Health 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?

Health Canada (HC) is undertaking efforts to broaden and revitalize a solid foundation for Values and Ethics (V&E) within the department, with a view to shaping a deep understanding on how V&E underpins our role as public servants.

In relation to department-specific V&E training, HC employees at all levels have an obligation to live to the core values of the public sector in their decisions, behaviours, and work environments. V&E is the foundation on which to deal with conflicts of interest (COI), ethical dilemmas, harassment situations and other issues of workplace well-being.

To support employees identify and apply the key principles and policies related to V&E, the Department has developed a series of training plans at all levels of the organization:

• Mandatory Individual Training: All employees and managers were required to complete the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) V&E foundation courses by May 31, 2024, even if they had completed it in the past. These courses are a mandatory learning requirement for the department. Following communication to all staff outlining the requirement for V&E training, we saw a notable increase in the number of employees who completed the training. The department will continue to promote the importance of taking the CSPS courses and will regularly track progress with respect to completion.
• Onboarding and Performance Agreements: V&E discussions are a regular element of HC’s online onboarding program for new employees. Information on V&E and COI obligations are included in all letters of offer. A link to the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and the Directive on Conflict of Interest is also included in yearly performance agreements.
• V&E Training Plans and Internal Workshops: We are holding internal workshops on V&E where employees can learn about tools and resources for addressing ethical issues in the workplace, including COI and the disclosure of wrongdoing. Our COI Office has also developed its own COI-specific training, reference materials, and case studies. Finally, given its role in Canada’s health product and food regulatory process, our Health Products and Food Branch also developed COI training, reference materials, and case studies.

Moving forward, we will:

• Continue to hold internal workshops on V&E so that employees can learn about tools and resources available to help them address ethical issues in the workplace, including COI and the disclosure of wrongdoing, and to discuss the application of V&E in their everyday work;
• Maintain an evergreen inventory of V&E scenarios to support team discussions; and
• Support training tailored to functional groups by rolling out a pilot of V&E training specific to our science and regulatory communities. This targeted training will include a discussion about ethical considerations and scenarios applicable to science, input from HC’s Departmental Science Advisor (DSA), and a strong focus on scientific integrity. The aim is to provide employees with the tools and training needed to ensure their work is aligned with, and enabled by, our values. We expect to launch this training in Summer 2024.

Question 2

Has your organization fully implemented department-specific training plans?

• No

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

We are in progress to fully implement a department-specific training plan. As a science and regulatory organization, we do already have department-specific training in place that addresses key V&E areas. For example:

• The Health Products and Food Branch developed its own Conflict of Interest Policy and related training, given the role the branch plays in Canada’s health product and food regulatory process and the critical importance of maintaining the public’s trust in our decision-making.
• HC launched a Science Competency Development Roadmap, a tool that aims to share scientific knowledge, build trust, and enhance integrity and excellence by providing pathways to various science related topics including Scientific Integrity, an essential course that is strongly recommended for all employees as it supports our core public service values.
• The Annual Departmental Science Forum provides a highly interactive opportunity for the scientific community to share advances in science, and learn about new departmental initiatives. For example, at the recent forum, participants addressed ethical principles for risk management decision-making.

Given the renewed focus on V&E, we are now turning our attention to robust, practical training for our science and regulatory communities. As the department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, public trust in our work is imperative. We will work with our science and regulatory communities, including our Departmental Science Advsor, to roll-out V&E training specific to these core communities. The training will:

• target ethical considerations and scenarios applicable to science;
• further explore scientific integrity; and
• provide tools that will support employees in applying a V&E lens to their day-to-day work, science and decision-making.

This program is currently in development and will launch by Summer 2024.

We will also continue to update our V&E training, tools, and resources to remain relevant and reflect a changing environment.

We will also continue to update our V&E training, tools, and resources to remain relevant and reflect a changing environment.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?

HC will complete its review of the Code of Conduct, including consultations with relevant stakeholders, and launch the new Code in August.

