2023-24 Departmental Plan

From the Minister

As the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, I'm happy to share Women and Gender Equality Canada's 2023-24 Departmental Plan. It details the actions WAGE will carry out this year to advance equality and inclusion in Canada.

Everyone in Canada deserves to live in a society where they have an equal opportunity to succeed. Working with trusted partners, we continue to support the critical work of women's and equality-seeking organizations who are at the heart of systemic change. This work is critical to support women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities in gaining access to better opportunities in education, employment, health, and social services and in improving economic security and prosperity.

Over the last 40 years, greater participation of women in the workforce has accounted for about one-third of Canada's economic growth. Yet women and girls still face barriers reaching their full potential. We can't move forward if half of us are held back. The Government of Canada will continue to collaborate with women's movements, organizations, and experts to facilitate the economic participation of women and advance intersectional approaches to support gender equality.

We're taking concrete steps to remove the barriers and stigma that some people in Canada face when accessing menstrual products by implementing the Menstrual Equity Fund, a national pilot that will help make menstrual products available to those who struggle to afford them.

Promoting equality, protecting rights, and addressing longstanding discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canada remains an important priority for the department. Using funds announced as part of Canada's first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan… Building our future, with pride, we will continue to support community-informed projects through the 2SLGBTQI+ Projects Fund, and strengthen the capacity of organizations so they can continue their important work in communities across Canada. In 2023-24, WAGE will also continue to work closely with counterparts in provincial and territorial governments, notably through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women to advance gender equality across the country.

Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to be a significant barrier to individual and community safety and wellbeing in Canada, and we're taking action to end it in all its forms. We will continue to invest in crisis hotlines across Canada so they can offer more robust services, resources, and support to respond to GBV, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recognizing that Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are at a heightened risk of GBV , we will continue to support the implementation of the National Action Plan on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, including providing funding to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide GBV prevention programming and culturally relevant supports.

To promote greater youth awareness of GBV, we will roll out the second phase of the GBV Youth Awareness Campaign, as well as continue to educate and raise awareness through our yearly commemorative events.

This work builds on Canada's historic endorsement of its first National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV NAP), which sets a framework for anyone facing gender-based violence to have reliable and timely access to protection and services, no matter where they live.

The pandemic has reinforced the need to apply an intersectional lens, using GBA Plus, in the programs, services and policies we develop and implement. Women and Gender Equality has committed to ensuring that all initiatives across the Government of Canada consider diversity and inclusion through comprehensive intersectional analysis that include factors such as race, indigeneity, socio-economic status, rurality, disability, and sexual identity, and gender expression.

In 2023-24, the department will increase available research, evidence, and data to support the application of GBA Plus by all federal departments and agencies, work with Finance Canada, Privy Council Office, and Treasury Board Secretariat to improve the quality and scope of GBA Plus in budgeting and monitor and report on the implementation and scope of GBA Plus in the federal government.

As Minister, I look forward to continuing to work with partners to build on these accomplishments in the years ahead. The work does not end here, but I'm confident that together we will build a safer, more equal, and inclusive Canada for everyone.

The Honourable Marci Ien, P.C., M.P.

Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Plans at a glance

Consistent with the Department for Women and Gender Equality Act, "the Government of Canada is committed to advancing gender equality through policies and programs that are compatible with Canada's international obligations and take into account sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression." The Government of Canada is investing in and taking action to address persistent gender inequalities that impact all people in Canada. To make progress towards a country where people of all genders are equal in every way and can achieve their full potential, in 2023-24, WAGE will continue to take action to advance more equitable economic, social, and political outcomes for women, girls, and people of all genders in Canada.

In particular, the department will focus on the following four priority areas:

• Preventing and addressing gender-based violence (GBV);
• Strategic action and engagement to address systemic barriers to gender equality;
• Facilitating GBA Plus throughout federal government decision making processes; and
• Supporting community action to advance gender equality and support economic security and prosperity.

The department's interventions will aim at reducing the prevalence of GBV in Canada and strengthening the GBV sector to improve the support and services for people impacted by GBV. WAGE will continue to work closely with partners to:

• implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence while leading the federal strategy to end GBV;
• fund and undertake research that addresses knowledge gaps and helps to advance evidence-based responses to GBV, including men and boys;
• implement the second phase of the GBV Youth Awareness Campaign;
• promote action and awareness of GBV through commemoration events such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence; and
• support the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' Calls for Justice in Partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

Strategic action and engagement, at home and abroad, will address systemic barriers to gender equality and inclusion including economic, social, and political equality.

In 2023-24, WAGE will:

• strengthen the department's role as a Centre of Expertise for advancing gender equality;
• support the implementation of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan and the integration of 2SLGBTQI+ considerations across the federal government;
• collaborate with provincial/territorial governments through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women, as well as National Indigenous Leaders and Representatives;
• engage with domestic and international partners to advance gender equality in Canada and abroad;
• support other federal government departments in advancing gender equality; and
• fund and undertake research and knowledge mobilization to inform policy, program, and service development across the federal government.

The Government of Canada is committed to evidence-based decision-making that takes into consideration the complex and intersectional nature of needs and inequalities. As a key part of the government's strategy to advance gender equality, as well as equality, diversity, and inclusion more broadly, WAGE will continue to strengthen its role in providing leadership and support on the application of GBA Plus in decision-making.

Over the 2023-24 fiscal year, WAGE will work to enhance the framing and parameters of GBA Plus through the GBA Plus Action Plan. WAGE will increase available research, evidence, and data to support the application of GBA Plus by all federal departments and agencies, work with Finance Canada, Privy Council Office and Treasury Board Secretariat to improve the quality and scope of GBA Plus in budgeting and monitor and report on the implementation and scope of GBA Plus in the federal government.

