Canada School of Public Service

Goal setting

Question 1

Has your organization set goals (for fiscal year 2023-2024 or future fiscal years) for recruiting and promoting Indigenous peoples and Black and other racialized people?

• My organization has set recruitment goals for:
  • Indigenous peoples
  • Racialized people
• My organization has set promotion goals for:
  • Indigenous employees
  • Racialized employees

Please provide details and/or examples, including what your organization is using to set its goals (e.g., operational priorities, labour market availability [LMA], population data, workforce availability [WFA]), and how these goals are communicated to employees, if applicable. What has been the most helpful in advancing towards the goals you have set? What challenges, if any, have you encountered?

The Canada School of Public Service (the CSPS) sets both recruitment and promotion goals for Indigenous employees and racialized employees. The CSPS Employment Equity Staffing Plan sets recruitment and promotional objectives. The plan is communicated by email to the Executive Management Forum, and was discussed in-depth with CSPS senior management at an Executive Committee meeting in February 2024. The plan includes overall hiring objectives, as well as specific hiring objectives by branch and classification, and is based on a thorough analysis of CSPS current demographics and the workforce availability data from the 2016 Census of Canada.

The CSPS also asks hiring managers to consider candidates who have self-declared as Indigenous, Black and/or racialized, and have been found qualified in a pool. The CSPS rigidly applies the new Public Service Employment Act section 36(2) that came into force in July 2023, to evaluate assessment methods and their application for biases or barriers.

In 2024–2025, the CSPS will be exploring options to set goals for promotions and recruitment of Black employees. The CSPS is awaiting the launch of the new Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat self-identification form, as it will include a new measurement for workforce demographic data for Black people. Without this information, it would be impossible for the CSPS to advance in this area.

The CSPS has also worked with the Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion to set up an Indigenous Navigator Program at the CSPS. A Métis employee at the CSPS has been trained and certified as a navigator and is now offering the services to all CSPS Indigenous employees.

Question 2

Has your organization set goals to foster greater inclusion (for fiscal year 2023-2024 or future fiscal years)?

• My organization has set goals to foster greater inclusion.

Please provide details and/or examples, including which metrics or data your organization is using, if applicable (e.g., your Public Service Employee Survey results, pulse surveys, exit interviews, human resources administrative data).

The CSPS has set goals to foster greater inclusion for fiscal year 2023–2024 and beyond. These goals are part of a comprehensive strategy aimed at creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace. Here are some details of the initiatives and metrics we are using:

Workforce diversity: The CSPS prioritizes accurate workforce demographic data, so that it can understand its current metrics and strive to improve its diversity. To this end, candidates are asked to complete a self-declaration form as part of the staffing process, and new employees are asked to complete the confidential self-identification form when signing their letter of offer. During the onboarding process, employees discuss with their manager about the importance of self-identification and how to update the form should their situation change. 

Inclusive culture: The CSPS has created training for public servants on unconscious bias, as well as inclusive hiring and management, including Reflecting on Cultural Bias: Indigenous Perspectives (IRA101) and Inclusive Hiring Practices for a Diverse Workforce (COR120), which were identified as required training for CSPS employees. We host regular events that celebrate and educate about different cultures and perspectives.

Employee feedback: The CSPS’s best measure on inclusivity can be found from results from its last Public Service Employee Survey (2022–2023). The CSPS has taken a deep dive into the results, and created a working group comprised of employees, including representatives from various networks. The working group identified positive and constructive areas of focus, and are developing an action plan to foster greater inclusion within the organization.

Mental health: The CSPS Mental Health Strategy assesses the 13 psychosocial factors in the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. These factors are known to have a powerful impact on workplace well-being, comprising inclusion. The CSPS added a 14th psychosocial factor, anti-racism and equity, diversity, and inclusion. This serves to address the unique realities and needs of its workforce and consolidates the CSPS’s intention to consult and take meaningful action within this domain.

Sponsorship and mentorship: The CSPS actively encourages employee mentorship and sponsorship—from the working level to the executive cadre. The CSPS has implemented a Mentorship+ Program to help match mentors/sponsors to mentees/protégés with the objective of having one pairing per 100 employees, which helps match mentors. The feedback on this program has been extremely positive and is closely monitored at the 4, 8, and 12 month mark.

