Gender-based analysis plus – Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, 2020–21 Departmental Results Report

Section 1: institutional GBA Plus capacity

In 2020–21, TBS had a GBA Plus champion in place and had GBA Plus integrated into key products and processes, including those related to the preparation and review of Treasury Board submissions and regulatory proposals, as well as those related to research, corporate reporting, and evaluation planning and design. There is ongoing dialogue with other federal organizations to ensure that TBS policies and procedures are effective in supporting their GBA Plus activities.

TBS promoted training opportunities to improve its employees’ understanding and ability to do GBA Plus. For example, it:

• encouraged all new employees, through the TBS Community Learning Guide, to take the online course Introduction to Gender-Based Analysis Plus, which is available from the Canada School of Public Service and Women and Gender Equality Canada
• recommended that members of TBS’s financial and human resources management communities take GBA Plus training
• hosted a panel discussion on GBA Plus and data, and an information session on the Canada Gender Budgeting Act  

TBS also worked to improve its GBA Plus capacity by taking steps to make its workforce more representative of the country’s diversity. For example, it:

• supported evidence-based management decision-making by making more data products available and by adding disaggregated employment equity data to some data products
• updated its Talent Acquisition Strategy to promote programs and initiatives that managers can use to identify and hire diverse talent
• journey‑mapped the lived experience of Black employees at TBS, in partnership with the department’s Black Employees Network, to identify barriers and pain points
• piloting the Mentorship Plus initiative at TBS, which aims to support the career development of employees from employment equity and equity-deserving groups through mentorship and sponsorship

Section 2: gender and diversity impacts, by program

Core responsibility 1:spending oversight

Program 1: Expenditure Data, Analysis, Results and Reviews

Target population: all Canadians

Actions

The program provides guidance for departments on how to incorporate GBA Plus into management decisions and results reporting. In addition, the program supports departments through ongoing engagements to help improve their GBA Plus and data collection strategies for Treasury Board submissions and for the review of Performance Information Profiles.

In 2020–21, the program:

• refined guidance for departments on reporting on the gender and other identity-related impacts of their programs to help them meet the reporting requirements of the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act, section 5
• contributed to the development of training materials on how to incorporate GBA Plus into Treasury Board submissions, Estimates documents, program evaluations and Performance Information Profiles
• partnered with Statistics Canada to study women owned businesses that access business innovation and growth support programs. The results of this study will be available before the end of 2021

GBA Plus data collection plan

New performance indicators are being instituted to:

• help monitor whether government programs can generate disaggregated performance statistics by gender and other identity factors that are needed to meet reporting requirements under the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act
• assess the quality of the plans for monitoring outcomes based on gender and other identity factors that are set out in Treasury Board submissions

New performance indicators would monitor:

• the percentage of Treasury Board submissions that include plans to track the impact of the proposed program on gender and diversity
• the percentage of programs in the program inventory that have a plan for collecting data on the impacts of the program on gender and diversity
• the percentage of programs that have at least one indicator for monitoring impact on gender and diversity

Program 2: Government-Wide Funds

Target population: all Canadians

Actions

The program implements Treasury Board decisions that call for allocations to be made from the central votes. The allocations directly support the implementation of programs, initiatives and processes that all have their own GBA Plus considerations.

GBA Plus data collection plan

Not applicable. Details on the decisions and allocations related to the central votes are tracked in TBS’s Expenditure Management Component system but contains no GBA Plus information.

Program 3: Oversight and Treasury Board Support

Target population: all Canadians

GBA Plus data collection plan

TBS requires that, in their proposals for new programs or projects, departments:

• identify how their programs or projects will impact different groups based on gender and other identity factors
• identify any outcome indicators for initiatives for the purposes of GBA Plus^{Footnote 4}
• include a GBA Plus data collection and reporting plan

Core responsibility 2:administrative leadership

Program 1: Acquired Services and Assets Policies and Initiatives

Target population: all Canadians

Actions

In 2020–21, the program responded to a growing need for online professional development content by conducting a GBA Plus of the webinars and other products it provides to the procurement, project management, materiel and real property functional communities to make sure the products provided during the pandemic were inclusive and accessible.