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 per the recent Deputy Minister (DM) Task Team on Values and Ethics Report to the Clerk of the Privy Council and the direction from the Clerk of the Privy Council to deputies in January 2024, we are reviewing and revising our Code of Conduct. As part of the review and update of the HC Code of Conduct, we have also developed an overview infographic that highlights the key elements and expected behaviours.

We are consulting executives, executive committees, champions, employee/manager networks, the COI Office and scientific integrity leads. Our consultations will be completed and our revised Code of Conduct will launch in August 2024.

HC’s Code of Conduct will be the central component of the department’s V&E framework and is meant to be a tool and practical guide that outlines the five core values of the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and the expected behaviours of all HC employees. The Code:

• applies to every person employed at HC (including students and individuals on an exchange program) regardless of their level or position and is a condition of employment;
• complements the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and serves as a practical guide to outline and describe the core values and expected behaviours of all employees, including managing COI and disclosing wrongdoing in the workplace;
• aligns with the emerging context and environment and applies equity, diversity, inclusion, mental health, accessibility, and scientific integrity lenses to its content and considerations;
• amplifies our ongoing efforts to make progress on the Clerk’s Call to Action (CTA) on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, the Accessible Canada Act, the implementation of recommendations from the Emerging from the Purge Report to support Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual + (2SLGBTQIA+) people, support for official languages commitments, and our efforts to meaningfully include the many equity deserving groups that enrich our organization; and
• reflects the reality of the hybrid workplace and the modern environment, in which many employees use social media and team collaboration applications (e.g., MS Teams).

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.

Building on the work done in Fall 2023, HC continues to engage at all levels, including senior leadership, employees, employee networks, communities, and functional groups across the department. These dedicated conversations foster and demonstrate the importance of personal accountability and involvement in broadening the V&E dialogue within our department.

The DM, Associate DM, and Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Champion of V&E led an executive (EX) level townhall on V&E. This session was an opportunity to share direction, expectations, and discuss best practices, cross-cutting issues, and actions, with the objective of establishing an ongoing dialogue on V&E and with a next step of continuing to deepen the conversation within their teams. Participants walked through practical and relevant scenarios for discussion, including input from HC panelists who shared examples from their own experience and shared considerations and resources.

To ensure an ongoing dialogue, our most senior leaders engaged in regular V&E discussions at our weekly Executive Committee meetings. To promote ongoing conversations and maximize employee participation at all levels, we encouraged a distributed leadership model across all branches. This approach allowed management teams to hold inclusive sessions with employees and offered psychologically safe spaces for open and honest reflection on real issues and challenges. It also amounted to engagement of over 7,100 seasoned and new employees at all levels.

Senior leaders also engaged employee networks across the department on V&E. For example, in late May, Employee Network Chairs were engaged in a thoughtful discussion of the intersection between V&E and the roles and responsibilities of networks within the department. The Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Minister also engaged with Network Chairs through our Leadership Council on Diversity and Inclusion. In early June, the Associate DM spoke to over 1100 managers at HC’s Managers’ Network Annual Forum about public service V&E, and how all employees can work together to embody V&E and bring them to life in HC’s dynamic and increasingly complex environment.

HC is a strong supporter of continued efforts to engage the science and technology community. Department leadership continued to build on fall 2023 science community engagement by facilitating sessions with science leaders within and external to the department. This included hosting sessions with CFIA’s Science Branch, and with HC’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency, to discuss the application of values and ethics in a scientific context.

To support this ongoing dialogue on V&E, we have also ensured that practical resources are readily available. We created a dedicated V&E MS Teams channel with tools and resources employees can use to have discussions about real V&E issues and challenges emerging at HC. It includes a toolkit with a discussion deck, an inventory of potential scenarios for discussion, and links to relevant resources. There is also a standardized feedback form to capture outputs from employees at all levels. The information compiled will inform future V&E training and updates to our Code of Conduct.

