Gender-Based Analysis Plus Awareness Week 2023

May 8, 2023 – Defence Stories

This article was contributed by the Directorate for Gender Equality and Intersectional Analysis, Chief Professional Conduct and Culture

This week is the eleventh annual Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) Awareness Week, aligning all Government departments with the theme: "Building a more inclusive future for all".

GBA Plus Awareness Week provides us all with an opportunity to learn more about how GBA Plus is an analytical tool or process used to support effective decision-making for the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs, and other initiatives. GBA Plus requires us to go beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, rank, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, and sexual orientation. GBA Plus, as an intersectional analysis tool, urges us to look past a "single issue" view of people, and fully consider the nuances of all people’s lived experiences and how the combination or intersection of multiple identity factors can produce specific needs or experiences. GBA Plus enables us to identify and remove barriers that individuals or groups may have related to access and engagement with Defence Team initiatives and operations, creating a stronger workforce, as well as increased operational readiness and effectiveness.

GBA Plus as a key driver of culture evolution

The effective use of intersectional analysis via the application of GBA Plus is a foundational step towards L1 progress along the culture evolution continuum. By doing GBA Plus well, we are laying a strong foundation for support of the creation of an equitable workplace, for critical anti-racism work, support to official languages and overall, creating a Defence Team that is representative and inclusive of all. ​These initiatives are all mutually supportive, with GBA Plus as the decision-making framework that allows the Defence Team and leadership to make positive and progressive decisions surrounding culture change and operational effectiveness.

Intersectional analysis, via the application of GBA Plus, must also be viewed as a critical component of the intelligence preparation of the battlefield. It provides the command suite with an analytical rigor to gather appropriate intelligence to inform the operational environment. Further, it allows the command suite to better understand our adversaries through building awareness of how our own biases and those of the enemy are used to influence tactics of war. It enhances operational readiness to ensure improved operational outcomes both at home and abroad.

GBA Plus, intersectional analysis, and the incorporation of gender perspectives is not new to the Defence Team. GBA Plus has been applied in a wide array of initiatives such as equipment procurement, building planning, dress regulations, and public affairs, and in operation using Intelligence Preparation of the Environment. GBA Plus is, at its core, enabling us to better understand who we are, who we are serving, what our individual and collective needs are, and adapting our initiative to those needs.

To that end, in support of DND/CAF's Culture Evolution Strategy, the Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture has developed a GBA Plus Enterprise Approach (GBA Plus EA), marking a shift in philosophy away from a view of GBA Plus as a bolt-on exercise, to one where its value is intrinsically understood and applied consistently at all levels of the organization and across decision-making. The GBA Plus EA provides departmental strategic objectives and the right and left arcs to guide implementation towards true institutionalization of GBA Plus by focusing on five lines of effort:

• Resourcing
• Capacity Building
• Enabling Leaders
• Governance & Accountability
• Monitoring & Evaluation

The implementation of the GBA Plus EA is fundamental to our collective success regarding culture change as a department. To be truly effective, GBA Plus must be seen as a decentralized and shared responsibility, similar to that of financial management. By developing a tailored capacity-building approach for all levels of personnel, we hope to elevate the importance of these skills to be understood as a mission critical capability.

GBA Plus Enterprise Approach Lines of Effort

Next steps and where to learn more about GBA Plus

More information on the GBA Plus Enterprise Approach will be coming soon, in alignment with the forthcoming Culture Evolution Strategy and associated CDS/DM Directive.

In the meantime, if you are interested in expanding your knowledge on GBA Plus and its applications, you are welcome to:

• Take or retake the GBA Plus course from Women and Gender Equality Canada
• Attend the session Designing for all: implications for the Public Service of Canada on May 23
• Partake in What does ‘better’ look like? An intersectional approach to Government policy, programs and operations on May 24

Thank you for your continued support of GBA Plus integration and culture evolution in the Defence Team context.