Table of Contents

Employment Equity Annual Report

Introduction

Workforce Representation Data Analysis by Employment Equity Designated Group

Women

Indigenous Peoples

Persons with Disabilities

Members of Visible Minorities

Employment Equity Measures Implemented

Consultations

Conclusions

Annex A: Polar Knowledge Canada’s Employment Equity Data Tables

Employment Equity Annual Report

Polar Knowledge Canada

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Document availability

This document can be viewed on the Polar Knowledge Canada website. To request a copy of the document in English or French, please contact:

Cambridge Bay

Polar Knowledge Canada

Canadian High Arctic Research Station

1 Uvajuq Road

P.O. Box 2150

Cambridge Bay, NU, X0B 0C0

Canada

Ottawa

Polar Knowledge Canada

170 Laurier Avenue West

2nd Floor, Suite 200

Ottawa, ON, K1P 5V5

Canada

Tel.: 867-983-7425

Email: info@polar-polaire.gc.ca

Website: https://www.canada.ca/en/polar-knowledge.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PolarKnowledge

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@polarknowledge

X: @POLARCanada

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polar-knowledge-canada/

Publishing history

October 2024 - Version 1.0

Introduction

The purpose of the Employment Equity Act is to “achieve equality in the workplace so that no person shall be denied employment opportunities or benefits for reasons unrelated to ability and, in the fulfilment of that goal, to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment experienced by the following Employment Equity Designated Groups; Women, Indigenous Peoples, Persons with Disabilities and Members of Visible Minorities by giving effect to the principle that Employment Equity means more than treating persons in the same way but also requires special measures and the accommodation of differences.”^[1]

In addition to the Employment Equity Act, although Article 23 does not legally apply to Polar Knowledge Canada, as the federal Agency responsible for advancing Canada’s knowledge of the Arctic and having its headquarters at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay Nunavut, Polar Knowledge Canada is committed to operating in the spirit of Article 23. Polar Knowledge Canada decided to develop an Inuit Employment Plan under Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement with short and medium-term goals that support the long-term objective of reaching a representative employment level (of 85%) of Nunavut Inuit in its Cambridge Bay, Nunavut location. As such, Polar Knowledge Canada is committed to ensuring its Employment Equity Plan is complementary with the Inuit Employment Plan, allowing Polar Knowledge Canada to achieve the overall goals and responsibilities of both the Employment Equity Act and Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement.

As required in subsection 21(3) ¹ of the Employment Equity Act, herein is the Employment Equity Annual Report for fiscal year 2023-24. This report will be tabled in Parliament together with the report of the President of the Treasury Board in Spring 2025.

______________________________________________  Suzanne Kerr

Acting President & Chief Executive Officer 

Polar Knowledge Canada 

Canadian High Arctic Research Station

Workforce Representation Data Analysis by Employment Equity Designated Group

Below is an analysis of the Agency’s Employment Equity data for each Employment Equity Designated Groups for fiscal year 2023-24 from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. The associated data tables for this report can be found in Annex A at the end of this report.

The Federal Public Service uses workforce availability, which is a subset of Labour market availability and is calculated based on the 2016 Census and the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability. Workforce availability is defined as the portion of the Canadian population that are “identifiable by qualification, eligibility, or geography and from which the employer may be expected to draw employees”.

As of March 31, 2024, Polar Knowledge Canada employed a total of 98 employees. Population numbers for Employment Equity purposes include indeterminate employees, term employees greater than three months, and Interchange Canada employees. Employees on leave without pay, term employees less than three months, students and casual employees are excluded.

Internal representation is based on those who have voluntarily chosen to self-identify and self-declare as a woman, an Indigenous person, a person with a disability, or as a person in a visible minority group. The information is taken from internal Human Resources records as of March 31, 2024. 

Women

Women account for 61% of Polar Knowledge Canada’s workforce and exceed workforce availability overall by 5%. Women in Headquarters exceed Nunavut workforce availability by 2%, and in the Ottawa office women exceed National Capital Region workforce availability by 21%.

Women are most represented in the third highest and the highest salary ranges, where women make up 71% of employees in the third highest salary range, and 60% of employees in the highest salary range.

Women accounted for 55% of all Polar Knowledge Canada hires, and 43% of all Polar Knowledge Canada departures. 18% of the women’s workforce were new hires, and 10% of the women’s workforce departed Polar Knowledge Canada.

Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous Peoples account for 22% of Polar Knowledge Canada’s workforce and exceed workforce availability by 9%. Indigenous Peoples in the Cambridge Bay office are below Nunavut workforce availability, with their employment rate at -40% of their workforce availability, and in the Ottawa office Indigenous Peoples exceed National Capital Region workforce availability by 10%.

Indigenous Peoples are most represented in the fourth highest and third highest salary ranges, where Indigenous Peoples make up 37% of employees in the fourth highest salary range, and 29% of employees in the third highest salary range. Inuit are the most represented in the two lowest salary ranges.

Indigenous Peoples account for 5% of all Polar Knowledge Canada hires, and 7% of all Polar Knowledge Canada departures. 4% of the Indigenous Peoples’ workforce were new hires, and 5% of the Indigenous Peoples’ workforce departed Polar Knowledge Canada.

Persons with Disabilities

Persons with Disabilities account for 11% of Polar Knowledge Canada’s workforce and exceed workforce availability by 3%. 

Persons with Disabilities are well represented in the highest salary range, making up 17% of employees in this category.

Persons with Disabilities account for 10% of all Polar Knowledge Canada hires, and 7% of all Polar Knowledge Canada departures. 18% of the Persons with Disabilities workforce were new hires, and 9% of the Persons with Disabilities workforce departed Polar Knowledge Canada.

Members of Visible Minorities

Members of Visible Minorities account for 8% of Polar Knowledge Canada’s workforce and are below workforce availability by -7%. 

Members of Visible Minorities account for 25% of all Polar Knowledge Canada hires, and 21% of all Polar Knowledge Canada departures. 62% of Members of Visible Minorities were new hires, and 37% of the Members of Visible Minorities workforce departed Polar Knowledge Canada.

Employment Equity Measures Implemented

Inuit Employment Plan 

Polar Knowledge Canada advanced its Inuit Employment Plan committing to following the spirit of Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement for Inuit employment in Nunavut. The Inuit Employment Plan lays out how Polar Knowledge Canada continues to work towards increasing the representation of Inuit in Polar Knowledge Canada’s workforce. The representative level is defined as the ratio of Inuit to the total population of Nunavut, which is at 85%. As of March 31, 2024, Nunavut Inuit occupied 46% of the encumbered positions at Polar Knowledge Canada’s headquarters, the Canadian High Arctic Research Station.

Inuit Advisory Committee

Polar Knowledge Canada established an Inuit Advisory Committee in 2021 which is an employee network comprised of Inuit employees at Polar Knowledge Canada, who provide cultural support, strategic advice, outreach and engagement support on all Inuit-related files and areas of focus. This committee continues to provide Inuit employees an opportunity at Polar Knowledge Canada to provide feedback directly to senior management.

Supporting Inuit

Polar Knowledge Canada actively supports Inuit employees to pursue post-secondary education and to attend career development programs. In 2023-24, Polar Knowledge Canada sponsored an Inuit employee in the Pilimmaksaivik Education Support Fund and two employees in the Pilimmaksaivik Sivuliqtiunirmut Ilinniarniq Leadership Program. These programs are offered to Inuit employees at Polar Knowledge Canada through Pilimmaksaivik within the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.

Supporting Indigenous Culture 

In 2023-24, Polar Knowledge Canada hosted six learning events at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station where visiting researchers shared the results of their research with the local community. These events provided an opportunity to invite holders of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Inuit Traditional Knowledge) to share their knowledge with visiting researchers.

Supporting Persons with Disabilities

Polar Knowledge Canada established a relationship with the Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society, which supports employers, employees, and persons with disabilities who are seeking employment.

Disabilities include the multi-generational effects of residential schools which many Inuit in Nunavut attended, since residential schools in Northern Canada were the last to close. Polar Knowledge Canada and Pilimmaksaivik, the Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment in Nunavut, offer culturally relevant counselling services to Inuit employees to help create a working environment that takes these mental health issues into account.

Supporting Women  

In February 2024, as part of United Nation’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Polar Knowledge Canada featured several employees on social media, showcasing their exceptional contributions to the field as role models as women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Supporting Members of Visible Minorities

Polar Knowledge Canada is exploring options to implement similar Inuit employment measures for the other Employment Equity groups, including Members of Visible Minorities group. The options will continue to be developed over the coming year. 

Communications and events

Polar Knowledge Canada actively promotes Employment Equity related days of observance, events, and information sessions to raise awareness and promote the benefits of a diverse workplace. In 2023-24, these included, but are not limited to, National Indigenous History Month, National Indigenous People’s Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day, Advancing Reconciliation by Addressing Inequality, International Women’s Day, Black History Month, and International Day for Persons with Disabilities. 

