Patented Medicine Prices Review Board

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 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?

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) has set operational priorities including designating a new role of Chief, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) and the assembly of a committee (IDEA Committee) to set departmental goals to advance the work set out in the Call to Action.

One of the major challenges the PMPRB has encountered with the requirements set out in the Call to Action is its departmental population size. The PMPRB has a total of 80 full time employees, which limits opportunities for recruitment and promotional openings.

To advance toward the recruitment and promotional goals set out in the Call to Action, the PMPRB’s IDEA Committee is developing goals to utilize government-wide resources and interdepartmental programs and networks within the federal public service to increase the number of opportunities available to PMPRB employees. Organizational specific goals will be proposed by the IDEA Committee to the PMPRB Management Committee for approval.

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).

The PMPRB has made strides to foster greater inclusion thus far for the fiscal year 2023-24 including:

1. Appointing a new role of Chief, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) and the assembly of a committee (IDEA Committee) to set departmental goals to foster greater inclusion,
2. Implementing a Diversity and Inclusion Calendar in Microsoft Outlook,
3. Prioritizing official language training for racialized employees,
4. Promoting the Mentorship Plus program, (presently sponsoring 1.25% of PMPRB employees).

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) is currently developing goals to foster greater inclusion. Items that have already received approval and are underway include:

1. Integrating the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples through developing awareness through cultural competency training for all PMPRB employees, and
2. Creating an internal resource hub on the PMPRB’s intranet site, which is intended to be a central resource that is available to all PMPRB employees to access information relating to the Call to Action, new legislation, federal government networks and programs, event notifications, learning materials, tools and resources.

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?)?

The PMPRB’s IDEA Committee is currently developing the goals to present to the PMPRB Management Committee. The methods for measuring the progress will be determined once the goals are established.

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.

The PMPRB has revised the performance management objective for fiscal year 2024/25 for managers and executives to include: building and maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and accessible working environment, where employees feel included, respected, informed, involved, and engaged in meaningful work.

Additionally, the PMPRB has added a new objective for fiscal year 2024/25 for employees that states: to actively participate in creating a respectful, inclusive and accessible working environment.

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.  

Presently the PMPRB is sponsoring 1.25% of employees.

One of the major challenges set out in the Call to Action is the requirement to ‘sponsor at least two Indigenous, Black or other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles and have each member of the executive team do the same’. The PMPRB’s Management Committee consists of six members. If each executive was to sponsor two individuals, that would equate to 12 protégés within the PMPRB’s total population of 80 full time employees (15% of the PMPRB population), which is not feasible.

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.

One of the major challenges set out in the Call to Action is the requirement to endorse at least one recruitment campaign for Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees. The PMPRB’s consists of 80 full time employees; PMPRB competitions often lack applicants; restricting recruitment campaigns would likely result in unsuccessful processes.

Based on the size of the PMPRB, the department could utilize pools established by other departments for said recruitment campaigns or work collaboratively with other departments on one campaign.

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
  • Black employees
  • Racialized employees

How is your organization prioritizing official language training?

The PMPRB prioritizes official language training for racialized employees, though the PMPRB’s guide on official language training does not specifically state prioritizing Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees; the intent is to adjust this to reflect employment equity groups and equity-seeking groups.

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

No.

Question 8

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

• Engagement with employees and employee networks in my organization’s decision-making is meaningful and regular.
• 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.

The PMPRB appointed a new role of Chief, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA), and the assembly of the IDEA Committee, consisting of 10 members (12% of PMPRB population).

One major challenge encountered with investing organizational resources in employee networks and communities within the PMPRB, is the small departmental population (80 full time employees), which limits the ability to form networks and communities within the organization.

The IDEA Committee connects interested employees within the PMPRB with larger interdepartmental networks and communities across the federal public service through GCconnex/GCcollab networks (e.g. Black Employees Network, Network for Asian federal employees, Indigenous executive mentorship, the Anti-Racism Ambassadors Network).

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.

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.  

The PMPRB’s calendar is available in Outlook as a stand-alone calendar for employees and managers to consider before scheduling major meetings and events. The calendar will also be available on PMPRB’s intranet site (the IDEA Hub).

Internal notifications are also issued regularly to communicate/ promote significant religious and cultural days to all PMPRB employees.

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.

The major barriers encountered in advancing the objectives in the Call to Action directly relate to PMPRB’s small departmental population (80 full time employees).

Barrier #1: It is not possible for each member of the Management Committee to meet the requirement of sponsoring at least two Indigenous, Black or other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles. The PMPRB’s Management Committee consists of six members, therefore, to sponsor two individuals per executive would equate to 15% of PMPRB’s total population. Given the small size of the PMPRB, the goal is to meet the spirit of the Call to Action through relying on interdepartmental programs and services to broaden sponsoring options.

Barrier #2: It is challenging for the PMPRB to endorse at least one recruitment campaign for Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees. Due to the PMPRB’s small departmental population (80 full time employees), and limited managerial/executive positions, the rates of promotion are lower than larger federal departments.

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 PMPRB’s IDEA Committee provides support and resources for racialized employees who are also members of other equity-seeking groups. This includes promoting various networks and government initiatives to raise awareness about persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities (e.g. Public Service Pride Network), and religious networks in the federal public service.

The IDEA Hub on PMPRB’s intranet site is intended to be a one-stop-shop for various resources, including events and learning opportunities provided through interdepartmental programs and networks for Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees who are also members of other equity-seeking groups.

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. 

1. Increased awareness across the PMPRB through various internal notification platforms (All-staff messages, IDEA Hub intranet site, Inclusion/Diversity Calendar).
2. Increased support for employees through providing information on training, events, networks, important and commemorative days, supportive tools and resources.
3. Increased discussions at the executive level regarding implementing new initiatives at the PMPRB, such as Mentorship Plus.