Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada for Fiscal Year 2023 to 2024

Employment equity in the public service

The public service of Canada has been subject to the Employment Equity Act and its regulations since 1996. The four designated employment equity groups are:

• women
• Indigenous Peoples
• persons with disabilities
• members of visible minorities

Each fiscal year, the President of the Treasury Board must:

• table a report in Parliament on the state of employment equity of the four designated groups within the core public administration (CPA)
• table similar reports in Parliament produced by separate agencies that have 100 or more employees

“An inclusive workplace is fair, equitable, supportive, welcoming and respectful. It recognizes, values and leverages differences in identities, abilities, backgrounds, cultures, skills, experiences and perspectives that support and reinforce Canada’s evolving human rights framework. A diverse workforce in the public service is made up of individuals who have an array of identities, abilities, backgrounds, cultures, skills, perspectives and experiences that are representative of Canada’s current and evolving population.”^{Footnote 1}

Since 2018, the Government of Canada has been leading a comprehensive agenda to create a more diverse, inclusive and healthy workplace. We recognize that achieving general representation, where designated groups are represented proportionally overall within the public service, is not enough. Instead, we strive to reflect representation in a more profound and targeted way.

About this report

In July 2021, the Government of Canada launched the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force to suggest ways to modernize and strengthen the federal employment equity framework. On December 11, 2023, the Task Force’s final report, A Transformative Framework to Achieve and Sustain Employment Equity, was released with wide-ranging recommendations. In response, the Minister of Labour announced the government’s initial commitments as follows:

• creating two new designated groups under the Act: Black people and 2SLGBTQI+ people
• replacing the term “Aboriginal peoples” with “Indigenous Peoples” and updating the definition to include First Nations, Métis and Inuit and to ensure the term is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act
• replacing the term “members of visible minorities” with “racialized people” and updating the corresponding definition
• aligning the definition of “persons with disabilities” with the Accessible Canada Act to make it more inclusive

Following the announcement, the Government of Canada consulted throughout spring and summer 2024. These consultations were with affected communities and organizations that represent unions and employers on how to best implement the initial commitments and other task force recommendations.

To support the government’s initial commitments to modernize the Employment Equity Act, the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) and the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) committed to working closely with Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC’s) Labour Program and with stakeholders, including departments and agencies, bargaining agents and employee networks, to determine next steps.

This report follows the requirements of the Employment Equity Act to consolidate and analyze qualitative and quantitative demographic information on employment equity. This year, the narrative is separate from the Employment Equity Demographic Snapshot, which includes:

• graphics on the four employment equity groups and Black employees
• statistical tables of employment equity data covered under section 21 of the Employment Equity Act

This change in format is intended to improve the reading experience and enhance the dissemination of disaggregated data through ongoing releases on the Canada.ca website. Consequently, more data will be made available to further the understanding of employment equity in the public service. 

All federal organizations share responsibility for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion. OCHRO, as part of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), plays a horizontal leadership role as the administrative arm of the employer of the CPA with partners such as the Office of Public Service Accessibility and the PSC.

The enterprise-wide initiatives and activities outlined in this report are organized under the diversity and inclusion areas of focus for the public service that TBS identified in January 2021:

1. generating and publishing data for a more accurate picture of representation gaps
2. increasing the diversity of senior leaders of the public service
3. ensuring the right benchmarks
4. addressing systemic barriers
5. promoting engagement and awareness

About the data

The CPA population for employment equity purposes includes indeterminate employees, term employees of three months or more, and seasonal employees of organizations listed in Schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act.

Excluded from the CPA are:

• employees on leave without pay
• term employees less than three months
• students and casual workers
• Governor in Council appointees
• ministers’ exempt staff
• federal judges
• deputy ministers

Trends are based on noticeable changes or data publicly available on the Government of Canada’s Diversity and inclusion statistics website.

Internal representation is based on those who have voluntarily chosen to self-identify to date as an Indigenous person, a person with a disability and/or a person in a visible minority group. Sex-at-birth information is taken from the pay system.

Statistical measures such as workforce availability (WFA), representation and gaps provide insights into the diversity of an organization and the public service. In addition, OCHRO recognizes the importance of addressing systemic barriers and is taking concrete steps to do so.

The 2024 WFA is the most recent benchmark for representation, as it is based on the 2021 Census and the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability.

The WFA for persons with disabilities increased substantially between the 2011 and 2016 censuses and the 2012 and 2017 iterations of the Canadian Survey on Disability. This increase is because the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability expanded the definition of persons with disabilities to include disabilities related to pain and mental health. The current employment equity representation for the public service is not based on the same expanded definition and there are plans to rectify this situation.

