Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs

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?

• Work has not yet started on setting goals.

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?

We are a micro organization therefore recruitment and promotion activities are very limited. However, there is continuous dialogue with senior management and others responsible for staffing to ensure that we are mindful and act in a manner that contributes to the advancement of these goals. 

Question 2

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

• My organization has not yet set these goals.

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 rely on the results of the Public Service Employee Survey to monitor the pulse of employees to inform our actions, taking steps as needed to address any areas that are indicative of gaps in our efforts to foster inclusion.

As a micro organization, proximity fosters continuous interactions and opportunities for discussions at all levels of personnel including within and across teams.

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?)?

No, we have not. As a micro organization, our Chief Financial Officer also has the roles of Chief Data Officer and Chief Audit Officer as well as many others.

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.

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

We follow the corporate priorities for Deputy Ministers and these cascade down to the lowest levels possible.

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?

• Neither I nor my executive team 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.  

As a micro organization, there is limited mobility within the organization itself. However, we do support and encourage employees in pursuing career goals including mentoring, training and promoting from within where possible.

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 not personally endorsed at least one recruitment campaign for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees.

Please provide details.

As a micro organization, recruitment activities are challenging as there are limited positions and as found through our staffing processes, the lack of mobility within the organization is often a deterrent.

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 not prioritized official language training for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are ready for advancement.

How is your organization prioritizing official language training?

In addition to having a bilingual profile of at least BBB on 92% of our positions, we also make available second language training to employees for career progression needs.

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

Not at this time.

Question 8

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

• My organization has not provided support for and/or invested resources in organizational employee networks and communities.

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

As a micro organization, our small number of employees does not lend itself to establishing formal networks and communities.

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 has not yet started to develop this calendar for my organization.

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

N/A

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.

Organizational size makes recruiting and retention a challenge; internal mobility is also limited.

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.

All managers and supervisors have completed training on Inclusive Hiring Practices for a Diverse Workforce. This course is offered by the Canada School of Public Service. We recognize important and commemorative days by sending emails to all staff and by posting information on our Intranet site. Emails to all staff included topics such as: overcoming unconscious bias at work and in life, mental health for racialized people, racism, discrimination, allyship and more, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, National Indigenous Peoples Day and Canadian Multiculturalism Day. Posts on our Intranet site included topics such as: Asian Heritage Month, update on our efforts to advance 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in the federal public service, commemorating and taking action for Transgender Day of Visibility and the action plan to support Black public servants. In our frequent communications regarding our Employee Assistance Program, we include that on request, employees and their family members can be referred to a mental health professional with experience or who identifies with a specific community.    

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. 

Additional training has contributed to the mindfulness and awareness of managers and human resources advisors with regard to biases and barriers in our staffing processes. To increase accommodation, candidates applying on our advertised processes have been offered two possible dates for their written exam. Feedback has been positive.