Fisheries and Oceans 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
  • 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?

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) aims to increase recruitment, promotion and retention of Indigenous Peoples and Black and other racialized people using measurable goals.

DFO has set recruitment goals for Indigenous and Racialized people based on their current workforce representation (as per the self-identification data) and anticipated turnover against the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) Workforce Availability Data (WFA). Currently there is no goal set specifically for the recruitment of Black people as to date, the self-identification (ID) categories are limited to racialized group members and while employees may choose to self-ID in subcategories, Black included, there is not currently a WFA benchmark for Black representation to guide recruitment or promotions goals. DFO does anticipate setting goals based on the WFA of Black people once this data becomes available. Until such a time, DFO monitors the number of its employees who have identified to the Black subcategory against census data to anticipate where additional efforts may be required to increase representation of this group. This has been somewhat of a challenge though to ensure we continue to attract, retain and promote black employees. Furthermore, indicators show that we continue to see underrepresentation of Black employees as you look at higher classification levels. More effort is needed to support the promotion of this workforce.

DFO does not currently have set goals for promotion of Indigenous, Black and Racialized employees, although DFO’s aim is to meet WFA at all levels of the organization for all Employment Equity (EE) groups, including promotion. For example, DFO’s Talent Management Framework aims to increase talent development opportunities for EE and equity-seeking groups, and EE candidates are prioritized on promotional posters, including for Executive (EX) promotions and actings.

Key initiatives and strategies DFO has implemented to increase representation rates of all EE groups include:

• Starting in 2024, DFO has been offering Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) engagement sessions to senior leaders, managers and Human Resources (HR) Advisors. These sessions raise awareness about EEDI, departmental representation gaps at a sector and regional level, and steps taken to implement government priorities such as the Clerk’s Call to Action.
• In September 2023, requirements were established to realign the workforce size according to Budget 2023 objectives while ensuring a fair and consistent application of staffing practices across the department. DFO adopted an EE first approach to staffing, prioritizing EE appointments and all selection processes identify that the hiring of EE candidates is an organizational need. To date, 111 EE appointments have been made using the National Talent Acquisition services that have identified 1,813 EE candidates. Further, management committees review proposed staffing actions to ensure priority is given to employees who have self-declared in one or more of the EE groups for which there is a representation gap. Justification is required in all situations where proposed appointees are not members of EE groups.
   
  DFO however recognizes the under-representation for Persons with Disabilities (-234) and while there has been a reduction of the gap by 45 employees from 2020, there is a need to do better. Efforts are underway to promote increased intentional EE recruitment and retention. This includes implementing processes and educating managers to offer accommodations proactively at every stage of the employee career journey, from the time they apply to a position and throughout their career.
• In 2023, a self-identification (ID) awareness campaign was carried out to encourage self-identification and a 5% increase in employee engagement (to 85%) has improved accuracy in reporting representation rates within the Department. 
   
  That said, further work is needed to increase trust in the self-identification process and to reinforce the value of self-identification. Research is being conducted yearly through an employee questionnaire about the reasons employees choose not to self-identify, particularly in the case of persons with disabilities. DFO will be launching another self-identification campaign in 2024 which will support confidence and address the issues uncovered in that research, which include privacy, trust, the scope of who can self-identify – especially recognizing the importance around invisible disabilities – and the value of self-identification to the Department and the individual. To encourage employees to participate in the campaign, we will leverage the new executive level champions and we are implementing a guide for managers to learn more about self-identification and to encourage conversations about its importance. This will include emphasizing privacy aspects to help build trust.  
• DFO developed a Student Recruitment Strategy to help reduce representation gaps through future bridging opportunities. DFO directs hiring managers to prioritize recruitment of students from EE groups. This includes students from the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) and Co-op Program for persons with disabilities, racialized group members and Indigenous students. DFO promotes student recruitment while ensuring that information and support about the onboarding program are shared and utilized for a positive student experience.
• DFO has strengthened its external partnerships with various EE support groups, networks, resource centres and community groups to support the recruitment of EE group members (e.g, Live Work Play). Furthermore, investments have been made to help increase interested applicants applying to DFO opportunities, as well as, developing further support functions for EE applicants by hosting information sessions such as: “Career Opportunities at DFO” and “How to Apply to the Federal Public Service”.
• DFO has bolstered internal relationships, appointing executive-level champions who self-identify to support EE employee networks’ efforts towards inclusion and retention.
• DFO plays an active role in supporting its Indigenous Career Navigators, including its 14 trained volunteers who provide support to Indigenous employees, candidates and hiring managers. DFO also has a participant in the Mosaic Leadership Development Program to support EE progression into the executive ranks.

