Indigenous Services 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
• Work is underway to set 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?

Department-wide workforce diversity recruitment goals have been established for each of the employment equity groups, including Indigenous peoples and visible minorities (Black and racialized people), for a period of five (5) years, until 2027. They are re-evaluated annually.

These objectives are defined on the basis of the organization's mandate and operational priorities, as well as rates of workforce availability.

Recruitment targets are communicated to senior management with a view to soliciting and supporting their commitment to achieving the targeted results. Preliminary discussions are underway to establish a strategy for communicating these objectives to all staff.

To increase the representation of the Indigenous workforce, we have lead staffing processes open exclusively to Indigenous employees and/or Indigenous peoples. These initiatives are published on the Government of Canada jobs website and communicated by email to hiring managers.

We have identified two (2) main obstacles or challenges in the strategy adopted to achieve our objectives:

The first is a retention challenge. However, when people leave for other departments, the negative impact is mitigated as increased diversity and representativeness develops in the federal system.

The department has an exit feedback program that has recently been reviewed and adapted to ensure it is inclusive and barrier-free and provides more options for dialogue. The data collected through this program is used to strengthen employee retention by highlighting areas requiring improvements.

The second challenge concerns the official language skills required for management and executive positions.

As a means of advancing on the department’s representation goals for Indigenous employees, our organization has been offering a second official language training program for Indigenous employees at Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). This specialized initiative enhances the second official language training offered to all of the department's staff to develop or maintain their language skills. There is also a need to explore providing Indigenous language training.

Given the department's recruitment objectives and related actions, it is expected that more conclusive results will be observed over the next few years in the recruitment and promotion of Indigenous peoples, black and racialized people, as well as persons with disabilities.

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).

Foster greater inclusion through the involvement of all employees:

• Further to launching in 2022 the Diversity and Inclusion Monthly Newsletter, we continued in 23/24 to use this tool to provide all employees with a comprehensive, global picture of the work being done on diversity, inclusion, equity and anti-racism in the department, but also across the Government of Canada. The Newsletter includes information, useful tools and resources, interesting events and learning opportunities to help build an inclusive culture.
• The Indigenous Cultural Competency Learning Policy, which requires employees to undergo training in Indigenous perspectives and reconciliation, lists examples of Indigenous cultural competency learning activities and resources (Indigenous language learning, Indigenous story titles, specialized training, etc.). As part of their performance agreements, employees are required to document activities undertaken in response to the Policy.
• The renewed exit feedback program mentioned above offers employees the opportunity to discuss their work experience candidly and includes a questionnaire and the opportunity for an interview with a manager, an Informal Conflict Management Practitioner, or an Indigenous Career Navigator. The results will be used to improve inclusiveness and equity.

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?)?

We are developing a comprehensive approach to measuring progress on all our representation and inclusion objectives.

While we develop that approach, the following strategies/measures are currently in place:

• Measuring progress on representation
  • Hiring diversity goals are tracked and results are analyzed on a quarterly basis. This analysis is available to departmental managers. A specific meeting on this subject is held at least once a year by the Senior Management Committee.
  • Executives are evaluated on their achievement of diversity, inclusion and anti-racism objectives at mid-year and at the end of the fiscal year, as part of performance agreements.
• Measuring progress on employee awareness and engagement
  • The number of views of the Diversity and Inclusion Newsletter is analyzed by the Communications team, and actions to increase its visibility are undertaken annually.
  • Completion rates for inclusive hiring practices and Positive Space training are also analyzed with a view to developing actions to increase them.
  • The Indigenous Cultural Competency Learning Policy is monitored in terms of the learning activities.
• Ensuring employees’ perspectives and lived experiences are part of our lines of evidence
  • The Ombuds office provides upward feedback in order to raise awareness of systemic issues and trends, promote fair and transparent practices, and help effect change, including through recommendations to senior management.
  • The organization also refers to the results of Public Service Employee Survey, the exit feedback program, the consolidated data provided by Indigenous Career Navigators as well as various ad hoc consultations of the employee networks to report on trends and to facilitate dISCussion at the Senior Management Table on diversity, employment equity and inclusion goals.

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.
• 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.

Work objectives and performance measures to advance anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the public service are included in all executive performance agreements. Among other things, in 2023-2024, executives were required to take concrete steps to meet recruitment and retention targets for equity-seeking groups, and to ensure that assessments in staffing processes are is inclusive, accessible and aligned with the duty to accommodate with a view to reduce barriers for candidates from equity-seeking groups, executives are responsible for ensuring that changes to the Public Service Employment Act have been implemented. For 2024-2025, similar objectives and performance measures will be included in all executive performance agreements, to ensure we are advancing in representation and inclusion at all levels of the organization. Executives are therefore assessed on the achievement of this work objective at mid-year and at the end of the fiscal year.

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. 