Finally, to promote continued engagement and leadership on V&E, the Deputy Minister (DM) and Associate DM sent a message to all employees introducing the renewed, broadened conversation around V&E, noting that employees would be invited to discussions by their management teams. The message also:

• reminded employees of their responsibility to uphold and exemplify their actions and behaviours based on the core public service values of respect for democracy, respect for people, integrity, stewardship, and excellence;
• noted that this broadened dialogue is just the beginning--the conversation around V&E will continue and that employees at all levels would be engaged; and
• encouraged employees to read and reflect on the recent Deputy Minister Task Team on Values and Ethics Report to the Clerk of the Privy Council.

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.

We took steps to ensure conversations on personal accountability to uphold our public service V&E occur on a continuing basis.

For example, V&E information is a regular element of HC’s online onboarding program for new employees and information on V&E and COI obligations is included in all letters of offer.

The conversation continues each year when employees and managers draft their performance agreements and learning plans; a link to the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and the Directive on Conflict of Interest is included in performance agreements.

Employees are provided with regular reminders to review their personal situations and interests in relation to their COI-related obligations. This approach supports the Clerk’s forward direction on fostering regular engagement about V&E and COI to ensure transparency and accountability related to employee obligations and expectations.

We are committed to continued dialogue and engagement, at all levels of the organization, and will continue to build on the momentum of conversations held to date to keep V&E top of mind.

To ensure the ongoing V&E dialogue throughout the department, and to maximize employee participation at all levels, we created a dedicated V&E MS Teams channel, which includes a toolkit with a discussion deck, the inventory of potential scenarios for discussion, links to relevant resources, and a standardized feedback form to capture outputs from employees and managers at all levels. The information compiled will inform future V&E training, Code of Conduct updates, and support employee conversations.

Once our new Code of Conduct is finalized and published, we will kick-off a series of communications highlighting the new Code, as well as the public service values that guide our work and behaviours. This will serve as another opportunity to ensure that conversations on personal accountability to uphold our public service Values and Ethics continue.

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?

As a part of HC’s strategy to promote ongoing V&E conversations and maximize employee participation at all levels, management teams across the department held thought provoking sessions about V&E requirements. Upon completion, managers submitted feedback forms that identified a number of recurring themes.

Use of social media

• Employees felt the conversation was timely and demonstrated the need for more guidance in this area (for example, in our revised Code of Conduct and from central agencies).
• Employees raised concerns regarding the tension between their right to freedom of expression and their duty of loyalty to the Employer. This tension is further exacerbated in the science and regulatory communities; in an environment where misinformation and disinformation are commonplace, employees often feel compelled to share the results of their science and research.

Integrity

• By upholding integrity within the organization, we maintain public trust in the credibility of the advice and guidance we provide to Canadians. This is particularly important given HC’s role as a scientific and regulatory department: promoting and helping protect the health and safety of Canadians by regulating products such as drugs, medical devices, consumer products, cosmetics, food and managing the health risks of substances. The targeted training that is specific to our science and regulatory communities will help equip our employees with tools to navigate situations they may face within their work. Discussion within the scientific community also highlighted the role of Scientific Integrity Policies to manage opportunities and risks associated with evolving technologies and capabilities.

Respect for People

• By demonstrating our respect for all people, we value the rights and perspectives of others and create an inclusive environment. This is essential for workplace wellness, and a positive, healthy and safe workplace. Respect for people has been at the core of HC’s work for a more equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace, and has been a constant theme in discussions including with members of employee networks. HC remains committed to our efforts to make meaningful progress aligned with the Clerk’s CTA on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion, advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, the Accessible Canada Act, the implementation of recommendations from the Emerging from the Purge Report to support 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and support for official languages commitments.
• Employees see and understand that implementing the CTA is an expression of the Values and Ethics Code. Embedding Values and Ethics into our organizational culture, we will support an environment where equity, diversity and inclusion is celebrated.

