Public Health Agency of 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?

• The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) primarily uses workforce availability (WFA) to set goals for recruiting Indigenous People and Racialized Persons.
• PHAC also uses workforce distribution across occupational groups at the executive and non-executive levels to set goals for increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples, Black and other racialized people in the Agency.
• Goals are regularly communicated to Branch Heads to help them track their progress.
  • The Agency establishes specific measures and goals as part of the executive (EX) Performance Management Agreements (PMAs) to support the implementation of the forward direction for the Call to Action (CTA).
  • The Agency facilitates and monitors participation in executive leadership developmental programs and learning events to enable career growth aligned to the core public administration (e.g., Mosaic Leadership Development program) and organizational priorities (e.g., Mentorship Plus program).
• Recruitment goals are also communicated to all managers and employees in the Agency’s quarterly progress report on implementing the CTA.
• All employees also have access to real-time data on the distribution of Indigenous People, Black and other racialized people at branch, directorate, occupational group, EX and EX equivalency levels. The Human Resources (HR) Data Hub uses Power BI to provide HR ata in an interactive manner.
• The following actions have been the most helpful in continuing to achieve recruitment goals:
  • Using current WFA as a benchmark for setting recruitment and promotion goals.
  • Communicating clear quantitative goals for executives enabled Branch Heads to develop their Branch level plans to meet targets.
  • Holding executives accountable (through PMAs) further aligned the implementation of CTA with operational priorities.
  • Tracking and communicating progress to all employees supported transparency and accountability.
  • Using an intersectional lens and candidate-focused approach helped with meeting recruitment and promotion goals.
    • The Agency created the Black, Racialized and Equity Deserving Communities (BREDC) and the Indigenous Recruitment Team. Both teams provide one-on-one support and education to candidates and hiring managers to help meet or exceed the Agency’s targets.
• In fiscal year 2023-2024, the Agency exceeded agency-level WFA for Indigenous peoples and racialized people (as well as for persons with disabilities). The Agency encountered the following challenges in meeting recruitment or promotion targets:
  • Variations in actual growth and turnover rates in some occupational groups can create challenges in meeting recruitment or promotion targets (i.e. occupational groups with very low turnover).
  • Key efforts were deployed to stabilize the executive workforce post-pandemic in 2023-24, which impacted the Agency’s commitment in meeting its hiring targets at the EX-level. For 2024-25, there will be dedicated efforts on intentional hiring, including developmental opportunities for aspiring Executives in targeted employment equity (EE) groups.
  • In addition to continued recruitment efforts, the Agency invested in its internal talent pipeline. Some of these efforts are starting to create results (e.g. racialized persons graduating from the Mosaic Leadership Development program) but others (e.g. Mentorship Plus program) may take longer to yield results.

The Agency is currently in the process of calculating promotion goals for all EE groups.

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.
• 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).

• After approving the first Anti-Racism in Science (ARiS) Framework last fall, the Agency continuously works with stakeholders to implement training and develop resources to support culture. For FY 2024-25, the Agency will finalize the ARiS Strategy, including action and performance measurement and evaluation plans.
• Roadmap 2030: Excellence through Action at the Public Health Agency of Canada outlines how we conduct our work and empower all people and communities to protect and improve their health and wellbeing. Roadmap 2030 reaffirms PHAC’s values, and mission to create conditions where people have fair opportunities to achieve their full health potential regardless of their social and economic circumstances. The three areas of focus include:
  • Protecting against threats to public health;
  • Preventing and reducing diseases and injury; and
  • Promoting health, well-being, and equity.

  The Agency does this by community-based projects, and strengthening partnerships and collaborations that address the root causes of health inequities and the common risk and protective factors that are important to promoting better health to prevent chronic disease.

  Informed by consultations with over 1000 PHAC staff and aligned with our mission and vision, six values serve as our guiding principles: Agility; Equity; Integrity; Scientific Excellence and a Culture of Innovation; Collaborative Leadership; and a Culture of Community.

