2024 to 2025 Supplementary Information Table: Gender-based Analysis Plus
Section 1: institutional GBA Plus governance and capacity
Governance
The Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada (ATSSC) continued to apply Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) in its operations and decision-making. We strengthened our commitment to inclusive governance by embedding GBA Plus practices across the ATSSC.
Our GBA Plus Champion worked closely with the Champions for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Accessibility, as well as the ATSSC’s EDI Committee. Together, they helped promote and implement GBA Plus and EDI initiatives throughout the organization.
We continued to apply GBA Plus principles to key projects throughout the year. During our Employment Systems Review (ESR), we used a 2SLGBTQI+ lens to better understand barriers faced by all equity-seeking groups. We based our ESR recommendations on the 2022 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) and input from our EDI committee. When we developed our 2025 to 2030 Strategic Plan, we included an approach to people management that was guided by GBA Plus and insights from the PSES.
We deepened our commitment to inclusive governance by integrating GBA Plus into committee activities, staff engagement, and stakeholder outreach. These actions were supported by leadership from across the organization.
Capacity
We advanced our GBA Plus capacity through targeted projects, strategic use of existing resources, and strengthened internal collaboration.
The Social Security Tribunal (SST) built its analytical capacity by running a GBA Plus survey to better understand the population groups who appear before the tribunal. By linking socio-demographic data with administrative data, the SST produced detailed reports to help improve services and reduce barriers. This work was made possible by strategically using existing staff and technology, along with help from external resources such as Statistics Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada.
The secretariat supporting the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB) reinforced GBA Plus awareness as part of its workplace culture. Regular informal staff meetings encouraged open conversations about EDI, accessibility, and GBA Plus. These efforts helped to create a workplace where employees feel valued and respected, contributing to the FPSLREB’s consistently low staff turnover rates.
In the Corporate Services Branch, several team members helped integrate GBA Plus into program design and delivery. Senior managers also received training through the Positive Space Initiative, which included a focus on intersectionality.
These efforts show our commitment to building sustainable GBA Plus capacity and embedding inclusive practices into our operations. By using internal expertise, data, and partnerships, we continue to strengthen our ability to deliver equitable and responsive services across tribunals.
Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus
In fiscal year 2024 to 2025, 2.5 full-time equivalents (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: We will use GBA Plus principles when developing legal tools and guidance to support tribunals. This will help ensure that legal advice, research, and legislative support services respond to the diverse needs and lived experiences of people appearing before the tribunals.
Target population: The target population of the Legal Services program includes members of the tribunals supported by the ATSSC and ATSSC staff. They rely on legal advice, research, and legislative and regulatory support to carry out their work effectively and fairly. The program also indirectly affects people who appear before the tribunals by helping ensure that decisions are guided by legal advice that considers a range of lived experiences and intersectional factors, in line with GBA Plus principles.
Distribution of benefits: We are not yet able to report on the distribution of benefits.
Specific demographic group(s) to be monitored: At this time, we don’t have enough data to know which demographic groups we should monitor for program results.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity: Not available
GBA Plus data collection plan: The Legal Services program supported GBA Plus by raising awareness and using culturally responsive practices. For example, legal counsel supporting the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal introduced culturally appropriate measures like alternative oaths for Indigenous witnesses and a smudging protocol. They also gave advice to make hearings more accessible for observers. These actions are based on qualitative information (that is, observations and experiences). They show a commitment to inclusive legal processes, even though we don’t yet have a formal system to evaluate them with quantitative data (that is, information that can be shown in numbers).
At the SST, legal advisors and tribunal members received briefings on the socio-demographic profiles of people who use the tribunal, based on surveys and administrative data. These briefings helped them to understand the diversity of users and the barriers they may face, which they could apply to their legal advice. While this work is supported by the SST’s broader data efforts, the Legal Services program itself does not yet collect its own GBA Plus data.
Currently, the Legal Services program doesn’t have tools to collect quantitative data that would directly show the relationship of gender and diversity with legal services. One major gap is the lack of detailed data on how different groups use or experience legal services. We will address these gaps over time by using tribunal-led data projects—like the SST’s GBA Plus survey—and looking for ways to include GBA Plus when we track legal service delivery.
The program will continue to work with tribunals to use socio-demographic data in legal advice. It also plans to explore ways to record inclusive legal practices and include GBA Plus in its internal planning and evaluation tools.
Program name: Mandate and Members Services
Program goals: We will use GBA Plus principles to help develop tools and services that support tribunals in their work. These include research, advice, outreach, training, and policy development that reflect the diverse needs of tribunal members and the people they serve.
Target population: The main target population for this program includes tribunal members who rely on expert research, advisory services, training, mediation services, and procedural support to meet their statutory responsibilities. The program also indirectly affects people who appear before the tribunals by supporting fair, inclusive, and accessible processes. By including GBA Plus principles, the program aims to ensure that services and tools reflect the diverse needs and lived experiences of both tribunal staff and the public they serve.