The expanded definition was tested in recent iterations of both the Public Service Employee Survey and the Student Experience Survey with the demographic profile of respondents demonstrating representation that is better aligned with the new 12.0% WFA estimate (13% in the 2022/2023 Public Service Employee Survey and 14% in the 2023 Student Experience Survey). As a result, OCHRO expects that using the expanded definition in the updated Self-ID Questionnaire will result in representation data that is better aligned with the WFA.

To ensure that we continue to close gaps and sustain progress toward representation, WFA should be regarded as a starting point. The recommendations of A Transformative Framework to Achieve and Sustain Employment Equity are one of the sources that TBS is using to systematically rethink employment equity data collection and benchmarks. Additional information on benchmarking is provided in the section of this report on ensuring the right benchmarks.

Women

The representation of women increased since March 31, 2023.

Overall, more women work in classifications that pay under $75,000. When discussing salary range distribution, it is important to note that salary is influenced by several factors such as occupational groups, levels and years of service.

Historically, work predominantly done by women has been under-compensated in Canada. TBS, in conjunction with bargaining agents and/or non-unionized representatives, are developing pay equity plans to identify gaps between the compensation of jobs held mostly by women and those held mostly by men that involve work of equal value. The Government of Canada’s Pay Equity website has more information.

The proportion of women continues to be very high in the following occupational groups:

• Human Resources Management
• Health Services
• Translation
• Program and Administrative Services
• Police Operations Support

The occupational groups with the lowest proportion of women are:

• Ships’ Officers
• Operational Services
• Information Technology
• Architecture, Engineering and Land Survey
• Correctional Services

Representation of women in the EX group continues to increase and is still above WFA.^{Footnote 5}

OCHRO will continue to provide disaggregated demographic and intersectional data for this group and support in occupational groups where they are under-represented, such as in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and security roles.

Refer to the Employment Equity Demographic Snapshot for more information.

Indigenous Peoples

The representation rate of Indigenous Peoples in the CPA has been steady over the past five years and is above WFA.

Although the distribution of Indigenous Peoples earning $100,000 and above increased since last year, it is still lower than the total CPA, and there continues to be a higher proportion of Indigenous employees in the salary range between $50,000 to $99,999. The distribution of Inuit employees in the $50,000 to $74,999 is 42.0%, which is higher than the distribution of Métis and First Nations employees in the same salary range band (32.2% and 35.6%, respectively).

The five occupational groups with the highest proportion of Indigenous employees are:

• Correctional Services
• Education and Library Science
• Health Services
• Program and Administrative Services
• Operational Services

The five occupational groups with the lowest proportion of Indigenous employees are:

• Architecture, Engineering and Land Survey
• Applied Science and Patent Examination
• Comptrollership
• Information Technology
• Border Services

EX representation of Indigenous Peoples has increased over the last four years, from 4.1% as of March 2020 to 5.5% as of March 2024. For Indigenous Peoples, EX representation now exceeds the EX WFA.

The 2024 EX WFA for Indigenous Peoples based on the 2021 Census is lower than the previous EX WFA for this group. The decrease in executive WFA can be attributed to a recoding of executive National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes by Statistics Canada, which resolved a previous issue whereby the executive WFA was higher than that of the overall WFA. The adjustment ensures a more accurate and comprehensive representation of the labour market, but it also lowers the comparative benchmark for Indigenous representation in EX roles.

The distribution of Indigenous Peoples at the EX‑01 level is higher than the distribution of EX‑01 within the CPA (56.3% and 51.0%, respectively). At the EX‑02 and EX‑03 levels, the distribution is lower for Indigenous Peoples than for the CPA (38.6% and 43.6%, respectively).

OCHRO is committed to continue deepening the understanding of the barriers facing Indigenous Peoples throughout the talent pipeline. Areas for action to advance reconciliation include:

• respect and recognition for Indigenous People’s history, culture and languages
• increasing representation
• support for public servants in the North
• career development and mental health

Refer to the Employment Equity Demographic Snapshot for more information.

Persons with disabilities

The representation of persons with disabilities in the CPA has increased steadily since March 2020; however, the representation of persons with disabilities overall remains below the WFA.^{Footnote 6} OCHRO expects that implementing the expanded definition in the updated Self-ID Questionnaire will result in a representation better aligned with the WFA. We remain committed to creating an accessible and inclusive workplace, free of physical and attitudinal barriers, where everyone feels a sense of belonging and inclusion.

While the distribution of persons with disabilities continues to be higher than the CPA in the $50,000 to $74,999 salary range, there is a notable decrease since last year. There is also a notable increase in the distribution of persons with disabilities earning $125,000 and above.

The occupational groups with the highest proportion of persons with disabilities are:

• Law Practitioner
• Human Resources Management
• Economics and Social Science Services
• Executive and Law Management
• Program and Administrative Services

Notably, as of March 2024, the proportion of persons with disabilities in the Law Practitioner group has more than doubled since last fiscal year.

