Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
Letter on Implementation of the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion

Summer 2021 update

Dear Madam Clerk:

In response to the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service launched by the Clerk of the Privy Council to Public Service leadership on January 22, 2021, I issued a statement last April against racism, bias and discrimination as an Agent of Parliament and as the Information Commissioner of Canada. This statement is enclosed.

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are objectives I take very seriously. It is essential to create a workplace where racism, bias and discrimination are not tolerated. Not to do so would be simply unacceptable.

In my April 6 statement sent by email to all employees of the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada (OIC) and published on the organization’s intranet site, I clearly committed to taking concrete actions that will serve as the foundation for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive OIC. Thus, I ensured that the following measures were implemented at the OIC over the last few months. Further concrete actions will also be taken in the next year.

Measures taken

• As Commissioner, I shared my statement with the OIC personnel and promote activities and initiatives supporting all forms of diversity. In addition to highlighting the importance of confronting our own biases, I encouraged all employees of my Office to educate themselves on the obstacles their colleagues who are members of equity-seeking groups may face.
• The OIC has implemented an advisory subcommittee for equity, diversity and inclusion. This subcommittee aims to identify any issues related to equity, diversity and inclusion within the OIC and make recommendations on concrete and effective measures to implement in order to address these issues.
• The OIC is working with other Agents of Parliament to share best practices for fighting against racism, bias and discrimination. This collaboration strengthened existing governance and extended the communication channels between Agents of Parliament on the topic of equity, diversity and inclusion.
• The OIC is working to eliminate first-level obstacles in its staffing activities by redacting the names of applicants during selection processes. This measure aims to eliminate biases related to racism, ethnicity and ageism during the hiring process.
• The OIC is ensuring that the performance agreement of the Chief Human Resources Officer and that of each director and manager includes a work objective with the purpose of concretely addressing the fight against racism and promoting equity and inclusion in our daily activities, whether in staffing activities, in awareness and training sessions or as part of professional development programs for employees and management.

Measures to take

• The OIC will review its code of conduct and ethics. Emphasis will be placed on behaviours and actions in accordance with the values stated by the Treasury Board Secretariat.
• An action plan is being developed. It includes the implementation of a professional development program in leadership for managers who identify as members of equity-seeking groups.
• The OIC will ensure that the performance agreement of each employee includes a work objective with the purpose of concretely addressing the fight against racism and promote equity and inclusion in our daily activities.
• The OIC will implement the recent amendments to the Public Service Employment Act when they come into effect. These amendments aim to strengthen diversity and inclusion and eliminate or mitigate bias and obstacles facing equity-seeking groups.
• The OIC intends to multiply its initiatives to raise employee awareness of the issues surrounding equity, diversity and inclusion during the next year.

As you can see, there is a true willingness to foster dialogue and bring about real change within my Office. While we are still in the preliminary phase of our action plan, we have already identified priority measures, which include reviewing our staffing processes, and will make sure to consult equity-seeking groups to guarantee the relevance and effectiveness of our measures.

I am confident that the employees at the OIC will welcome these initiatives with great enthusiasm. I will be happy to share our challenges and results with you as we progress toward implementing a truly diverse and inclusive workforce and workplace.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Maynard
Information Commissioner of Canada

Commissioner
Information Commissioner of Canada
Statement of Action Against Systemic Racism, Bias and Discrimination

I acknowledge that I am responsible and accountable for my individual decisions, actions and advice, and that I am expected to lead by example.

In order to contribute to the achievement of a diverse and inclusive workforce and workplace, where systemic racism, bias and discrimination are not tolerated, I commit to:

• Become self‐aware of personal biases and privilege, and how they impact my behaviours, decisions and advice;
• Educate myself on the nature of micro‐ aggressions and eliminate these actions/inactions/words from my behaviour;
• Practice active allyship by: facilitating the establishment of networks for members of BIPOC* communities and other equity‐seeking groups; enabling mentorship and sponsorship relationships; creating opportunities to include and value the lived experience of equity‐seeking group members in decision‐making bodies;
• Set an example for managers and employees to become self‐aware of their own personal biases and privileges, and how they impact their behaviours and decisions;
• Provide support and tools to managers and employees to address personal and systemic racism, biases and discrimination in their workplaces;
• Seek out and challenge norms and practices that contribute to systemic racism, bias and discrimination, particularly in the areas of recruitment, assessment, hiring and talent management practices;
• Advance the review of all organizational people management policies and practices to identify and correct systemic racism and barriers to members of BIPOC* communities and other equity‐seeking group members, in order to enable equitable participation by all employees; and
• Enhance the feeling of belonging for members of equity‐seeking groups by actively demonstrating and promoting respect for diversity, inclusive practices, and dignity for all.

Caroline Maynard
Information Commissioner of Canada