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)?

All employees and managers were required to complete the CSPS V&E foundation courses by May 31, 2024 even if they had completed it in the past. These courses are a mandatory learning for the department, and the requirement was communicated to all staff in a message from the DM and Associate DM. We saw a notable increase in the number of employees who completed V&E training and the department will continue to promote the importance of completing the CSPS courses and will regularly track progress.

To ensure the ongoing V&E dialogue throughout the department, and to maximize employee participation at all levels, we created a dedicated V&E MS Teams channel which includes a toolkit with a discussion deck, the inventory of potential scenarios for discussion (which were tailored for the HC audience as part of the EX town hall discussion), links to relevant resources, and a standardized feedback form to capture outputs from employees and managers at all levels.

Our inventory of scenarios will be evergreen, and we will add new and timely scenarios regularly to continue to address the ever-evolving context and organizational environment, including new and recurring themes raised. Feedback from discussions will help to continually tailor and update the supporting materials and learning resources to focus on emerging themes and common questions or situations.

Finally, to meet the needs of our scientific communities, we will roll-out out a pilot of V&E training specific to their needs. This targeted training will include a discussion of ethical considerations and scenarios applicable to science, and will include input from the HC DSA and a strong consideration of scientific integrity. We expect to launch this pilot training in Summer 2024.

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)?

To increase personal accountability and involvement, we encouraged a distributed leadership model to continue employee engagement at all levels.

The DM and Associate DM led an EX level townhall to engage senior leaders about V&E. This session was an opportunity to share direction and expectations, discuss scenarios relevant to HC, and share tools to enable conversations across branches on V&E. This direct engagement of executives in an interactive way helped to equip them to facilitate further discussions within their own teams.

To facilitate ongoing V&E dialogue throughout the department, we created a dedicated V&E MS Teams channel that is available to all employees. This brought consistency to the discussions while also providing space to tailor them to various groups, functional communities and participants, and maximized employee participation at all levels. It includes a toolkit with a discussion deck, the inventory of potential scenarios for discussion, and links to relevant resources. Employees and managers at all levels have provided very positive feedback about the inventory of scenarios as being particularly helpful in supporting their discussions. In addition to scenarios relevant to employees across the department, in various roles and at various levels, each scenario also provided considerations to think about, questions for discussion, and potential next steps for resolution.

In many cases, the scenarios were a starting point for rich discussions about actual situations faced by employees and managers in their career. Executives and managers were encouraged to share personal examples demonstrating vulnerability and honesty in talking about their experiences and lessons learned. This resonated deeply with employees.

Employees also expressed an appreciation for having these discussions and meetings within their teams, and noted that this helped build both trust and relevance.

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)?

• Public Service Employee Survey results on relevant questions
• Pulse survey to all employees that will include questions regarding general V&E awareness, ethical situations employees are facing, and tools the organization could provide to better support them moving forward
• Regular reporting to senior management measuring uptake of V&E training, progress in the update of the Code of Conduct, and new and emerging V&E themes and challenges that employees and networks are facing
• Quantitative and qualitative feedback on engagement with employees and networks, including through the ADM Champions and the employee network executive teams. e.g., total numbers of discussions or events specific to V&E, and also feedback on emerging themes and upcoming needs for employee learning resources
• Progress updates on percentage of employees and managers who have completed mandatory training completion data
• Employee use of organizational supports (e.g. COI declarations, interactions with the Ombuds Office, Respect in the Workplace cases, etc.)

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)?

At HC, V&E is core to what we do and is built into our decisions, actions, policies, processes. and systems. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standard and, as a result, contribute to a stronger ethical, inclusive, and respectful culture of the public sector and to public confidence in the integrity of our department. We view our actions to date on this broadened dialogue on V&E as just the beginning of setting the workplace culture that encourages and expects ongoing discussions to bring V&E to life at all levels at HC.