Question 2

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

• Work is underway to set 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).

Yes, goals are being set for 2024-2025 through the DFO Employment Equity Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (EEDIAP), which aims to meet obligations under the Employment Equity Act to reduce representation gaps, increase diversity and inclusion and remove employment barriers faced by designated EE groups and equity-seeking groups, as recommended by the department’s 2022 Employment System Review. Key to the success of the EEDIAP is the importance of responsible leadership to ensure accountability and foster inclusion and engagement at all management levels of the Department, as well as leveraging data to track and monitor progress or areas requiring further focus and sharing the findings with employees and managers. Furthermore, we are developing our Inuit Employment Plan and associated measures to attract and retain Inuit employees, with efforts underway to promote and encourage the use of Indigenous languages and cultural awareness. We have more work to do as we expand our Arctic regional workforce with a goal of hiring in the Arctic for the Arctic.

Some of the Department’s EEDIAP key objectives are:

• Develop and implement effective, equitable strategies for the recruitment, development, promotion and retention of EE group members;
• Promote the value of self-identification;
• Develop a workforce that is knowledgeable, agile and equipped to practice inclusion;
• Create inclusive, safe spaces in the workplace; and,
• Implement sectoral and regional initiatives to address specific barriers to EE representation to foster a culture of inclusion that values diversity which will combat racism, antisemitism, islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism and address systemic barriers.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) include:

• Increase representation of EE groups relative to workforce availability (WFA);
• Increase number of external appointments to EE group members and increased external staffing processes open only to EE candidates;
• Increase self-identification completion rates;
• Increase number of promotions for EE groups relative to non-EE employees;
• Increase number of developmental opportunities for EE groups members including short-term acting opportunities and developmental language training;
• Increase number of Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees in the DFO & Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Sponsorship Program;
• Increase employee satisfaction for EE group members as captured in the responses to the Public Service Employee Survey.

DFO recognizes a few key areas where more efforts are needed to foster greater inclusion, especially for persons with disabilities:

• More support is needed for employees to feel safe in requesting accommodation. Promotion of the use of the Government of Canada (GC) Workplace Accessibility Passport is ongoing to normalize accommodation.
• Persons with Disabilities at DFO report a greater dissatisfaction, and lack psychologically healthy workplaces (Public Service Employee Survey [PSES] 2022). Continued efforts to recognize and reduce bias, eliminate discrimination and micro-aggressions include introducing mandatory training, running ongoing communications campaigns, providing educational resources on our intranet pages and promoting live events. These activities all seek to educate employees and managers about the lived experience and perspectives of EE employees.

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?)?

Yes, the DFO EEDIAP is divided into three foundational pillars, each with a unique set of objectives and activities intended to enhance diversity, inclusion and workplace culture at DFO. Those responsible for results have been identified for each activity, including an approximate timeframe for completion. Annual progress reports are provided to the Departmental Management Committee outlining the progress made on the implementation of the EEDIAP and reports are published on the intranet for all employees to read. Further, a quarterly EEDI KPI dashboard report is produced to show progress and to drive improvements where they are needed. The KPI dashboard report is produced quarterly to regularly review progress and to analyze, identify and address areas of concern as presented.

