31.4%	28.6%	25.5%	27.7%
% Appointed for a Determinate Period (All)	48.6%	56.0%	62.7%	70.3%

Additional Facts

	Average Age	% Women	% Indeterminate	% Leave without Pay	% EX Minus 1 or Above
EE Designated Group	42.7	64.7%	87.4%	5.5%	12.8%
Non-EE Designated Group	44.2	69.7%	92.8%	7.3%	17.8%

Due to Phoenix, data may be delayed by the timing of pay files being transferred into or out of the department or the processing of actions.