Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s 2025–26 Departmental plan: Gender-based analysis plus

Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus governance and capacity

Governance

The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) is committed to integrating Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) in all its work to help understand how different groups within a community may be affected by a project. Under the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors must be considered in the impact assessment of designated projects. To meet this requirement, in 2025-26, IAAC will continue to incorporate GBA Plus across its policies, programs, and practices to ensure they are responsive, inclusive, and reflective of diverse experiences and realities. This approach aims to anticipate and mitigate inequalities and barriers, while encouraging the enhancement of positive effects for all and supporting whole-of-government regulatory efficiencies.

Capacity

IAAC’s President and Vice-Presidents are responsible for providing leadership and dedicating sufficient resources in their respective areas of responsibility to ensure that GBA Plus is incorporated throughout IAAC’s initiatives and processes. This includes:

Conducting ongoing monitoring and reporting on GBA Plus implementation;
Ensuring that GBA Plus is conducted for project-level impact assessments under the IAA and that it is used to inform project-related follow-up and enforcement activities;
Incorporating GBA Plus into the development of policies, practices, and programs, as well as the ongoing performance measurement of these;
Ensuring GBA Plus informs Cabinet-related work;
Incorporating GBA Plus into engagement, consultation, and capacity building activities; and
Promoting the value of GBA Plus in designing and delivering internal services.

IAAC also has a GBA Plus Champion, a designated senior executive responsible for taking a leadership role in raising awareness about GBA Plus, promoting its application, and supporting innovative ways to strengthen intersectional analysis throughout IAAC.

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

The number of planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) dedicated to working on GBA Plus for IAAC in 2025-26 is 0.50. This FTE will play a role in the implementation of GBA Plus, including acting as the GBA Plus Focal Point as defined in IAAC’s Gender-Based Analysis Plus Corporate Policy, as well as leading on the development of social and health policy. While employees across IAAC apply GBA Plus in program activities and assessments, they are not considered “dedicated FTEs working on GBA Plus.”

Section 2: Gender and diversity impacts, by program

Core responsibility: Impact Assessment

Program name: Assessment Administration, Conduct and Monitoring

Program goals:

For projects within the legislative authority of Parliament:

Environmental and Impact Assessment Reports include GBA Plus information provided by the proponents; and
Conditions, mitigation measures, and where appropriate, a follow-up program related to GBA Plus, may apply to assessed projects.

Program name: Indigenous Relations and Engagement

Program goals:

IAAC will consider and include GBA Plus in developing policy and programs related to Indigenous Peoples and impact assessment:

Findings on GBA Plus considerations will be posted on the Registry; and
GBA Plus and supporting intersectional data will include information on predicted sex-disaggregated health, social, and economic effects of designated projects and other identity factors.

GBA Plus data collection plan

As part of ongoing performance measurement, IAAC is implementing data collection methods that include the collection of GBA Plus information. This will enable IAAC to assess the impacts of its Programs from a GBA Plus lens and make improvements, if required, to ensure there are no adverse effects to diverse groups.