Measuring progress

Question 3

Has your organization developed an approach for measuring progress towards your established goals? 

How is the approach being implemented within your organization (e.g., how is it communicated to employees? What are the roles of executive team members including the Chief Data Officer and Head of Audit and Evaluation and regional management if applicable? How are you reporting on results and outcomes both internally and externally?)?

The CSPS Diversity and Employment Equity Action Plan 2021–2024 identifies specific key performance indicators (KPI) for each of the 12 primary objectives. These include tracking and reporting the number of designated employment equity group members that are appointed as well as promoted, and engaging in semi-annual reviews of disaggregated workforce demographic data. An annual progress report measures the progress on achieving KPI and the collected data is used to inform departmental staffing plans and to determine targeted recruitment campaigns. Data is communicated semi-annually with the CSPS Executive Committee.

In March 2021, the CSPS published an Employment Systems Review (ESR). The purpose of the ESR was to assess employment systems and practices to identify and eliminate barriers to employment equity. Data from human resources reports and documentation, consultations with stakeholders and staffing data, and an online survey were gathered over more than a two-year period in the elaboration of the ESR key findings. 

Consequential accountability

Question 4

How is your organization using performance management and/or talent management processes to establish accountability for results?

• Qualitative objectives are in performance management agreements.
• Progress towards representation and inclusion goals is part of the criteria for being considered for talent management.
• Work is underway to develop approaches to establish accountability for results in either of these processes.

Please provide details about how performance management and/or talent management processes are being used to establish accountability for results.

CSPS employees at all levels have work objectives to support the key priorities of the School. These are found in the CSPS 2024–2025 Departmental Plan:

• Developing and delivering leadership programs to produce high-calibre leaders who reflect the diversity of Canadian society, who have a whole-of-government perspective, and who benefit from the experience of leading-edge thinkers to foster leadership capacity in support of Canadians in an ever-changing and complex environment.
• Developing and delivering learning products to empower public service employees to combat all forms of hate, discrimination, and workplace inequalities effectively, promote a shift in organizational culture and foster behavioural change, and support the Government of Canada’s commitment to enhancing fairness and inclusion.

The CSPS has identified equity, diversity and inclusion as a core competency for all employees in its competency dictionary. Performance indicators across four levels of proficiency (foundational, solid, advanced, and expert) are provided for the competency, which is defined as someone who leverages, accommodates, and includes individual differences to enhance organizational effectiveness and ensures an equitable and inclusive workplace for all employees. The competency dictionary is communicated to CSPS executives, managers and employees and is available at the CSPS Career Centre to be used in establishing performance agreements, including learning and development plans.

Employees are also held accountable to continuously increase their knowledge and competencies on equity, diversity and inclusion, by completing all mandatory training documented in the Learning and Development Plan of their Performance Management Agreements. Key learning priorities are developed in collaboration with the CSPS business lines at the beginning of every fiscal year. Some priorities include building awareness of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, unconscious bias, anti-racism and Indigenous history and culture.

Specific, tangible actions outlined in the forward direction of the Call to Action

Question 5

Have you, as head of your organization, and/or your executive teams sponsored at least two Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles?

• I have sponsored at least two Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles.
• My executive team has sponsored at least two Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles.

Please provide details about the nature of sponsorship that you and/or your executive team have provided, along with other programs, such as mentorship or leadership development, if applicable.  

As the President of the Canada School of Public Service, I have personally committed to creating a culture of mentorship. I offer regular mentorship and coaching, and I have sponsored several employees, including racialized, Black and Indigenous employees, for career development opportunities and promotions.

As per the Clerk's Call to Action, I have also ensured that my executive team engages in mentorship and sponsorship activities. The CSPS launched its Mentorship+ Program in November 2021. Nearly all CSPS executives have registered as a potential sponsor/mentor to be matched with available participants. The CSPS is currently exceeding its objective of having one pairing per 100 employees, with its 9 ongoing relationships for its 700 employees.

