Natural Resources 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?

• Yes

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

N/A

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?

The renewal of the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Values & Ethics (V&E) Code has been underway since the end of 2022, and has resulted in extensive consultation with members of the values and ethics community of practice and other key partners (e.g., Security, Information/Technology, Labour Relations, Audit, Finance, Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (O-DEA), Labour Relations, Office of the Chief Scientist, Communications, Unions, indigenous community, legal services, etc.).

The proposed new Code was presented before NRCan’s Values & Ethics Advisory Committee, the Human Resources Committee and the Senior Management Committee (SMC). The Department is now in the final steps of incorporating the feedback received from our SMC and is working at releasing its new Code over the summer, which will also be accessible to the public on NRCan’s webpage.  

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.

Significant changes are being made to NRCan’s Values and Ethics Code, including:

• Additional of a new NRCan specific value, Reconciliation, to reflect that this value is now part of several facets of our daily work and must continue to guide us in our interactions with indigenous employees and communities;  
• Enhancement of the value of Respect for People to reflect the priorities of the Federal Public Service Sector and the department relating to harassment and violence prevention, discrimination, racism, and for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) etc.;
• Additional and more practical guidance has been included on the management of conflict of interest situations; and
• Finally, the Code has been extended to include standards of expected conduct associated with various areas of responsibilities.  

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
• Specific values and ethics communications campaigns

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

Over the last few months, the Department has conducted 26 engagement sessions with its employees. The sessions aimed to gather employees’ views on the proposed strategic plan for the Department and to open a dialogue on our values and ethics, identifying issues important to employees and those requiring further internal discussion. Over 2,000 employees participated in these sessions.

In addition to these sessions, several ongoing activities have been implemented to ensure a continuous dialogue on our values and ethics. These include:

• Extensive consultations with the V&E community of practice and key partners on the current V&E Code, and the presentation of the proposed new Code to various internal management committees.
• A consultation session on our V&E with the Deputy Clerk was organized in collaboration with the Quebec Federal Council’s Executives Network, presided over by an NRCan executive, Mathieu Bergeron. A total of 42 executives from various departments participated in this discussion.      
• Monthly sessions offered to employees by the V&E team. 
• Regular newsletters on V&E-related topics published bi-monthly in NRCan’s internal newsletter, The Source.
• Messages reminding employees, particularly those in groups designated at higher risk Conflict of Interest (COI), of their COI declaration obligations;
• A tabletop exercise with senior management on various V&E themes (post-employment, outside employment, political activities);
• An Executive learning event titled “Navigating the Ethical Landscape: Balancing Politics, Public Service, and Integrity.”

Additionally, the following activities are still underway:

• A Townhall on V&E will be organized over the summer to celebrate the launch of the new Code and discuss various V&E topics based on input received from employees as part of the broader engagement on NRCan’s strategic plan; and 
• Mandatory training on V&E will be identified and incorporated to employees’ personal learning plans.

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.

To ensure conversations on personal accountability to uphold our public services values and ethics occur on a continuing basis, NRCan has added as part of the onboarding process, a request that employees read and acknowledge the V&E Code, as well as to complete a declaration of COI. When COI risks are identified, a letter is issued to the employee with guidance and advice on the mitigating measures that must be taken to prevent and resolve any perceived, potential or real COI.

Additionally, following Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO)’s recent message on COI declaration obligations, NRCan issued a reminder to all employees on their obligations to reexamine their situation and renew their declaration of COI. A similar, tailored message went out at the end of April 2024 to employees in groups designated at higher risks of COI.

To ensure that employees see themselves within the Code, 26 engagement sessions with employees were completed as part of the strategic plan review, as well as tabletop sessions with various cases scenarios (post-employment, political activities and double employment) discussed with the executive committee to further raise awareness. 

Finally, on an ongoing basis, NRCan currently offers regular monthly training sessions on Values and Ethics to all of its employees; posts monthly newsletters on various V&E topics are also being issued.

Moving forward, the Department is also looking at incorporating mandatory V&E training as part of employees’ learning plan and will be exploring the possibility of issuing an annual report on misconduct of wrongdoing to disclose more transparently the measure taken by the Department to address these situations. 

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 part of the engagement sessions on NRCan's strategic plan and values ​​and ethics, the department asked its employees to identify, among the values ​​of the Federal Public Service and those of the Department, which were the most important to them or for which, in their opinion, more discussion is required. The 3 values ​​that emerged are as follows:

• Respect for people;
• Integrity;
• Reconciliation – new NRCan value.

Employees were also asked to identify which ethical topics were most important to them and for which they thought more conversation was warranted. The main themes of interest were:

• Use of social media and networks;
• Preferential treatment;
• Administrating contracts, grants and contributions.

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)?

To date, NRCan has adjusted our learning activities to address recurring themes by:

• Adding specific scenarios in our targeted V&E training content;
• Publishing newsletters on our intranet on specific subjects of interest; and
• Creating tabletop exercises for management discussions on topics of post-employment, political activities and double employment situations.

As conversations continue within the department, learning activities will be adjusted as needed.

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 date, NRCan has found that focussed smaller group discussions on specific topics, tabletop exercise with executives on case scenarios, and scenario-based discussions during the monthly V&E training sessions have generally led to more meaningful conversations.

In the context of the various engagement sessions the department conducted on its strategic plan and V&E; it has come clear that offering separate sessions in French and English is essential. People were generally more comfortable in sharing their views and perspectives in the language of their choice. Sessions were held at both sector and regional levels, which allowed us to gather a wider range of perspectives.   

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 an effort to measure increased employee awareness of the role of Values & Ethics in their daily work, NRCan will use the following indicators:

• Increase in COI declarations and requests for discussions
• Attendance rates to training sessions and tabletop exercise
• Increase in request for specialized training
• Input gathered from employees through engagement sessions
• Input gathered from employees through satisfaction surveys, following townhall on Values & Ethics
• Results of the Public Service Employee Survey
• Workplace Risks Assessment mandated by the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations.

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)?

We are committed to continuing to have open conversations about values and ethics within the department, including responding to the notable increase in requests from sectors to offer specialized training to employees using a scenario-based approach.

The new proposed NRCan Code of Values & Ethics is well aligned with various observations and recommendations made by the Clerk’s Deputy Ministers’ task team. The Code will include a new value of reconciliation and the value of respect for people has been reviewed to reflect priorities relating to IDEA and the prevention of harassment, discrimination and racism. The Code was also expanded to clarify expectations with regards to a number of key and emerging ethical issues such as the use of social media, intellectual property, electronic devices and property, etc. 

In 2019, NRCan adopted its Scientific Integrity Policy (SIP), co-developed with the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), to foster a culture of integrity, ensure rigour, relevance, and the reputation of the department. The SIP, along with departmental coordination on science and security, supports the DMs’ Task Team on Values and Ethics Report’s recommendation for evidence-based, professional and impartial advice. NRCan incorporated inclusive science in its career progression framework for researchers, advancing the Task Team’s commitment to the core value of respect for people.