2023-24 Supplementary Information Table : Gender-based analysis plus

Introduction

In 2018, Parliament passed the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act. The departmental plans and departmental results reports are being used to fulfill the President of the Treasury Board’s obligations to make public, every year, analysis on the impacts of expenditure programs on gender and diversity.

Each organization is responsible for conducting their own Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus).

The Policy on Results indicates that Program officials, as designated by Deputy Heads, are responsible for ensuring data collection for meeting policy requirements.

Applicability

All organizations must complete GBA Plus supplementary information tables in departmental plans and departmental results reports on an annual basis.

Section 1: institutional GBA Plus governance and capacity

Governance

The Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada (ATSSC) is committed to exploring GBA Plus to assess how different women, men and gender diverse people may experience policies, programs, and initiatives.

The ATSSC’s Champion for GBA Plus continues to work in close collaboration with the Champion for both Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Accessibility, as well as the organization’s EDI Committee to promote and support various GBA Plus and EDI initiatives.

Capacity

Internal discussions on how to raise awareness of GBA Plus best practices and how to implement them are underway, and speaker presentations are planned.

Positive space training sessions have been organized with staff to promote inclusion in the workplace and increase understanding.

The ATSSC applied GBA Plus principles to its Return to Office initiative, adjusting dates to accommodate the needs of families with school-age children, and in its Hybrid Work Model survey conducted in December 2023, adding data parameters that enabled the organization to analyze results for employment equity groups.

When relocating its Toronto office in 2023-24, the ATSSC integrated a fully accessible, all-inclusive washroom, height-adjustable workstations, and automatic door openers at every main door throughout the space, underscoring its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. The washroom features wide doorways, grab bars, and accessible fixtures designed to accommodate individuals with mobility aids, while the inclusion of automatic door openers throughout the office facilitates access for all. The all-inclusive washroom promotes a safe and inclusive environment for all gender identities, ensuring privacy, dignity, and respect. Additionally, height-adjustable workstations empower employees to customize their workspace for greater comfort, catering to a variety of physical needs and enhancing both accessibility and ergonomics. By addressing potential barriers and fostering inclusivity, the ATSSC ensures that all individuals can participate fully and thrive in the workplace.

In 2023-24, the ATSSC began planning the development of GBA Plus plans and priorities for 2024-25, including the proposed initiative of a GBA Plus renewal project for the ATSSC. In addition, a GBA Plus survey was conducted to collect socio-economic data on the different population groups that come before one of the administrative tribunals it supports. The goal is to develop evidence-based solutions that reduce the inequalities and barriers faced by the Canadian public when accessing justice. To date, the disaggregated data has been analyzed and presented to all tribunal members to promote organizational awareness and access to justice. The ATSSC intends to build on this foundation and adopt an organization-wide approach to GBA Plus.

Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus

In 2023-24, 0.25 FTEs were dedicated to working on GBA Plus.

Section 2: gender and diversity impacts, by program

Core responsibility: Support services and facilities to federal administrative tribunals and its members

Program name: Legal Services

Program goals: This program explores GBA Plus considerations and will apply them in the development of legal services operational tools and instruments to primarily provide legal advice, legal research, and legislative and regulatory support services to the tribunals.

Target population:

Gender scale

• Broadly gender-balanced

Income-level scale

• No significant distributional impacts

Age-group scale

• No significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors

Program name: Mandate and Member Services

Program goals: This program explores GBA Plus considerations and will apply them in the development of mandate and member services operational tools and instruments to primarily provide expert research and analysis, advisory services, outreach and training activities, investigation support services, mediation, as well as policy and procedure development.

Target population:

Gender scale

• Broadly gender-balanced

Income-level scale

• No significant distributional impacts

Age-group scale

• No significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors

Program name: Registry Services

Program goals: The program develops operational tools and instruments that consider GBA Plus considerations to ensure matters before a tribunal can be heard and disposed of in a timely and efficient manner and within statutory obligations. Efforts have been made to integrate plain and inclusive language into communications with appellants, including removing honorifics to respect gender differences and adding name pronunciation to forms to help tribunal members and staff address parties.

Target population:

Gender scale

• Broadly gender-balanced

Income-level scale

• No significant distributional impacts

Age-group scale

• No significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors

Specific demographic group outcomes

All Canadians

Key program impacts on gender and diversity

Not available

Other key program impacts

Not available

GBA Plus data collection plan

Through the department’s quarterly corporate reviews, business units are provided an opportunity to highlight the application of GBA Plus in their work to identify best practices. In addition, a GBA Plus survey that was conducted for the Social Security Tribunal of Canada has provided a wealth of socio-economic data on its appellants. Information meetings have been held for tribunal members and staff to discuss how to interpret and improve the quality of the data, as well as opportunities for further analysis. As a result, the tribunal plans to launch a series of topical reports, such as the correlation between disadvantaged population groups and digital access, legal representation, and user experience. The Secretariat to the Social Security Tribunal of Canada also plans to obtain benchmark data from other government departments in order to appropriately compare its appellant population. As the GBA Plus analysis develops with clearer data, tangible improvements in access to justice can be expected.

Definitions

Scales

Gender scale

• First group: predominantly men (80% or more men)
• Second group: 60% to 79% men
• Third group: broadly gender-balanced
• Fourth group: 60% to 79% women
• Fifth group: predominantly women (80% or more women)

Income level scale

• First group: strongly benefits low income individuals (strongly progressive)
• Second group: somewhat benefits low income individuals (somewhat progressive)
• Third group: no significant distributional impacts
• Fourth group: somewhat benefits high income individuals (somewhat regressive)
• Fifth group: strongly benefits high income individuals (strongly regressive)

Age group scale

• First group: primarily benefits youth, children or future generations
• Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors
• Third group: primarily benefits seniors or the baby boom generation