Gender-based analysis plus

Institutional GBA+ Capacity

The NFB has a Strategic Planning and Government Relations team that assumes responsibility for the GBA+ process. Two employees have been assigned to the task of ensuring GBA+ is integrated into the NFB’s decision-making processes, in addition to fulfilling an advisory role and overseeing monitoring and accountability. The NFB’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan, launched on February 24, 2021, articulates a series of commitments designed to eliminate systemic racism and unconscious bias, and to transform the NFB into a more open and diverse organization.

In September 2021, the NFB appointed Rachel Décoste as Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, a newly created senior management role responsible for ensuring equity and the implementation of anti-racist practices within the organization. In 2022–2023, the NFB intends to put in place a governance structure for matters of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Highlights of GBA Plus Results Reporting Capacity by Program

Audiovisual Programming and Production

This program collects data to enable it to monitor and/or report program impacts by gender and diversity (GBA Plus). Examples include: gender, official-language minority and Indigenous-status data collected for the NFB’s ongoing service contracts with directors and craftspeople; the percentage of the production budget allocated to works made by these groups; and the percentage of completed works exploring topics related to gender and diversity.

This data is integrated into the NFB’s Departmental Results Framework (DRF) and performance-measurement strategy for initiatives supporting parity, diversity and inclusion.

Data-gathering for GBA+ analysis, however, remains a challenge, as it is insufficient to undertake in-depth GBA+ analysis. The organization is currently working on implementing new self-identification mechanisms for creators and filmmakers that will allow it to compile sufficient data on gender and diversity in the future. In 2022–2023, the NFB will establish production targets for racial equity, diversity and inclusion, to ensure better representation of the great diversity of voices that form the wealth of our country.

In 2022–2023, the NFB will continue to consult with official-language minority communities and Black, Indigenous and racialized communities, both internally and externally, to evaluate the impact of NFB programs by gender and diversity. It will also hold strategic programming forums throughout the country in partnership with industry and creative communities, in order to have a shared vision of trends and a global perspective on projects.

Distribution of works and audience engagement

Beyond compiling statistics on general audience numbers by market, interactions with online audiences, and participation in festivals promoting gender equity and diversity, the NFB does not collect disaggregated data in relation to GBA+ from its audiences.

It does, however, collect data pertaining to the percentage of works produced that explore topics related to gender and diversity.

As part of its strategy to better understand and reach its audiences, and enhance their engagement with the NFB, the institution has begun putting in place various initiatives to develop its data-gathering capacity. In 2022–2023, with a view to improving its potential to engage with audiences, the NFB will integrate tools to deepen its understanding of user behaviour on its digital platforms, gain more insights into their consumption habits and areas of interest, and optimize their experience online. Audience data that’s collected and analyzed will therefore guide the NFB in redefining its digital distribution strategy.

Promotion of works and NFB outreach

Though this program collects some data to monitor impacts by gender and diversity, the scope of the data is limited. The NFB measures the percentage of awards going to women creators and their works. It also measures coverage of these works in the national and international media. With the implementation of the NFB’s new Strategic Plan and its Diversity and Inclusion Commitments and Objectives, the NFB will develop new tools to expand its capacity to report on impacts by gender and diversity when promoting the organization or its films.

In 2022–2023, the NFB will continue to partner with various festivals and organizations to promote audiovisual works reflecting the realities, experiences and perspectives of the people of Canada, in particular those who are underrepresented in the media landscape (Indigenous people, women, people with disabilities, racialized and diverse cultural groups, and the LGBTQ2+ community), to ensure these important Canadian stories are seen and heard.

Preservation, conservation and digitization of works

This program sets out to preserve and digitize works in the National Film Board’s collection, to secure their longevity and availability to Canadians today and in the future. The program has created a digitization plan for NFB audiovisual materials based on three factors: the work’s heritage value, level of physical degradation, and whether it is in active circulation. As this program is technical in nature, it does not collect sufficient data to enable it to monitor and/or report program impacts by gender and diversity.