Elections Canada

Part I. Values and ethics training plans

Question 1

Has your organization developed department-specific values and ethics training plans down to the divisional level?

• Yes

If not, to what level have department-specific values and ethics training plans been developed and what is your target time frame for completing this work?

Yes (partially). As a relatively small agency, Elections Canada (EC) relies on mandatory foundational training on values and ethics (V&E) provided by the Canada School of Public Service (FON 301 and FON 302) to inform its employees about its public sector V&E obligations.

In addition, considering the agency’s unique mandate, V&E requirements specific to the agency—including the obligation for employees to maintain strict political impartiality and neutrality at all times—are reinforced via a combination of activities.

These activities include:

1. the training of new employees;
2. specific training on specific V&E areas;
3. regular agency-wide communications;
4. focused engagements with sectors or employee groups;
5. the provision of V&E tools and guidance.

Of note, EC has developed a training video and SharePoint site to inform new employees of their agency-specific V&E obligations. Employee compliance with both public sector and organizational V&E requirements (including political impartiality) is also stated as a condition of employment in their letter of offer.

While EC does not routinely have V&E training at the divisional level, it has conducted ad hoc sessions on conflict of interest with specific sectors, senior leaders, and employee groups. Those responsible for specific V&E areas, such as workplace harassment and violence, also conduct their own training or focused engagements.

Question 2

Has your organization fully implemented department-specific training plans?

• No

If not, what is your target time frame for completing this work?

Elections Canada (EC) intends to:

1. Engage in a dialogue on values and ethics with its employees by the end of 2024;
2. Leverage the results of the dialogue with employees to revise its organizational code of conduct by the end of fiscal year 2024–2025.

The lessons learned from these two activities will then serve to instruct EC’s comprehensive revision of its department-specific training plans following the next federal general election.

Note: These activities are subject to election preparedness requirements, given that a fixed-date federal general election is anticipated in 2025.

Part II. Codes of conduct

Question 3

Has your organization reviewed its code of conduct?

• Yes, my organization has reviewed its code of conduct.

Question 4

If your organization is in the process of reviewing its code of conduct, what is your target time frame for completing the review?

Elections Canada will revise its organizational code of conduct by the end of fiscal year 2024–2025, following its dialogue on values and ethics with employees.

Note: These activities are subject to election preparedness requirements, given that a fixed-date federal general election is anticipated in 2025.

Question 5

If your organization has completed the review of its code of conduct, did this review lead to updates?

• Yes, my organization updated its code of conduct.

Please briefly describe the nature of any updates made (e.g., to clarify expected behaviours, to align with the emerging context, to include emerging risks) or explain why no updates were deemed necessary.

Not applicable, as Elections Canada is in the process of updating its organizational code of conduct by the end of fiscal year 2024–2025.

Part III. Discussions on personal accountability in upholding public service values and ethics

Question 6

What activities or actions has your organization undertaken to foster a conversation at all levels on personal accountability to uphold our public service values and ethics?

• Dedicated discussions at executive and management committee meetings
• Focused engagement sessions for specific functional areas (e.g., operations, finance, communications, policy, human resources)
• Focused engagement sessions on specific topics (e.g., conflicts of interest, social media, emerging technologies)
• Engagement sessions with equity groups, employee groups, networks and communities
• Inclusion in employees’ performance and talent management cycle discussions
• Specific values and ethics communications campaigns

Please provide additional details on activities that you have undertaken, including those not listed above.

Elections Canada (EC) regularly engages with employees on public sector and departmental values and ethics (V&E) considerations. EC’s V&E senior designated officers and champions, each responsible for a particular V&E area, work to promote and advance their respective V&E area throughout the agency.

Such activities have included:

1. Dedicated discussions with senior management: 
   • The senior designated officer for conflict of interest has a discussion twice a year on conflict of interest with the Chief Electoral Officer.
   • Discussions on V&E have been held with the Senior Management Forum and the Audit Committee.
   • Key V&E guidance material has been reviewed by various management committees. 
   • EC has also ensured that there is visible leadership from the top via a dedicated edition of the agency’s newsletter from the Chief Electoral Officer that reminded employees to disclose any conflict-of-interest situation that they may be in. 
2. Focused engagement discussions for specific functional areas: 
   • Conflict-of-interest information sessions are being held with some functional areas, such as the members of EC’s Political Financing group.
3. Specific V&E communication campaigns: 
   • EC regularly reminds employees of their obligation for political impartiality and neutrality in its newsletter (and at the outset of elections).

Question 7

Has your organization taken any actions to ensure that conversations on personal accountability to uphold our public service values and ethics occur on a continuing basis?

• Included as part of the onboarding process for new employees
• Incorporated in employees’ professional development and mandatory learning plans

Please provide details on activities that you have undertaken, including those not listed above.

Elections Canada (EC) reinforces the need for managers and employees engaging in regular conversations on personal accountability/values and ethics (V&E) obligations using a variety of activities and tools.