The program is currently exploring:

• how the lessons learned from this exercise can be applied to its other professional development programs
• ways to monitor and assess compliance with the requirements related to procurement and socio‑economic benefits set out in the new Directive on the Management of Procurement and the Directive on Government Contracts, Including Real Property Leases, in the Nunavut Settlement Area
• ways to monitor and assess how departments are considering diversity, including gender identity and gender expression, in the design and provision of built amenities

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program has:

• confirmed that a method is available to source data that effectively reflects its functional communities
• updated the questions it asks departments to establish a baseline for the extent to which departments have strategies in place to further economically empower specific communities, and to increase diversity in procurement, specifically, with Indigenous business
• surveyed project managers in departments to set a baseline for the experience and certification requirements for project managers who are leading major projects. The survey included questions related to employment equity, similar to the questions asked in the Public Service Employment Survey. The results will be used to identify and reduce diversity gaps in the project management community across the public service.

The program is also:

• reviewing its program-level performance indicators to identify opportunities to incorporate considerations relating to gender and other identity factors
• exploring ways to collect information on gender and diversity in relation to acquired services and assets policies and initiatives
• continuing to monitor third‑party data from partners (for example, demographic assessments) as part of efforts to better monitor GBA Plus in the federal government’s real property, procurement, materiel management, and project management communities
• collecting data on gender identity and other intersecting traits as part of its professional development initiatives. For example, initiatives such as the Comptrollership Leadership Development Program will ask candidates to self‑declare if they belong to an equity‑seeking group. The data will help the program provide professional development opportunities to candidates that are representative of the Canadian population.

Program 2: Canadian Digital Service

Target population: all Canadians

Actions

The Canadian Digital Service (CDS) strives to meet high standards for accessibility and inclusion. Adoption of CDS platforms government-wide presents the opportunity for greater accessibility of services across Canada.

CDS assesses digital projects through a gender‑based and socio-economic lens to ensure that services are inclusive and meet the needs of all users. For example, CDS directly tested COVID Alert products with over 2,000 people representing different genders and ethnic backgrounds who were expected to be users of the products.

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program collects data on its impacts based on gender and other identity factors as part of its design research and usability testing practices for all the products and services it develops.

Program 3: Communications and Federal Identity Policies and Initiatives

Target population: all Canadians

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program is exploring opportunities to collect data on how communications products and activities developed by departments impact different user groups based on gender and other identify factors. It may include surveys with heads of communications and other federal communications officials.

Program 4: Digital Policy

Target population: all Canadians

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program:

• collects data on gender and other socio-economic factors through the Citizens First survey and the Government of Canada Service Inventory in order to monitor and report on satisfaction with government services among different population groups
• is partnering with departments including Women and Gender Equality Canada, Statistics Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to explore innovative practices that combine inclusion and open data (for example, collection and publication of disaggregated data, data ethics, Indigenous data sovereignty GBA Plus data collection considerations for open government national action plans , and the development of a GBA Plus and inclusion toolkit for NAP commitment leads) ) 
• as part of the review of the access to information system, is surveying users about their experience with making access to information requests. Survey respondents can self‑identify according to different identity factors (for example, membership in a visible minority group, sexual orientation and gender identity)

Program 5: Digital Strategy, Planning, and Oversight

Target population: all Canadians

Actions

In 2020–21, the program concluded its 3-year Talent Cloud project. This project aimed to develop and test new recruitment and mobility approaches for digital talent in the Government of Canada, respecting fundamental principles that:

• protect workers’ rights
• embrace user experience design and the Government of Canada Digital Standards
• advance equity, inclusion and diversity

The report on the project findings describes promising new theories and methodologies for diversity and inclusion in hiring. These findings will be used to continue to improve how digital talent from diverse backgrounds is attracted and recruited.

Also in 2020–21, the program created three performance commitments for departmental chief information officers in order to promote the representation of women and diversity groups in the information management and information technology (IM/IT) and cybersecurity communities.

The program is: 

• working to increase the adoption and implementation of the Government of Canada Digital Standards, which require that accessibility be built in from the beginning of any work
• leveraging government-wide recruitment and talent management initiatives to increase the representation of gender and diversity groups in IM/IT and cybersecurity communities 
• examining whether the Government of Canada’s digital identity program, which aims to give users a consistent authentication experience when they log on to government services, is meeting the needs of diverse and/or marginalized populations that face barriers in accessing government services in remote areas 

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program collects data on women and diversity groups in the government’s IM/IT and cybersecurity communities to inform the program’s efforts to increase their representation in these communities.