  The Agency will:

  • develop a new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy built on recommendations from recent Employment Systems Review, and the Agency’s action plan required under the Employment Equity Act;
  • measure employee retention and promotion rates across all EE groups;
  • maintain or improve PSES results related to diversity, inclusion and workplace well-being;
  • use results from data collected through voluntary confidential exit interviews by the Ombuds’ Office to advise the President of best practices and gaps;
  • continue to support EE employee network activities – networks offer activities and information sessions, hold listening sessions and survey members for priorities;
  • foster a respectful, inclusive and barrier-free workplace by promoting monthly webinars on various topics of interest related to diversity and inclusion in the workplace; and
  • increase the completion of mandatory training related to diversity and inclusion (for employees and executives) – EE groups members are more likely to report harassment.
    • Increasing knowledge of workplace harassment and violence prevention can contribute to improving workplace culture. It will help advance inclusion and sense of belonging through the promotion of psychological safety and inclusive leadership practices.
• The Agency collects and analyses quantitative and qualitative data from various sources. These include HR administrative data, Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), EE network surveys, new employee onboarding feedback forms and listening sessions.
• The Agency is also considering options to get rapid, accurate feedback on employee sense of inclusion, including:
  • Use of software to better capture complexities across qualitative and quantitative datasets for increased understanding of the employee experience; and
  • Pulse check type surveys to get rapid feedback on how programs or changes are affecting different EE groups. This would provide more frequent data, real-time insights and may have a higher response rate.

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 Agency publishes quarterly reports to communicate progress on advancing the CTA objectives.

• The Head of HR Data Analytics develops regular reports for senior management. The EE Data Hub, available to all staff, was promoted through President messages to all staff.
• The Agency also collaborates with the Office of Audit and Evaluation on audit and consulting projects to examine agency-wide issues (e.g., governance) and EDI activities (e.g., employee networks’ funding model).
• An EDI Strategy and Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) are under development. Measuring results of activities underway is a key priority and in response the Agency launched the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Metrics Action Committee (EDIMAC) in September 2023.
  • The committee enables the organization to tap into relevant expertise and lived experiences of employees. It will continue to remove barriers to collaboration across branches and divisions on reporting on EDI metrics.
  • For the current fiscal year, EDIMAC will focus on improvements in tracking progress on EDI priorities and creating actionable recommendations from employee feedback.

Consequential accountability

Question 4

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

• Quantitative goals are part of performance management agreements. 
• Qualitative objectives are in performance management agreements.
• Progress towards representation and inclusion goals is part of the criteria for being considered for talent management.
• A lack of progress towards representation and inclusion goals results in consequences.

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

The Agency establishes specific measures and goals in EX PMAs to support the implementation of government-wide priorities by including:

• requirements related to anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility;
• branch hiring targets with a view to closing gaps and surpassing WFA;
• promoting and monitoring participation in developmental programs, including mentoring and sponsoring Black, Indigenous and racialized employees and employees with disabilities; and
• ongoing commitment to increasing awareness by promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion, anti-racism and anti-discrimination learning events.

Consequences for lack of contribution towards representation and inclusion goals include:

• Impact on performance evaluations – lack of contribution to the objectives of the CTA may negatively affect an executive’s overall performance rating;  
• Professional development opportunities – executives who fail to contribute to the objectives of the CTA may be required to undergo additional training or development programs focused on EDI to enhance their understanding and commitment to these initiatives; and
• Accountability measures – performance improvement plans or coaching implemented, if objectives of the CTA are not being met.

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?

• I have 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.
• 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 addition to sponsoring more than two Indigenous employees, Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles, I have sent an agency-wide letter strongly encouraging all executives to mentor and sponsor such candidates. Mentoring or sponsoring EE employees is also an ongoing commitment measured in the EX PMAs. The Agency continues with the implementation of the Mentorship Plus program which comprises both a mentorship component focusing on advice and a sponsorship component that provides endorsement for the employee.

• As of May 2024, 97 mentees and 56 mentors are registered with the program and all mentees have been matched with mentors. The program is showing promising results. Feedback from mentees and mentors has been very positive, and a majority of participants believe their career progression is better supported by the program.
• We will continue to collaborate with partners to improve the program and ultimately, outcomes for participants. The program is currently implementing onboarding sessions for mentees and mentors to further support positive outcomes for all participants.

The Indigenous Career Management for Employees (ICME) Program is an Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) program open to the Agency and Health Canada (HC) Indigenous employees. The Agency has six employees in the ICME 2023-24 cohort. The Indigenous Management Development Program (IMDP) will be launched in the fall by ISC and the PHAC Indigenous Employee Network (IEN) will promote it amongst Indigenous employees as an opportunity for development and potential advancement.

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) co-developed the Mosaic Leadership Development program. A leadership development program for employees at the EX minus 1 level that equips equity-seeking employees to enter the EX cadre. At the Agency, a Lead within Executive Group Services supports the Mosaic participant (1 per cohort for the Agency) in finding a sponsor.

