Women and Gender Equality 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

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?

Since it became a stand-alone federal government department in December 2018, Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) has fostered a culture where management focuses its recruitment goals on surpassing workforce availability. These efforts were intensified and renewed following the issuance of the Call to Action, which occurred as WAGE was growing significantly to deliver on government priorities and investments in women and gender equality. Figure 1 indicates our Employment Equity (EE) representation as of March 31, 2024 exceeds workforce availability across all EE groups.
 

As a small department, WAGE is not able to obtain disaggregated data. It is important to note that all indeterminate staffing actions at the EX-01 level are required to first consider candidates from the EX-01 pool established in 2022, which prioritized employees from EE groups.

In a department of a few hundred people, promotion opportunities are less frequent. We work hard to encourage and support employees in development roles in different parts of WAGE so that they can be positioned for promotional opportunities across government. We continue to position WAGE for continued recruitment and support of Black, racialized and Indigenous employees through specific actions, for example:

• All members of WAGE selection committees undergo mandatory training focused on inclusive recruitment practices.
• WAGE continues to access diverse pools from external organizations such as the Public Service Commission (PSC) for student hiring.  
• WAGE initiated two recruitment processes for ongoing needs for EC-04/EC-05 positions, welcoming applications from both internal and external candidates. 21 individuals from racialized groups and 5 individuals with disabilities qualified.
• In response to the recommendation to include the 2SLGBTQI+ community in the Employment Equity Act, and in keeping with the department’s mandate, WAGE is committed to proactively advancing 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion. We are incorporating relevant questions into recruitment self-declaration questionnaires.
• WAGE is currently working with employees in renewing its Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Strategy and Action Plan (IDEASAP) for 2024-2027, as well as its Indigenous Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement Strategy and Action Plan (IRRASAP) 2024-2027. Actions emerging from the plan are embedded in departmental plans and reporting, with transparent reporting to employees and adjustment annually.
• Recognizing the barrier faced by some members of employment equity and equity-seeking groups regarding official languages, WAGE has actively promoted and used non-imperative appointments in specific cases.

Given our relatively low number of employees, some data would also need to be suppressed for protection of privacy, a challenge that would persists even with improved data capacity. Our ongoing networking with other government departments, including other small departments and agencies who may have developed tools and approaches given their longer history, will help us make progress.

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).

As a department whose mandate is fundamentally about equality and equity, WAGE employees live and breathe inclusion. Inclusion is an ongoing goal, and it is often in the eye of the beholder. We are focused on ensuring every employee feels included, knows they have a right to expect it, and a safe channel to speak up about a sense of lack of inclusion they may be experiencing.

The formal transfer of the 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat to our more broadly mandated organization in 2021 was a critical milestone for WAGE in becoming a more inclusive organization. While the organization was welcoming, in some respects, given the pandemic and the rapid growth WAGE experienced in the first few years after its creation, the work of full integration and inclusion is still under way.  

While we value Public Service Employee Survey results, Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey data, and qualitative feedback obtained through consultations with our networks, we are more reliant on real-time feedback that the Deputy Minister (DM), Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) and Directors General (DG) obtain directly from employees through quarterly DM all-staff and ADM all-staff meetings, twice annual skip-level discussions, and informal discussions with employee networks. We are in the process of developing and implementing a departmental exit survey to gather additional insights.

We have also made strides in fostering inclusion through various initiatives. Three out of four of our 2023-24 Corporate Commitments focused on promoting wellness, inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, and anti-racism, with tailored performance indicators integrated into staff performance agreements across all levels. In particular, we emphasized within manager Performance Management Assessments (PMA) the importance of supporting employees in participating in networks or committees, recognizing their vital role in providing safe spaces and belonging, and helping to build our culture. This is especially important in a small department where people have small work teams that may not provide opportunities to connect with people who have similar experiences and identities. Other examples include:

• All employees must complete a minimum of four hours of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) and anti-racism training, reflected and tracked in performance agreements. They are supported in taking that time to learn and reflect and develop greater empathy and understanding of others and their experiences and identities.
• We organize events and mark with all-staff communication occasions such as Black History Month celebrations and 2SLGBTQI+ commemorative days and support bi-monthly learning events to commemorate days of importance to Indigenous peoples, including National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
• We work closely with the Ombuds for Small Departments and Agencies, with regular management meetings on overall trends as well as support in specific cases being sought and having been helpful to team dynamics on a number of occasions.
• We use and disseminate information on inclusive language department-wide to prevent discrimination based on factors such as sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, origin, culture, language, abilities, or age. Our department's efforts were recognized through nominations for the Government of Canada’s Communications Awards of Excellence 2024.
• The Pride Network, guided by member feedback and the LGBT Purge Fund Report: Emerging from the Purge, actively monitors initiatives from the Public Service Pride Network. Collaborating closely with the 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat, within WAGE, it advances inclusion by contributing to overarching departmental and Government of Canada (GC) objectives. Committed to promoting equality, the Pride Network participates in corporate initiatives like the Pride Flag raising on Parliament Hill, reinforcing our dedication to promoting equality and inclusion.

