Copyright Board of 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?

N/A

Question 2

Has your organization fully implemented department-specific training plans?

• No

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

As a micro-organization of under 25 employees and an annual budget of $4.2 million, the Copyright Board (the Board)’s training plans make use of existing resources and tools to ensure its employees are aware of their values and ethics obligations as public servants. At present, new employees at the Board are required to take specific courses with the Canada School of Public Service on values and ethics and related topics, including preventing harassment and violence in the workplace, understanding unconscious bias, leading diversity, reflecting on indigenous perspectives, gender-based analysis+. These learning requirements are tracked through their performance agreements and learning plans. Every employee has annual corporate commitments in the performance agreements, including sound stewardship of corporate resources and individual contribution to a safe and inclusive workplace.

The Board also shares resources and best practices with other administrative tribunals, fostering a tailored approach that promotes informed and arms-length decision-making, while serving the public interest as part of the core public administration. More recently, these shared resources are supporting internal discussions about our Code of Conduct as a basis for more concrete applications of values and ethics in a micro-organization, and independent administrative tribunal, and a workplace with many different types of professionals with their own codes of practice. Our Code is currently in draft form, and being finalised thanks to active participation of employees and Board Members. The intention is to complete this process by December 2024, publish an updated version of the Code, and make any determination about additional or complementary required training at that time. 

Part II. Codes of conduct

Question 3

Has your organization reviewed its code of conduct?

• My organization is in the process of reviewing 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?

As noted above, our Code of Conduct in draft form is currently being finalized and will be presented again to all employees and Board members for their final contribution in the Fall 2024. Management has committed to simplifying the Code of Conduct, and working with other organizations to more concretely tailor some of the Code to our specific context as an independent administrative tribunal. The aim being to complete and publish the revised Code of Conduct by December 2024.

Question 5

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

• My organization is in the process of updating 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.

N/A

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
• All-staff engagements (e.g., town halls)
• Inclusion in employees’ performance and talent management cycle discussions

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

At the Board, we have monthly on-site all-staff meetings where we regularly discuss personal and collective behaviours that align with Public Service values and ethics. Most recently, our efforts have focused on implementing our accessibility plan, championing both official languages, and discussing strategies for collaboration in a diverse environment.

In addition, every year, before new performance management agreements are developed, senior management meets with all staff to present and discuss corporate commitments for all employees. Generally, these commitments concretize personal responsibility for supporting an inclusive and safe workplace, and ensuring that public resources dedicated to the Board are used to serve Canadians in keeping with our obligations as a part of the core public administration and as an independent administrative tribunal.

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
• Integrated in career succession planning (e.g., supervisor, manager, director)

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

In addition to the measures described above, senior management has recently prioritized a more formal approach to talent management with specific reference to the key leadership competencies provided by the Treasury Board Secretariat. All managers must have talent management plans in place by mid-year, including discussions on upholding integrity and respect.

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?

In particular, recent discussions with employees have raised issues around how all the different parts fit together – various terms and conditions of employment, various directives and policies, various expectations as articulated by Treasury Board Secretariat as the employer, by the Board as management, by Board members as decision-makers, by different professional standards and codes of conduct (e.g. as a lawyer), etc. The complexity of the matrix can make it challenging to navigate and provide specific and concrete practices that align with our Code of Conduct. However, in spite of the complexity, or perhaps because of it, there is an exciting level of engagement and interest across the Board as we go through these processes.

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)?

As a micro-organization, we are able to adjust quickly as required. For example, we were able to quickly adjust internal plans for employee consultations on accessibility in order to increase participation rate. We will do the same as required for other activities related to our Code of Conduct. For example, we plan to remind employees of the specialised services available through our partnership with Health Canada, proving them access to an Ombuds, to Harassment and Violence professionals, and to Alternative Dispute Resolution. This fiscal year, we are also undertaking a risk assessment for harassment and violence in our workplace. This will become a specific study in which we will solicit employee participation.

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)?

N/A

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)?

In the past, Board management has used its analysis of the Public Service Employee Survey to analyse, prioritize, and engage employees around issues of values and ethics in daily work. The Board also uses anonymous employee surveys to track internal information about workplace health and employee well-being. In any survey or anonymous check-in, it is always a trick in a small organization to ensure that sharing results do not inadvertently identify the views of specific individuals.

A discussion about measuring Code of conduct results will take place this Fall in the context of its finalization. It is worth noting, also, that the Board looks for and adapts existing tools and resources wherever possible and appropriate, given its own small size and limited budget.

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)?

We appreciate the tools, resources, and training provided by central agencies in supporting these conversations. We have made good use of them.

Given that Board staff work in a micro-organization, a positive next step would be to find more opportunities to explore values and ethics and related themes in a horizontal and more diverse context. These kinds of multi-departmental task forces or facilitated discussions across organizations were created in the past. Unlike employees in bigger departments, people in smaller organizations do not have as many opportunities to be exposed to different and diverse perspectives on values and ethics in-house. In addition, these initiatives offer them an opportunity to contribute to the broader federal conversation.