Public Services and Procurement Canada
Gender-based analysis plus: 2023 to 2024 Departmental Results Report
Introduction
In 2018, Parliament passed the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act. The departmental plans and departmental results reports are being used to fulfill the President of the Treasury Board’s obligations to make public, every year, analysis on the impacts of expenditure programs on gender and diversity.
Each organization is responsible for conducting their own Gender-based Analysis Plus.
The Policy on Results indicates that Program officials, as designated by Deputy Heads, are responsible for ensuring data collection for meeting policy requirements.
Applicability
All organizations must complete gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) supplementary information tables in departmental plans and departmental results reports on an annual basis.
Section 1: Institutional gender-based analysis plus governance and capacity
Governance
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has a GBA Plus responsibility centre situated within its strategic policy unit to provide oversight, direction and promotion of GBA Plus across PSPC.
PSPC’s GBA Plus community of practice supports the consistent, rigorous and robust implementation of GBA Plus across the department's programs and services. The community of practice includes representatives from all of the department's branches and regions. Representatives from the GBA Plus community of practice share information, exchange best practices and meet to discuss issues related to the implementation of GBA Plus at PSPC.
Capacity
Key developments are reflected in section 2, under each program.
Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to gender-based analysis plus
In total, there are approximately 6.0 full-time equivalents (FTE) dedicated to GBA Plus at PSPC. This includes:
- 1.0 FTE within the GBA Plus responsibility centre dedicated to the promotion of GBA Plus
- 0.5 FTE within other branches for training, and applying GBA Plus
- 4.5 FTE from across 18 branches and regions as representatives of the PSPC GBA Plus community of practice
Section 2: Gender and diversity impacts, by program
PSPC has 5 core responsibilities (including 20 programs) supported by internal services:
- Core responsibility: Purchase of goods and services
- Core responsibility: Payments and accounting
- Core responsibility: Property and infrastructure
- Core responsibility: Government-wide support
- Core responsibility: Procurement Ombudsman
Core responsibility: Purchase of goods and services
Procurement program
Program goals
The program serves Canadians by effectively supporting the daily operations of the Government of Canada as the government’s central purchasing agent and by ensuring the effective management of the procurement function.
Target population
All Canadians
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | Third group: broadly gender-balanced |
| By income level | Third group: no significant distributional impacts |
| By age group | Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors |
Specific demographic group outcomes
Suppliers from under-represented or equity-deserving groups in the federal procurement process.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Increased participation by suppliers from under-represented or equity-deserving groups, namely women, Indigenous persons, Black persons, other visible minorities or racialized persons, persons with disabilities and 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, in PSPC-led procurement.
| Statistics | Observed results in 2023 to 2024 or most recent | Data source | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of participation in procurement processes by Indigenous suppliers | In 2023 to 2024, 15% of bids received from businesses in Canada were from Indigenous suppliers. | Manual data gathering exercise of PSPC procurement bid information | None |
| Percentage of participation in procurement processes by suppliers who are women | In 2023 to 2024, 10% of bids received from suppliers who are women. | Manual data gathering exercise of PSPC procurement bid information | None |
| Percentage of contract value awarded to small and medium businesses. | In 2023 to 2024, 20% of contract value was awarded to small and medium businesses. | Acquisition Information System and Electronic Procurement Solution | 9 businesses in the top 10 small and medium enterprises (SME) contracts for fiscal year 2023 to 2024 were identified to not be SME. These businesses and their corresponding contracts were removed from the SME calculation. |
Other key program impacts
Integrating GBA Plus considerations in procurement practices is essential to ensuring that procurement is inclusive by design and accessible by default. In 2023 to 2024, Public Services and Procurement Canada continued the implementation of its Supplier Diversity Action Plan, which outlines concrete steps to increase the participation of businesses from under-represented groups in federal procurement, and continued development of a supplier diversity program to further support the Plan. Further, the department continued engagement with procurement officers to learn how to apply a GBA Plus approach to procurement using a step-by-step methodology.
PSPC continued providing enhanced services through Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC) to help under‑represented groups successfully navigate and participate in federal procurement. For instance, PAC has been successfully operating its coaching service, which aims to provide assistance to experienced bidders from diverse socio-economic groups who have had limited success in bidding on federal government opportunities, via a series of personalized, one-on-one sessions. Offering even more opportunities for its stakeholders, PAC maintained its Buyers Expo event series, where smaller and diverse suppliers had the opportunity to promote their products and services directly to government buyers.
PSPC also engages with diverse suppliers through numerous direct communication campaigns and fora, such as the Supplier Advisory Committee, as well as regularly collaborates with partner organizations representing various equity-deserving groups. All of these collaborations offer PAC opportunities to disseminate information about its initiatives and services supporting the supplier bidding process.
In 2023 to 2024 PAC and partners held Indigenous Business Information Sessions to build awareness of the federal procurement process among Indigenous businesses and communities. Over 945 Indigenous businesses and associations attended these in-person and virtual events held across Canada to learn more about accessing federal procurement opportunities.
In addition, PAC and partners held a variety of events focused on building awareness of the federal procurement process within the Black business community. Over 575 Black entrepreneurs and communities attended these in-person and virtual events held across Canada to learn more about accessing federal procurement opportunities.
PSPC has continued implementing new and revised features for its Electronic Procurement Solution (EPS), which is the default system for goods, services and construction procurement. As part of the department’s commitment to modernize and simplify procurement, the EPS provides Canada, PSPC and the overall Government procurement function with a powerful, accessible, and modern, cloud-based procure-to-order solution. EPS also supports broader Government priorities to simplify procurement processes, grow Canadian businesses, and promote supplier diversity. EPS reduces barriers for under-represented groups in the Government procurement process by providing a web-based procurement platform aligned with industry standards for accessibility. This web-based platform plays an essential role in promoting social procurement and better positioning Indigenous businesses and businesses owned and led by under-represented groups to successfully participate, and succeed, in procurement opportunities.
Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, PSPC held discussions on diversity and inclusion with marine industry stakeholders and departmental partners to identify barriers and common definitions, while sharing best practices with the Marine Industry Advisory Committee (MIAC) Human Resources (HR) Working Group. These activities enabled marine industry stakeholders to identify factors that influence how diverse groups of people experience HR-related initiatives, and tailor them to encourage workplace diversity. The diversity and inclusion resources that were shared with the MIAC HR Working Group to support those discussions have now been collated in a new Marine Industry HR Compendium, which will be available to marine sector stakeholders and allow them to access the resources on an ongoing basis. The products that have been made available are:
- links to federal programs to help build an inclusive, diverse and sustainable labour force
- a calendar of diversity and inclusion themes to help build a welcoming workplace
- international scan of diversity and inclusion best practices (i.e., Australia, New Zealand, the United States, United Kingdom)
- Canadian sectoral scan of the mining, construction, electrical and agricultural sectors, outlining diversity and inclusion best practices
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
The Policy on Social Procurement provides PSPC with the authorities necessary to collect personal data, including information on ethnicity, gender and other socio-economic characteristics of bidders and suppliers to develop a baseline to effectively carry out social procurement. Through the Supplier Profile Questionnaire module incorporated in the department’s procurement solution, PSPC continues to collect suppliers’ organizational data, including information on ethnicity, gender and other socio‑economic characteristics.
In 2023 to 2024, PSPC continued the development of the Supplier Diversity Program. The Program will enable PSPC to collect data and create an authoritative database on the diversity of suppliers bidding on and being awarded PSPC contracts. Several pilot procurements were launched to collect data from diverse bidders and suppliers in various commodities.
PSPC completed a Conceptual Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) on the Supplier Diversity Program’s conceptual design, to ensure that departmental privacy requirements are met. It is a requirement under the Treasury Board Directive on Privacy Impact Assessment that a PIA must be carried out. A final PIA will need to be conducted to complete the privacy analysis of the Program upon the completion of its design and to meet its privacy obligations.
In 2023 to 2024, PSPC worked with Statistics Canada to create a database showing commodity-specific representation of diverse businesses in Canada. This data will enable PSPC to make evidence-based and targeted decisions in increasing suppliers diversity. This data has been included into the development of a Supplier Diversity Procurement Tool. PSPC is continuing to work with Statistics Canada and with internal stakeholders to create a baseline of diverse suppliers in PSPC’s procurement.
As part of PSPC’s commitment to modernize and simplify procurement, EPS provides greater capabilities to support, advance and track social procurement initiatives through improved data sets and the ability to embed social procurement requirements into contract requirements.
Core responsibility: Payments and accounting
Cape Breton Operations: Human resources legacy benefits
Program goals
Upon the closure of the Cape Breton Development Corporation, a range of post-employment benefits were provided to the displaced workers to assist in their transition from the coal mining industry. These benefits are delivered by the Human Resources Legacy Unit of Cape Breton Operations, which falls under PSPC’s Atlantic regional office.
Target population
This program targets a specific region (Atlantic region, Nova Scotia and specifically, Cape Breton Island) and targets a particular demographic group – lower income males.
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | First group – predominantly men |
| By income level | First group – strongly benefits low-income individuals (strongly progressive) |
| By age group | Third group – primarily benefits seniors or the baby boomer generation. |
Specific demographic group outcomes
This program targets a specific region (Atlantic region, Nova Scotia and specifically, Cape Breton Island) and targets a particular demographic group – lower income males.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
| Statistics | Observed results in 2023 to 2024 or most recent | Data source | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender distribution of Human Resource (HR) beneficiaries | Former employees benefiting from the HR programs are:
|
HR Information System | HR benefit programs resulted from the closure of the Cape Breton Development Corporation’s mining operations in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The majority of the miners were men and therefore they are the main beneficiary populations. Upon their death, some benefits are transferred to their spouses (most are women) and therefore the benefit program indirectly benefits female recipients. |
| Age distribution of beneficiaries |
|
HR Information System | HR benefit programs resulted from the closure of the Cape Breton Development Corporation’s mining operations in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The recipients are aging, and the majority of the beneficiaries are over 65 years of age. |
Other key program impacts
The Director of Cape Breton Operations (CBO) meets regularly with Membertou Mi’kmaw Economic Benefits Office (MEBO) to seek opportunities for local Indigenous communities to participate in CBO programs and contracts. CBO has linked MEBO into PSPC hiring practices, which in 2023 to 2024 included MEBO representatives participating in Indigenous hiring/interview boards for regional collective staffing processes of administrative level resources within PSPC Atlantic. CBO also hires Indigenous students to work on CBO programs to enhance their skills in their fields of study.
HR representatives from PSPC coordinated a workshop held in Membertou and presented on general federal recruitment in the region and specifically on applying for jobs with the Government of Canada.