Question 6

Have you, as head of your organization, personally endorsed at least one recruitment campaign for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees?

• Work is underway so that I will personally endorse at least one recruitment campaign for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees.

Please provide details.

In fiscal year 2024–2025, the CSPS will be launching a recruitment process specifically for Black and Indigenous employees. I will personally endorse this recruitment process. 

Question 7

Has your organization prioritized official language training for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are ready for advancement?

• My organization has prioritized official language training for:
  • Indigenous employees
  • Black employees
  • Racialized employees

How is your organization prioritizing official language training?

The CSPS prioritizes language training for employees who self-identify as Indigenous, Black, or other racialized community, or as a person with a disability. Indeterminate employees in a supervisory position and who currently do not meet the CBC linguistic profile may also be eligible for the CSPS Second Language Training Program (SLTP). As spots in the SLTP are limited, nominations are collected through bi-annual call-outs, and nominees are prioritized and approved by the Executive Committee.

Does your organization offer access to Indigenous language training or have plans to offer access? Please provide details. 

No, the School does not offer access to Indigenous language training and does not currently plan to offer this kind of training. 

Question 8

Has your organization provided support and/or invested resources for organizational employee networks and communities?

• Engagement with employees and employee networks in my organization’s decision-making is meaningful and regular.
• Governance structures are in place to support employee networks and communities (e.g., champions, champions/chairs participate at management tables).
• Material supports are provided for employee networks and communities (e.g., dedicated funding, FTE support, allowing time to engage in activities).

Please provide additional detail about how your organization engages with and supports employee networks and communities.

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Forum (EDIF) is comprised of 49 CSPS employees representing employment equity and equity deserving groups. The Forum engages with other governmental equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) forums and committees to share information, resources, tools and reports. The CSPS facilitates and supports the EDI Forum by providing it with full-time equivalents from across business lines, as well as material assets such as CSPS marketing and promotional materials, the internal communications unit, the events teams and others. The EDI Forum holds all committee meetings during working hours, and members are permitted time away from their daily work to fulfill their requirements as a member.

The CSPS has an EDI Executive Champion and an EDI Employee Champion, who chair the EDI Forum and play a role as high-visibility advocates and leaders. They hold meetings and meaningfully engage with employees and are available to answer questions or concerns. Champions are supported by four community-specific focal points, who coordinate and mobilize activities specific to a particular community or promote a particular cause.

The Champion selections process is structured and a call-out is sent by the Head of Human Resources. Candidates are reviewed objectively by a committee, and nominations are confirmed by the President.

Question 9

Has anti-racism, equity and inclusion work been embedded in your organization’s integrated business plan and/or mental health plan?

• Anti-racism, equity and inclusion work has been embedded in the organizational plan.
• Work is underway on our integrated business plan and/or mental health plan to embed anti-racism, equity and inclusion work.

Question 10

Does your organization have a calendar to avoid holding major meetings and events during significant religious, spiritual, and cultural periods?

• My organization currently has a calendar for this purpose.

If the calendar already exists, please provide additional details on how this calendar is communicated or promoted within your organization.  

Yes. The CSPS Events and Multimedia Services deliver more than 200 events per year, and ensures that it keeps an up-to-date calendar of religious, spiritual, and cultural dates which are taken into consideration and avoided as much as possible when planning events and activities. Regular communications are distributed across the CSPS to remind business lines to consider religious, spiritual, and cultural periods when planning meetings or activities. The CSPS has also consulted with Canadian Heritage to ensure its processes are aligned with its approach.

Additionally, the CSPS Employee Experience team created an Anti-Racism, Indigenous Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Resource Centre for employees, which will be launched in fiscal year 2024–2025. This resource centre includes links to the Events and Multimedia Services calendar, the Shared Services Canada Multicultural Calendar, Canadian Heritage’s Important and Commemorative Days Calendar, as well as the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion’s Event Calendar.

Additional information about your organization’s ongoing initiatives 

Question 11

What are two or three specific barriers that you have faced in advancing work on the Call to Action?

Please provide two or three examples.