The occupational groups with the lowest proportion of persons with disabilities are:

• Operational Services
• Architecture, Engineering and Land Survey
• Research
• Correctional Services
• Health Services

The representation of persons with disabilities at the EX level is above the WFA. The population of persons with disabilities in the EX group has increased from 4.6% as of March 2019 to 9.7% as of March 2024. This is the result of an increase in the number of newly appointed executives (from within and outside the CPA).

Refer to the Employment Equity Demographic Snapshot for more information.

Members of visible minorities^{Footnote 7}

Overall, representation of members of visible minorities increased from 15.1% as of March 2017 to 22.9% as of March 2024. However, compared to the most recent WFA based on the 2021 Census, representation of members of visible minorities as of March 2024 is only slightly above the WFA.

Changes in WFA from 2023 to 2024 for members of visible minorities overall (including EXs) increased due to a population change between the 2021 Census and the previous 2016 Census.

As of March 2024, the proportion of members of visible minorities is highest in the following occupational groups:

• Comptrollership
• Economics and Social Science Services
• Information Technology
• Architecture, Engineering and Land Survey
• Applied Science and Patent Examination

The occupational groups with the lowest proportion of members of visible minorities are:

• Operational Services
• Electronics
• Technical Services
• Health Services
• Executive and Law Management

The number of EXs who identified as members of visible minorities has increased from 10.1% as of March 2018 to 16.4% as of March 2024. This is the result of an increase in the number of newly appointed executives (from within and outside the CPA).

Even though the overall EX representation increased for members of visible minorities, the number at the highest level (EX‑05)^{Footnote 8} has remained the same over the last year.

Refer to the Employment Equity Demographic Snapshot for more information.

Black employees

Representation of Black employees has increased from 2.8% as of March 2017 to 5.0% as of March 2024. As of March 2024, of the 61,015 people who self-identified as a member of a visible minority group, 13,270 self-identified as Black, which is an increase of 1,499 employees since last year.

Black employees have the highest distribution of employees in the $50,000 to $74,999 salary range compared to the employment equity designated groups and the CPA. However, there is an increase in the distribution of Black employees in the higher salary ranges, especially in the salary ranges of $100,000 to $124,999 (12.4% as of March 2023 compared to 15.6% as of March 2024) and $125,000 to $149,999 (2.9% as of March 2023 compared to 6.0% as of March 2024). This suggests that employment equity initiatives and programs to level the playing field across the talent pool may be demonstrating a positive effect.

There is no WFA for Black employees because it is not a designated group under the Employment Equity Act. TBS does not currently have the data or methodology established to create a WFA for this group but will be working on it in the near future.

The proportion of Black employees is highest in the following occupational groups:

• Comptrollership
• Program and Administrative Services
• Human Resources Management
• Economics and Social Science Services
• Information Technology

The proportion of Black employees is lowest in the following occupational groups:

• Operational Services
• Technical Services
• Border Services
• Applied Science and Patent Examination
• Architecture, Engineering and Land Survey

Within the EX group, 3.0% of EXs have self-identified as Black. This is an increase from March 2017, when 1.4% of executives self-identified as Black.

Refer to the Employment Equity Demographic Snapshot for more information.

1. Generating and publishing data for a more accurate picture of representation gaps

TBS-OCHRO continues to support the Government of Canada’s priority to enhance the dissemination of disaggregated data through ongoing releases via the Government of Canada’s Diversity and inclusion statistics website. This includes providing representation data for the four employment equity groups using several criteria, including:

• organization
• province or territory of work
• occupational group
• occupational category
• salary
• age
• tenure and
• first official language

Employment equity subgroup data is also published for the following:

• organization
• province or territory of work
• occupational group
• occupational category
• salary
• age
• tenure

Over the last several years, additional data has been published for EXs. This year, employment equity data as of March 2024 will be added online, as will the WFA based on the March 2024 CPA population, the 2021 Census and the 2022 Survey on Disability.

Employment equity data and WFA estimates are also available through OCHRO’s Interactive data visualization tool. This tool helps users access and manipulate human resources demographic and employment equity data to provide further insight into the workforce.

The Employment Equity Demographic Snapshot is new this year and can be found on the Diversity and inclusion statistics website to provide additional disaggregated data. Making additional disaggregated data available is a key initiative in relation to the government’s priorities to foster greater equity, diversity and inclusion, and accessibility, given the importance of data to inform decisions and action.

The updated Self-Identification (Self-ID) Questionnaire will provide more accurate, disaggregated and near real-time data. In the 2023–24 fiscal year, OCHRO continued to develop the updated questionnaire and the centralized application, as well as a more robust and consistent approach to privacy and confidentiality. These changes align with recent recommendations from the Employment Equity Act review exercise and the Auditor General’s Inclusion in the Workplace for Racialized Employees of 2023.