Implementation includes:

• Communicating one EEDI vision and creating accountability for the departmental priorities in the form of senior executive EEDI commitments with executive performance and talent management agreements that address progress towards achieving EE goals.
• A EEDI engagement plan to support the Deputy Minister and EEDI champions in promoting and delivering key messages, and showing increased leadership on EEDI priorities including anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion that engage and collaborate with employee networks to ensure employee perspectives and lived experiences are used as evidence with statistical data.
• The EEDI Centre of Expertise and the Accessibility Secretariat implemented a quarterly reporting process for all sectors and regions to contribute information and updates on their EEDI-related initiatives.
• The use of EEDI KPIs listed in the response to Question 2 will measure progress and drive change. Data management and visualization is led by the Workforce Planning, Analysis and Reporting team that manages data, such as self-identification within the MyGCHR system. The team has produced several Power BI dashboards using workforce data (e.g., groups and levels, appointments, promotions and retirement or attrition rates), demographics, Public Service Employee Survey and Student Experience Survey datasets. Plans to expand these dashboards are underway. The data bank is available on the Department’s Intranet site and is available to all employees.

Consequential accountability

Question 4

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

• Progress towards representation and inclusion goals is part of the criteria for being considered for talent management.

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

DFO introduced a Departmental Talent Management Framework (Framework) in October 2023, which aligns individual career aspirations with organizational imperatives.

• DFO prioritizes diversity and inclusion and works to ensure that every employee has a talent management discussion.
• Senior management is now responsible for talent development and accountability, with a focus on employment equity.
• Talent development conversations are encouraged for all EE employees even if the employee does not have a formal talent management plan. Unfortunately, there are also known issues in tracking of the number of EE employees with talent management plans (TMP). Specifically, as the department relies on employee self-declaration to managers during the TMP process, it creates a different data set than that from the self-identification process in our departmental HR system (MyGCHR).
• Managers are reminded to have open discussions with employees, seek input from EE and equity-seeking groups, and make decisions on learning and development opportunities based on equity and inclusion.
• The Framework aims to improve retention rates and increase promotion opportunities for EE and equity-seeking employees by increasing their visibility for and access to talent development opportunities.
• Managers can give consideration to EE and equity-seeking employees when review educational leave and assistance requests for professional development.
• Senior management committee conversations on talent management ensure the selection for leadership development activities and opportunities is based on employment equity needs, with a quarterly report provided for follow-up presented to DFO’s Departmental Management Committee (DMC).

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?

• 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.  

Yes, DFO has sponsored at least two Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles through various initiatives.

In 2023-2024 DFO had one Indigenous employee participate in the TBS Mosaic Program and the department has participated in the TBS Mentorship Plus program since 2021, where EE group members (protégés) at the EX-minus 1 and minus 2 levels are partnered with senior executives (Sponsors). The DFO and CCG Sponsorship program has, itself, delivered three cohorts of protégés. The third cohort (2023-2024) is the largest to date with 19 protégés participating in the program, three of which self-identify as Indigenous and five who self-declared as members of racialized groups. Further, three protégés from our various Sponsorship program cohorts have since been promoted into the Executive cadre in the Public Service.

Testimonials thus far indicate great satisfaction with the programming:

“The Sponsorship Program has played a crucial role in my professional advancement, allowing me to broaden my horizons and build my self-confidence.” (original testimonial provided in French)

“The DFO/CCG Sponsor and Protégé program has been instrumental in my professional growth. My mentor provided invaluable insights related to enhancing my leadership skills and preparing for job advancement opportunities. My professional network has expanded and now I have a better horizontal view across the department.”

“The Sponsorship program provided me the opportunity to connect to my sponsor for the duration of program. I used this opportunity to discuss how to strengthen my competencies for the management position. My sponsor shared their journey and experience and tips which have been very helpful in my current work.”

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
  • Racialized employees

Please provide details.

Yes, DFO had held several EE-only recruitment and staffing processes this fiscal year. These include PM, CO, BI, AS, CR where gaps in representation persist for EE groups. Many of these processes were open to all EE groups and some specifically were open only to Indigenous Peoples, and other racialized people. However, DFO has also held processes only open to Indigenous Peoples, as an example, in CCG Central Region recruitment for Labourers and Stewards was open only to First Nations, Inuit and Métis candidates.