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?)?

Our main and most important reporting is to employees. As noted, the arbiters of whether we have a diverse and inclusive organization, in our view, are the people we work with. We open up dialogue in quarterly all-staff virtual town halls, with the DM, and the two ADMs answering questions from staff that are often focused on issues of inclusion, diversity and equity as key values for our organization and for everyone who is attracted to come and help deliver on our mandate. Besides the Public Service Employee Survey and required reporting such as the Accessibility Action Plan 2022-2024 - Progress Report 2023 and Departmental Reports, we embed reporting on these issues through a Friday message to all staff that the Deputy Minister writes each week. Feedback from WAGE staff indicate that this weekly communication is well received and has helped foster a sense of inclusion and cohesion no matter where staff members are located.

WAGE’s employee networks also track the progress against their own goals as they see fit. For example, WAGE’s Pride Network also assesses its progress against the recommendations of the LGBT Purge Fund Report, with a key performance indicator being the frequency of its meetings. The network aims for monthly gatherings and bi-monthly meetings of its Governing Committee, tracking consultation activities, feedback provision, and interactions with senior management.

WAGE recognizes the critical importance of both qualitative and quantitative data and is developing an approach for measuring progress as part of our IDEASAP and IRRASAP.

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.
• 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.

As noted, our goals for diversity and inclusion are organizational. We take an enterprise approach to resource and workforce management, as a small department, including all of our hiring, promotion and developmental opportunities. In August 2023, WAGE established a Workforce Management Committee (WMC), which focuses on ensuring an equity lens to review demonstrated efforts made by management to increase diversity and development for members of equity-seeking groups.

To reinforce our commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace culture, WAGE has implemented Corporate Commitments that include mandatory training on inclusion, accessibility, diversity, and anti-racism. Since 2023-24, all employee performance management agreements (including executives) include a minimum of four hours dedicated to this type of learning and reflection.

We have also implemented an Inclusion Stewards program aimed at identifying and mitigating biases in performance management, initially for executives with plans to extend to non-executive staff in the coming years.

While talent management for executives with a focus on diversity has been part of WAGE’s organizational strategy since its creation in late 2018, WAGE will conduct its first talent management exercise for non-executive employees this year. Consultations are planned with EE and equity seeking employees to ensure that the design of any new talent management initiatives are inclusive and accessible.

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.  

As noted, WAGE’s small size means that sponsorship and support is broad-based. The DM meets with and mentors any individuals across government that ask to meet her (more than 25 meetings in 2023-24) as do the ADMs, DGs and Directors. The executive champions of employee networks have developed trusted relationships with members of the networks and are often called upon to provide mentorship and guidance in areas ranging from development and promotion to conflict management.

To support career advancement opportunities for employees within EE groups, WAGE participates in the Mosaic Program. One of our ADMs is currently sponsoring our Mosaic candidate, demonstrating a strong commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within our department. Building upon this foundation, we are currently assessing options as a small department for a practical and WAGE-appropriate approach to sponsorship, recognizing its pivotal role in fostering career development opportunities for employees from EE and equity-seeking groups.

In tandem with these efforts, our department is actively implementing the Mentorship Plus Program, tailored to provide targeted support to EE and equity-seeking employees. We have received an abundance of positive feedback from executives thus far, underscoring their dedication to nurturing talent and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.

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.

In the last year, the DM agreed with the management team that all new student hiring should prioritize candidates from Indigenous or Persons with Disability pools, followed by candidates from racialized or 2SLGBTQI+ communities. When not feasible, management is required to provide detailed explanations regarding efforts made. This is still in effect for our current student recruitment process.

Senior management has also provided clear guidance to leverage pools from external organizations to support our staffing needs and EE representation based on the workforce availability estimates. Specifically, we have tapped into the Public Service Commission's (PSC) student pools. Additionally, for information and technology (IT) recruitment, we have used the Indigenous pool available through Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). 

In terms of innovative hiring practices, the department leverages the Public Service Pride Network and the Black Employees Network (BEN) for at-level recruitment of employees. A recruitment campaign was also launched by networking in the communities for a two-spirit advisor, which was ultimately successful.

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?

WAGE collaborated with employee networks to gather valuable insights into their priorities. Drawing from their feedback, recommendations were developed to improve and prioritize access to official languages training for EE and equity-seeking group employees. As a result, this initiative has been integrated into both strategic documents, with plans to update the 2022-2025 Official Languages Plan accordingly.