PSPC’s Atlantic regional office has developed and staffed an Indigenous coordinator position, responsible for reviewing and revamping the procurement tools within the region with the goal of expanding Indigenous participation in federal contracts/projects.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
CBO completed a review of all program spending (what financial resources were spent, through which contracting mechanisms, and to whom the contracts were awarded) and shared this information with the PAC team in the Atlantic Region. PAC Atlantic analyzed the information and provided a list of Indigenous businesses in Cape Breton, and the Atlantic Region, that sell the types of goods and services that CBO purchases. The goal is to increase the number of Indigenous businesses providing services to CBO. The data collected as part of this pilot project, and the expected outcomes of increased representation in the Government of Canada contracting practices will help address systemic inequalities for Indigenous entrepreneurs and support regional, departmental, and government-wide efforts to have a minimum value of 5% of federal contracts being awarded to Indigenous businesses.
Federal pay administration
Program goals
The primary goal of this program is to provide accurate and timely pay to all public servants. PSPC is in the process of expanding the program’s GBA Plus, and related metrics are tracked to ensure that all groups of public servants receive equal service. It focuses specifically on pay processing at the Pay Centre. Generally, the demographics of the queue closely reflect the most recent demographics of the public service.
Target population
The target population of this program are the approximately 400,000 federal public service employees paid by the Phoenix pay system.
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | Third group: broadly gender balanced |
| By income level | Third group: no significant distributional impacts |
| By age group | Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts generation between youth and seniors |
Specific demographic group outcomes
Public servants benefit directly from the federal pay administration.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
| Statistics | Observed results in 2023 to 2024 or most recent | Data source | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex demographics of the pay cases queue | Cases in the pay queue have a demographic breakdown of 59.8% females compared to 40% males (with 0.3% unreported). This generally reflects the breakdown of employees in the public service (57.4% female, 42.4% male, and 0.1% unreported, as per data accessed from Phoenix), although cases belonging to females are slightly overrepresented in the queue. Cases in the 1 year+ backlog have a similar demographic breakdown as the queue, with 59.1% of cases belonging to females and 40.6% belonging to males (0.3% unreported). The mean number of cases awaiting processing for individuals with a case in the queue is 2.18. Females and males with a case in the queue have a similar mean number of cases awaiting processing (2.18 and 2.19 respectively). |
|
None |
| Age demographics of the pay cases queue | Cases in the pay queue have a demographic breakdown of 15.8%for 29 and under, 25.7% for 30 to 39, 28.1% for 40 to 49, 19.5% for 50 to 59, and 10.7% for 60 and over (with 0.2% unreported). This generally reflects the breakdown of employees in the public service by age, as per data accessed through Phoenix (15.4% are 29 and under, 25.6% are 30 to 39, 28.3% are 40 to 49, 21.9% are 50 to 59, and 8.8% are over 60). Cases belonging to public servants over the age of 60 are slightly overrepresented in the 1 year+ backlog (12.7%) and those belonging to public servants aged 29 and under are slightly under‑represented (12.9 %) while other age groups make up a similar proportion compared to the queue. The mean number of cases awaiting processing for individuals with a case in the queue is 2.18. Public servants over 60 years of age and under 29 years of age with a case in the queue have a low mean number of cases (1.81 and 1.86 respectively) compared to other age groups. |
|
None |
| Official language demographics of the pay cases queue | Cases in the pay queue have a demographic breakdown of 69.0% for employees reporting English as their first official language compared to 30.8% reporting French (with 0.2% unreported). With employees reporting French as their first official language making up a smaller percentage of the public service (22.7% French and 77.3% English employees), French cases are overrepresented in the queue. French cases are slightly overrepresented in the 1 year+ backlog (34% French and 65.7% English cases, with 0.2% unreported) when compared to the queue. The mean number of cases awaiting processing for individuals with a case in the queue is 2.18. French employees with a case in the queue have a higher mean number of open cases when compared to their English counterparts (2.42 versus 2.09). |
|
None |
Other key program impacts
Not applicable.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
In 2023 to 2024, PSPC undertook an expansion of the GBA Plus of pay administration, which included evaluating the demographics of queue composition, the length of time employees have had a case in the queue, demographics of calls to the Client Contact Centre, escalation cases, and language profiles of the pay-processing workforce.
Federal pension administration
Program goals
The Pension Program administers federal public sector pension plans and benefits for the Government of Canada, serving more than 1 million active and retired members. Pension administration includes the development and delivery of services, processes and systems, as well as the provision of information to employees and pensioners.
Target population
Federal Public Service employees and retired members of the Federal Public Service.
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | Third group: broadly gender-balanced |
| By income level | Third group: no significant distributional impacts |
| By age group | Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts generation between youth and seniors |
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
The Pension Program is advancing web renewal initiatives to expand and upgrade online services and tools. In June 2024, it successfully launched a modernized Pension Portal for active members of the Public Service, Canadian Armed Forces, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police pension plans.
The pension portal is accessible and aims to continuously meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level A and AA standards, which makes content more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities.
Work is underway to introduce an accessible Pension Portal for retirees.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
The Government of Canada Pension Program conducts client service feedback surveys to capture the views of pension plan members on current online and telephony services and measure satisfaction levels with these service delivery channels.
In 2023 to 2024, the Program received feedback from over 6,000 active and retired members across the Public Service, Canadian Armed Forces, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police pension plans. Demographic and diversity-related data, such as age, gender, and identifying as a member of a visible minority, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+, or Indigenous Peoples, is collected via this initiative. The Pension Program is well placed to expand capacity to report and identify trends across these diverse population groups, as additional surveys are planned for the future. Client service feedback data will help identify opportunities for improvement and support the planning of future service offerings to align with client expectations.
Government-wide accounting and reporting
Program goals
The Public Accounts of Canada is the annual financial report to Canadians covering the fiscal year of the Government, ending March 31. The Receiver General, as the Government’s accountant, is responsible for preparing and publishing the report. Sections 63, 64, and 65 of the Financial Administration Act provide the Receiver General with the authority to maintain accounts, to prepare the Public Accounts report and to request financial information from departments and agencies.