As the Deputy Minister and Champion for Recruitment of Policy Leaders, I have endorsed the 2023-2024 Recruitment of Policy Leaders (RPL) program which DFO led in collaboration with the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC), Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) and the RPL Secretariat. The RPL program contained specific EE streams for persons who’ve self-declared with a disability and Indigenous Peoples. Through these streams, DFO provided leadership, guidance and advice as it relates to removing barriers (e.g. ensuring the virtual platform used and all materials and assessments were accessible, that the posters were created to include inclusive imagery, plain language, etc.).

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?

Flexibility exists to offer non-imperative appointments to DFO and CCG Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees who are ready for advancement. DFO aims to align with the upcoming TBS Language Training Framework to promote bilingualism and reduce barriers. DFO is currently working to develop its Official Languages Action Plan (OLAP) 2024-2027 which will be aligned with the implementation of the modernization of the Official Languages Act (OLA). The OLAP will include the following:

• Prioritize non-imperative appointments to employees who self-identify to an EE or equity-seeking group and who are ready for advancement.
• Promote equal access to language training for all employees who self-identify as belonging to an employment equity or equity-seeking group to remove long-standing barriers to employment faced by these groups.
• Identify and propose training and/or coaching tools to better prepare Indigenous, Black and other racialized candidates for second language evaluations (SLE).

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

At this time, the CCG Arctic Region has committed to supporting Indigenous languages and arranges at least one introductory 3-hour Inuktut language training course annually for all interested employees in the region. CCG Arctic encourages managers to support Inuit employees who would like to take more intensive training offered through Pilimmaksaivik (Federal Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment in Nunavut). We recognize the importance of expanding this effort, along with cultural and bias awareness training in other areas of our workforce, including our conservation and protection officers who engage directly with Canadians daily.

Question 8

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

• 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).
• Work is underway for my organization to further engage with or to provide support for and/or invest resources in departmental employee networks and communities.

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

Yes, the department has made a commitment to supporting employee networks for EE (Indigenous, Racialized, Persons with Disability, Women) and equity-seeking communities (2SLGBTQIA+). Early in 2024, in addition to our existing Indigenous networks and Accessibility network, a racialized employee network and a women+ network were launched. Our network of racialized persons were consulted to understand if members would also like to have a Black employee network and, at this time, opted to remain part of the Racialized employee network.

Each EE network has a national executive champion who self-declares as a member of the community they represent. These national champions are supported by the Diversity and Inclusion Champion(s) who provide overarching support, collaboration and mentorship. Champion roles include:

• Consulting employee networks to raise awareness, support the building and sustaining of a welcoming, inclusive and representative workplace, and serve as a consultative body for issues faced by employees;
• Liaising with senior leadership responsible for policies, programs and projects, on behalf of employee networks, to ensure that the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion are respected;
• Representing the interests of the employee networks at the executive level on issues and topics that are important to them;
• Collaborating with the network chairs, promote and participate in commemorative events and communications pertinent to their employee network;
• Being openly supportive of equity, diversity and inclusion and undertaking activities to demonstrate this support;
• Encouraging other managers to support employees’ participation in equity, diversity and inclusion events and activities when operational needs permit; and,
• Approving messages written by their network.

National Diversity and Inclusion Champions have provided funds to support EE networks. Networks and regional committees were invited to apply for funding and approval was granted for the purchase of materials to promote the networks, pay for guest speakers, offer interpretation services, Information Technology (IT) support and purchase materials to create crafting events for members of the employee networks.

I, along with my Champions, have commemorated and celebrated diverse communities by recognizing annual international, national and regional days such as Black History Month and International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on social media platforms, Deputy Minister (DM) posts, Viva Engage and through 18 separate articles. Various cultural awareness opportunities were also promoted, including the 13 Moons National Indigenous Book Club, the Journey With Me series hosted by Nicole Elmy, Canoe Journeys, and the National Movement is Medicine walk, run and wheel in recognition of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people where DFO and CCG employees coordinated and participated in virtual and in-person activities.

The short video Journey With Me series is available on YouTube.

Work continues to invest meaningful resources into departmental employee 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.
• Anti-racism, equity and inclusion work has been embedded in regional and/or branch plans.
• 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?

• 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.  

