Women and Gender Equality Canada's 2025-26 Departmental Plan

Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibilities and internal services

• Core responsibility 1: Advancing gender equality
• Internal services

Core responsibility 1:  Advancing gender equality

Description

The Department for Women and Gender Equality advances gender equality for women, including social, economic, and political equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. The Department promotes 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. The Department develops and coordinates policies and programs; and undertakes research and data collection and analyses related to these policies and programs; and raises public awareness through outreach. The Department provides advice to government to achieve Canada’s gender equality outcomes and goals, including advocacy for gender-based budgeting, and facilitates the advancement of gender equality among other partners and stakeholders, through its expertise, contribution to research and funding to community initiatives. The Department serves as a central point for sharing expertise across Canada and with international partners, and uses this knowledge to inform and support Canada’s gender equality priorities.

Quality of life impacts

There are three domains and five subdomains under the Quality of Life Framework for Canada that align with WAGE’s core responsibility. The five indicators for these domains and subdomains that WAGE’s activities will serve are outlined below, by subdomain.

Safety and security and Justice and human rights

WAGE’s activities to prevent and address GBV are expected to help reduce the violence that women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and people with other intersecting identity factors experience. Therefore, WAGE expects that these activities will directly impact the indicator “Personal safety” under the “Safety and security” subdomain of “Good governance.” These activities will also contribute to the headline indicator “Discrimination and unfair treatment” under the subdomain “Justice and human rights,” also within “Good Governance.”

WAGE’s activities to make Canadian society more inclusive are also expected to contribute to improvements in the “Positive perceptions of diversity” indicator. It is under the “Culture and identity” subdomain of “Society.”

Economic security and deprivation

WAGE works to remove barriers to economic participation and empowerment for women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and people with other intersecting identity factors. Therefore, WAGE expects its activities to contribute to the headline indicator “Poverty” under the “Economic security and deprivation” subdomain of “Prosperity.”

Democracy and institutions

Finally, WAGE works to have more women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and people with other intersecting identity factors in leadership positions. Therefore, WAGE expects its activities will contribute to the “Representation in senior leadership positions” indicator, under the “Democracy and institutions” subdomain of “Good governance.”

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the department’s indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2025-26 for advancing gender equality. Details are presented by departmental result.^{Footnote 1}

Table 1 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under advancing gender equality.

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for WAGE’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for advancing gender equality in 2025-26.

As part of its roles as convener, knowledge broker, and capacity builder, WAGE plans to achieve its departmental results in 2025-26 by focusing on its core mandate and the following commitments:

• Promote and advance women and gender equality.
• Lead the systematic application of GBA Plus throughout the Government of Canada.
• Prevent and address GBV.
• Promote and advance 2SLGBTQI+ equality.
• Strengthen organizational well-being and enhance WAGE capacities (see Internal Services section).

Key risks

With WAGE’s broad and cross-cutting mandate, it faces several risks in fulfilling its core responsibility of advancing gender equality for women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and people with other intersecting identity factors. Capacity constraints, significant demand for WAGE’s expertise, a lack of full information for decision making, organizational change, and cybersecurity are some of the risks that WAGE could face in the current fiscal year.

WAGE plans to mitigate these risks by advancing its priority of streamlining business processes. To do this, it will actively participate in the government’s efforts to reduce reporting burden. It will fine-tune its integrated business planning approach and refocus its role as an enabler to better embed system-wide application of GBA Plus. WAGE will also strengthen links with its program partners on GBV, GBA Plus, and other actions. WAGE can then collect disaggregated data and evidence to better understand the impacts of its programs. The Department will continue to focus on having the right safeguards in place to protect valued information against modern cybersecurity threats.

Planned resources to achieve results

Table 3 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Complete financial and human resources information for WAGE’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Related government priorities

Program inventory

Advancing gender equality is supported by the following programs:

• Expertise and Outreach
• Community Action and Innovation

Additional information related to the program inventory for advancing gender equality is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase. 