The updated questionnaire will support TBS in fulfilling its obligations by providing:

• more timely reporting on the representation of the designated employment equity groups and use of this data to address biases and barriers affecting members of employment equity groups
• supporting inclusion and a sense of belonging in the workplace with expanded identity options for employees

In 2023, TBS began its work to launch the 2024 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), which included extensive consultative engagements with various stakeholders, including departments and agencies, enterprise-wide equity-seeking employee networks, and bargaining agents. These consultations informed the development of the questionnaire. The main changes to the 2024 questionnaire were in the section on employee demographics. The question on 2SLGBTQI+ was split into two questions: one for sexual orientation and one for additional 2SLGBTQI+ identities. In addition, the questionnaire included demographic questions on religion and ethno-religious identities for the first time.

The PSC launched the 2023 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey in the fall, with new questions added on equity-seeking groups related to sexual orientation, religion and demographics, such as marital and family status. The results of the survey were released in June 2024.

Statistics Canada is collaborating with Canadian Heritage and ESDC to provide insights to respond to systemic issues impacting the Black populations and racialized populations in Canada to support Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy. Initiatives in the 2023–24 fiscal year included:

• the development and updates to the Social Inclusion Framework for Ethnocultural Groups in Canada, which brings together key statistical information on the inclusion (or exclusion) of ethnocultural groups and immigrants in Canada and the Data visualization tools: social inclusion indicators for Canada’s ethnocultural groups
• analytical products on the portraits of racialized groups in Canada
• consultations with federal government stakeholders, academics, research professionals and community organizations informed the content of an infographic on South Asian immigration to Canada

These analytical products also align with the Disaggregated Data Action Plan.

2. Increasing the diversity of senior leaders of the public service

Specific programs exist with the goal of increasing the diversity of senior leaders. In 2023–24, OCHRO continued to improve the selection process for the Executive Leadership Development Program to ensure diverse cohorts, mitigate potential biases, and increase Black and Indigenous participants. As a result, participants in the five active cohorts are distributed as follows:

• 63% women
• 11% Indigenous Peoples
• 41% members of visible minorities
• 12% persons with disabilities

The Mosaic Leadership Development program’s approach to nurturing diverse leadership talent is demonstrating effectiveness. The first cohort, which ran in 2021–22, had a success rate of 72%, with 26 EX appointments (out of 36 graduates) as of March 31, 2024, and further appointments are anticipated. A second cohort with 50 new participants ran from September 2023 to December 2024. The third cohort of 50 participants was launched in September 2024 and will run to December 2025.

The Mentorship Plus program enhances traditional mentorship by adding a deliberate focus on sponsorship for employees from equity‑seeking groups. As part of this program, a senior leader will advocate on behalf of their protégé and be an active participant in their career development. This involvement is especially important for those employees who might lack access to networks that are essential for acquiring the exposure, skills and competencies for progression to the EX group. Since inception, the program has been implemented in 57 organizations across the public service, with 332 sponsorship relationships being managed in 2023–24.

The Public Service Commission of Canada provides assessment, coaching and counselling services to:

• aspiring executives and executives in the federal public service through departmental agreements
• EX feeder group participants in the Mosaic Leadership Development program
• Black public servants in support of the Action Plan for Black Public Servants
• EXs taking part in the Executive Leadership Development Program

Additionally, the PSC initiated services to support career and leadership development for Indigenous public servants in partnership with the Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion’s Indigenous Coaching and Counseling Circle. Since late 2023–24, the PSC diversified its roster of coaches for providing executive counselling services to Indigenous and Black public servants, completing 39 evaluations for Cohort 1 and 2 (2021–23).

The Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) provided the following programming to help increase the diversity of senior leaders:

• the Advanced Leadership Pilot Program for Black and Indigenous EXs in February 2024
• a second cohort of The Power of Taking Action series, a four-part virtual pilot series to empower and equip leaders to shift the culture of inclusion to maximize the potential of all public servants
• two sessions of “Ma'iingan, the Humble Leader: Demonstrating Humility and Reconciliation in Leadership” as part of the Leadership Reflection Series 
• training as part of the Executive Leadership Development Program and key transition‑to‑role programs on themes such as anti-Black racism, accessibility, 2SLGBTQI+ communities, racialized employees, Indigenous reconciliation and neurodiversity, reflecting the real-world experiences of equity-deserving employees in the public service

3. Ensuring the right benchmarks

WFA is a CPA employment equity benchmark, based on labour market availability, which provides a point of reference against which organizations can assess or compare how they are doing in terms of representation for each of the four-designated groups under the Employment Equity Act.