No, however, there are calendars available nationally and regionally to observe religious and cultural days of significance that DFO uses to publish educational and awareness articles internally. These calendar dates have been developed for the Deputy Minister, workplace Champions, Accessibility Secretariat and Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Centre of Expertise along with Internal Communications and Social Media teams to prioritize religious, spiritual, and cultural dates of significance. At times, these articles include information for managers to be flexible in their meeting schedules, e.g., not scheduling lunch hour meetings with colleagues eating while Muslim colleagues may be fasting during Ramadan. Advice is provided by subject matter experts (often member of employee networks) to guide inclusive practices in the workplace.

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.

DFO has encountered a few barriers while advancing work on the Call to Action, these include:

1. Ensuring comprehensive and inclusive engagement and consultation with Indigenous employees, Black and other racialized employees, and employees with disabilities can be challenging in our department due to the decentralized nature of our workforce and due to the type of work we do. This can lead to barriers in identifying and addressing systemic racism and other barriers to inclusion. For example, a significant portion of our workforce are regularly on ships and research vessels and are not readily available to respond to online surveys; this includes a majority of our operational personnel, such as the CCG sea-going personnel, Fisheries Officers, lightkeepers, and scientific field researchers. DFO occupies 400+ locations across Canada with employees working from cubicles, laboratories, helicopters, wharves, ships and more providing an additional challenge in addressing physical or location specific barriers. Despite these challenges, DFO aims to hear perspectives from all EE group members, including employees who do various operational work, as it advances the Call to Action.
2. The operational nature of DFO and CCG work, such as activities or duties that involves being on CCG ships, research vessels and conducting field work, can present increased challenges in closing our representation gaps for persons with disabilities due to bona fide requirements. Barriers identified include the requirements of Fleet/sea-going positions; remote, isolated locations for lightkeepers, the high cost of certifications (e.g., Marine Emergency Duties and Bridge Watch rating certificate) required for some positions in advance of being hired, amongst others.
3. It is essential that DFO shift the mindset and overcome attitudinal barriers within the organization in order to foster a culture of inclusion, challenge biases, and create an environment where employees feel empowered to speak up when they witness barriers to equity and inclusion. The 2023-24 Ombuds report indicated a widespread lack of bystander engagement or upstander behaviours in the workplace. Meanwhile the 2022 Public Service Employee Survey data indicated worrying reports of elevated sexism and ableism in the workforce compared to the rest of the public service, and the 2022 DFO/ CCG Employment Systems Review focus group sessions cited toxic workplace culture, enforcement of a strict hierarchy, heavy workload and lack of trust in management to deal with complaints of racism, harassment or sexualized violence. Changing mindsets and promoting awareness is an ongoing process.
4. We have much work to do to ensure our process and policies, particularly those that impact Canadians directly, are free from bias (e.g. conservation and protection officers enforcing regulations). The challenges are complex and have difficult historical contexts, particularly with our Indigenous communities, resulting in the need for a significant effort to modernize these processes and policies so that we serve Canadians in ways that are culturally sensitive and that enable us to identify and eliminate systemic bias.

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.

DFO has implemented several initiatives to support intersectional identities. Listed are some of the actions:

1. Training: the Department announced that DFO was committed to implementing mandatory Accessibility, Indigenous Awareness and Positive Space Initiative training as a first step in addressing barriers and discrimination faced by persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and 2SLGBTQIA+ employees.
2. Workshops: on accessibility with Accessible, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT) and improving accessible documents, meetings and communications; gender and sexual diversity and inclusion were promoted nationally during the November Learning Month events and Positive Space ambassador or allyship training have been provided on an ongoing, voluntary basis as capacity is available.
3. Communications: there has been increased communication to raise awareness by the Diversity and Inclusion Champions who published messages such as: on Pride, Transgender Awareness Week, 16 Days of activism, and the Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team published articles for International Day for People of African Descent and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
4. Pride parades: the Diversity and Inclusion Champions walked alongside the Canadian Coast Guard float in the National Capital Pride Parade and many other cities across the country (Halifax, Ottawa, Victoria, Nanaimo, etc.). The Events team coordinated and supported walkers and their families at each event to create a safe and festive atmosphere.
5. Pronouns: the Chief Digital Officer Sector (CDOS) announced adding pronouns to display names using the Active Directory in June 2023. The use of pronouns in the Active Directory indicated that in the first quarter, nearly 2,000 employees (14%) voluntarily chose to display pronouns.
6. Gender-neutral washrooms: work is underway to ensure washrooms in our facilities are inclusive and gender-neutral. Real Property has changed to gender-neutral signs for single stall, accessible washrooms in many custodial buildings, launching an awareness campaign with resources and posters welcoming all employees to use the washroom that best aligns with their gender, and piloting renovations of binary multi-stall facilities.
7. Ombuds services: the department moved Informal Conflict Management Services (ICMS) and Resolution to report to the Ombuds Office. The ICMS are representing DFO in the Restorative Engagement Program development. It is hoped that this program will better enable DFO to address bias, racism, discrimination, and harassment while improving cultural competence.
8. Programs such as the DFO & CCG Sponsorship Program and the Indigenous Career Navigator Program address career advancement concerns of EE group members and help recognize Indigenous Peoples’ talents and promote advancement to and within the department.
9. Multiple Indigenous Employee Networks as well as a National Racialized Network were established to support, engage, and communicate with Indigenous employees and racialized community members.
10. Each EE group has a national executive champion who has self-declared as a member of the community they represent. These national champions are supported by the Diversity and Inclusion Champions who provide overarching support, collaborations and mentorship. The Diversity and Inclusion Champions promote awareness of intersectionality in the workplace.

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. 

In the first year of implementing the forward direction of the Call to Action (CTA) has impacted the department in several ways. Here are some notable changes:

1. Increased awareness and dialogue:
   • The Call to Action has sparked conversations about anti-racism, equity, and inclusion within the organization, citing the CTA as one of the many reasons we are increasing the prioritization of a representative workforce within our staffing system.
   • DFO has been engaged by House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO) with questions on racism and the actions in response to the Truth and Reconciliation and the Clerk of the Privy Councils Calls to Actions increasing our efforts and focus on creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace culture.
   • Employees are engaging in discussions about systemic racism, bias, and discrimination, leading to greater awareness and understanding through events (e.g., Ask Me Anything) and courses (e.g., Anti-Racism Learning series by CSPS)
2. Representation and visibility:
   • The appointment of Indigenous and racialized executives and National Indigenous and Racialized Employee Champions have helped increase the visibility of and engagement with employee networks.
   • Multiple employee networks (several Indigenous Employee Networks, National Racialized Employee Network, Women+ Network and 2SLGBTQIA+ Pride Network) were established in addition to the Accessibility Network and Positive Space Initiatives who support, engage, and communicate with employees and Champions.
   • Hiring managers are increasing their efforts to recruit EE talent, supported by our the All Hands on Deck, All Hands on Science, Indigenous Student Recruitment Program and National Talent Bank, providing a pool of 1,072 EE candidates who are Talent at the Ready. 
   • Increased use of self-declaration forms, that include those Indigenous Peoples who also identify as being under the Nunavut Agreement and those people who do not identify under the gender binary and require gender diverse options, send a message that DFO values diverse perspectives and experiences.
3. Cultural competence training:
   • The Department has committed to implementing mandatory all staff training on Accessibility, Indigenous Awareness and Positive Space Initiative as a first step in addressing barriers and discrimination in the workplace. All managers are also required to complete Inclusive Hiring practices training with CSPS.
   • Different regions and sectors have invested in additional training programs to enhance cultural competence among employees. For example, the CCG Arctic Region regularly provides training from Pilimmaksaivik (Federal Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment in Nunavut).
   • Department-wide events like the Diversity and Inclusion Symposium offer staff members a safe place to learn about different cultures, histories, and traditions, contributing to a more inclusive workplace.
   • There are also many other learning formats and employee driven initiatives to increase awareness, such as the 13 Moons National Indigenous Book Club; the Journey With Me series hosted by Nicole Elmy or Pulling Together Canoe Journeys that Fisheries officers are invited to participate in.

In summary, the Call to Action has catalyzed changes in mindset, behavior, and practices at DFO. It is an ongoing journey to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace for all and the initial impact has been promising.