Program	Does this program collect sufficient data to enable it to monitor and/or report program impacts by gender and diversity (GBA Plus)?	IF NO: Describe what actions are being taken to enable future monitoring and reporting of program impacts by gender and diversity IF YES: Describe any notable future initiatives that will expand the program’s capacity to report on impacts by gender and diversity and timelines	Timelines for actions
Assessment Administration, Conduct and Monitoring	Yes	For projects assessed under CEAA 2012 that require a Governor-in-Council decision on whether the significant adverse environmental effects are justified under the projects’ circumstances, IAAC will conduct GBA Plus analyses and include the results in the Memorandum to Cabinet. For projects assessed under the IAA, through the Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines, IAAC requires proponents to incorporate GBA Plus into their Impact Statement, including a description of related proposed mitigation and follow-up programs. IAAC prepares an Impact Assessment Report that considers GBA Plus information provided by the Proponent and reviewed by expert federal departments, Indigenous groups, the public, and other jurisdictions. If the project is expected to result in adverse effects within federal jurisdiction related to the GBA Plus analysis, IAAC could propose conditions, including mitigation measures and, where appropriate, a follow-up program, with which the proponent must comply. If a project decision is referred to the Governor-in-Council, IAAC ensures that the results of a GBA Plus analysis is included in the Memorandum to Cabinet. Once the decision statement is issued under IAA, IAAC will track and report on the implementation of follow-up programs, which will include verifying the accuracy of assessments and determining the effectiveness of mitigation measures.	For decisions referred to the Governor-in-Council, legislative timelines are to be respected.
Indigenous Relations and Engagement	No	IAAC will consider and include GBA Plus in its development of policy related to Indigenous Peoples and impact assessment, including engagement on these policies, and when providing capacity-building funding to diverse groups, including Indigenous women and girls. Data gathering to monitor and report on these programs will include: requesting feedback from Indigenous groups affected by policies; implementing IAAC policies based on feedback from Indigenous groups; seeking feedback from participants in engagement processes; and tracking the distribution of funding allocations. IAAC will compile GBA Plus data, submitted to the Registry by proponents, expert departments, Indigenous groups, and the public throughout the impact assessment process. The findings and conclusions on GBA Plus considerations will be provided in draft and final assessment reports under the IAA and posted on the Registry. Additionally, when decisions under the IAA require data related to GBA Plus as a condition or through a follow-up program, this information will also be made available. Proponent reports, public comments, and other documents relevant to the impact assessment of a designated project can be viewed in the Registry. These documents include GBA Plus and supporting data, which can vary in depth depending on the scope of the project and available data.	2025-26

Program

Does this program collect sufficient data to enable it to monitor and/or report program impacts by gender and diversity (GBA Plus)?

IF NO: Describe what actions are being taken to enable future monitoring and reporting of program impacts by gender and diversity
IF YES: Describe any notable future initiatives that will expand the program’s capacity to report on impacts by gender and diversity and timelines

Timelines for actions

Assessment Administration, Conduct and Monitoring

Yes

For projects assessed under CEAA 2012 that require a Governor-in-Council decision on whether the significant adverse environmental effects are justified under the projects’ circumstances, IAAC will conduct GBA Plus analyses and include the results in the Memorandum to Cabinet. For projects assessed under the IAA, through the Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines, IAAC requires proponents to incorporate GBA Plus into their Impact Statement, including a description of related proposed mitigation and follow-up programs. IAAC prepares an Impact Assessment Report that considers GBA Plus information provided by the Proponent and reviewed by expert federal departments, Indigenous groups, the public, and other jurisdictions. If the project is expected to result in adverse effects within federal jurisdiction related to the GBA Plus analysis, IAAC could propose conditions, including mitigation measures and, where appropriate, a follow-up program, with which the proponent must comply. If a project decision is referred to the Governor-in-Council, IAAC ensures that the results of a GBA Plus analysis is included in the Memorandum to Cabinet. Once the decision statement is issued under IAA, IAAC will track and report on the implementation of follow-up programs, which will include verifying the accuracy of assessments and determining the effectiveness of mitigation measures.

For decisions referred to the Governor-in-Council, legislative timelines are to be respected.

Indigenous Relations and Engagement

IAAC will consider and include GBA Plus in its development of policy related to Indigenous Peoples and impact assessment, including engagement on these policies, and when providing capacity-building funding to diverse groups, including Indigenous women and girls. Data gathering to monitor and report on these programs will include:

requesting feedback from Indigenous groups affected by policies;
implementing IAAC policies based on feedback from Indigenous groups;
seeking feedback from participants in engagement processes; and
tracking the distribution of funding allocations.

IAAC will compile GBA Plus data, submitted to the Registry by proponents, expert departments, Indigenous groups, and the public throughout the impact assessment process. The findings and conclusions on GBA Plus considerations will be provided in draft and final assessment reports under the IAA and posted on the Registry. Additionally, when decisions under the IAA require data related to GBA Plus as a condition or through a follow-up program, this information will also be made available. Proponent reports, public comments, and other documents relevant to the impact assessment of a designated project can be viewed in the Registry. These documents include GBA Plus and supporting data, which can vary in depth depending on the scope of the project and available data.

2025-26

Page details

2025-06-17

Language selection

Search