Program 6: Financial Management Policies and Initiatives

Target population: all Canadians

Actions

The program develops and delivers capacity‑building and talent‑management strategies and initiatives to promote recruitment, development and retention in the financial management community to help build a skilled, inclusive, diverse and equitable workforce.

In addition, the program plans to take into account systemic inequalities when it reviews the Treasury Board’s financial management policy instruments, starting in 2021–22.

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program collects data on women and diversity groups in the government’s financial management community to inform the program’s efforts to build a skilled, inclusive, diverse and equitable financial management workforce.

Program 7: Financial Management Transformation

Target population:  all Canadians

GBA Plus data collection plan

Not applicable. The program is working to provide better business processes and software to help departments modernize their comptrollership function. There are no expected impacts related to gender or other identity factors as a result of the program’s activities.

Program 8: Greening Government Operations

Target population: all Canadians

GBA Plus data collection plan

Not applicable. This program is limited to greening internal government operations. It is not expected to impact women or other diversity groups.

Program 9: Internal Audit Policies and Initiatives

Target population: all Canadians

Actions

The program develops and delivers capacity‑building and talent‑management strategies and initiatives to promote recruitment, development and retention in the government’s internal audit community, including departmental audit committees (DACs), with a focus on building a skilled, inclusive, diverse and equitable workforce.

Key impacts

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program runs a voluntary self-identification campaign for prospective DAC members to gather information on audit committee demographics and to ensure appropriate representation.

It is also obtaining more specific information from the quantitative and qualitative data collected annually on the performance and capacity of the internal audit function across government, which may provide insight into talent management and professional designations, and other institutional elements where GBA Plus could be a factor (for example, to see if there are gender or other diversity differences in those with and without designations).

A question has been included in the 2021 Capacity Assessment Template to help identify where the internal audit function might be falling short of labour market availability rates for employment equity groups. This is key to the program’s renewed vision for internal audit, which promotes multidisciplinary teams and DACs that reflect Canada’s diversity.

Program 10: Management Accountability Framework

Target population:  all Canadians

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program is exploring ways to collect data from departments on the impacts of their diversity and inclusion efforts on different identity groups in areas such as results management, security management, and service management, to encourage a broader range of management practices that foster diversity and equity.

Program 11: Public Service Accessibility

Target population: federal public servants with disabilities and all Canadians with disabilities

Key impacts

Actions

In 2020–21, the program:

• developed an Accessibility Hub to centralize information and learning resources that departments can use to improve accessibility and to make their workplaces and services more inclusive for persons with disabilities
• invested in innovative and experimental projects and initiatives through the Centralized Enabling Workplace Fund, which aims to improve workplace accommodation practices and remove systemic barriers that create a need for individual accommodation

Supplementary information sources

Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada for Fiscal Year 2019 to 2020

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program uses administrative and survey data to monitor and report on its impacts based on gender and other identity factors.

Core responsibility 3: Employer

Program 1: Employment Conditions and Labour Relations

Target population: employees of the core public administration, including managers

GBA Plus data collection plan:

At present, the program uses administrative, program and survey data to monitor and report on its impacts based on gender and other identity factors.

In future, it will use information from Labour Canada on various issues related to harassment and occupational health and safety. Benchmarking data from internal and external studies, as well as data from the Pensions and Benefits Plan Member Survey, will also be used to examine the competitive position of the federal government in comparison to other employers.

Program 2: Executive and Leadership Development

Target population: executives in the core public administration

Distribution of benefits

Key impacts

Actions

In support of diverse and inclusive development and succession planning for assistant deputy minister (ADM) positions, the program:

• provided deputy heads and heads of human resources (HR) with talent management materials that, for the first time, included employment equity group self-identification information in ADM candidate profiles to create clearer lines of sight to executives who self-identify as a member of one or more under-represented EE groups, as well as to where diversity gaps exist
• identified talented executives inside and outside of the public service from under-represented groups

The program also:

• adjusted the nomination criteria for the Executive Leadership Development Program to require that 50% of departments’ nominees be executives who have self-identified as Indigenous, visible minorities or persons with a disability; as of fall 2020, this requirement has resulted in the most diverse cohort of participants since the program started in 2016
• engaged an external recruitment firm to identify and recruit qualified external diverse executives
• worked with the Black Executive Network to develop the professional profiles of Black executives and to present them to deputy heads

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program uses public service administrative and survey data to monitor and report on gender and diversity impacts. It is also strengthening the GBA Plus lens in the talent management strategy for the public service.