To this end, EC:

• Has made foundational training on V&E provided by the Canada School of Public Service mandatory for employees (FON 301) and managers (FON 302). 
• Has reinforced employee compliance with both public sector and organizational V&E requirements by making it a condition of employment in their letter of offer. 
• Ensures, as part of its onboarding process, that new employees are aware of the agency’s unique mandate and political impartiality requirements, have read the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, EC’s Code of Conduct and the Directive on Conflict of Interest, and will disclose within 60 days any conflict-of-interest situation they may be in.
• Regularly reminds its employees of the agency’s political impartiality and neutrality requirements via regular communications and guidance in manuals and other instruments.
• Encourages managers to discuss V&E considerations and obligations during performance and talent management cycle discussions with their employees. 

Some V&E key areas, such as official languages and diversity and inclusion, are part of the performance evaluation of executives. In addition, training on workplace harassment and violence, as well as on dignity and respect, is offered to employees.

Going forward, EC will review its V&E framework to see how it can reinforce V&E employee accountability at all levels. To this end, it will leverage the lessons learned from: a) its dialogue with employees on V&E; and b) its revision of its organizational code of conduct to revise its training plans, with the objective of better addressing the V&E needs of individual sectors, functional areas, and employee groups.

Part IV. Additional information

Question 8

What recurring themes (e.g., social media, emerging technology, conflicts of interest) have emerged from conversations with employees (e.g., students, new public servants, front-line service providers, managers, executives, members of functional/horizontal communities/employee networks) across your organization?

While a formal dialogue on values and ethics (V&E) has not yet taken place at Elections Canada (EC), key themes that have arisen from conversations on V&E with employees, managers, and executives and/or focused engagements include:

• Employees adhering to EC’s requirement for absolute political impartiality and neutrality while participating in activities outside the workplace;
• Balancing employee participation in/advocacy of social causes and events with public sector obligations and the requirement to maintain EC’s integrity and neutrality at all times;
• Employees adhering to conflict-of-interest requirements regarding procurement and contracting, as well as the acceptance of gifts and hospitality from suppliers and their participation in conferences and other supplier events.

Question 9

How have you adjusted your learning activities to address recurring themes (e.g., adjusted training plans, developed specific case studies, invited expert speakers to focus on emerging themes)?

Elections Canada (EC) has conducted the following activities to address these recurring themes:

• Participating in activities outside of the workplace: EC has developed Guiding Principles on Activities Outside the Workplace and conducted engagement sessions to educate employees and individual sectors on these guidelines.
• Balancing employee participation in/advocacy of social causes and events with public sector or agency obligations: EC is currently developing guidance to employees on this theme.
• Employees adhering to conflict-of-interest requirements regarding the acceptance of gifts and hospitality from suppliers: EC has sent out a notice in the agency newsletter reminding employees of how to proceed in these circumstances. 

Question 10

Are there any actions or learning activities that have been particularly successful in fostering conversations within your organization (e.g., new tools, creative approaches that have resonated well with employees and managers, meeting with small groups, equipping managers to lead conversations, equipping values and ethics office/practitioners)?

Elections Canada (EC) has conducted the following learning activities to foster these conversations within the organization: 

• Elections Canada (EC) has conducted scenario-based engagement sessions with employees on EC’s new Guiding Principles on Activities Outside the Workplace. 
• As part of its activities for Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, EC developed a Speaker Series where guest speakers sharing their lived experiences on subjects related to or impacting diversity and inclusion. An employee survey and employee forums were also conducted to engage in a dialogue on diversity and inclusion with employees.

Question 11

What indicators will be used to measure increased employee awareness of the role of values and ethics in their daily work (e.g., Public Service Employee Survey, pulse surveys, engagement with focus groups)?

Elections Canada will use several indicators to effectively gauge employee awareness of the role of values and ethics (V&E) in their daily work.

It will consider leveraging:

1. The results of surveys, such as the Public Service Employee Survey and possibly its own internal survey.
2. Results and feedback from:
   • Manager consultations with their staff, using tools and information provided by the V&E team.
   • Practical, scenario-based V&E engagement sessions with employees.
   • As required, focused engagement sessions with specific groups, such as functional areas, sectors, employee or manager groups.
   • As required, focused engagement sessions on specific V&E topics.

Question 12

Will these indicators be disaggregated by identity factors?

• No

Question 13

Is there any additional information that you would like to share regarding your organization’s work on values and ethics (e.g., to advance particular recommendations of the Deputy Ministers’ Task Team on Values and Ethics Report)?

Elections Canada (EC), while an independent agency of Parliament, supports the Clerk of the Privy Council’s expectations regarding his Call for Renewed Conversation on Values and Ethics and the Call for Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Public Service.

To this end, EC has reinforced to its senior leadership the importance of meeting the Clerk’s expectations in a timely manner (subject to the agency’s election preparedness requirements, given that a fixed-date federal general election is anticipated in 2025).