In late 2023-24, the Agency also developed a First Nation, Inuit, Métis Human Resources Strategy that provides a path to achieve a representative and inclusive workforce for Indigenous Peoples within the Agency. Through the strategy, the Agency will continue to address and reduce systemic barriers and persistent gaps in the representation of Indigenous employees in leadership positions.

The Agency approved its first Anti-Racism in Science Framework in the fall of 2023. The Agency continues to work with stakeholders to implement training and develop resources to support culture. For fiscal year 2024-25, the Agency will finalize the Anti-Racism in Science Strategy, including performance measurement and evaluation plans.

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
  • Black employees
  • Racialized employees

Please provide details.

I sponsored a number of recruitment campaigns (inventories) focused on Indigenous employees as well as Black and other racialized employees. 

The Agency uses a candidate-focused approach to help match candidates based on career advancement needs while educating managers on inclusive leadership in hiring practices.

• In 2021, the Agency established the Indigenous Recruitment Team, who work in collaboration with chairs of the IEN to design and implement recruitment strategies tailored for Indigenous candidates using culturally competent and candidate centric approaches.
• In early 2023, the Agency established the Black, Racialized and Equity Deserving Communities (BREDC) recruitment team to increase recruitment and career advancement of Black and other racialized employees.
• Both teams work to foster collaboration between executives, other government departments and employee networks for the successful implementation of a career advancement strategy for Person with Disabilities, Indigenous employees, and Black and other racialized employees.

The Agency created an Indigenous Recruitment Inventory, curating matches to staffing needs. The team also laid the groundwork to launch an Indigenous Talent Pool for Indigenous Peoples Living in Canada who previously qualified in a Government of Canada pool or who are at level and seeking new career opportunities. The initiative was launched early in fiscal year 2024-25. Further, the Agency will also launch two to three advertised processes open to Indigenous Peoples in fiscal year 2024-25. The Indigenous Recruitment Team is developing relevant assessment tools in collaboration with the Indigenous Employee Network to launch the first of these processes, focused on the EC group.

In the Fall of 2023, I endorsed the Black and Racialized Career Advancement Strategy, including a relaunch of the candidate inventory originally launched in early 2023. In 2024-25, the Agency will launch two to three advertised processes open to Black and Racialized candidates. Each process will use a candidate-focused approach that includes education and awareness sessions for hiring managers and candidates. The first process, which is currently under way, focuses on the AS-04 and PM-04 groups and levels. Subsequent processes will integrate lessons learned.

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?

Access to second language training had long been viewed as a barrier to career advancement and leadership for Indigenous Peoples, Black and other racialized persons. The Agency implemented the Equitable Access to Language Training Program (EALTP) to help employees from equity seeking groups access language training.

• In the Summer and Fall of 2023, the Agency led a series of consultations to identify solutions to improve the implementation of EALTP. EALTP 2.0 included the following improvements:
  • more regular intake of applications;
  • clarified roles and responsibilities; and
  • increased transparency in decision-making.
• Following the launch of EALTP 2.0, the Agency received 49 new applications in February 2024. The total number of applications received since the program’s inception in 2021 is 92.
• In a continued effort to ensure co-development, the Agency established a working group involving EX employee networks to explore program impacts, ensure continued accountability and guide future improvements to the program.

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

No, the Agency does not offer access to Indigenous language training.

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).

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

The Agency engages with and supports employee networks and communities through formal and informal collaboration forums as well as one-on-one meetings between Deputy Heads and network chairs. Stable funding is provided for network administrative tasks and agency-wide activities (e.g. invited speakers).  

• The Voices of Diversity and Inclusion Action Forum (VODI) is the President-led forum where employee networks provide input on plans, strategies and programs to eliminate systemic and structural barriers and promote an inclusive work environment.
  • VODI meets every six to eight weeks and is chaired by the President and Executive Vice President. It is comprised of EE champions, employee network chairs, volunteer members and corporate partners in equity, diversity and inclusion.
  • In addition to regularly meeting with their champions, the President also holds one-on-one meetings with networks chairs.
• The Agency launched the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Employee Networks Collaboration Forum in March 2022 to support employee engagement and collaboration at the working-level.
  • Over the last 6 months, the Forum has discussed strategic initiatives impacting equity-deserving groups including the review of EALTP, resources for mental health, and the current funding model for employee networks.
• In addition to network support provided by the Network Secretariat, in 2021, the Agency launched a Flexible Funding Model to provide funding for network chair or co-chairs as well as junior resource positions. The funding helps reduce the burden of chairs and co-chairs' workload related to network activities and priorities of their substantive positions. The Agency has eight networks representing equity seeking groups or with EE intersectionalities.
• In fiscal year 2023-24, the Agency invested $759,700 to support 9 paid positions across employee networks, including networks representing equity-deserving groups. In addition to funded positions for networks, the Agency allows network executive committee members to dedicate up to five hours weekly to support network activities.

