Action Plan on Gender-based Analysis (2016-2020)

Agree

SWC will continue to develop and deliver GBA tools and training, enhancing the use of a “cluster” approach to engage groups of like-minded departments to ensure appropriate information and tools are available to all sectors and functional communities

In 2016, SWC will work with PCO and TBS to better identify and analyze barriers to GBA Plus implementation. This will involve consulting with other federal departments and agencies, including at the Deputy-level, on the barriers preventing the consistent and thorough consideration of GBA Plus within government initiatives.

SWC will increase the accessibility of tools and resources through a revision and re-launch of the GBA Plus GCpedia page in 2016

SWC will also work with PCO, TBS and other federal government departments and agencies to mitigate known barriers by enhancing GBA Plus tools, training, resources and networks. Activities will include:

• Expanding GBA Plus training for major sectors and functional communities (including by working with TBS to develop guidance tools for evaluators)

• Developing a suite of GBA Plus products to assist departments and agencies in developing and delivering internal, tailored GBA Plus training

• Updating and creating new interactive online GBA Plus training resources on the SWC website, including by creating new case studies for diverse federal sectors and aligning the content of the GBA Plus online course for inclusion in the Canada School of Public Service’s policy training suite

SWC will build on the GBA Champions network, established in 2015, to increase senior management awareness, promote collaboration and the sharing of best practices and ensure buy-in for the sustainable implementation of GBA Plus.

SWC, PCO and TBS will support and create new forums for networking and collaboration on GBA Plus, including among senior leaders. These include:

SWC will continue to build and strengthen the Interdepartmental Committee on GBA Plus as a main forum of information-sharing on GBA Plus implementation and activities, including sharing of best practices and strategies, and the establishment of networks of collaboration.

SWC will increase awareness amongst federal officials of the use of GBA Plus in federal initiatives, through events and promotional activities, an annual GBA Plus Awareness week and leveraging other federal opportunities to mainstream GBA Plus.

• A Steering Committee of senior officials from SWC, PCO and TBS which will meet semi-annually to review progress and lessons learned, and determine priorities

• The GBA Plus Champions network which meets annually as a forum for networking, sharing of best practices and the development of collaborative action among senior leaders

• The Interdepartmental Committee on GBA Plus, chaired by SWC and involving a broad range of departments, which meets quarterly to share best practices and strategies for GBA Plus implementation

• New sector-specific GBA Plus networks in priority areas (for example, the GBA Plus Security Network).

Response from the Privy Council to Recommendation 1.61

Agree

Agree

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (the Secretariat) periodically undertakes in-depth reviews of Treasury Board policy instruments. The Secretariat will maintain its internal guidance that gender-based analysis (GBA) considerations should be taken into account, as appropriate, when developing and reviewing Treasury Board policy instruments.

As evaluation is one means of assessing program initiatives, the Secretariat will also support Status of Women Canada (SWC) by providing input to the development of guidance for evaluators on GBA and by assisting the dissemination of completed guidance to departmental evaluation functions through the Secretariat’s established channels within six months of the completion of the guidance.

When developing Treasury Board policy instruments related to program evaluation, the Secretariat will examine options to help departments and agencies consider government-wide policy considerations, such as GBA, when assessing the performance of federal programs

TBS published guidance in 2014 to outline its expectations for departments and agencies to provide clear evidence in TB Submissions that gender-based considerations have been taken into account, as outlined in the Secretariat’s “Detailed Guidance for Writers” in writing Treasury Board Submissions. This Detailed Guidance, which includes links to Status of Women GBA Plus tools, is periodically reviewed.

During its periodic review of this guidance document, the Secretariat will undertake consultations to identify and address any barriers preventing departments and agencies from ensuring that gender-related considerations are reflected in TB Submissions.

TBS will continue to review and update the GBA Plus training it provides to Program Analysts and Program Executive Directors on an annual basis. This training will also be extended to policy writers and regulatory analysts by the end of 2016. >TBS will also provide TB Ministers with an orientation on GBA Plus and the value that findings from gender-based analysis add to inform their decision-making on TB Submissions.

TBS will also continue to use its proposal considerations checklist, which includes gender considerations, as part of its challenge function and advice in support of the TB decision-making process. This checklist will be adapted and tailored for use by TBS policy writers as well as regulatory analysts beginning in 2017.

TBS will consult with SWC during the interdepartmental consultations for new and amended TB policy instruments, as well as discuss gender-related considerations at TBS senior management committee meetings.

The Secretariat will assist SWC to develop its guidance documents to ensure that evaluators are informed about gender considerations when evaluating federal programs.

The Secretariat will disseminate this guidance to the federal evaluation community across government through GCconnex or other policy forums; interdepartmental meetings of heads of evaluation; and presentation(s) to federal evaluators, where possible.

As part of its review of the Standard on Evaluation for the Government of Canada, the Secretariat will specify that departments are to consider government-wide policy considerations such as GBA Plus, when assessing the performance of federal programs.