Program 3: Pension and Benefits Management

Target population

• Pension benefits: all contributors and beneficiaries recognized by the Public Service Superannuation Act
• Health and dental benefits: active and retired employees and their eligible dependents

Key impacts

Public service pension plan provisions, which are legislated under the Public Service Superannuation Act, apply equally to all employees who meet the eligibility requirements for contributing to the plan.

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program collects data from the following sources to enable it to monitor and report on its impacts by gender and diversity:

• Actuarial Report on the Pension Plan for the Public Service
• demographic reports on the public service
• public service pension and benefits plan member surveys
• Public Service Health Care Plan and Public Service Dental Care Plan data
• benchmarking data, as available

Program 4: People Management Systems and Processes

Target population: employees of the core public administration

Actions

The program will be:

• conducting GBA Plus on the employee performance and talent management program in 2021–22, subject to resource availability
• setting diversity goals for the next generation human resources and pay system project to ensure that the project engages with employees from the four designated employment equity groups and from other equity‑seeking groups

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program uses administrative data from the Public Service Performance Management and Executive Talent Management System applications to monitor and report on its gender and diversity impacts.

Program 5: Public Service Employer Payments

Target population

• Pension benefits: all contributors and beneficiaries recognized by the Public Service Superannuation Act
• Health and dental benefits: active and retired employees and their eligible dependents

GBA Plus data collection plan

Not applicable. The program provides funding to supplement appropriations for programs such as the Pension and Benefits Management program, which collects its own data for GBA Plus.

Program 6: Research, Planning and Renewal

Target population: employees of the core public administration

Key impacts

Actions

The Research, Planning and Renewal program:

• led the design and assessment of the People Management area of the Management Accountability Framework, which focuses on the ways in which organizations apply diversity and inclusion, GBA Plus and future‑of‑work lenses in their management practices
• analyzed the results of the Public Service Employee Survey and the Student Exit Survey using a GBA Plus lens to better understand the nuances in the results and the different lived experiences of public servants
• provided data on the core public administration workforce to departments and agencies to support services and programs in which a GBA Plus lens is applied
• led a project to modernize the self-identification process based on extensive research on human‑centred design and insights into behaviour. The project resulted in evidence‑based recommendations to improve the self-identification process, as well as a new questionnaire that was designed with employees from various diversity networks to improve the accuracy, breadth and depth of employment equity data, allowing for greater disaggregation and intersectionality, which are critical for GBA Plus

The program also applied a GBA Plus lens to its work on:

• the easing of pandemic restrictions: GBA Plus considerations were integrated into the Guidebookfor Departments on Easing of Restrictions: Federal Worksites and were identified as key consideration for post‑pandemic planning. Representatives from Women and Gender Equality Canada were included in consultations and governance activities, such as those of the ADM Committee on Return to Work in the summer of 2020 leading up to the publication of the guidebook
• the future of work: diversity, inclusion and accessibility have been identified as strategic areas of focus for the future of work

Supplementary information sources

2020 Public Service Employee Survey Results – Results for the Public Service by Demographic Characteristics

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program uses the Public Service Employee Survey to monitor and report on program impacts by gender and other identity factors.

