Invest in Canada

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
  • Black people
  • Racialized people

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?

Invest in Canada set out recruitment and employee development action plans aiming to increase representation for Indigenous and racialized employees.

The targets have been communicated to employees through our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy and Action Plan. The targets are based on workforce availability data. 

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).

We have used questions within the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) and internal employee engagement surveys, grouping them into key performance indicators (KPIs) of trust, respect and support to measure inclusion. 

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?)?

Invest in Canada will report on our measurement framework annually following our internal employee engagement survey or receiving the results of the PSES.

This approach was communicated within the organization via the introduction of our DEI Strategy and Action Plan in March 2024. The Chief Human Resources Officer is responsible for fulfilling the commitments of the Strategy including reporting and measurement. We are reporting the outcomes internally, with our DEI Committee and Board of Directors, but have yet to report externally although some elements like the PSES results are publicly available. 

Consequential accountability

Question 4

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

• Quantitative goals are part of performance management agreements. 
• Qualitative objectives are in performance management agreements.

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

Support for the implementation of our DEI Strategy is integrated as part of the performance objectives of every employee, with greater responsibility in the objectives of management and executives. 

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.

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.  

Two employees who self-identify as members of visible minorities were sponsored for additional leadership training. One of those employees was recently promoted into an executive level role within the organization. 

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?

• I have personally endorsed at least one recruitment campaign for:
  • Indigenous employees
  • Black employees
  • Racialized employees

Please provide details.

I have endorsed a recruitment campaign for a Brand Officer position which was specifically open to Indigenous, Black or other racialized persons. The recruitment was successful in hiring an individual who self-identified as a member of a visible minority into the position. 

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?

All employees who self identify as a member of a visible minority have access to individual one-on-one official language training. There are no employees who have been denied official language training. 

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

We do not currently offer access to Indigenous language training, however, the organization is developing a strategy on Indigenous engagement as it relates to foreign direct investment. Indigenous language training may form part of this strategy to further support our objectives on economic reconciliation. 

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.

Invest in Canada recently established its first DEI Committee who is supported by a Chair, a committee secretary (Human Resources [HR] Advisor responsible for DEI), an Executive Sponsor (the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)) and enthusiastically supported by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The Chair and Executive Sponsor work together to ensure the executive team hears recommendations from the committee while providing the committee insight into the decisions, discussions and challenges at the executive level. The Committee has direct access to the CEO to provide advice and guidance and to raise concerns if applicable.

The Committee is supported by an HR Advisor who is responsible for implementing and designing inclusive programs, the Advisor brings topics for discussion to the committee to ensure HR programs are designed based on their recommendations.

This Advisor acts as full-time equivalent (FTE) support to the committee.

The Committee is provided dedicated time at all-staff meetings to present their work, engage the larger team and carry out their activities. 

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.

Question 10

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

• Work is underway to develop this calendar at my organization.

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

The DEI Committee is currently working to establish the calendar of events to support the celebration of significant cultural events and to avoid holding major meetings and events during religious or spiritual periods. 

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.

The size of our organization.

Given Invest in Canada’s limited resources (67 FTEs), it took time to fully understand and implement the scope of the Call to Action and put the resources in place to fulfill our requirements.

As a micro-organization, we have limited access to disaggregated data and we cannot share disaggregated representational data due to confidentiality and we do not have access to disaggregated PSES data so determining the specific areas of opportunity are limited.

In addition, due to our size, we had difficulty establishing the DEI Committee and needed time to establish HR resources that could dedicate the time to draft and implement a comprehensive strategy.

Technology is a limiting factor

We have the technology for internal employees to self-identify but have limited ability to do this externally across all jobs. We have added administrative support to recruitment campaigns that include for Employment Equity (EE) identification and hope to enhance our recruitment technology in the future to make self-identification a standard part of our recruitment process.

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.

Invest in Canada is focused on inclusivity, and we refrain from putting employees into singular categories. Employees are looked at as whole person, with different identities, personal experiences, life responsibilities, etc. and we hope to create an environment where employees can show up as all identities at one time. We believe this approach ensures that employees who are members of multiple communities are included by default. 

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. 

The Call to Action has given us a general framework and has reinforced the need to formalize our approach.