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.  

Yes, the Agency developed a calendar that was shared with all employees. The calendar is also accessible to employee networks through a MS Teams channel.

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 Agency faced the following key barriers in advancing work on the Call to Action:

• Through its current approach to consequential accountability for executives (embedding CTA objectives in PMAs), the Agency aims to ensure that CTA priorities rise to the top. Accountability, without tools and systems in place to make success a possibility, will lead to frustration. In the future, the Agency will ensure that it continues to build capacity in the diversity and inclusion space, while reflecting this increased capacity in PMAs. Getting the balance between accountability and capacity building right will continue to be a priority for the Agency as measures of success move from the tangible (e.g. diversity and representation rates) to less tangible measures (e.g. including and demonstrating inclusive leadership).
• At the Agency, post pandemic, key efforts were focused on the stabilization of the executive workforce. This resulted in slower hiring at the Executive level as the needs of the Agency were being refined. As we stabilize the organization and its structures, dedicated efforts will be deployed to leverage recruitment tools and practices to advance the implementation of the CTA. This includes targeted recruitment processes at all levels, leveraging leadership development programs, and enabling talent management and succession strategies.

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 Agency recognizes that employees often have multiple identities and continues to collaborate with relevant stakeholders, and employee networks, to develop and implement 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.

• The Agency aims to offer mental health counselling that considers employees’ multiple identities. The Agency’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides anti-racism training to all staff.
• The Agency continues to increase access to counsellors with lived experiences from the Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are also members of other communities, such as persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ and religious communities.
  • For example, EAP can match employees from Black communities with counsellors with lived experiences using a Black-centric approach. This is possible because the Agency has increased the recruitment of Black counsellors to provide culturally competent and trauma-informed mental health support to public servants and their immediate family members.
• Since 2022, the Specialized Recruitment Team model considers the intersectionality of multiple identities of Persons with Disabilities, Indigenous employees, Black and other racialized employees when matching candidates with hiring opportunities.
• In January 2024, the Agency launched the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Human Resources Strategy in collaboration with PHAC Indigenous Employees’ Network. The Agency shares a full-time Indigenous Career Navigator with HC. Through the work of the Career Navigator, the Agency and HC support Indigenous employees, hiring managers, and work with HR to link Indigenous employees with opportunities for development and advancement.
• As of February 2024, the Agency offers employees more flexibility in choosing their displayed name in PeopleSoft. Employees can enter a “Chosen Name”, which will appear in the Employee Self-Service, Manager Self-Service and the Manager Dashboard.
• For the fiscal year 2024-25, the Agency is working with the Gender and Sexual Diversity Network to develop inclusion metrics for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

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 Agency’s work on implementing the forward direction of the CTA highlights our commitment to lasting culture change. This work has also helped increase awareness about inclusive governance practices which emphasize the responsibilities of senior management as well as the roles of employees in promoting an accessible, equitable, inclusive and safe workplace for all.

• Initiatives such as the Flexible Funding Model, VODI and IDEA have helped enhance the contribution of employee networks to advancing culture change.
  • The development of EALTP 2.0 was a productive and positive experience of collaboration with Networks, Champions and Branches in the Agency.
  • The co-creation of the HR Strategy with PHAC’s Indigenous Employees Network is another example of collaboration with networks and senior leadership to advance culture change.
• The Specialized Recruitment Team works closely with employee networks to identify needs and solutions for increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples, Persons with Disabilities, Black and other racialized persons. The team matches candidates based on their aspirations for career advancement with hiring needs of managers.  
• The HR Data Hub is an important step in increasing transparency and accountability while enabling the development of evidence-based actions in responding to the CTA. HR professionals, senior executives and employee networks have access to real-time data to inform decision-making for advancing the CTA recommendations.
  • Since its launch in July 2023, there have been nearly 1200 visits, with encouraging feedback that all stakeholder discussions start by visiting the HR Data Hub.