Timeline: GBA Plus Milestones (1995-2025)

Timeline

 1995

• Government Commitment to GBA: GBA was introduced as part of Canada's commitment to gender equality, following the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

 2007

• GBA Mandatory in Submissions to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS): GBA information became a requirement in all TBS submissions. 

 2009

• Auditor General (AG) Audit of GBA: At the request of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, the Office of the Auditor General reported on the GBA practices of six departments, and three central agencies. 

 2011

• Expansion and Rebranding of GBA Plus: Gender-based Analysis became Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus). The ‘Plus’ denotes an intersectional approach that goes beyond sex and gender, to ensure policies and programs consider all people in Canada.

 2016

• Auditor General (AG) Audit of GBA Plus and the Action Plan on Gender-based Analysis (2016-2020): The Report of the Auditor General of Canada, Implementing Gender-based Analysis, released in February 2016, pointed to the need to do more to fully implement GBA as a rigorous practice across government. Privy Council Office (PCO) and TBS worked with all federal organizations to identify the barriers to GBA Plus implementation and to ensure periodic reporting on related progress.

 2018

• Creation of the Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE): On December 13, WAGE was legislated as a department with an expanded mandate to advance equality, including social, economic and political equality, with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression; and promote a greater understanding of the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors that include race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic condition, place of residence and disability.
• Canadian Gender Budgeting Act: The passing of the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act enshrined gender and diversity considerations in the federal budget process. Under the Act, the Government of Canada is mandated to report on the gender and diversity impacts for all new budget measures in every budget cycle.

 2019

• Budget 2019: Budget 2019 was the first Budget report that included GBA Plus summaries of all budget measures and initiatives.
• Mainstreaming GBA Plus: Ministerial mandate letters in 2021 required all Ministers to apply GBA Plus to decision-making.
• Integrating GBA Plus into Evaluation: TBS, in consultation with WAGE, developed a report containing advice for Evaluators, particularly those at the junior and intermediate levels, on how to integrate GBA Plus into every stage of Government of Canada evaluations (i.e. planning, conducting, and reporting).
• Impact Assessment Act: In the Impact Assessment Act, GBA Plus was legislated for all major initiatives as part of impact assessments of federally designated resource and development projects (e.g. mines, ports, dams, bridges, and energy) and strategic or regional assessments.

 2021

• First annual TBS report on impact of programs on gender and diversity: Under the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act, the President of the Treasury Board must make available to the public, every year, analysis of the impacts of existing Government of Canada expenditure programs on gender and diversity.
• Enhancing GBA Plus: Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth (WAGE) 2021 Mandate Letter commitments included that the Minister lead the evaluation process of GBA Plus, with particular attention to intersectional analysis, for the tool to better reflect the lived experiences of all people in Canada. WAGE engaged with relevant federal partners to plan for an engagement process with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Budget 2021 Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP): Budget 2021 provided Statistics Canada with $172 million over five years to implement the DDAP. This funding supports more representative data collection methods, enhances statistics on diverse populations to allow for intersectional analyses, and supports government and society efforts to address known inequalities and promote fair and inclusive decision making. 
• TBS Policy on Transfer Payments: The Policy on Transfer Payments requires that transfer payment programs be “designed and delivered to be inclusive and gender- and diversity-sensitive.” 

 2022

• Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Audit of GBA Plus: the Auditor General of Canada—Report 3—Follow-up on Gender-Based Analysis Plus highlighted gaps in GBA Plus implementation and the need for improvement.
• The Management Response and Action Plan (MRAP): In response to the OAG’s May 2022 Audit of GBA Plus, the Government tabled the MRAP in November 2022, including  commitments from WAGE, PCO and TBS on strengthening GBA Plus in Cabinet documents, improving reporting of impacts in Departmental Results Reports, and improving the monitoring of GBA Plus implementation.

 2023

• Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (SOCI) Report: Released March 2023, this report outlined the barriers that continue to limit the implementation of GBA Plus in the federal government, and it included 15 recommendations to reduce these barriers and to improve intersectional analysis. The 15 recommendations included rebranding, partnerships, action on AG reports, training, data, and federal leadership and accountability. Government response to SOCI was released in September 2023. 

 2025

• 30th anniversary of GBA Plus: In 2025, Canada celebrated the 30th anniversary of GBA Plus, as part of its commitment to gender equality following the Fourth World Conference on Women. This anniversary also aligned with the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, underscoring the role of GBA Plus in advancing gender equality, alongside other significant achievements outlined in Canada's Fifth National Review.