Accurate labour market workforce availability data: Achieving the Call to Action requires a thorough analysis of workforce demographic data compared with current labour market workforce availability data. Unfortunately, the last reliable census is from 2016, which is outdated and likely does not reflect the current population. More reliable data would ensure the relevance of efforts in establishing an employment equity baseline. Additionally, workforce availability, in general or by sector, is a rough estimate of how many people have the required skills, knowledge, and qualifications for federal public service positions. At a base level, work needs to be done to increase representation in the programs and sectors from which the public service recruits—for example, increase Indigenous participation in university sociology programs, a key source for Economics and Social Science Services (EC) recruitment. Also, the CSPS needs precise measurements of workforce availability. Using the wrong metrics can hide progress or retrenchment in achieving its goals.

Accurate organizational demographic data: The ongoing Phoenix issues impact the ability to transfer-in/out employees between organizations, which can take up to a year or longer. The CSPS’s current human resources systems do not allow for real-time accurate workforce representation data. This creates a barrier to accurately analyzing data to determine the right employment equity objectives.

Self-identification form: The current self-identification form used through PeopleSoft does not allow for the collection of information on Black or 2SLGBTQIA+. This creates a barrier within organizations wanting to find accurate representation data about these communities.

Refocusing government spending: Requirements to reduce budgets have created fewer recruitment opportunities, creating a barrier for hiring managers to meet recruitment goals aimed to increase representation in the public service.

Bilingualism requirements: Some candidates whose professional development aligns with the Call to Action goals do not meet official languages proficiency levels. Additional support in increasing bilingual capacity in organizations would greatly assist the acquisition and retention of talent from diverse backgrounds.

Question 12

Recognizing that employees often have multiple identities, what actions is your organization undertaking to support Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are also members of other communities, such as persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and religious minorities who face compounding barriers of discrimination?

Please provide details.

Support and advocacy: The CSPS currently has Executive Champions and Employee Champions for Official Languages, Psychological Health and Safety, EDI, Community Development, National Public Service Week, Government of Canada Charitable Campaign, Values and Ethics, and Disclosure of Wrongdoing and Conflicts of Interest.

EDI forum: The CSPS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Forum is co-chaired by EDI Co-Champions and brings together employee members, who come together to discuss matters related to equity, diversity, and inclusion while providing opportunities for education and awareness to advance the CSPS efforts as a representative and inclusive workplace. The CSPS EDI Forum is supported by four community-specific network focal points: 2SLGBTQIA+ Employee Network, Indigenous Peoples, Employee with Disabilities Network, and Racialized People Employee Network. The networks are made up of employee representatives and are identified through a call-out for volunteers.

Training and mentorship programs: The CSPS has an in-house second language training program, Mentorship+ program, as well as a talent management program aimed at offering opportunities to equity deserving groups.

Office of the ombud: The CSPS Ombud provides a confidential and safe space to raise concerns. Employees who may not find resources tailored to their reality and story may seek guidance at the Office of the Ombud, and they may also use it as a tool to communicate feedback mechanism highlighting any barriers to inclusion.

Question 13

In your first year of implementing the forward direction of the Call to Action, what impact has this work had on the culture of your organization?

Please provide the two or three most important impacts. 

EDI and the Call to Action have been at the pillar of all decision-making at the CSPS and remain standing items on Executive Committee meetings (which take place twice a month). Just one year after the Call to Action was made, the CSPS is proud of the positive results achieved by its implemented actions.

The Call to Action has brought about awareness and helped encourage open and meaningful dialogue. It has confirmed the importance and relevance of existing initiatives while emphasizing the importance of work that still needs to be done.

The Call to Action has created an environment where employees feel more comfortable to voice their opinions, challenge discriminatory practices and encourage inclusive actions which benefit all employees by fostering a sense of belonging, equal opportunities, and increased engagement.

A sense of achievement greatly enhances organizational culture. Diverse teams perform better, and the CSPS continues to benefit from being more representative of the population it serves. The wealth of ideas, perspectives, and knowledge from its diverse teams help create effective learning products that receive great feedback from its audiences. As evidenced by the most recent Public Service Employee Survey, the CSPS is a culturally strong organization, largely thanks to its diverse teams delivering learning products to all public servants.