Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+)

Institutional GBA+ Capacity

In May 2019, the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) adopted a Gender-Based Analysis plus (GBA+) Action Plan 2019-21, which outlines key goals and planned initiatives to meaningfully integrate GBA+ into its activities and decision-making processes. The ultimate intended outcome is for all key PSC programs, policies and services to be informed by an evidence-based assessment of their direct and indirect benefits and disadvantages for diverse groups of Canadians. Each of these assessments should include consideration of the intersections of multiple demographic and identity factors.

A GBA+ Responsibility Centre, located within the PSC’s Results and Delivery Division, drove and monitored the timely and meaningful implementation of each GBA+ Action Plan activity. This role included:

• providing GBA+ leadership and direction to sectors, and offering guidance on PSC activities and products
• championing the use of data breakdowns in PSC activities
• monitoring and reporting on concrete progress and results in GBA+ integration

In parallel, the GBA+ Responsibility Center continued to build staff awareness of the PSC’s GBA+ commitments, including through an organization-wide event featuring internal examples of GBA+ integration and an external speaker.

A key measure in building the PSC’s institutional GBA+ capacity in 2019–20 was the implementation of a mandatory Gender and Diversity Considerations section in PSC briefing note templates. The new section prompts all PSC staff, when communicating with senior management for information or decisions on an issue or initiative, to systematically assess:

•  the impact of the issue or initiative on diverse groups
• for example, based on intersecting factors such as gender, physical or cognitive ability, culture, or area of residence
• specific measures to mitigate unintended negative impacts
• monitoring of the impacts for diverse groups of people at various stages of the issue or initiative

Executive management, including a GBA+ Champion at the vice-president level, was involved in developing the approach to GBA+ integration, and remained informed on progress against set objectives. In July 2019, the PSC also reported externally on its activities by participating in the Interdepartmental GBA+ Implementation Survey led by Women and Gender Equality Canada. 

Highlights of GBA+ results by program

Policy Direction and Support

One of the immediate intended outcomes for this program in 2019–20 was to remove or mitigate barriers to staffing across the federal public service. This outcome supports broader strategic outcomes, including fostering confidence in the staffing system and a diverse public service.

The PSC had identified several departmental and program indicators that supported the identification and mitigation of potential barriers for diverse groups of federal public servants and the general public. These indicators include:

• the percentage of federal executives appointees who self-identify as an Aboriginal person
• the percentage of federal public service employees who perceive staffing in their work unit as fair

Disaggregated data for these indicators was collected, analyzed and leveraged into decision-making whenever possible and appropriate.

In 2019–20, activities under this program to address potential gender and diversity-related gaps and barriers included:

• providing staffing advice and policy interpretation on unbiased and inclusive processes, including by disseminating targeted guidance products
• managing and overseeing the priority administration system, which aims to help diverse groups of people cope with career transitions due to various life and work-related events

For the first full year of implementing GBA+, the PSC worked on integrating GBA+ into key initiatives for this program. For example, some new PSC guidance tools, such as a video recruitment series, were adjusted to better reflect gender and diversity considerations.

Given the nature and scope of most of these key initiatives, gender and diversity-related results are expected in the medium term, and will be monitored closely against baselines and expected outcomes to ensure meaningful integration. Whenever possible and appropriate, disaggregated data will be extracted, analyzed and reported on.

Recruitment and Assessment Services

One of the immediate intended outcomes for this program in 2019–20 was to reduce barriers for PSC staffing and assessments products, including for job applicants requiring accommodation measures. This outcome supported broader strategic outcomes, including reduced barriers to public service jobs for Canadians, as well as achievement of the strategic recruitment priorities of the federal government (including public service renewal).

The PSC had identified several departmental and program indicators related to reducing barriers for diverse groups of Canadians (for example, based on their age or disability status). These indicators include:

• the percentage of applicants who found GC Jobs easy to use when applying for a job
• the percentage of accommodation requests for assessment services processed within service standards.

Disaggregated data for these indicators was collected, analyzed and leveraged into decision-making whenever possible and appropriate.

In 2019–20, activities under this program to address gender and diversity-related gaps and barriers included:

• efforts to transform the federal public service’s recruitment platform, focused on the launch of a procurement process to evaluate recruitment solutions from the vendor  that will provide Canadians with an equal opportunity to apply to federal government jobs, ensuring inclusivity from the outset
• support for recruiting persons with disabilities in the federal public service, in keeping with the federal government’s accessibility strategy, through implementation of the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities
• expected results include greater economic inclusion of women, men and gender-diverse persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities
• targeted recruitment programs to support the recruitment of students with disabilities (Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities) as well as Indigenous students (Indigenous Student Employment Opportunity) across Canada
• establishing an Inclusive Recruitment Centre of Expertise with dedicated resources to provide the PSC’s National Recruitment Directorate with targeted, evidence-based advice on avenues to remove or mitigate unintended barriers in PSC recruitment products and services
• ongoing consideration of gender and all other employment equity groups in developing, maintaining and monitoring all PSC tests to ensure that they do not pose non job-related barriers to candidates
• for example, universal design features, fairness reviews, bias-related training instruments that are subjectively scored

For this first year, the PSC worked on integrating GBA+ into key initiatives. For example, additional expectations were incorporated in the proof of concept and the project requirements for transforming the Government of Canada’s recruitment platform. The goals and activities of the PSC’s new Inclusive Recruitment Centre of Expertise were also refined through an equity-based lens.

Given the nature and scope of most of these key initiatives, gender and diversity-related results are expected in the medium term, and will be monitored closely against baselines and expected outcomes to ensure meaningful integration. Whenever possible and appropriate, disaggregated data will be extracted, analyzed and reported on.

Oversight and Monitoring

One of the immediate intended outcomes for this program in 2019–20 was for the PSC to be accountable to Parliament on the integrity of the staffing system. This outcome supported broader strategic outcomes, including efficient and effective organizational oversight of staffing and the availability of useful and accessible data to Canadians. Both of these outcomes may support evidence-based decision-making building on GBA+ considerations.

In 2019–20, activities under this program to address gender and diversity-related gaps and barriers included:

• surveys to provide a system-wide view of the public service staffing environment, including preparing the 2021 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey, which aimed to:
• collect data on key sociodemographic factors (such as including a third gender option, employment equity group membership, level of education, region and first official language)
• allow for detailed analysis of interactions between gender and self-declaration in relation to other employment equity groups
• support a deeper understanding of differences in perceptions of staffing that may exist for various groups, including gender and other identity factors, and their intersectionality
• share data for each participating department and agency on the Open Government portal, allowing them to conduct high-level analyses to identify improvements unique to their organization
• research to provide departments and Canadians with an informed view of the dynamics of public service hiring, based on data analysis for key gender and diversity factors and their interactions

• a commitment in procedures for staffing system audits to integrate gender and diversity considerations through proactive analysis of disaggregated data in audit and other oversight activities, where feasible. A set of GBA+ questions to be considered in audit activities was also included in PSC’s procedures

For the first full year of implementing GBA+, the PSC worked on integrating GBA+ into key initiatives. For example, key PSC evaluation and study reports integrated a GBA+ approach in the analysis and presentation of findings, which in some cases allowed it to highlight potential barriers for specific population groups.