In the public service, four filters are applied to the labour market availability to arrive at WFA.

OCHRO calculates WFA for the overall CPA population, for organizations within the CPA and for the EX group.

Organizational WFA and representation data are compared to determine gaps and areas where the organization needs to work toward ensuring its workforce reflects the availability of candidates in the employment equity groups.

The 2024 WFA estimates used in this report are based on March 2024 population data and information from the 2021 Census of Canada and the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability (the most recent update). WFA calculations are completed annually; however, the reference labour market availability is updated by ESDC every five years with the release of new census data and the Canadian Survey on Disability data by Statistics Canada.

Workforce availability benchmarks indicate a minimum level of success in achieving the Government of Canada’s quantitative employment equity goals and a diverse workforce in the public service. Although benchmarking against the WFA based on the latest census shows that gaps in overall and EX representation have closed except for persons with disabilities, there is a need to continue investing in addressing barriers and inclusion initiatives to achieve substantive equality.

OCHRO acknowledges the benchmarking recommendations of the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force and commits to examining new approaches to benchmarking in collaboration with ESDC and Statistics Canada to ensure that benchmarks reflect the diversity of the Canadian workforce.

The updated Self-ID Questionnaire is expected to improve the accuracy of representation data. The data collected will also be more in line with the options in the census.

4. Addressing systemic barriers

Systemic barriers arise from systems, policies and practices, traditions or cultural practices that may seem neutral but put certain individuals or groups at a disadvantage.

In discussion with women’s networks during the 2024 Employment Equity Act modernization consultations, several issues were raised, such as gender identity and the evolving definition of a woman, data collection and intersectionality, Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), and the lack of a deputy minister champion for women.

In March 2024, the Report on Written Submissions and the panel recommendations report on the Restorative Engagement Program were published. These reports finalized the first rounds of consultation that informed the initial and exploratory options for the development and design of a public service restorative engagement program. In 2025, further in-depth consultations with key partners and employee networks will continue toward the potential implementation of a program pilot.

OCHRO has taken action to help respond to the Auditor General of Canada’s performance audit report 5, Inclusion in the Workplace for Racialized Employees, which was tabled in Parliament on October 19, 2023.

Through the management action plan for this audit, OCHRO developed:

• Establishing Performance Indicators to Measure and Report on Equity and Inclusion Outcomes in the Public Service (available only on the Government of Canada network): This guidance outlines the existing tools and data to help federal organizations establish or revise indicators to measure equity and inclusion outcomes that will work for their organization.
• Guidance on Inclusive and Anti-Racist Behaviours in Performance Management (available only on the Government of Canada network): This guidance highlights the inclusive and anti-racist behaviours that currently exist in the competency frameworks (that is, Core Competencies and Key Leadership Competencies) as well as how to set expectations and assess these behaviours as part of employee performance management.
• Guidance for Executive Performance Management and Consequential Accountability (available only on the Government of Canada network): This guidance provides policy clarity as organizations build tangible commitments into EX performance agreements and hold individuals accountable for results in the implementation of the Forward direction on the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service and advance strategies such as Many Voices One Mind: A Pathway to Reconciliation and “Nothing Without Us” accessibility strategy for the public service of Canada. It provides overarching principles and policy responses to frequently asked questions, and acknowledges each organization’s responsibility to select an approach that meets its realities and need.

Another perceived systemic barrier relates to second language learning and includes access to training. This has been raised by Indigenous employees (for example, in Many Voices One Mind: A Pathway to Reconciliation) and was also echoed during consultations with other equity-seeking groups.

OCHRO developed an inclusive language training framework that is flexible, accessible and learner driven. Extensive consultations with stakeholders took place throughout 2023–24 that included the Office of Public Service Accessibility and collaboration with an employment equity advisory committee to ensure that the framework considered the needs of all designated groups. The second official language training framework, launched in June 2024, aims to support a culture that promotes bilingualism in the workplace as well as ongoing learning and the regular use of second official language skills.

Figure 2 - Text version

Figure 2: Distribution of employees by group and first official language

Group	English	French	Unknown
Overall	69.9%	30.1%	0.0%
Women	68.9%	31.1%	0.0%
Indigenous Peoples	75.4%	24.6%	0.0%
Persons with disabilities	75.1%	24.9%	0.0%
Members of visible minorities	77.6%	22.4%	0.0%
Black employees	52.4%	47.6%	0.0%

The predominant first official language of the CPA, the four employment equity groups and Black employees is English. The proportion of Black employees with French as their first official language is notably higher at 47.6%.

The PSC provides second language evaluation for the assessment of proficiency in the second official language. In 2023–24, the PSC streamlined access to testing accommodations, and organizations can now administer a greater range of unsupervised second language tests for written expression and reading comprehension using the Candidate Assessment Tool. This tool is also compatible with various adaptive technologies, resulting in a reduction in the demand for alternative test formats by over 50%.