Distribution of benefits: We are not yet able to report on the distribution of benefits.
Specific demographic group(s) to be monitored: At this time, we don’t have enough data to know which demographic groups we should monitor for program results.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity: Not available
GBA Plus data collection plan: The Mandate and Member Services program strengthened its use of GBA Plus by designing more inclusive services and starting new data projects. Several tribunals made changes to their forms and processes to be more inclusive—for example, adding pronoun options, removing titles, and including pronunciation guides. These updates help tribunal members interact with people in a more respectful and culturally appropriate way, and reinforce inclusive adjudication.
The SST improved how it collects and uses GBA Plus data by tracking member demographics. This information helps guide recruitment, training, and support during hearings. These efforts aim to ensure that the people working in the tribunals and the services they deliver reflect the diversity of the public they serve.
The program doesn’t yet have a single system for collecting data, but it does benefit from tribunal-led efforts and a strong organizational culture that values GBA Plus, EDI, and accessibility. These values are part of everyday workplace practices.
The program will continue supporting tribunal-led data projects and sharing best practices. It also plans to explore ways to standardize inclusive data collection across tribunals and include GBA Plus in training, outreach, and procedural tools.
Program name: Registry Services
Program goals: We will use GBA Plus principles to develop tools and processes that support timely, efficient, and accessible registry services. Registry services—including document processing, public communication and hearing coordination—help ensure proceedings are fair and respond to the diverse needs of the people who use the tribunals.
Target population: The main target population for this program includes tribunal members and staff who rely on registry services to manage hearings, case files, and procedural communications. The program also directly serves people who use the tribunals by ensuring they receive timely, accurate, and accessible information and support throughout the hearing process. By integrating GBA Plus principles, the program aims to meet their diverse needs and address barriers related to language, disability, or other intersecting identity factors.
Distribution of benefits: We are not yet able to report on the distribution of benefits.
Specific demographic group(s) to be monitored: At this time, we don’t have enough data to know which specific demographic groups we should monitor for program results.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity: Not available
GBA Plus data collection plan: The Registry Services program supported GBA Plus integration by raising awareness and making services more inclusive. At the SST, registry staff received presentations on socioeconomic data to better understand the diverse needs of the people who use the tribunal. They used this information when providing navigator services and accommodations to people facing barriers.
To encourage more respectful and inclusive communications, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal registry removed gendered titles (such as Mr. or Ms.) from transcription cover pages and forms and held team discussions on diversity and inclusion. The FPSLREB continued to foster a workplace culture that values EDI and GBA Plus, leading to low staff turnover and strong internal engagement.
The program doesn’t yet have a single system for collecting data, but it does benefit from the individual projects run by each tribunal, which help guide how services are delivered. These projects are mostly qualitative (that is, they focus on observations, experiences and opinions) and centred on raising awareness. There is a limited amount of quantitative (that is, information that can be measured in numbers) tracking of user demographics or service results.
The program will continue supporting tribunal-led data projects and inclusive service design. It also plans to look at ways to make inclusive intake and communication practices more consistent across registries, and to include GBA Plus considerations in training and service evaluation tools.
Program name: Internal Services
Program goals: Internal Services will use GBA Plus principles to help make programs fairer and more inclusive and equitable. Through areas like human resources, planning, communications, and other corporate functions, the program will work to ensure that internal policies, tools, and services meet the diverse needs of employees and support a respectful, accessible, and inclusive workplace.
Target population: The target population for Internal Services mainly includes ATSSC employees, managers, and tribunal members who rely on corporate functions such as human resources, finance, travel, planning, IM/IT, and communications to do their work.
Distribution of benefits: We are not yet able to report on the distribution of benefits.
Specific demographic group(s) to be monitored: At this time, we don’t have enough data to know which demographic groups we should monitor for program results.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity: Not available
GBA Plus data collection plan: The Internal Services program supported GBA Plus by using inclusive practices in all corporate functions. Human Resources (HR) Directorate continued to include GBA Plus and diversity considerations in program design and decision-making, aiming to ensure services are inclusive and accessible from the start. The Corporate Secretariat used inclusive language in all communications to promote respectful and unbiased messages.
As part of the Accessibility Plan, the Finance Directorate ensured that travellers were asked about any accessibility needs, so that the right supports could be arranged ahead of time.
The Information Services and Solutions Team follows the Treasury Board Secretariat’s guidance on digital inclusion and GBA Plus. They promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) by reminding staff to check AI results for possible gender bias. As they develop new products, they apply GBA Plus principles—such as encouraging the use of pronouns in email accounts—to support equity and inclusion.
While Internal Services doesn’t yet collect their own GBA Plus data, they use tribunal-led data projects and qualitative feedback to improve policies, tools and services. They will continue applying GBA Plus insights to inform planning and service delivery. They will also explore ways to measure inclusivity through employee feedback and HR data, and work on adding GBA Plus into internal evaluation and reporting processes.
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