Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat

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:
  • Black 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?

Workforce availability has been utilized to establish goals.

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).

Human resources administrative data is being utilized to compare the representation of each designated group at the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) with the workforce availability, aiming to identify any gaps.

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?)?

At the end of the fiscal year, the workforce availability is updated to assess the progress made since the October snapshot goal setting. The executive team has included in their performance management agreement (PMA) the objective of addressing the staffing gap in their decisions. This topic is deliberated during the director's year-end performance evaluation.

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.

All executives have included in their PMA the objective of addressing the staffing gap in their divisions. Despite the majority of employees working under the Director of Conference Services, the Directors of Corporate Services and Information Management endeavor to meet the goal in any way possible, such as selecting Indigenous candidates via the Federal Student Work Experience Program for hiring purposes.

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?

• Work is underway to develop an approach to sponsorship.

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.  

In the fiscal year 2022-23, a Black manager from CICS participated in the CICS mentorship program. In fiscal year 2023-24, the Deputy Chief Financial Officer, who is of Indigenous descent, has been included in talent management to participate in the Comptrollership Leadership Development Program.

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:
  • Black employees

Please provide details.

In 2023-24, a Black employee was brought in on a casual basis. A non-advertised appointment process was utilized to transition him to a permanent position, aiding CICS in achieving its employment equity, diversity, and inclusion objectives.

Question 7

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

• Work is underway to develop an approach to prioritizing 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?

On a case by case scenario. At the moment, a Black employee, who was brought in on a casual basis, was offered French training to help her meet the language requirement for a vacant position that might be considered.

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

N/A

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.

CICS is a micro-organization and investment resources for organizational employee networks and communities have not been needed or required at this point.

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.

With the labour shortage, recruitment has been particularly challenging. External staffing processes were initiated to yield only a few candidates in the pool, with very limited opportunity to favor appointment of employees from racialized or other under-represented communities. While CICS is mandated to recruit half of its staff from the provinces, a practice that could significantly advance its Diversity, Equity and inclusion objectives, recruitment within this framework remains highly challenging, contingent upon provincial consent to release staff. If recruitment were to occur directly through provinces and territories for this staff category, objectives could be consistently met, particularly for over 15 staff members. However, since provincial and territorial employees are not granted access to the MyGCHR system, they would not be included in CICS statistics, unable to self-identify within the system.

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.

CICS celebrates Mental Health Week, reinforcing its commitment to mental well-being. Throughout the year, the organization provides various mental health sessions and disseminates mental health messages via LifeSpeak communiqués. Employees are encouraged to complete the Workplace Accessibility Passport, facilitating the discovery and implementation of solutions to support them in their roles. Additionally, they are regularly reminded of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available to them.  CICS has formulated a 2023-2025 accessibility plan and has made significant strides in the first year toward enhancing accessibility for both employees and individuals with disabilities.

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 appointment of the new Secretary in April 2023 has yielded positive outcomes, fostering collaborative interactions and harmonizing diverse perspectives at the executive level. A notable achievement has been the evolution of our strategies for engaging stakeholders and charting a more inclusive path towards future endeavors. While still in its early stages, the trajectory is undeniably promising.