Internal services

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

• management and oversight services
• communications services
• legal services
• human resources management services
• financial management services
• information management services
• information technology services
• real property management services
• material management services
• acquisition management services

Plans to achieve results

This section presents details on how the department plans to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

To strengthen organizational well-being and enhance WAGE capacities in 2025-26, key actions the Department plans to take are as follows:

• adapting to the changing context
• supporting prioritized WAGE projects and those responsible for operational processes
• completing and integrating WAGE’s renewed performance measurement framework
• Human Resources (HR) management focusing on sound and strategic stewardship of resources

Adapting to the changing context

To be prepared, WAGE will continue to streamline and refine systems and processes. It will also align business processes including:

• streamlining financial management operations processes, budgeting, and fulfilling responsible government spending decisions
• implementing updated mandatory procedures for business owners when procuring professional services
• aligning operations to support key departmental roles and adjust business processes

Supporting prioritized WAGE projects and those responsible for operational processes

• Continue work to replace the current grants and contributions management system to achieve greater efficiencies and enhanced flexibilities.
• Better integrate internal communications tools to strengthen employee engagement and operational efficiency.

Completing and integrating WAGE’s renewed performance measurement framework

• Complete a renewed performance measurement framework to support the Department’s evolution. Integrate it into WAGE’s 2026-27 Departmental Plan.

HR management

WAGE aims to foster a workplace grounded in the public service’s values and ethics. These guide the organization’s work and shape its culture.

• Continue to focus on implementing processes that advance anti-racism, diversity, accessibility, reconciliation, equity, and inclusion.
• Advance digital innovation and data-driven insights to provide leaders with the tools and expertise to inspire and manage effectively.
• Empower leadership; ensure excellence in people management across the organization; and foster a resilient, adaptable workforce that can successfully fulfill its mandate.
• Take stock of the federal government 2024 Public Service Employee Survey results and act on areas for improvement.

Planned resources to achieve results  

Table 4 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Complete financial and human resources information for WAGE’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Government of Canada departments are to meet a target of awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses each year. This commitment is to be fully implemented by the end of 2024-25.

1. Target achievement: WAGE aims to award at least 5% of the total contract value to Indigenous businesses each year by using an annual procurement plan.
2. Collaborative planning: Business users and procurement officers will collaborate during planning to ensure opportunities for Indigenous businesses are maximized. This includes methods such as set-asides under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business, market capacity research, and subcontracting criteria.
3. Reporting and accountability: Quarterly reporting to senior management will track progress towards meeting this 5% target throughout the fiscal year.
4. Training and development: Procurement officers will complete required courses and do interdepartmental networking to stay up-to-date on best practices and developments.

Table 5 presents the current, actual results with forecasted and planned results for the total percentage of contracts the department awarded to Indigenous businesses.  

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of WAGE’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2025-26 with actual spending from previous years.

Spending

This section presents an overview of the department's planned expenditures from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Budgetary performance summary

Table 6 presents how much money WAGE spent over the past three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date. 

More financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

Table 7 presents how much money WAGE plans to spend over the next three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services.

More detailed financial information on planned spending is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.

Graph 1 summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding from 2022-23 to 2027-28. 

Graph 1: Approved funding (statutory and voted) over a six-year period

For further information on WAGE’s departmental appropriations, consult the 2025-26 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of WAGE’s operations for 2024-25 to 2025-26.

Table 8 summarizes the expenses and revenues which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers for 2024-25 to 2025-26. The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated Notes for 2025-26, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, is available on WAGE’s website. 

Human resources

This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Table 9 shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents, for WAGE’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.  

Table 10 shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents, for each of WAGE’s core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for the next three years. 

Corporate information

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on WAGE’s website:

• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender‑based analysis plus
• Horizontal initiatives

Information on WAGE’s departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on WAGE’s website.

Federal tax expenditures

WAGE’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.

This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

Definitions