Courts Administration Service

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?

• No

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?

The Courts Administration Service (CAS) has developed an action plan on Values and Ethics, which includes a section pertaining to training. The action plan also includes a number of activities that take into consideration the Values and Ethics pillars.

We currently use the Canada School of Public Service's (CSPS) mandatory Values and Ethics training and Values and Ethics learning path. Beginning in June 2024, facilitated conversations on Values and Ethics will take place, as well as a review of our internal training (welcome sessions, onboarding program, etc.). Our internal training will be revised to include elements of the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, as well as the CAS Code of Conduct and the CAS Directive on Conflict of Interest.

The Values and Ethics section on our intranet is being updated to incorporate our revised Values and Ethics training and increase visibility and accessibility. On-going feedback will be sought from our employees throughout the summer 2024 to ensure that our approach/plan is beneficial to all our employees.

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 mentioned above, as part of the values and ethics exercise, CAS has developed an action plan, including a section focused on training. This action plan includes conversations at both senior management and employee levels, which will begin in June 2024. The insights and feedback collected from these conversations will be used to update the CAS Code of Conduct and inform the development of other tools needed to support values and ethics within the organization.

The action plan also indicates that internal training (welcome sessions, executive welcome sessions, etc.) will be reviewed during the months of June and July 2024 to add (or modify) elements of the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, the CAS Code of Conduct, and the CAS Conflict of Interest Directive. The action plan will be implemented by March 31, 2025.

The action plan also includes accountability measures for managers regarding the completion of mandatory training. The completion rate for mandatory Values and Ethics training provided by the Canada School of Public Service is currently at 94% for employees and at 92% for managers.

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?

CAS had completed a review of its Code of Conduct and is preparing to publish it in its current form in June 2024, following the release of the Deputy Ministers' Task Force on Values and Ethics Report to the Clerk of the Privy Council (the “Report”).

The publication of the Report requires the CAS Code of Conduct to be reviewed further to ensure alignment with the elements included in the Report.

The conversations on Values and Ethics will provide valuable insights and will enable us to gather further information on aspects related to Values and Ethics, which have been identified as issues by employees. Some of these elements will also allow an opportunity for us to revise the Code of Conduct, while developing or revising some of the policy instruments currently in effect at CAS.

It should also be noted that the next version of the CAS Code of Conduct will include monitoring and reporting activities. Like the current CAS Code of Conduct, the revised CAS Code of Conduct will apply to both employees and senior management.

The revised CAS Code of Conduct and training components will be finalized by the end of fall 2024, in tandem with organizational conversations, and in accordance with our operational and strategic priorities.

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.

As mentioned previously, CAS revised its Code of Conduct in 2023 and we were preparing to publish it when the Report of the Deputy Ministers' Task Force on Values and Ethics to the Clerk of the Privy Council was released. The CAS Code of Conduct in its current version will be published in June 2024 on the CAS intranet site.

The publication of the Deputy Ministers' Task Force on Values and Ethics Report to the Clerk of the Privy Council has resulted in the CAS Code of Conduct requiring further revision. For the reasons mentioned above, we anticipate that this new version of our Code of Conduct will be more useful to all our employees. Our goal is that employees will identify more easily with the revised version of the Code, given the more active role they will have played in its development.

The next revision of the CAS Code of Conduct will also take into consideration environment, context and emerging risks, which will serve as a backdrop for the results of the conversations with CAS employees and executives.

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)
• 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.

The activities or actions CAS is undertaking or has undertaken to foster a conversation at all levels about personal responsibility for upholding public service values and ethics are as follows:

• CAS offered several in-house training sessions that included values and ethics components (e.g., Bilingual Information Session on Informal Conflict Management Services, Employee Lunch & Learn: The Bystander Approach to Maintaining a Respectful and Civilized Workplace, Difficult and Complex Customers / De-escalation Training, etc.).
• CAS prepares an annual report on health and activities that are included in the Values and Ethics program.
• CAS undertook consultations with various groups on the Code of Conduct and the Conflict of Interest Directive.
• CAS has developed an action plan on Values and Ethics, which includes a number of concrete actions rolling-out this fiscal year.
• CAS has hired a dedicated resource to lead and facilitate conversations with employees and executives. These conversations will begin on June 17, 2024 with all CAS Executives. This Initial facilitated session will be held with executives, including the Chief Administrator and Chief Executive Officer; the Deputy Chief Administrator, Judicial and Registry Services; the Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer; the Director General, Human Resources; and the Chief Digital Officer. The results of the facilitated sessions will be incorporated into the revised CAS Code of Conduct.
• The Values and Ethics intranet site is currently being revised to ensure that its content is up-to-date and reflects new initiatives undertaken as part of the Deputy Ministers' Task Force on Values and Ethics Report to the Clerk of the Privy Council; the site will also promote organizational initiatives, Values and Ethics training and performance management.
• A communications plan is being developed to support the action plan and incorporate all activities relating to values and ethics. With this in mind, the aim is for communications to be optimal and visible, and for activities to be successfully completed.
• The mandate of the current Champion of Respect and Civility in the Workplace was renewed in May 2024, and her title was changed to Champion of Values and Ethics.