Staffing and Recruitment 

Polar Knowledge Canada participated in two tradeshows where it promoted itself as an employer of choice in the North. The Kivalliq Trade Show was held in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut and the Kitikmeot Trade Show was held in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.

Polar Knowledge Canada has incorporated measures to include Employment Equity, diversity and accessibility into its staffing and recruitment practices to attract employees from diverse backgrounds, with an emphasis on Nunavut Inuit. Polar Knowledge Canada provides managers with tools to promote barrier-free staffing processes, such as material on establishing barrier-free qualifications, barrier-free assessments, choosing appropriate areas of selection, and assessing alternatives to education credentials. 

Polar Knowledge Canada enhanced its online presence by posting job opportunities on campus websites, LinkedIn, and Facebook, as well as Polar Knowledge Canada’s own website, and encouraged managers to utilize student hiring initiatives, such as the Youth Accessibility Student Employment Opportunity, the Indigenous Student Employment Opportunities, Federal Student Work Experience Program and Research Affiliate Program. Polar Knowledge Canada also had its own informal student hiring initiative and successfully hired five students which was aimed at hiring students in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.

Consultations

Polar Knowledge Canada employees are unrepresented. Employees are consulted on diversity, inclusion, and Employment Equity related matters through various channels to get a fulsome picture of the issues, such as the Public Service Employee Survey, the Nunavut Inuit Labour Force Analysis, workplace assessments, exit and stay interviews and Inuit Advisory Committee, as well as through direct engagement sessions with employees. This consultation will continue in 2024-25 including the development of Polar Knowledge Canada’s Employment Equity Plan and Inuit Employment Plan. 

Conclusions

In 2023-24, Polar Knowledge Canada’s overall workforce exceeded the workforce availability in three Employment Equity groups: Women, Indigenous Peoples, and Persons with Disabilities. However, Members of Visible Minorities are below workforce availability. Polar Knowledge Canada would need to hire seven Members of Visible Minorities to meet the workforce availability of this group.

The Employment Equity group that has the highest in-group representation in the higher salary ranges is the Women’s group, and the Employment Equity group that has the highest in-group representation in the lower salary ranges is the Indigenous Peoples group. 

Polar Knowledge Canada is committed to meeting workforce availability for all groups. In 2024-25, Polar Knowledge Canada will be developing its first Employment Equity plan with clear goals and measures to strengthen the organization’s ability to attract and retain members of Employment Equity Designated Groups. Polar Knowledge Canada will also be finalizing its second Inuit Employment Plan (2023 to 2033) in the spirit of Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement for Inuit employment in Nunavut. This Plan is being developed with guidance from the Whole-of-Government Inuit Employment Plan (2023 to 2033). These initiatives will help not only to enhance representation at Polar Knowledge Canada, but it will also help create a diverse, respectful, and inclusive workplace.     

Annex A: Polar Knowledge Canada’s Employment Equity Data Tables

The following data tables depict Polar Knowledge Canada’s state of Employment Equity for fiscal year 2023-24. The data provided is a snapshot from March 31, 2024. In order to adhere to confidentiality rules related to self-identification information, all statistics that include five employees or less are suppressed from this report with the following symbol “±”. 

Labour market availability is calculated based on the 2016 Census and the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability. Workforce availability is defined as the portion of the Canadian population that are “identifiable by qualification, eligibility, or geography and from which the employer may reasonably be expected to draw employees”.  

Polar Knowledge Canada’s Workforce Availability was determined by a weighted combination of national and territorial Workforce Availability data.

Table 1: Representation of Employment Equity Designated Group’s and workforce availability

Employment Equity Designated Groups	POLAR Representation		Workforce Availability	GAP
		#			%	%	#
Women	60	61%	56%	5
Indigenous Peoples	22	22%	13%	9
Persons with disabilities	11	11%	8%	3
Members of Visible Minorities	8	8%	15%	-7

Table 2: Representation of Employment Equity Designated Group’s by Nunavut and the National Capital Region

Location	All		Women		Indigenous Peoples			Persons with Disabilities			Members of Visible Minority
	#	Rep #	Rep %	WFA %	Rep #	Rep %	WFA %	Rep  #	Rep  %	WFA %	Rep  #	Rep %	WFA %
Nunavut	40	20	50%	48%	14	35%	75%	±	±	8%	±	±	2%
National Capital Region (NCR)	58	40	69%	48%	8	14%	4%	±	±	9%	±	±	21%
Total	98	60	61%	56%	22	22%	13%	11	11%	8%	8	8%	15%