Target population
Not applicable.
Government-wide accounting and reporting: Distribution of benefits
Not applicable.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Government-wide accounting and reporting: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
Not applicable.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
As part of the provision of its public accounts services and in line with its mandate, the Receiver General does not gather demographic information on individuals.
Payments and revenue collection
Program goals
The Receiver General is a service provider to Government of Canada departments and agencies that manage the individual programs. Those departments and agencies determine the entitlement of recipients to benefits, or the requirement for Canadians to remit funds to the Government of Canada.
Target population
Not applicable.
Payments and revenue collection: Distribution of benefits
Not applicable.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Payments and revenue collection: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
Not applicable.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
The Receiver General does not gather demographic information on individuals as part of the provision of its payment services as this is not part of its mandate. The Receiver General is only responsible for issuing the payments.
Payments instead of property taxes to local governments
Program goals
The Payments Instead of Property Taxes to Local Governments Program issues payments to taxing authorities under the authority of the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act. Local governments receive payments in recognition of the services they provide to federal property located in their jurisdictions because the Government of Canada property is exempt from taxation. Taxing authorities manage the payments to fund municipal programs, services and infrastructure.
Target population
The target population consists of Canadian taxing authorities hosting a federal property in their jurisdiction. Taxing authorities include municipalities, school boards, provincial governments, services boards, First Nations bands and any other bodies authorized to levy and collect property taxes in Canada.
Payments instead of property taxes to local governments: Distribution of benefits
Not applicable.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Payments instead of property taxes to local governments: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
Taxing authorities manage the payments to fund municipal programs, services and infrastructure. As such, PSPC cannot assess the impact on gender and diversity concerning Payments instead of property taxes to local governments.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
Not applicable
Core responsibility: Property and infrastructure
Cape Breton Operations: Portfolio management
Program goals
Upon the closure of Cape Breton Development Corporation, a diverse property portfolio was transferred to PSPC. While some properties are retained to meet environmental obligations, the majority of properties are considered surplus and are part of a comprehensive divestiture strategy. The environmental obligation is to manage the impacts of 200 years of coal mining.
Target population
This program targets a specific region (Atlantic region, Nova Scotia and specifically Cape Breton Island)
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | Third group: broadly gender balanced |
| By income level | Third group: no significant distributional impacts |
| By age group | Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors |
Specific demographic group outcomes
This program targets a specific region (Atlantic region, Nova Scotia and specifically Cape Breton Island)
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Cape Breton Operations: Portfolio management—Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
The Director of CBO operations meets regularly with MEBO to seek opportunities for local Indigenous communities to participate in CBO programs and contracts. CBO has linked MEBO into PSPC hiring practices, which in 2023 to 2024 included MEBO representatives participating in Indigenous hiring/interview boards for regional collective staffing processes of administrative level resources within PSPC’s Atlantic regional office.
CBO previously coordinated a meeting of PSPC Office Accommodations and Membertou Office Accommodations to discuss the potential of erecting a new office building in Membertou. This project has since come to fruition, with Membertou successfully bidding for a project to house office accommodations for several federal tenants.
CBO has been in consultation with the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) to develop technical skills capacity within the local indigenous community to support participation in the CBO Mine Workings Management sector, including contributions to subsidence monitoring and Species at Risk-related programs. CBO has also initiated a multi-year effort to develop additional technical capacity within the community to expand UINR’s participation to include CBO’s Site Management Program.
PSPC’s Atlantic regional office has developed and staffed an Indigenous coordinator position, responsible for reviewing and revamping the procurement tools within the region with the goal of expanding Indigenous participation in federal contracts/projects.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
CBO completed a review of all program spending (what financial resources were spent, through which contracting mechanisms, and to whom the contracts were awarded) and shared this information with the PAC team in the Atlantic Region. PAC Atlantic analyzed the information and provided a list of Indigenous businesses in Cape Breton, and the Atlantic Region, who sell the types of goods and services that CBO purchases. The goal is to increase the number of Indigenous businesses providing services to CBO. The data collected as part of this pilot project, and the expected outcome of increasing Indigenous representation in the Government of Canada contracting practices will help address systemic inequalities for Indigenous entrepreneurs and support regional, departmental, and government-wide efforts to have a minimum value of 5% of federal contracts being awarded to Indigenous businesses.
Federal accommodation and infrastructure
Program goals
The Federal Accommodation and Infrastructure Program provides accommodation services to federal organizations. The program includes a diverse portfolio of federal facilities and activities, such as the stewardship and management of major engineering assets and wharves; along with the administration, capital management and leasing services for residential housing units in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to support the delivery of federal government programs. The Program also includes appraisals for all acquisitions, dispositions and transfers of real estate; expropriating land or properties on behalf of the federal government, including interpreting expropriation legislation and regulations.
Target population
All Canadians.
