Gender-based analysis plus: 2019-20 Departmental Results Report, Women and Gender Equality Canada

The Expertise and Outreach program captures the Department’s policy, research, external relations, promotion, and commemoration functions. The following initiatives have a direct impact on gender equality and utilize GBA+ in their programming and reporting:

In 2019-20, the Department continued to support the implementation of GBA+ across the federal government, and its application to policies and programs. Notable highlights include:

• hosting a series of GBA+ bootcamps, offering specialized training to departmental GBA+ focal points
• co-hosting an expert panel on gender budgeting with Finance Canada
• continuing to support GBA+ training offered through the Canada School of Public Service;
• continuing to provide advice to other government departments on the application of GBA+, which included input to Memoranda to Cabinet and support to Finance Canada in the budget process. WAGE also continues to engage with provincial and territorial governments on GBA+ implementation, through the forum of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers responsible for the status of women.

In addition to supporting GBA+ within the federal government, the Department assisted external partners in implementing or applying GBA+. In 2019-20, the Department continued to work with the OECD to support Canada’s implementation of gender budgeting and to mainstream gender equality and inclusion considerations in policies, programs and initiatives. In addition, the Department provided technical advice and information on GBA+ and gender budgeting to other national governments on an as requested basis.

The Gender Results Framework, introduced in Budget 2018, represents the Government of Canada’s vision for gender equality. This whole-of-government tool supports the application of robust GBA+ to programs and policies, including budgets, by providing tangible indicators to track how Canada is currently performing, defining what is needed to achieve greater equality, and determining how progress will be measured. The GRF has provided a foundation for the application of GBA+ to federal policy decision-making through federal budgets since 2018. To complement the tabling of Budget 2019, the Department launched the Gender Results Framework Portal, an up-to-date source of data and research relevant to the Framework’s indicators. In 2019-20, the Department oversaw the implementation of the Framework by collaborating with central agencies to incorporate the Framework in annual government planning and reporting activities. The Department continued to undertake and fund research and data collection in support of the Framework to increase access to data and evidence to support the application of GBA+ to policy and program development, implementation and evaluation.

Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence

1. GBV Knowledge Centre’s Online Program

   Launched in December 2018, the GBV Knowledge Centre’s online platform is a searchable online tool that facilitates the alignment of existing federal resources and supports the sharing of research, data and promising practices to enable more coordinated action to address GBV. In 2019-20, a GBA+ lens was applied to establish inclusion criteria for the addition of provincial/territorial resources and federal resources. This helped to ensure that inclusive and comprehensive information was made available for all populations at risk of experiencing GBV.

2. GBV Research

   GBV Research builds knowledge with the goal of developing evidence-based policies, programs and initiatives to prevent and address GBV. In 2019-20, the Department’s research activities incorporated a GBA+ perspective at all stages of the research cycle, from the framing of research questions, to gathering data, conducting analysis, and disseminating results. In partnership with WAGE, Statistics Canada developed and executed three national surveys to enhance understanding of GBV broadly and in specific contexts, including in postsecondary situations and at work. These surveys allow the Department to monitor progress on gender equality over time, and analysis of these data in reports and publications contributes to evidence-based decision making. The results from these surveys act to enhance the availability of data to inform GBA+ in public policy.

The Community Action and Innovation program provides grants and contributions (Gs&Cs) to implement projects designed to address systemic barriers to gender equality. The following initiatives applied GBA+ in their programming and reporting:

Gender-Based Violence Program

The Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Program is population-specific with an objective to support organizations working in the GBV sector to develop and implement promising practices that address gaps in supports for Indigenous and underserved groups of survivors in Canada. An External Review Committee (ERC) comprised of stakeholders from other federal departments and from diverse backgrounds (i.e. Indigenous people, people with disability, racialized women) was established to support the Department in the assessment of concepts received through the first GBV Program Call for Concepts, launched in January 2018. In 2019-20, the ERC continued to ensure that diverse perspectives were applied when reviewing concepts submitted to the GBV Program, by incorporating the perspectives of marginalized populations and other identities, including gender, social and geographic status in the concept selection process.

Women’s Program

The purpose of the Women’s Program is to advance equality for women in Canada by working to address or remove systemic barriers to their progress and advancement. The program provides grant and contribution funding to Canadian organizations to support actions that will lead to equality across Canada. The Women’s Program applies GBA+ throughout program design, implementation and monitoring. It also supports organizations in their application of GBA+ to the project lifecycle. For example, G(irls)20 received funding for their Girls on Boards project which provides young women aged 18-25 with meaningful leadership opportunities to build the capacity of community organizations’ boards to implement gender based analysis (GBA+) throughout their practices and policies. Young women are provided with one-year assignments on community organizations’ boards and in consultation with their assigned board, select a program or a policy within the organization to be reviewed through a GBA+ lens. Three cohorts of young women were placed on boards. The young women are gaining leadership experience, mentorship from other board members and the opportunity to have an impact on communities across the country. The project was recently extended into the 2020-21 fiscal year to allow for an additional cohort of young women and an evaluation.

In 2019-20, Women’s Program staff were provided with training to better apply GBA+ throughout the project life cycle. This training has promoted a greater understanding of the GBA+ process and the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors. It has also fostered stronger incorporation of GBA+ considerations in decision-making and internal practices for the program, including building GBA+ into program tools, administrative systems and reporting tools. Training also improved Program Officers capability to educate applicants and funding recipients of the importance of GBA+ and how to apply it in their projects.

Equality for Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SSOGIE) Program and the LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund

The LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund was launched in 2019-20 under the new Equality for SSOGIE Program. It advances equality by building capacity of LGBTQ2 organizations across Canada. One component of this program is to strengthening organizations’ ability to consider the intersection of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression with other identity factors. As part of preparation for the administering of this Fund, in early 2020, all Program staff in WAGE’s Regional Offices received training from EGALE Canada to gain a greater understanding of the issues and barriers facing LGBTQ2 communities, thereby strengthening their knowledge and background in working with these communities as well as strengthening their capacity to apply GBA+ to their work. This training was also provided to Communications and Policy staff at WAGE, allowing them to better integrate knowledge on LGBTQ2 communities in their work within the Department.

Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions

In 2019, WAGE provided funding to Possibility Seeds Consulting to develop a Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions. In order to begin the development of this Framework, Possibility Seeds Consulting engaged experts in GBV at post-secondary institutions, including representatives from student groups, colleges, universities, unions, community organizations, survivor advocates, and frontline workers. The Department also convened an Advisory Committee on the Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions, with members selected based on considerations of gender, age, education, language, geographic area, culture and income. Members of the Advisory Committee were selected to speak to the particular barriers facing diverse groups such as Indigenous women and girls, young women and girls, LGBTQ2 and gender non-binary persons, newcomer and migrant women and girls, and women and girls with disabilities. Over the course of 2019-20, the Advisory Committee provided advice and feedback to Possibility Seeds Consulting on the development, consultation and implementation of the framework.