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

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

CAS is taking or has taken steps to ensure that conversations about personal responsibility for public service values and ethics take place on an ongoing basis. To this end, CAS undertook the following activities:

• The onboarding process for new employees is currently being reviewed to include a new section relating to values and ethics.
• A directive will be issued to ensure that measures pertaining to values and ethics are incorporated into employees' professional development plans and mandatory learning plans.
• Measures pertaining to values and ethics will be incorporated into career and succession planning.
• Conversations on values and ethics will be held with all employees, managers, and executives on an ongoing basis starting in June 2024. These conversations will take the form of scenarios to which participants will be asked to provide responses; these responses will nurture conversations as well as further exploration of concepts related to values and ethics, the CAS Code of Conduct and the CAS Conflict of Interest Directive.
• A directive to include values and ethics elements in performance management not only for employees, but also for managers and Executives will be issued.
• Internal training will be revised to add or update the values and ethics sections.
• The values and ethics intranet site will be updated to ensure visibility and accessibility of values and ethics information; this will enable ongoing feedback on values and ethics.

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?

The recurring themes emerging from conversations with employees are currently limited, as CAS has not yet held broad-scale conversations with all employees.

However, following discussions that have taken place at different levels and on various topics with employees and managers, the following have emerged:

• Social media - what can and cannot be posted on Facebook, Instagram, etc.? What are the impacts of these postings by an employee and on their job?
• Political activities - what constitutes a political activity? What are the impacts of posting political preferences on social media or elsewhere?
• Conflicts of interest - What constitutes a conflict of interest? Why may an additional job constitute a conflict of interest?
• Code of conduct - What behaviours are expected both in and outside of the workplace?
• Duty of loyalty - What is it? What are the consequences of breaching the duty of loyalty?
• Preventing harassment and violence in the workplace - What are the distinctions between harassment and management rights? What constitutes harassment?
• Performance management - How can it be used effectively to address performance or behavioural issues?
• Duty to accommodate - How does it work?
• Civility and respect in the workplace.
• Direction on prescribed presence in the workplace - Why is it not applied consistently?

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)?

Learning activities will be developed based on the recurring themes identified in discussion sessions starting in June 2024.

At present, all in-house CAS training is being reviewed to determine if information on values and ethics, the CAS Code of Conduct and the CAS Conflict of Interest Directive should be incorporated. The first training courses to be reviewed are the CAS welcome sessions, which are intended for managers and supervisors, among others.

As for the discussion sessions, they are structured in such a way that the facilitator first shares scenarios and then leads a conversation based on the various responses provided by the participants. The facilitator then connects the feedback received with the values and ethics theme. It should be noted that the theme of values and ethics is addressed in these sessions as outlined in the CAS Code of Conduct, the CAS Conflict of Interest Directive as well as the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.

In the past, and on other topics, this approach to training has been appreciated by employees and has led to a number of observations, while allowing to further explore certain topics that may have seemed dry at first glance. These sessions will be held several times per year, with both employees, managers and executives. This approach will enable us to adjust the action plan, as required.

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)?

In the past, measures or learning activities that have particularly helped to foster conversations within CAS included the following:

• Discussions at the various management tables, which allowed information to be shared and informal discussions. This approach was particularly useful in the context of discussions relating to the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES).
• The “conversation” formula, which will begin in June 2024, is an effective approach for addressing challenging issues and obtaining buy-in from employee and management. As mentioned previously, this approach to training has been appreciated by employees and has led to a number of observations, while allowing to further explore certain topics that may have seemed dry at first glance. These sessions will be held several times per year, with both employees, managers and executives. This approach will enable us to adjust the action plan as required.
• Access to all training documents through the BrightSpace application, a specialized learning management system, is also a feature that employees and managers appreciate. This item could also generate discussions.
• Access to the relevant documentation (e.g. policies, directives, etc.) on our intranet site also encourages discussion at various levels. In the same vein, it should be noted that documents presented in the form of “Questions and Answers” are particularly conducive to discussions. 

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)?

The indicators that will be used to measure employees' increased knowledge of the role of values and ethics in their daily work are as follows:

• CAS will use PSES data to measure employees' knowledge of values and ethics in their daily work, and of the resources available to them.
• Following the training sessions, a questionnaire to assess the level satisfaction and knowledge of participants will be issued to learners to determine if there has been an improvement in their knowledge of values and ethics.
• The number of grievances and complaints filed in relation to values and ethics, the CAS Code of Conduct or the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.
• The number of visits and users accessing the Values and Ethics intranet site.
• CAS may also consider using quick surveys to determine the level of knowledge of employees, managers and executives with regard to values and ethics.
• The number of inquiries received by the Champion of Values and Ethics.
• The number of questions/inquiries pertaining Values and Ethics, CAS Code of Conduct and CAS Conflict of Interest Directive received by the Labour Relations Advisors.

Question 12

Will these indicators be disaggregated by identity factors?

• Yes

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)?

No.