Office of the Auditor General of Canada 2023–24 Departmental Results Report
Supplementary information table—Gender-based analysis plus
Section 1: Institutional Institutional gender-based analysis plus governance and capacity
Governance
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) has an Executive Sponsor who supports equity, diversity, and inclusion and is committed to gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus). The Executive Sponsor confirms that a framework is maintained to integrate GBA Plus into the OAG’s audit work and operations and liaises with the Executive Committee on matters related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
There is a 3-tier governance structure at the OAG. The People Management Committee reports to the Executive Committee and submits recommendations on matters concerning people management, including equity, diversity, and inclusion. The People Management Committee is supported by the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Official Languages (EDIA-OL) Committee, which monitors and reports on an EDIA-OL-related policy suite and compliance with these policies and on strategies and action plans with a GBA Plus lens. The EDIA-OL Committee also collaborates with employee networks to consider feedback from diverse groups.
Capacity
Continued efforts to build GBA Plus capacity to support equity, diversity, and inclusion objectives within the OAG have yielded results. In January 2023, the OAG launched an automated self-identification questionnaire to better understand the diversity of its employees and to reinforce the confidentiality and safekeeping of collected data. This employment equity data is used to conduct GBA Plus work and support decision making when creating recruitment strategies and reviewing employment policies and programs.
During the 2023–24 fiscal year, the OAG continued to focus on providing guidance, support, and training to audit teams through a newly established formalized GBA Plus internal specialist function within the performance audit practice. Auditors working on direct engagements can now receive specific guidance through this function.
Comprehensive GBA Plus guidance materials continue to be developed and made available internally, and a specialized course is offered to assist audit teams in integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations in their work through a GBA Plus lens.
Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus
In the 2023–24 fiscal year, our office dedicated a total of 2 full-time equivalents (FTEs) to GBA Plus activities, including the newly established GBA Plus function mentioned above. This included 1.25 FTEs assigned to the audit practice and 0.75 FTEs assigned to the human resources and corporate areas. These employees were consistently involved in various GBA Plus activities, such as applying GBA Plus to various products, assisting audit teams in integrating GBA Plus into their work, organizing and delivering training, and supporting the implementation of GBA Plus in various initiatives.
Section 2: Gender and diversity impacts, by program
Core responsibility: Legislative auditing
Program name: Legislative audit
Program goals: The OAG supports the government-wide commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and the use of GBA Plus in both its operations and audit work.
The OAG’s performance audit reports cover various aspects of GBA Plus, highlighting inclusivity initiatives in federal government activities. In the 2023–24 fiscal year, the OAG published 26 direct engagements (19 performance audits, 3 reports to the northern legislative assemblies, and 4 special examinations), all of which received guidance on GBA Plus. Of these, 18 included findings related to GBA Plus and equity, diversity, and inclusion, and 11 included recommendations focused on improving outcomes for diverse populations. These recommendations guided departments, agencies, and Crown corporations in adopting more inclusive practices, programs, and policies.
As part of its commitment to transparency and continuous improvement, the OAG continues to closely monitor the performance of government organizations to ensure that its audit recommendations help foster more inclusive and equitable outcomes for Canadian society.
Target population: The OAG’s legislative audit work is focused on improving outcomes for a diversity of populations within Canada. The target populations for the OAG’s work are parliamentarians, members of the territorial legislative assemblies, boards of Crown and territorial corporations, and all Canadians.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity
Not applicable