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | Third group: broadly gender-balanced |
| By income level | Third group: no significant distributional impacts |
| By age group | Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts generation between youth and seniors |
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
| Statistics | Observed results in 2023 to 2024 or most recent | Data source | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total accessibility score of PSPC Crown-owned and lease purchase buildings assessed against the 2018 Canadian Standards Association standard for Accessibility (CSA B651-2018). | 68% in 2023 to 2024 | Real Property Management System (RPMS) Accessibility module | The total accessibility score of PSPC Crown-owned and lease purchase buildings assessed in this cycle remained consistent at 68% (against a target of 100%) in 2023 to 2024. PSPC implemented and completed 6 accessibility pilot projects in 2023 to 2024. Furthermore PSPC developed an accessibility action plan, which provided a prioritized list of accessibility improvements to be implemented in PSPC’s portfolio to guide efforts needed to improve assessment scores in the future. Given the magnitude of PSPC’s Crown-owned and lease purchase building portfolio, in addition to the nature of the investments and projects needed to improve accessibility in the built environment, the overall assessment score for the portfolio remained static in 2023 to 2024. |
| Percentage of complete Fit-up projects (each year) since 2019 that are compliant with the Government of Canada Workplace Fit-up Standards known as the GCworkplace approach, including accessible and inclusive design. | 83% of modernized space in square metres (m2) delivered in 2023 to 2024. | Data Analytics Reporting Team Accrual reports for fiscal year end 2019 to 2020, 2020 to 2021, 2021 to 2022, 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 actual square metres delivered (Fit-up Program of work). | Compliance with the Government of Canada Workplace Fit-up Standards (percentage of modernized space in square metres delivered):
|
| Percentage of PSPC Crown-owned buildings that have at least one all access washroom. | 82.8% of PSPC national crown-owned inventory now has at least one all access washroom. | National washroom count. | For any new construction, major rehabilitation or retrofits projects involving work on existing washrooms, consideration is to be given to designing and installing fully accessible multi-stall all access washrooms, which are to be included as part of both the feasibility and investment analysis reports. |
Other key program impacts
Not applicable.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
PSPC’s Accessibility and Inclusivity Office (AIO), formerly the Office of Accessibility in the Built Environment, supports the implementation of the Accessible Government Built Environment Initiative. For example, the AIO conducts technical accessibility assessments in PSPC Crown-owned real property portfolio to assess and identify improvements to ensure compliance with the latest Canadian Standard Association (CSA) B651 accessibility standards.
PSPC will continue to track and report on accessibility performance with the following indicators:
- total accessibility score of PSPC Crown-owned and lease purchase buildings assessed against the 2018 CSA B651-2018 standard
- percentage of complete Fit-up projects (each year) since 2019 that are compliant with the Government of Canada Workplace Fit-up Standards known as the GCworkplace approach, including accessible and inclusive design
- percentage of PSPC Crown-owned buildings that have at least one all access washroom
Parliament Hill and surroundings
Program goals
PSPC is delivering Long Term Vision and Plans (LTVP) for the Parliamentary Precinct and Laboratories Canada. The LTVPs guide each of these programs and allow PSPC to establish short‑term priorities and long-term direction, while enabling them to respond more easily to risk, and evolving government and program requirements. A GBA Plus lens is embedded in the LTVPs to ensure PSPC continues delivering inclusive built environments and fostering a sense of community for all demographics by creating opportunities for Canadians across the country, including youth, women, Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Target population
All Canadians.
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | Third group: broadly gender-balanced |
| By income level | Third group: no significant distributional impacts |
| By age group | Second group: 60% to 79% men |
Specific demographic group outcomes
Accessibility in the Built Environment
PSPC aims to achieve universal accessibility excellence through the rehabilitation of the Parliamentary Precinct and federal science facilities. The department continued to implement its Parliamentary Precinct Universal Accessibility Strategy and Action Plan and rely on the advice of the external Universal Accessibility Advisory Committee to integrate input and feedback from persons with disabilities as part of its ongoing rehabilitation and modernization program. Following the completion of the Universal Accessibility Strategy and Action Plan in November 2022, PSPC continued to consider and take into consideration the input of persons with disabilities to ensure that projects of all scales provide a seamless and inclusive experience for all. The department also developed an implementation plan of universal accessibility “quick fixes” within the Parliamentary Precinct and aims to improve accessibility as part of all projects currently ongoing.
The design and planning of the Laboratories Canada facilities are guided by the Laboratories Canada Repeatable Laboratory Design Framework (RLDF), which incorporates design elements that promote inclusivity, equitable use, flexibility, comfort, safety and appropriate space. The RLDF refers to the Rick Hansen Foundation Laboratory Accessibility Design guidelines, Accessibility Standards Canada and the CSA and the National Building Code of Canada.
Engagement of Indigenous Peoples and under-represented groups
PSPC continues to deliver the modernization of the Parliamentary Precinct and the revitalization of federal science infrastructure, while purposefully creating opportunities for Indigenous Peoples.
The department continued to participate in the Indigenous Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (I-STEM) Cluster initiative. The I-STEM Cluster informs and enhances federal policies, programs, activities and recruitment related to STEM disciplines to build and strengthen relationships between federal STEM and Indigenous Peoples, to enhance cultural competency through training and nurturing Indigenous STEM talent.
Additionally, in order to ensure Indigenous engagement is at the centre of the Laboratories Canada LTVP, the department is working closely with Indigenous communities to develop a strategic engagement plan for the Laboratories Canada projects and in particular, the Cultural Heritage Science project, which will contribute to the advancement of Reconciliation, cultural heritage science, and conservation and co-operative information sharing to further the preservation of Canada’s cultural heritage.
PSPC also continued to weave Indigenous perspectives into ongoing projects in the Parliamentary Precinct including supporting the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board of Ontario to coordinate a culturally sensitive evaluation and interview process to successfully recruit Indigenous carvers and sculptors from across Canada for work in the Centre Block and Parliament Welcome Centre. PSPC also held a tour of Centre Block and in-person visioning session for Inuit community members and Inuit employees from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) in May 2023 to understand the needs and concerns of communities. In addition, PSPC lead the ITK on a tour of 119 and 125 Sparks Street related to the planning and development of the National Space for Indigenous Peoples.
