Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying

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?

The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying (OCL) has not set formal goals to recruit/promote Indigenous peoples, black people or racialized people. The OCL is a micro-organization of 37 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs).  That said, we aim to increase the representation of indigenous people, black people and racialized people in the organization. To do so, we have added operational priorities for equity seeking groups in our statements of merit criterias. 

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).

The OCL has not set formal goals to foster greater inclusion. That said, the OCL is committed to foster inclusion and to create a work environment that promotes and celebrates equity, diversity and inclusion.

In 2023-24, the OCL organised mandatory activities for employees to increase awareness to diversity and inclusion. The OCL also requires employees and managers to complete mandatory courses on subjects such as diversity, inclusion, unconscious bias and accessibility.

At the start of the 2023-24 fiscal year, the OCL published its 2023-25 Accessibility Action Plan. This plan indicates the measures that will be taken within our organization to reduce and eliminate barriers to accessibility. The OCL also published its first annual progress report on accessibility in December 2023.

The OCL relies mainly on the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) results as an indicator of the perception and satisfaction of its employees on diversity and inclusion initiatives in the organisation. 

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?)?

As the OCL has not yet set goals, we do not have an approach for measuring its progress.

The OCL is a micro-organization of 37 FTEs with limited resources that is committed in promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce. The OCL relies on its human resources service provider, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, for staffing actions and ensuring our processes are inclusive and free of barriers. The OCL also relies on the PSES results as an indicator of the perception and satisfaction of its employees on diversity and inclusion initiatives in the organization.

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 OCL employees have the following work objective in their performance agreement:

• “…promoting and supporting mental health, diversity and inclusion, accessibility, official languages and collaborative work with other teams.”

Executives also have the following work objective in their performance agreement:

• “Promote Wellness, Diversity and Inclusion in our Hybrid Workplace.”

This includes the following performance measure:

• Promote events and initiatives focusing on anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion; encourage employees to take the time to participate.

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.  

N/A

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 of only 37 FTEs with limited resources, the OCL did not have a recruitment campaign specific to indigenous employees, Black employees or other racialized employees. The OCL has added operational priorities for equity seeking groups in our statements of merit criteria.

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?

As a micro-organization of only 37 FTEs with limited resources, the OCL did not prioritized language training for Indigenous employees, Black employees or other racialized employees. Language training is offered to all OCL employees who wish to improve their second language proficiency. 

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

As a micro-organization of only 37 FTEs with limited resources, the OCL did not offer access to Indigenous language training to its employees. 

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 of only 37 FTEs with limited resources, the OCL did not provide support for and/or invest resources in organizational employee networks and communities and did not invest resources in organizational 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.

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.

Number of FTEs 

The OCL is a micro-organization of 37 FTEs. The OCL did put in place measures to increase the level of representation of equity seeking groups in its workforce by completing the attestation against bias and obstacles for each staffing processes. 

That said, with a small number of 37 FTEs, and therefore, a small number of staffing processes, the OCL had difficulties increasing the representation of equity seeking groups in its organization. 

Limited resources 

The OCL is committed in promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce. That said, with its limited resources and the increasing reporting burden we are facing, the OCL has limited time and budget to allocate to more in-dept projects, plans and measures related to fostering a more inclusive and diverse workforce. 

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.

As a micro-organization of only 37 FTEs with limited resources, the OCL did not undertake any additional actions 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. 

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 OCL believes that the measures taken in response to the Call to Action had a positive impact in the organisation. To the following question of the PSES: “I feel that the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion has had a positive impact in my department or agency, since it launched in January 2021.”, 71% of the OCL staff indicated that they either strongly agree, somewhat agree or neither agree nor disagree.

Encouraging discussions about diversity and inclusion

95% of OCL employees answered that they would feel safe to speak about racism in the workplace without fear of reprisal or negative impact on their career.

95% of OCL employees also answered that they would feel safe to speak about racism in the workplace without negative impact on my mental health.

Awareness to diversity and inclusion

74% of employees answered that the OCL implements initiatives that promote anti-racism in the workplace.