Agree

SWC will explore new ways to gather additional information about GBA capacity and GBA application across government.

SWC, in collaboration with TBS and PCO, will report on a regular basis on the status of GBA implementation across government based on information gathered in annual GBA progress reports from Deputies.

SWC will continue to monitor participation in the GBA online course and will share this information with OGDs on a regular basis

SWC will prepare, in collaboration with PCO and TBS, a 5 year GBA progress report in 2020, including lessons learned and strategic directions moving forward.

SWC, PCO and TBS will develop and implement a more robust framework to monitor progress on GBA capacity and implementation across government, as well as identify GBA Plus informed outcomes and results. This will be done in part by:

• collecting information from departments and agencies on GBA implementation via a detailed GBA Plus Survey to all Deputies on an annual basis

• working with other government departments to explore development of gender equality indicators in key areas, in order to track progress

• developing a “GBA Plus dashboard” to track progress in departments in key areas

• identifying new ways to periodically report on the implementation of GBA Plus across government, including lessons learned, sharing of best practices and strategic directions moving forward

SWC, PCO and TBS will also work together to play a more proactive role in ensuring GBA is applied in Cabinet submissions, including those related to key government priorities.

Agree

As part of its challenge function with departments and agencies to incorporate gender considerations (where appropriate) into the design of policies, programs, initiatives, and services, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat will, by fall 2017, conduct a review of relevant Treasury Board submissions to assess and report on how gender-based analysis (GBA) is being considered in various policy or program proposals from federal departments and agencies, according to the guidance and tools available for preparing a submission.

In assessing progress of departments and agencies in considering gender, the Secretariat will track relevant data in TB Submissions to identify and address barriers to the effective use of GBA Plus to achieve better program, policy and service outcomes, as well as to develop and share lessons learned to strengthen the TBS challenge function in the future.

Specifically, by Fall 2017, the Secretariat will assess and report on how GBA Plus was considered in Submissions presented to TB over the period of September 2016 to June 2017, by tracking the following factors for each Submission:

• If GBA Plus was required, was it conducted?
• If GBA Plus was conducted, were results of the GBA Plus or specific gender considerations incorporated into the design of the policy/program/ initiative/service?
• If GBA Plus was not conducted:
• • Were gender issues identified and/or partially taken into account to improve the program, or were any follow-up measures put in place to track gender implications over time?
  • Were barriers identified that prevented the completion of a GBA Plus?

Based on the findings from this review, lessons learned and recommendations will be developed and shared with SWC in late 2017. The findings will identify departments and agencies that are effectively incorporating gender considerations in policies, programs and initiatives being presented to TB, as well as those departments and agencies requiring additional support.

Beginning in 2017, the Secretariat will also monitor progress on the integration of GBA for targeted regulatory submissions.

Beginning in 2017, the Secretariat will also assess and report on how GBA Plus is being considered in Governor in Council Regulatory Submissions by tracking each Submission. The Secretariat will review the data and share lessons learned as part of its overall commitment to strengthen its challenge function.

The Secretariat will also take action to better integrate GBA Plus in the life-cycle of the federal regulatory development process. This involves:

• Working towards integrating GBA Plus in the first step of the regulatory process, that is, the initial assessment of the level of impact of a regulatory proposal
• Revising guidance documents for federal departments and agencies on the development of the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement (RIAS), a public document published in the Canada Gazette, along with the legal text of a regulatory proposal
• Conducting training for analysts on GBA Plus, specifically on how to conduct GBA on applicable Regulatory Submissions, such as those relating to social security (pensions, employment insurance), financial assistance (student loans), citizenship, refugees, immigration, veterans benefits, labour, criminal justice, etc

A relevant deputy-minister-level committee will be engaged on the status of GBA to discuss government-wide implementation of GBA and its impacts on policy, legislative, and program initiatives

The Secretary of the Treasury Board leads the Public Service Management Advisory Committee (PSMAC), which consists of 43 deputy-level members of federal departments. The Secretariat will allocate time in early 2017, and then on an annual basis, for the Head of Status of Women Canada to engage PSMAC on the status of government-wide implementation of GBA Plus and its impacts on legislative, policy, and program initiatives.

Agree

SWC, in collaboration with PCO and TBS, has developed a Strategic Plan to outline what activities and resources are required to effectively deliver on the Government of Canada’s GBA mandate. This includes developing an implementation plan for the new funds allocated to SWC as part of Budget 2016 to strengthen GBA capacity at SWC to support the more consistent application of GBA across government.

SWC plans to focus resources on:

• building GBA Plus capacity across government including by increasing online and other training and tools for additional government sectors and functional communities
• intervening strategically to provide gender advice to inform the development of key government initiatives
• working closely with other government departments to enhance the availability of gender-disaggregated data and gender-based research in priority areas, and developing gender equality indicators in key areas in order to track progress
• monitoring and reporting on progress.