Furthermore, PSPC leveraged Innovative Solutions Canada to launch Inclusive Protective Headwear challenge to industry to develop innovative hard hat solution allowing members of various religions and cultural communities who commonly wear head coverings (e.g., turbans) to access jobs and sites that require hard hats, working closely with the CSA on a joint process to accelerate time-to-market by adopting standards and concurrently developing and testing.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Parliament Hill and surroundings: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
Centre Block gender-based analysis plus
Based on the recommendation made by the Auditor General in March 2023, an analysis of the Centre Block Rehabilitation Program has been conducted with a focus on the public spaces in the Centre Block and the new Parliament Welcome Centre. This assessment was completed in December 2023.
Overall, the GBA Plus assessment identified that the Centre Block project has incorporated numerous leading practices in terms of robust ongoing consultations held with Indigenous rights holders and partners as well as accessibility experts, organizations and people with disabilities.
The GBA Plus for the Centre Block included the examination of universal accessibility and inclusive design principles. To achieve a universal accessibility flagship design, the Centre Block project has incorporated the Parliamentary Precinct Universal Accessibility Best Practices and routinely presented the proposed designs for feedback to the PSPC Departmental Accessibility Group.
The assessment has identified opportunities to strengthen and continue to expand engagement with various equity-deserving populations across the country, as well as tangible ideas on how these perspectives can be brought into the design and rehabilitation of the Centre Block.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
The Centre Block Rehabilitation Program GBA Plus included an extensive research and data gathering phase to identify and assess the relevance and reliability of all available data and identify any gaps that need to be filled.
In addition, efforts are underway to finalize an updated Parliamentary Precinct LTVP GBA Plus. This assessment will build on previous GBA Plus of 2017 and 2021, as well as reports on progress since then. With this renewed GBA Plus, PSPC plans to measure how the Parliamentary Precinct’s LTVP is achieving its goals to make the Precinct’s buildings representative, accessible and inclusive to all peoples in Canada, and suggest improvements to ensure these goals are reached, as applicable. This GBA Plus will identify key findings, themes, and specific impacts for diverse groups of people. Once completed, it will help ensure the department is following federal government best practices and help guide decision‑making, monitoring, and program reviews.
Real Property Services
Program goals
The Real Property Services program provides real property services (project delivery and property management) to government programs that have custody of real property assets. Client programs are situated in other government departments, as well as within PSPC.
Target population
All Canadians.
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | Third group: broadly gender-balanced |
| By income level | Third group: no significant distributional impacts |
| By age group | Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts generation between youth and seniors |
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
| Statistics | Observed results in 2023 to 2024 or most recent | Data source | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service contracts for managing large facilities that include accessibility standards, Indigenous and diversity components. | New strategic sourcing real property initiatives included accessibility standards, and Indigenous and diversity components. In 2023 to 2024, Real Property Services awarded almost $74 million in contracts to Indigenous businesses registered on the Indigenous Business Directory (IBD) representing more than 4.9% of Real Property Services total awarded contracts. From April 2023 to March 2024, 510 subcontracts were awarded to indigenous firms with a total value of $5,345,244. In fiscal year 2023 to 2024, the number of subcontracts awarded to diverse suppliers and under-represented groups (2,382 subcontracts) and non-IBD Indigenous vendors (97 subcontracts) increased to a total of 2,479, with a total value of $9,406,524. | Real Property Contractors database and reports. | PSPC is taking steps to integrate accessibility standards, Indigenous and diversity components commitments into existing large contracts. One major project, which has been in service since 2015, saw the incorporation of four new pillars (social, Indigenous, sustainability, and accessibility and inclusion) in its existing performance measurement regime . Performance measures have been established for each of these pillars. Data collection is ongoing every fiscal year to ensure compliance with set targets. |
Other key program impacts
Not applicable.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
In 2023 to 2024, PSPC launched the solicitation for the first phase of the Property Management Services contract for Crown-owned assets in the National Capital Region, which includes both Indigenous Procurement Plan and Social Procurement Plan requirements and the full suite of accessibility standards. These elements will be evaluated as part of the tendering process and are mandatory requirements.. The Request for Proposal was posted on February 16, 2024, and closed on May 3, 2024. The resulting contracts will include performance measures to encourage the attainment of these important government objectives. Diversity suppliers were included in pre-tendering communications to promote greater competition and foster the participation of under-represented groups.
In addition to ensuring that new strategic sourcing real property initiatives included accessibility standards, and Indigenous and diversity components, PSPC is taking steps to integrate these commitments into existing large contracts. Data collection is ongoing every fiscal year to ensure compliance with set targets.
Core responsibility: Government-wide support
Asset disposal
Program goals
PSPC is responsible for managing assets seized or restrained by law enforcement organizations, federal departments and agencies, provincial/municipal institutions and foreign governments.
GCSurplus is responsible for the divestment of surplus moveable assets through transfer, sale, donation and recycling to obtain the best overall value for the Crown. GCSurplus also handles the sale of surplus controlled and specialized goods.
Target population
All Canadians.
Asset disposal: Distribution of benefits
Not applicable.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Asset disposal: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
Not applicable.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
GBA Plus data is not collected for seized property management.
Although data does not inform the identification of the highest bidder, GCSurplus is improving data collection methods about its clientele and continues to identify opportunities to better inform and assess program impacts on diverse communities.
Canadian General Standards Board
Program goals
The Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) focuses on services in the field of standards development. CGSB administers the standards development process and then publishes National Standards of Canada that are written by technical committees of experts from across the country. National Standards are written largely as product specifications. This includes, for example, the chemical components of gasoline, the fire resistance properties of textiles, and what chemicals are allowable when growing organic food.