In 2023–24, incoming assignments at the EX and non-EX levels accounted for 63% of all Interchange Canada activity. This program can be further leveraged to meet key enterprise-wide objectives such as reconciliation. In 2023–24, Interchange Canada assignments with Indigenous organizations accounted for approximately 6% of all assignments. Outgoing participants can help transfer expertise and knowledge to build capacity within Northern and Indigenous governments and communities, strengthening Indigenous-Crown relations. Assignments can also provide an attractive value proposition to key employment equity groups experiencing recruitment and retention gaps.

To further strengthen diversity and inclusion, and address biases and barriers faced by equity-seeking groups, two amendments to the Public Service Employment Act took effect on July 1, 2023. In addition, the PSC launched the revised Appointment Delegation and Accountability Instrument and the Appointment Policy to support organizations through the development of guidance tools and ongoing advice. Activities included the following:

• launching an updated version of the Guide to Mitigating Biases and Barriers in Assessment (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) and adding new sections to the Tool for Mitigating Biases and Barriers in Assessment (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)
• delivering workshops and information sessions with the CSPS on the implementation of changes to the Public Service Employment Act
• providing training and workshops for departmental investigation liaisons on how to examine investigation requests related to allegations of biases and barriers that disadvantage members of equity-seeking groups
• launching a new job search service and assigning priority entitlement consultants to support organizations in recruiting from employment equity groups through the priority talent pool

In 2023–24, the PSC launched the Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) to support experienced hiring managers, new managers and human resources specialists. The toolkit has been promoted widely via social media, presentations to organizations, functional communities and events.

The PSC also completed the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Acting Appointments, which examined the systems and practices that organizations have in place to promote access to appointments for employment equity groups and the extent to which hiring managers consider employment equity when making acting appointments. In addition, the first Audit of Biases and Barriers in the Pre-Assessment Process is underway and will explore whether biases and barriers exist that would impact any of the employment equity groups in external appointment processes. This audit will be published in 2025.

To modernize the recruitment process, the PSC is continuing work to replace the GC Jobs platform with a more inclusive and accessible experience for candidates, removing unnecessary barriers.

In parallel, the PSC is enhancing the GC Jobs site by making it easier to use with a simpler interface, plain language, helpful guidance, and a job advertisement template that will be accessible through assistive technologies.

A key priority for the PSC is updating student recruitment programs to make them modern, flexible and inclusive and meet the needs of hiring managers. These updates involve piloting new ways to recruit students and attract Indigenous talent and people with disabilities to increase representation across the public service. The PSC’s initiatives include the following:

• Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP)
• Specific Name Referral (a pilot project with eight organizations to provide greater flexibility to request a specific student from the ongoing FSWEP inventory)
• Research Affiliate Program

The CSPS follows the “nothing without us” principle, working with interdepartmental groups, advisory committees, subject matter experts and public servants with lived experience to develop reconciliation, equity, diversity and inclusion learning products. In 2023–24, the CSPS provided many learning opportunities to promote an inclusive and equitable work environment for public servants, including EXs. These included:

• in-person and virtual courses
• self-paced courses
• videos and job aids available through mobile apps that focus on addressing barriers faced by marginalized individuals
• events featuring guest speakers with lived experience

The CSPS also held sessions with networks to:

• develop micro-learning videos and other learning products on anti-racism and discrimination
• support the Truth and Reconciliation Report’s Call to Action No. 57 and Shared Priority 14 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan

The Government of Canada is committed to making Canada a fairer country. Changing Systems, Transforming Lives: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2024-2028 builds on the foundation set by the first anti-racism strategy (2019–2022). Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2024–2028 includes over 70 federal initiatives across 20 Government of Canada organizations, aiming to eliminate racism and racial discrimination in Canada. It emphasizes the importance of promoting anti-racism, equity and inclusion in the federal public service. Supported by the TBS, the PSC, employee networks and department-specific equity-based groups, this work aims to create lasting changes for a more equitable, diverse and inclusive federal public service.

To increase the representation of Indigenous Peoples, the following programs and initiatives demonstrated success in 2023–24:

• The Indigenous Student Employment Opportunity (accessible only on the Government of Canada network): 143 students participated in summer activities with Indigenous federal employees from diverse backgrounds.
• The Indigenous Career Pathways (accessible only on the Government of Canada network): 26 Indigenous graduates and 19 Indigenous employees prequalified in other departmental pools, and efforts to promote this tool to hiring managers resulted in 158 referral requests.
• In partnership with Pilimmaksaivik (the Federal Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment in Nunavut), the PSC continues to promote and increase the Inuksugait Resume Inventory to recruit Inuit candidates for federal positions in Nunavut to support organizations in closing representation gaps further to the Nunavut Agreement. The inventory offers continuous intake, with 10 appointments made in 2023–24. As of March 31, 2024, the inventory included 131 candidates.
• The Indigenous storytelling project features Indigenous public servants sharing their unique experiences, from students to executives, to demystify working with the Government of Canada.

The Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion further developed the Indigenous Career Navigators Program (report is accessible only on the Government of Canada network), which has flourished since its launch in 2022, with over 60 trained navigators now empowering Indigenous employees in their career journeys.

The government-wide IT Apprenticeship Program for Indigenous Peoples, led by ESDC, offers on-the-job training, self-paced professional development, mentorship and culturally appropriate supports to apprentices to gain in-demand skills in IT to excel in the digital economy. Graduates receive a digital certificate and verifiable credential, signed by the Chief Information Officer of Canada, that confirms that they meet the Government of Canada Qualification Standard alternative for the IT Occupational Group. In 2023, a small pilot was launched using fair-chance hiring practices to include justice-impacted Indigenous individuals, a demographic that has reached a crisis point in Canada’s federal correctional institutions, and those often left further behind in education, employment and training opportunities. Since the program started in 2020 and until March 31, 2024, 151 apprentices were hired within 32 federal organizations. Of these apprentices, 25% worked from or lived in an Indigenous community and 31% identified as women or as gender diverse. Between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024:

• 72 apprentices were hired within 21 organizations:
  • 18% worked from or lived in an Indigenous community
  • 36% identified as women or gender diverse
  • 11 graduated and were either hired indeterminately or in the process of securing longer-term employment
• the program launched a pilot initiative to hire a small group of Indigenous women and gender-diverse individuals through fair-chance hiring practices, furthering inclusive employment opportunities

As part of the Government of Canada initial commitments made in response to the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force’s final report, it is anticipated that the definition of persons with disabilities will align with the definition in the Accessible Canada Act, making it more inclusive. This change will lead to more people who self-identify as having a disability and help advance the Government of Canada’s 2019 commitment to hire 5,000 new employees with disabilities by 2025.

In 2023–24, there was significant progress toward this commitment. Initiatives such as workshops to help managers make their hiring practices more inclusive, and accessibility governance committees continuing to discuss systemic accessibility gaps and solutions, may have contributed to the 1.0 percentage point increase in representation of persons with disabilities in the CPA between March 2023 and March 2024.

Other programs and initiatives to help meet the goal of hiring 5,000 net new persons with disabilities by 2025 include the following:

• the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities provided support to the most recent cohorts of interns; the employment retention rate was 78%
• 145 students were registered in summer activities of the Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities (accessible only on the Government of Canada network):
  • 91 candidates have completed or will complete a post-secondary degree and can be hired through student bridging
  • 164 partially assessed candidates are available, and 31 candidates have been hired in policy and data analysis (EC-01 to EC-05) careers
  • a pool of fully assessed candidates remain available as senior financial analysts (FI-03) (candidate pool managed by the financial management community within the TBS)
  • 49 partially assessed candidates are available, and 8 candidates have been hired for Careers in biology (BI-02)

The PSC continued to encourage departments to hire from existing pools and inventories, including those for students and graduates, through large-scale events with key partners, such as TBS’s Office of Public Service Accessibility.

The Office of Public Service Accessibility’s Centralized Enabling Workplace Fund ended in March 2024; however, its final report provided key recommendations from project learnings, such as the following:

• continuing work on recruiting persons with disabilities
• streamlining the workplace accommodation process
• developing client-centred accommodation centres of expertise

These recommendations advance the Government of Canada’s capacity to achieve its vision of becoming the world’s most accessible and inclusive public service by 2040.

Funded by Centralized Enabling Workplace Fund, the Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion developed a survey in consultation with Indigenous experts and Elders. The survey provided invaluable data and recommendations to address the unique barriers faced by Indigenous employees with disabilities.

The Government of Canada Workplace Accessibility Passport continues to expand; 60 federal organizations adopted the Passport and are integrating it into their workplace accommodation processes.

The Office of Public Service Accessibility continues to support all federal departments and agencies meet the requirements of the Accessible Canada Act by creating tools and providing guidance and engagement activities. The Act requires every federal organization to submit an accessibility plan and report publicly on their progress every year. The Office of Public Service Accessibility updated and released new tools and guidance to help organizations prepare their first progress report in December 2023, including the following:  

• a modernized accessibility self-assessment tool that aligned with the seven priority areas of the Act and provided guidance on embedding accessibility and measurement strategies within organizations and across the Act’s reporting requirements (although no longer in use, this tool was a key deliverable in 2023)
• tip sheets and guidance on improving transportation accessibility
• the new data and measurement resource page on the GC Accessibility Hub

The Office of Public Service Accessibility reviewed accessibility progress reports in early 2024 to identify gaps and trends to help create better tools and guidance for accessibility improvements. The Chief Accessibility Officer released the first report on accessibility compliance in February 2024, following the publication of progress reports. These reports showed the need for cultural change and better use of data and measurement to guide the development of new accessibility measurement tools and support products.