Program 7: Workplace Policies and Services

Target population: employees of the core public administration

Key impacts

Actions

In 2020–21, the program:

• collaborated with other stakeholders on:
• the development of policy options to remove official languages (OL) barriers for Indigenous employees
• the work of a joint employer-union committee to understand the extent and nature of Indigenous language use in the public service
• amended the Directive on Official Languages for People Management to remove barriers in staffing for persons with disabilities at the senior executive level
• completed and submitted a GBA Plus as part of preparing a request for funding to support the process to modernize the Official Languages Act
• supported the federal government’s response to the COVID‑19 pandemic by making available people management guidance, tools and information that included GBA Plus and other considerations to further inclusion
• worked with the Public Service Commission of Canada and with employee diversity networks, bargaining agents and senior officials for diversity and inclusion and employment equity on developing amendments to the Public Service Employment Act to address systemic barriers for equity-seeking groups in the staffing process
• supported the creation of the Centre on Diversity and Inclusion. The initiatives led by the centre’s are directed at and developed with persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, Indigenous people, women, LGBTQ2+ and Black employees. The initiatives include:
• the Career Pathways for Indigenous Employees webtool. This online resource aims at supporting Indigenous employees with professional development and career advancement and provides tools for hiring managers to recruit First Nations, Inuit and Métis employees
• the Mentorship Plus Program, which aims to better support leadership development, with specific emphasis on supporting members of underrepresented groups who aspire to leadership and executive positions
• the Federal Speakers’ Forum, an online platform where public servants can share their experience with other public servants who have been included or excluded because of differences such as the colour of their skin, gender identity, sexuality or disability. Using the same platform, departments and agencies can request speakers for their organization’s events. Speakers recruited by TBS’s Centre on Diversity and Inclusion come from diverse perspectives and identities
• applied intersectionality in its mental health promotion, outreach and engagement activities, from the selection of imagery used in public communications to the choice of the moderator and panelists featured in mental health events that were co-hosted with the Canada School of Public Service

Supplementary information sources

Detailed information is available in the Employment Equity Annual Report, the Annual Report on Official Languages, and the Public Service Employee Survey

GBA Plus data collection plan

The program uses a range of administrative and survey data sources to monitor and report on its impacts by gender and diversity.

Core responsibility 4:Regulatory Oversight

Program 1: Regulatory Policy, Oversight, and Cooperation

Target population: all Canadians

Key impacts

GBA Plus data collection plan

The Cabinet Directive on Regulation, implemented by the program, requires departments and agencies to undertake GBA Plus when developing regulations. Information about their analysis and results is then included in their regulatory impact analysis statements (RIAS). These statements accompany regulatory proposals and final regulations published in the Canada Gazette.

The program plays an oversight role during regulatory development and tracks compliance of certain elements of regulatory analysis required by the Cabinet Directive on Regulation.

The program is developing processes to capture demographic information for program-led consultations, where appropriate, to monitor and improve the diversity of stakeholders engaged in these consultations.

Core responsibility 5: Internal Services^{Footnote 5}

Target population: TBS employees in the federal public service

Distribution of benefits

Impacts

In 2020–21, there were no gaps between workforce availability and representation at the executive levels for women, persons with disabilities, or visible minorities. There was, however, a gap at the executive level for Indigenous peoples and gaps at various classification levels for all employment equity groups.

Supplementary information sources

2020 Public Service Employee Survey Results for Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat by Demographic Characteristics - Canada.ca (tbs-sct.gc.ca)

Actions

In 2020–21, TBS’s internal human resources management services integrated GBA Plus into their work by:

• increasing the number of data human resources data analytics products available and disaggregating some employment equity data products to support management decision‑making
• updating the department’s Talent Acquisition Strategy to promote programs and initiatives that managers can use in hiring processes in order to increase diversity in the organization
• journey‑mapping the lived experience of Black employees at TBS, in partnership with the Black Employees Network to identify barriers and pain points
• including a GBA Plus lens in developing and implementing the department’s COVID-19 pandemic response plan (for example, GBA Plus personas and guiding questions were included in the plan to guide managers to ensure they considered GBA Plus)
• piloting the Mentorship Plus initiative at TBS. The initiative aims to support the career development of employees from employment equity and equity-deserving groups through mentorship and sponsorship

GBA Plus data collection plan

TBS internal services use a range of administrative and survey data sources to monitor and report on its impacts by gender and diversity.

Section 3: Program Links to Gender Results Framework

Core responsibility: spending oversight

Core responsibility: administrative leadership

Core responsibility: employer

Core responsibility: regulatory oversight

Core responsibility: Internal Services

Section 4: Program Links to Quality of Life Framework

Core responsibility 1: spending oversight

Core responsibility 2: administrative oversight

Core responsibility 3: employer

Core responsibility 4: regulatory oversight

Core responsibility 5: internal services