Target population
Not applicable.
Canadian General Standards Board: Distribution of benefits
Not applicable.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Canadian General Standards Board: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
The National Standards System as a whole (led by the Standards Council of Canada) has been actively working to better incorporate gender-neutral terminology, involve a more diverse selection of technical committee members, and be inclusive in the overall approach to developing National Standards. CGSB is actively participating in these discussions with a goal of implementing best practices but is not required to independently collect data.
National Standards rarely contain gender, sex or income consideration, as they are mostly based on scientific or technical requirements. There are standards that have a greater impact directly on people versus products, such as translation services, personnel certification, and responsible business conduct.
The Standards Council of Canada plans to make GBA Plus analysis mandatory for any proposed standard. Details surrounding this new requirement are being developed, and will soon be shared with accredited organizations. Thus, the CGSB will have to carry out an analysis for each new standard, or for each revised standard (according to a 5-year revision cycle).
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
Not applicable.
Document imaging services
Program goals
Document Imaging Services transform government records into usable electronic formats, provide digital mailroom services, make documents accessible, and provide secure electronic storage and retrieval services to other government bodies.
Target population
Not applicable.
Document imaging services: Distribution of benefits
Not applicable.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Document imaging services: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
With regard to accessibility, the Document Images Services has been working in collaboration with Innovative Solutions Canada to develop a cost-effective, industrial conversion platform using machine learning to remediate flat PDFs into a usable format like HTML 5 for use by screen readers. The completion of Phase 2 is scheduled for 2025 to 2026.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
Not applicable.
Government-wide corporate services
Program goals
The Government-wide Corporate Services Program provides federal organizations with services, tools and systems for travel, information management, human resources, business processes and financial and materiel management. This program allows federal organizations to adopt modern, consolidated systems based on standard business processes, which can reduce administrative or back-office costs, enhance employee productivity and reduce overall government spending on internal services.
Target population
The target populations of the program are PSPC employees as well as other federal public servants across the Government of Canada.
Government-wide corporate services: Distribution of benefits
Gender or sex information is not collected for the Government-Wide Corporate Services Program. There is no data on the distribution of benefits.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Government-wide corporate services: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
Not applicable.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
Services under the Government-wide Corporate Services program do not collect sex or gender information as they are primarily digital‑based services bound by regulations/legislation. Considerations for GBA Plus could be related to accessibility when it comes to user experience.
Information services
Program goals
The Public Opinion Research and the Advertising services programs provide a pan-governmental service focusing on advisory and technical services. In addition, the Copyright Media Clearance supports clients on an ongoing basis by providing access to a selection of news sources. PSPC is also responsible for publishing the Canada Gazette, the official newspaper of the Government of Canada, in which are published new statutes, new and proposed regulations, and various government and public notices. The Canada Gazette provides information about government activities and gives stakeholders the opportunity to comment on proposed regulations.
Target population
Not applicable.
Information Services: Distribution of benefits
Not applicable.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Information services: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
The responsibility for conducting GBA Plus in relation to the Public Opinion Research and the Advertising services rests with other government departments that plan and implement the advertising or public opinion research.
The Copyright Media Clearance and the Public Opinion Research programs support clients on an ongoing basis to ensure their environmental analysis activities take into consideration a range of elements, including related to GBA Plus. Data, however, is not collected internally and rests with the clients. PSPC provides centralized access to and assistance in locating Government of Canada’s publications through the publications.gc.ca website.
Due to its mandate, the Canada Gazette does not gather demographic information on individuals. Information Services is currently working with several stakeholders to enhance the accessibility components of its tools and ensure that the publications on its website are in an accessible format.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
The Information Services do not collect GBA Plus data.
Linguistic services
Program goals
Federal organizations have access to high quality linguistic services.
Target population
All Canadians.
| Distribution | Group |
|---|---|
| By gender | Third group: broadly gender balanced |
| By income level | Third group: no significant distributional impacts |
| By age group | Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors |
In addition to official languages, the Translation Bureau also provides translation and interpretation services in Indigenous languages, enhancing visibility and supporting the efforts of Indigenous Peoples in the reclamation, revitalization, and strengthening of Indigenous languages as a foundation for culture and identity.
Another focal point has been the work of the Translation Bureau in its provision of interpretation services in American Sign Language (ASL) and langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) at major events organized by the Government of Canada, providing access to information to individuals whose primary language is ASL or LSQ. In addition, the Translation Bureau offers Video Remote Interpretation for sign language interpretation services.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Linguistic services: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
Not applicable.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
The Translation Bureau does not collect this type of information.
Security and oversight services
Program goals
Security and Oversight Services support the ethical and secure management of Government of Canada activities. This program is responsible for inspections, investigations and integrity verifications for the department, other government departments and Canadians. It aims at providing programs and services that ensure government operations are carried out securely, and ensures the government does business with ethical suppliers.
Target population
The direct target population of the program is suppliers or businesses and corporations that do business with the government.
Security and oversight services: Distribution of benefits
Not applicable.
Specific demographic group outcomes
The program interacts mostly with entities (businesses and corporations) that the government does business with. The program is committed to only collecting personal information that is necessary to determine whether a supplier is ineligible under the Integrity Regime and only using the information for the purpose for which it is intended. As such, there are no plans to collect personal information regarding income, gender or level of education from suppliers.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Security and oversight services: Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
Not applicable.
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
The Contract Security service line adheres to requirements under Treasury Board policies and standards and the Program data collection is based on government-wide standardized forms. Any plans for the Contract Security service line to change data collection require engagement with representatives from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat as they are the current owners of the data collection tools and forms. The program is awaiting new information technology (IT) solution that would enable improved data capture, mining, and reporting on GBA Plus activities.