Feedback from consultations with EE employees within our department has also highlighted the significant barrier posed by official languages (OL) training, particularly for Indigenous employees. Similarly, the GC has identified OL training as a substantial barrier for persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, and individuals from racialized groups. To address these barriers and facilitate the advancement of EE employees, WAGE is currently reviewing its current OL training program and considering options for addressing the needs, including through potential partnerships with larger organizations with a critical mass of OL training programming.

WAGE has traditionally offered part-time group language training opportunities for all employees needing supports. In terms of full-time language training, WAGE has recently established prioritization criteria to help management determine which employees should be prioritized, keeping in mind the requirements of the Official Languages Act and government-wide directives on managerial OL capacity. Indigenous employees, Black, and other racialized employees are considered a priority for career development, following mandatory training requirements for non-imperative appointments as mandated by legislation.

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

Given WAGE's small size, such an endeavour is beyond our resource capacity. We continue to have discussions within the Indigenous Employees Network for creative options around addressing needs, as they are identified, which may in the future require partnerships with larger organizations.

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.

WAGE recognizes the importance of encouraging employees to participate in our various networks. As per response to question 2, a departmental objective was created so that all members of networks of committees could reflect this important contribution in their performance agreements, ensuring employees have the time and encouragement to participate various activities and commemorative events. It should also be noted that this includes Senior management, with our DM making a point of personally attending each of these events.

WAGE’s networks are supported by champions at the executive level, with governing committees or chairs, and co-champions wherever possible to broaden and deepen executive support, learning and organizational focus on the specific needs of employees participating in networks. Over the past year, WAGE has increased its’ support to the networks through dedicated resources, which has allowed us to be more holistic and strategic about embedding diversity and inclusion into our business and our people management operations.

Examples of innovative practices include working with network members on identifying their needs when champions are being identified, to ensure proper fit and appropriate skills and qualities. This was recently done by the DM working directly with the Persons with Disabilities Network, facilitated by the Human Resources (HR) Branch.

• Feedback from the Pride Network -  The Network convenes monthly, with its Governing Committee meeting bimonthly to lead discussions and set agendas. This committee is supported by WAGE Diversity and Inclusion Co-champions.
• Feedback from the BEN - Network established several years ago, meets monthly to discuss and reflect on the realities of racism, discrimination, and the barriers they face within the public service. The network operates under the umbrella of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and by one of the Diversity and Inclusion Co-champions.
• Feedback from Indigenous Employees Network (IEN) - The Network was established a number of years ago but has struggled to maintain momentum as previous chairs and members were predominantly term employees. Since late 2023, two indeterminate co-chairs have led the IEN and with the support of an Executive Champion, have met with the Knowledge Centre for Indigenous Inclusion to discuss career development, and mentorship opportunities. As a small network, they have begun to make connections to other departmental networks to learn best practices and this fiscal, dedicated resources has been identified within the Champion’s budget to support opportunities to be identified by the IEN members.

While there is no specific departmental budget allocated for employee networks, WAGE carefully considers ad hoc funding requests for events chaired by the Champions or the Networks, including provisions for honorariums and event planning support, and official languages considerations incorporated.

At the departmental management table, Champions of networks are asked to share their perspectives not only based on their business mandates, but also on what they are hearing from network members, in terms of needs or concerns or opportunities. Network members and employees speaking up at values and ethics discussions, for example, consistently prioritize early involvement, ongoing and regular communication, and sufficient time to prepare and participate. On the last point, we are hearing that employees engage in network activities in addition to their regular duties, without dedicated time or resources. In response to this feedback, we are committed to ensuring meaningful engagement is built in from the beginning. A more formal recognition of the time required for employees will be reinforced and communicated more frequently to management and all employees, which is reflected in our new IDEASAP and IRRASAP. We will continue to regularly communicate and promote our work and progress against our goals. There is also a dedicated effort at the enterprise level to reduce administrative burdens, which should help to enable employees to dedicate more time to participating in these networks.

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.

As noted, WAGE’s legislated mandate is to advance equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression through the inclusion of women and 2SLGBTQI+ people in every aspect of Canada’s social, economic, and political life. As such, anti-racism and IDEA principles are at the core of the interests, aspirations and passion of our employees. These components are embedded in our organizational framework and are seamlessly integrated into our Departmental Plan (DP), Integrated Business Plan (IBP), and departmental objectives for all employees as part of our Performance Management Program, and they are foundational to all we do in terms of people management and engagement. Our employees would expect and deserve no less.