The following initiatives support the government’s commitment to create two new designated groups under the Act to address the barriers faced by Black people and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

5. Engagement and awareness

On December 20, 2023, the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet received the report of the Deputy Ministers’ Task Team on Values and Ethics. The report highlights the Government of Canada’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion within the value of respect for people.

TBS-OCHRO’s Federal Speakers’ Forum on Lived Experience continues to build a community of speakers who share their lived experiences on a variety of equity, diversity and inclusion topics. By sharing ideas and building connections, the Forum aims to open hearts and minds to inspire action toward a more inclusive workplace. By the end of 2023–24, 271 events were matched among 95 speakers.

In fall 2023, OCHRO engaged 402 EXs with disabilities to understand their unique experiences with accessibility barriers to enhance supports for their professional development and well-being. As a result, 93 EXs attended two 90-minute group sessions, and 309 EXs filled out an anonymous survey. Feedback received from respondents focused on four main areas:

1. Dispelling stigma:
   • there are concerns that disclosing a disability might limit professional opportunities
   • there are concerns that merit may not be recognized
   • there is a fear of experiencing discrimination or stigma
2. Increasing accessibility knowledge:
   • respondents reported that accessibility knowledge among the EX group and senior leaders is inconsistent and incomplete
   • disabilities might be seen as defining traits, leading to being marginalized or sidelined at work
3. Questioning leadership expectations:
   • there are concerns that more is expected for EXs with disabilities or that expectations are not reflective of their individual situation
4. Fostering leadership expectations:
   • there is a need to have more support from sponsors or champions at the senior leadership level to enable professional growth, mental health and well-being

This outreach highlighted ongoing challenges faced by participants with disabilities. Respondents suggested solutions such as:

• reinforcing accountability mechanisms around leadership behaviours and human resources decisions
• raising awareness of bias and barriers
• increasing opportunities for networking and sponsorship

The next step is to share these findings with partners, validate the four main areas, and implement the suggested solutions to promote a culture of inclusion in which EXs feel free to reflect and model diversity.

The PSC leads the Ambassador Network for Inclusive Assessment (accessible only on the Government of Canada network), a community of practice of human resources (HR) specialists across the public service. The network helps strengthen the community’s expertise in the use of fair and inclusive assessment methods for staffing. PSC supports include the following:

• in 2023–24, assessment accommodation practices were aligned with changes in the Public Service Employment Act, and the “Basics of Assessment Accommodation” workshop was revised^{Footnote 17}
• the PSC leads the Ambassador Network for Inclusive Assessment by sharing expertise, best practices and training to help federal organizations reduce bias and promote inclusive assessment for staffing processes
  • as of March 31, 2024, there were 59 ambassadors from 37 organizations
  • the network facilitated 43 activities to promote inclusive assessment
• the PSC offers support services (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) to HR and hiring managers to help identify and mitigate barriers and the effect of biases in assessment

The National Joint Council’s Joint Employment Equity Committee comprises employee and employer representatives. The committee offers timely and relevant advice and recommendations on new policies and practices in the federal public service that might affect designated groups and their representation. In 2023–24, the committee’s consultations with TBS included:

• the Employment Equity Annual Report
• decision-making using artificial intelligence
• an update on the Self-ID Questionnaire
• two initiatives identified in the context of the reform on official languages
• an analysis of accessibility action plans
• public opinion survey results
• the Government of Canada Workplace Accessibility Passport

The HR community continues to play an integral role in shaping the future of the public service. It is leveraged across many forums, sharing insights and promoting effective, lasting change in people management for the benefit of all public servants. The Human Resources Council (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) works with all members of the diverse HR community to build capacities, share best practices and strengthen connections. In 2023–24, the Human Resources Council:

• provided “smartshops” focused on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, in partnership with central agencies
• introduced the HR Learning Lounge featuring learning resources on equity, diversity and inclusion, accessibility, anti-racism, Indigenous learning, 2SLGBTQI+, and Positive Space courses
• hosted guest speaker Chantal Petitclerc, Senator and Paralympic champion, at the annual Government of Canada HR Excellence Awards Ceremony
• engaged with leads of the HR communities of practice and the regional councils at Community Engagement Hub meetings and heads of HR at Human Resources Council meetings to discuss efforts, initiatives and opportunities to advance the Call to Action within their networks, regions and organizations