While work is underway to establish formal sponsorship commitments, ad hoc sponsorship of Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees is occurring within the organization. The intent is to embed sponsorship targets in current and future executive performance agreements to further advance this 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?

• 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.

The department leads collective and regular staffing processes open to Indigenous employees and/or Indigenous peoples of the general public. These processes are promoted through various means within the federal public services and externally including social media. These processes support Indigenous recruitment as well as Indigenous employee career mobility.

• ISC participates in and promotes the ISC.gc.ca/eng/1581515238646/1581515684059">Advanced Policy Analyst Program–Indigenous (APAP–I) is an advanced career development program for high-achieving Indigenous graduates with a master's degree or PhD and Indigenous law students and graduates.
• ISC has a unique jobs opportunity for Indigenous students called the Treaty Pay Summer Job for Indigenous Students. Indigenous students gain experience at ISC by working as a Treaty Annuity Payment student. They have the unique opportunity to travel to First Nations across Canada and be actively involved in the Treaty relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Crown.
• ISC also has two inventories in place to support Indigenous student hiring and retention. Students working at ISC may choose to be included in an inventory of Indigenous students eligible for rehire should they wish to expand their experience at ISC. ISC has also set in motion an inventory of Indigenous graduates who have previously worked at ISC as a student, and who are eligible to be considered for employment or ‘student bridging’ opportunities. 

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

How is your organization prioritizing official language training?

Our organization offers a second official language training program for the department's staff. Our organization has been offering a second official language training program for Indigenous employees at ISC. This specialized initiative enhances the second official language training offered to all of the department's staff to develop or maintain their language skills.

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

An official language training initiative for Indigenous staff, the Official languages Training Program for Indigenous Employees is in place. This program is designed for Indigenous employees who wish to improve their second official language. The program enables learners to develop important language skills tailored to their current language level.

There is a need to explore providing Indigenous language training. Indigenous employees may also choose to partake in learning an Indigenous language as part of the Indigenous Cultural Competency Learning Policy.

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).
• 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.

Departmental Champions (executive level) provide leadership by raising awareness and supporting and monitoring progress on the mandate entrusted to them. Chosen by the Deputy Minister, these leaders define their role by their commitment to this mandate. We are also implementing a new approach that combines the role of champion with a designated co-champion chosen from among the staff to lead and support the various employee networks.

The Ombuds office supports staff by holding safe spaces conversations and supports networks by participating in networks, inputting into dISCussions and flagging systemic issues based on dISCussions with staff.

The Indigenous Employee Secretariat (IES) is a shared service between Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to support Indigenous employees and the work done by Indigenous employee groups including sector-based Indigenous advisory circles (IACs), the First Nation and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) Aboriginal Employee Network (AEN) and the Committee for the Advancement of Native Employees (CANE) in each sector and region.

IES will serve as the platform to promote the work of the various circles, networks, committees, sectors and branches by offering a single window approach where all employees in both departments can enquire and be referred to those responsible for various Indigenous related-programs, initiatives and events.

IES helps to demonstrate departmental commitment to reconciliation by building relationships with internal and external Indigenous employees, partners and strengthening existing ones.

The Indigenous Voices Council, formerly called the Indigenous Voices and Co-Champions Table, is an advisory group that will help steer the direction of the IES. It includes representation from all Indigenous advisory circles, employee networks and groups. In addition, it includes members of Indigenous-related programming teams.

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 regional and/or branch plans.

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. 

A calendar of cultural, religious and spiritual activities has been developed and is communicated in the Diversity and Inclusion Newsletter. It is also available among the list of key useful links on the intranet. Additional efforts will be made in fiscal year 2024-2025, in collaboration with CIRNAC, to add it to the Microsoft Outlook calendar for both departments.

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.

1. Consultation and engagement processes can be laborious and confusing. Consultation with key stakeholders at the outset of an initiative is an essential step and has been difficult to conduct. A consultation process is being developed to ensure that all relevant parties have been consulted, and that minutes are available. During this process, the need for Champions in certain crucial areas such as accessibility emerged.
2. Lack of training to understand and measure the issues. Awareness-raising and ongoing training are key to supporting a culture of inclusion and equity. Offering workshops, seminars and information sessions on topics such as unconscious bias, cultural competence and positive space raises staff awareness and fosters the knowledge needed to generate a genuine culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

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.

The department encourages staff to self-identify according to the four equity-seeking groups. A great deal of promotion is done to raise awareness of the various measures in place to support employees with diverse identities, to ensure that their experience is optimal and free from discriminatory barriers.

Intersectionality and the best practices to be put in place are part of a continuous improvement process and will be further developed during the 2024-2025 financial year in collaboration with staff, champions and networks.

We are waiting for the new self-declaration form to provide us with more information on the various identities of staff members. This will enable us to develop more focused actions.

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. 

A space for dialogue with staff members generated heightened awareness of the diverse realities present in the workplace, enabling us to review and improve our ways of doing things for a diverse and inclusive workplace.