WAGE continues to implement its Mental Health and Well-being in the Workplace Action Plan (2024 to 2025). Numerous tailored initiatives have been implemented in support of anti-racism, equity and inclusion. These initiatives have been developed in collaboration with LifeSpeak through Health Canada. As an illustration, here are a few of the shared focus sessions:

• Racism and its impacts on mental health
• How do we navigate the health care system as racialized people
• Processing feelings related to experiencing racism
• Managing stress associated with parenting a racialized child
• Empowerment in the healing journey of Indigenous people
• Promoting cultural safety to support Indigenous mental health and well-being
• Understanding menopause: treatments and coping strategies

Additionally, as part of WAGE's Employee Engagement strategy, a newly launched Enterprise Leadership Series was designed to cultivate leadership skills, preparing our leaders for future challenges, and empowering them to drive the department’s mandate. This learning series, developed in partnership with the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) and facilitated by CSPS subject matter experts, focuses on fostering a growth mindset, contextual intelligence, and human-centricity in leadership practices. It directly supports the Clerk’s Call to Action by promoting an inclusive leadership culture that nurtures psychological safety, values diversity and empowers all voices.

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.
• Work is underway to develop this calendar at my organization.

If the calendar already exists, please provide additional details on how this calendar is communicated or promoted within your organization.  

WAGE has crafted an extensive calendar of commemorative dates with input from the Champions, employee networks, IDEA OL Team and the Communications group. Currently Champions messages are communicated to the IDEA Employee Network marking commemorative dates and are highlighted during Senior Executive Committee Meetings. Our next initiative involves convening all IDEA stakeholders, including the Mental Health Team, IDEA OL Team, 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat, Communications, and Indigenous Reconciliation Partnerships. Collaboratively, with input from employee networks and IDEA committees, we aim to formulate the commemorative celebrations approach for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

These key dates are flagged in advance by our IDEA Champion to all executives at their weekly meeting not only creating awareness to all employees but will also help to avoid meetings and events during significant religious, spiritual, and cultural observances. This aligns with our ongoing commitment to prioritize inclusivity and underscores the importance of respecting these observances, as emphasized in our Deputy’s weekly Friday messages, where she regularly highlights various religious, spiritual, and cultural observances.

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.

As a small department of approximately 450 Full-time Employees (FTE), our resources (both human and financial) significantly influence our ability to effectively implement IDEA initiatives and support all our employee networks. Resource constraints also have a direct impact on employees from networks who find it difficult to advance work related to their networks while continuing to deliver on their regular work, as mentioned previously. Consequently, collaboration, and consultations to advance our various activities - can be affected and take longer. One of the solutions to mitigate this is to look for common goals and needs across networks – is the goal of greater HR Branch coordination and engagement, and of more deliberate discussions at the management table among executive champions supporting the network. A specific concern that has been brought to light through our employee networks is that budget reductions have resulted in ending temporary employment situations, which has raised questions about the specific impact on Indigenous, Black, and other racialized employees occupying temporary position. EE self-declaration of all employees, whether term or indeterminate, is a question that is always reviewed by the Workforce Management Committee to ensure it is a top consideration on decision-making with respect to resource availability.

WAGE faces a significant challenge in effectively measuring progress due to the limited capacity and maturity of its HR data capabilities. This includes challenges in effectively extracting, preparing, analyzing, and disseminating quality data to decision makers, advisors, and employee groups in a timely manner.

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 Diversity and Inclusion Committee at WAGE convenes representatives from various employee networks, as well as other interested employees from diverse backgrounds, including those from marginalized groups to meet with Champions and HR. These meetings provide a safe space to discuss issues related to intersectionality and the IDEA community. Furthermore, we have implemented a mandatory Gender-Based Analysis Plus course to ensure that all employees who are onboarded at WAGE can discern how diverse identity and social factors intersect.

The engagement of executive champions at the management table, in directly speaking to the issues and perspectives raised by network members that they support, provides important opportunities for horizontal dialogue and collaboration on common challenges and needs.

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. 

Members of employee networks felt a sense of validation upon reviewing the forward direction of the Call to Action. The explicit acknowledgment of inequality and inequity issues was embraced by WAGE employees, who have a deep commitment to justice in these areas. Employees consistently seek information and explanation, as they should, of how the principal objectives of the Call to Action are embedded, addressed, genuinely demonstrated and transparently communicated in the way we operate.

The forward direction of the Call to Action recognizes that dismantling systemic barriers demands substantive shifts in longstanding practices. This approach prioritizes the experiences of employees who confront these barriers daily. A pivotal principle guiding this direction is "Nothing without us," which has guided WAGE in the development of its strategies, action plans, and progress reports. Employees from EE and equity-seeking groups are actively engaged in the development of these documents, ensuring their perspectives are reflected, collaborated upon, and validated.

A good example of our individual-centric approaches has been in the work we have done and continue to do with respect to hybrid workplace, with specific individual needs and considerations being heard and acted on while ensuring overall compliance with the policy. We are continuing to strive towards ensuring, with the support of the executive team and all managers, that the full characteristics of individuals and their particular circumstances are considered and recognized in the way they are supported to do their best.