Governance structures
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The Defence Team is continuing efforts to institutionalize the integration of Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) in all Defence activities. In 2016, the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) published the Directive for Integrating the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and Related Resolutions into Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Planning and Operations and subsequently in 2018 the Deputy Minister (DM) published the Policy Statement on Diversity and Inclusion. Initiative #12 in the 2017 Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE) commits the Defence team to “Integrate GBA+ in all defence activities across the CAF and the Department of National Defence (DND), from the design and implementation of programs and services that support our personnel, to equipment procurement and operational planning”.
- The 2016 CDS Directive outlined CAF efforts to integrate GBA+ into operational planning, conduct of missions as well as institutionally, supporting the alignment of CAF processes and procedures with international partners. This included incorporating GBA+ into CAF training and education for strategic and operational planning. Subsequently, the 2018 DM Policy Statement directed all departmental organizations to develop a strategy and transition plan for incorporating GBA+ into all existing DND/CAF organizations policy and corporate documents by identifying existing mechanisms for reviewing, updating and revising internal documents. The Joint Responsibility Centre (JRC) has been established according to the Status of Women (SWC) Canada GBA+ Framework Guidance as one of the six elements for providing a foundation for the sustainable and systematic use of GBA+ across DND/CAF and the Government of Canada. Based on the SWC guidance, the JRC monitors implementation of the framework and the practice of GBA+ across the Defence Team. The JRC supports Defence Team efforts to: build capacity; align processes and systems; provide oversight by conducting monitoring and reporting; and engage with internal and external stakeholders.
- In 2018 the CDS and DM appointed the Defence Team Champions for Diversity for Operations, headed by Rear-Admiral Luc Cassivi, Chief Warrant Officer Colleen Halpin and Ms. Isabelle Daoust. This Champions structure includes three supporting Champions that will advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda and GBA+ in DND and in CAF respectively. Each of the Champions will act as change agents by assuring active, engaged leadership and accountability, conduct key leader engagements with both internal and external audiences, lead, coach and mentor. These Champions serve as a voice of support and as active participants and leaders in creating positive change to support a stronger and more effective Defense Team.
- To ensure that GBA+ is integrated into departmental decision-making processes, the JRC will engage with key high-level departmental boards and committees, such as the Defence Capability Board and Project Management Board to ensure GBA+ considerations are reflected. Through continued engagement across DND and CAF organizations, the JRC will work to strategically embed GBA+ into key systems and processes that were identified through the organizational needs assessment conducted in the previous fiscal year.
- The JRC will continue to carefully monitor and oversee integration efforts across the Defence Team through self-monitoring, the Gender Focal Point Network, the UNSCR 1325 Implementation Working Group, and a performance measurement framework (PMF). The PMF will include key performance indicators, to track progress on implementing GBA+ across all defence activities including how the use of GBA+ is supporting efforts to improve service delivery to our internal and external clients. These measures will enable adjustments as needed and support full implementation of Canada’s National Action Plan and ensure CAF and DND are held to account for progress reporting on both the DND/CAF Canada’s National Action Plan and on the CDS and DM directives for the integration of GBA+. Continued internal monitoring will measure the Defence Team’s progress towards total integration and accountability mechanisms such as senior-level reporting will provide the necessary oversight.
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Human resources
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- A total of 15 full-time equivalents (FTEs), ranging from EX-01 to EC-04 have been dedicated to advancing the Defence Team’s objectives on GBA+ within the JRC, including one EX-01 CAF FTE, one EC-05 CAF FTE and one military Gender Advisor position dedicated to the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and GBA+ within the CAF. These FTEs have been carefully allocated within the JRC to provide support to DND and CAF on strategic policy; accessing internal training and resources on GBA+; process alignment; oversight, monitoring and reporting; and stakeholder engagement and external partnerships. As efforts on GBA+ become more sophisticated, additional resources will likely be required. The Department has a network of 85 Gender Focal Points (GFP).
- There are three full-time military Gender Advisor positions at the strategic and operational levels as well as a civilian Gender Advisor within Military Personnel Command. GFP are dispersed throughout the institution from the strategic to the tactical levels. Gender Advisors are currently deployed in Latvia, Mali and on the NATO mission in Iraq and all directly support UNSCR 1325. GFP are on all named military operations. Internationally, there is a Training Development Officer posted to the NATO Center of Excellence (the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations - NCGM) and the CAF has recently posted a Gender Advisor to the International Military Staff at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Work is on-going with CAF organizations to increase, not only deployable Gender Advisor capability, but to also improve the capability within their respective organizations through training opportunities.
- Finally, the CAF has conducted Gender Advisor training using a mobile training team that facilitated the training of 32 Gender Advisors that are both deployable and employable. This was a first for the NCGM.
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Planned initiatives
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- Over the fiscal year 2019-20, it is anticipated that a Joint CDS-DM Directive on the implementation of GBA+ will be published outlining new expectations from DND/CAF leadership in order to ensure that all DND/CAF organizations are implementing GBA+ in departmental documents as well as in planning and operational activities.
- The JRC will continue to develop specialized training and defence and DND/CAF organizations-specific guidance materials and job aids to provide clear guidance to the Defence Team on applying GBA+ effectively within specific lines of work. Training will continue to be provided to senior GFPs and will begin to be delivered to all Departmental GFPs and Subject Matter Experts to continue building capacity for the department.
- All DND organizations have developed strategy and implementation plans (currently under review) to integrate GBA+ into policies, projects and decision-making processes, which outline internal performance management, plans for monitoring performance, and internal reporting mechanisms. The DND organization responsible for Materiel Acquisition and Support, has developed a strategy and implementation plan to embed GBA+ in all of the Material Group’s existing policies, corporate documents and programs’ activities. The intent of this plan is to enable acquisition of material capabilities that are equitably usable and accessible for the CAF and DND diversified workforce. In addition, the JRC is working with the material group to engage our procurement partners, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Defence Construction Canada (DCC) and representatives of industry to develop additional measures that would respond to the differential or unequal distribution of benefits experienced by Canadians as a result of our procurements. These discussions have begun, but are at early stages. It is anticipated that in 2019-20 concrete measures will be developed.
- Additional CAF training will be developed and conducted in order to meet the growing demands of GBA+ training and education. Additionally, the CAF will publish an aide memoire on gender perspectives on operations that will directly support planners and operators and will be available for dissemination to the international community as requested. A Gender Advisor will be deployed to support the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS). The CDS will assume Chair of the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Chiefs of Defence (CHoDs) Network and seek to actively advance the WPS agenda in support of UNSCR 1325 within the international community.
- The Defence Team will continue to monitor progress towards SSE Initiative 14 to increase the representation of women in the military from 15 to 25 percent by 2026, as well as towards increasing the percentage of Gender Advisors in the CAF and the percentage of women at senior levels (civilians, non-commissioned members and officers).
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