Information specifically addressing gender metrics for registered individuals and organizations of the Controlled Goods Program is limited. The program is awaiting a new IT solution that would enable improved data capture, mining, and reporting on GBA Plus metrics, for example, gender and age.
Service management
Program goals
The Service Management Program enables the centralized functions of the department designated service management official to meet the requirements of the Treasury Board Policy on Service and Digital. The Service Management Program enables the designated service official to deliver programs of work, and data for departmental service results reporting.
Target population
The target populations of the program are PSPC employees as well as other federal public servants across the Government of Canada.
Service management: Distribution of benefits
Gender and sex information is not collected for the Service Management Program. There is no data on the distribution of benefits.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
Service management : Key program impacts statistics
No statistics to report.
Other key program impacts
The Service Management program collects service-specific data for all PSPC service offerings. Enterprise service data may be easily leveraged to track and measure discrete aspects of GBA Plus, both within PSPC operations as well as within the client consultation and feedback context. Ongoing improvements to the service management programs of work (under the direction of the PSPC designated service official) offer the opportunity to identify specific GBA Plus metrics for incorporation into annual service management direction setting and reporting requirements
Supplementary information sources
Not applicable.
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
This program does not collect sufficient data to enable it to monitor and/or report program impacts by gender and diversity; however, this program does collect summary detail at the service-level, tracking completion of GBA Plus by individual service line. Proposed program activities include operationalizing the function of ‘service review’, which could, in theory, specify the execution of GBA Plus in a consistent, measurable manner. The program may consider future monitoring or reporting of the program’s impacts by gender and diversity.
Core responsibility: Procurement Ombudsman
Procurement Ombudsman
Program goals
The Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO) is a neutral and independent organization of the Government of Canada that works collaboratively with federal departments and Canadian businesses to promote fairness, openness and transparency in federal procurement. OPO delivers on this mandate by connecting stakeholders, investigating complaints, resolving problems, making recommendations and sharing good practices.
Target population
Canadian businesses and the federal government
Procurement Ombudsman: Distribution of benefits
Not applicable.
Specific demographic group outcomes
Not applicable.
Key program impacts on gender and diversity (2023 to 2024 or most recent)
OPO did not collect data from its outreach activities with regard to gender and diversity in 2023 to 2024; however, OPO will implement a survey in 2024 to 2025 to allow for the collection of this information.
| Statistics | Observed results in 2023 to 2024 or most recent | Data source | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of awareness-building activities and engagements per year specifically with businesses owned or led by Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized Canadians, women, 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians and other under‑represented groups. | OPO held 14 awareness-building activities and engagements specifically with businesses owned or led by Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized Canadians, women, 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians and other under‑represented groups. | OPO’s internal outreach tracker | None |
Other key program impacts
OPO is committed to proactively identifying and preventing barriers for employees and Canadians in support of the government’s priority to create a barrier-free Canada by 2040. To support this commitment, OPO will seek feedback from its employees through OPO’s annual employee survey on current barriers. OPO will also update its communication products used for outreach to seek input from stakeholders and capture this information in the Procurement Ombudsman’s Database. Any information shared with OPO is anonymized and will be reported on through OPO’s follow-up reports on its Accessibility Plan. The next update on OPO’s progress will be published by December 31, 2024.
Since 2018, OPO has heightened its focus on diversity and inclusion, both as it relates to the internal functioning of the office and external functions such as engagement with government procurement professionals, the supplier community, and non‑governmental organizations providing services to diverse business owners.
Diversifying the Federal Supply Chain
Since 2018 to 2019, OPO hosted five iterations of its Diversifying the Federal Supply Chain Summit, which garnered over 2,000 participants over the years. The Diversifying the Federal Supply Chain Summit is geared towards under‑represented suppliers interested in doing business with the federal government. Due to budget restrictions and limited resources, OPO’s fifth iteration of the Summit was cancelled in 2022 to 2023 and postponed until 2024 to 2025 where it was held virtually.
OPO hosted a speed mentoring session with under‑represented businesses in Ottawa in 2024 to increase awareness of the office’s services to its stakeholders. This approach was a new outreach activity for the office to continue raising awareness of the various information regarding government programs and tools that support an understanding of the federal procurement process and help suppliers within these groups obtain federal contracts.
Knowledge Deepening and Sharing Initiative
In 2018 to 2019, OPO launched the Knowledge Deepening and Sharing (KDS) initiative, in an effort to better understand and share information on various aspects or issues in the procurement process. To date, OPO has published 9 KDS studies on its website, including on social procurement.
Supplementary information sources
- OPO’s internal outreach calendar
- OPO’s annual survey
- OPO’s outreach survey
- OPO’s Annual Report
Gender-based analysis plus data collection plan
OPO’s ongoing commitment to GBA Plus data collection includes:
- capturing additional information through the annual outreach calendar such as where outreach activities are being conducted in order to provide additional information on the number of awareness-building activities and engagements per year specifically with businesses owned or led by:
- Indigenous Peoples
- Black and racialized Canadians
- women
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians
- other under-represented groups
- seeking feedback from its staff through the employee survey pertaining to their accessibility requirements on an annual basis
- seeking feedback from suppliers at town hall meetings and diversity summits regarding potential barriers they are facing and reporting on them annually through the Accessibility Plan
- monitoring GBA Plus in procurement via environmental scanning. OPO tracks this information and reports on it internally to staff on a semi-annual basis. This information is also collected as a source for producing OPO’s KDS pieces which raise awareness on topics and issues relevant to the procurement community
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