WAGE will support advancements through social and community actions that promote a fairer and more inclusive society for all people living in Canada by promoting national action, raising awareness through commemoration initiatives, implementing a pilot for the Menstrual Equity Fund and supporting projects under the Women's Program, including addressing barriers to economic security and prosperity.

For more information on Women and Gender Equality Canada's plans, see the "Core responsibilities: planned results and resources" section of this plan.

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources

This section contains information on the department's planned results and resources under its core responsibility. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.

Advancing Gender Equality in Canada

Description

Since its inception in 2018, the Department for Women and Gender Equality advances gender equality for women, including economic, social, 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, 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.

Planning highlights

In 2023-24, WAGE will continue to provide leadership to advance gender equality through targeted initiatives that tackle barriers faced by marginalized or underrepresented women, including Indigenous women, women with disabilities, the 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, women of different socio-economic status, ruralized women, racialized women, and newcomer and immigrant women; outreach and engagement to all Canadians; and enhancement of the government's approach to GBA Plus.

Preventing and addressing gender-based violence

In 2023-24 WAGE will support the implementation of the GBV NAP, through ongoing collaboration at the FPT forum of ministers responsible for the status of women, continuing negotiations with provinces and territories on bilateral agreements to support their implementation of the GBV NAP and continuing engagement with key stakeholders and indigenous partners. WAGE will also continue to implement funding received in Budget 2022, including transfers to provinces and territories to enhance GBV services and supports within their jurisdictions following the signing of their bilateral agreements. WAGE will ensure performance measurement, monitoring and reporting related to these initiatives.

The Government of Canada's contribution to the GBV NAP, the federal strategy to end gender-based violence, It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, launched in 2017. In 2023-24, WAGE will implement the Strategy by:

• addressing the recommendations made in the mid-term evaluation to inform the ongoing implementation of the Strategy, including future GBV knowledge mobilization activities and priorities;
• implementing projects funded through the Call for Proposals to Address GBV through Promising Practices and Community-based Research (the Call for Proposals was launched in fall 2022, and the research projects will be announced early spring 2023);
• continuing crisis hotlines funding and raising awareness to promote action through commemoration events such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence;
• implementing the second phase of the GBV Youth Awareness Campaign to help youth understand that gender-based violence goes beyond physical and sexual violence to include emotional, financial, and cyber violence; and
• supporting cross-government delivery of the Strategy by working with other government departments accountable for GBV actions;

Also, in support of the GBV NAP, WAGE will continue to undertake research and knowledge mobilization to prevent and address GBV. For example, in 2023-24, WAGE will develop the next iteration of the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS) with Statistics Canada. This next iteration will improve the understanding of police-reported incidents of gender-based violence. WAGE will also work to enhance the Homicide Survey, and to further analyze available data from existing surveys on safety and victimization to better understand barriers to justice for victims and survivors of GBV. The information for these surveys will be available in 2025.

The department will also explore new research areas related to GBV in Canada, including developing an economic cost analysis of GBV in Canada; understanding the best ways to engage men and boys to prevent gender-based violence; better understanding technology-facilitated violence and online victimization; and developing research to explore the impacts of climate change on gender-based violence.

WAGE will also continue to support Public Safety in the ongoing implementation of the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking. In 2023-24, WAGE will deliver funding to organizations to develop and implement promising practices to enhance empowerment supports for at-risk populations and survivors of human trafficking. From 2020-21 to 2023-24, $14 million is being invested in 42 projects.

Finally, WAGE will continue to support the Government of Canada's commitment to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) Calls to Action and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girl's Calls for Justice in Partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples through the implementation of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People and the 2021 MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan As part of this work, in 2023-24 WAGE will continue to:

• implement $55 million received through Budget 2021 to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide GBV prevention programming; and maintain meaningful partnerships with Indigenous partners to support Indigenous-led, distinctions-based initiatives that respond to priority areas raised by the TRC and the MMIWG2S+ National Inquiry, as they relate to GBV.

Strategic Action and Engagement to Address Systemic Barriers to Gender Equality

In 2023-24, WAGE will continue to strengthen its role as a centre of expertise for advancing gender equality. The 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat will continue to support the integration of 2SLGBTQI+ considerations across the federal government, including the implementation of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan. In 2023-24 the Secretariat will implement the Action Plan by:

• establishing senior-level interdepartmental governance tables to prioritize a coordinated and determined government action to focus on 2SLGBTQI+ policy issues, including a specific focus on the unique issues impacting Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ communities;
• launching a new 2SLGBTQI+ Community and Government of Canada Partnership Committee to inform the implementation of the Action Plan and future actions;
• creating and filling a dedicated Two-Spirit Senior Advisor position within the 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat;
• collaborating with the CAF, RCMP and the Federal Public Service in their work to implement remaining initiatives from the LGBT Purge Class Action Settlement Agreement, including Schedule M, Canada Pride Citation ceremonies for the Federal Public Service; and
• working to deliver the new 2SLGBTQI+ program funding to support the growth, sustainability, and leadership of 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations, including $40 million in new capacity-building funding.

In 2023-24, WAGE will work closely with counterparts in provincial and territorial governments through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women to advance gender equality across the country. The Forum's main mandate is to share knowledge and information and to undertake collaborative initiatives to advance the status of women, which can include gender diversity and gender equality. WAGE will continue to engage with domestic and international partners to advance gender equality globally by leading Canada's participation in the 68th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 68). WAGE will also continue to support Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) in its federal implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and will also support ESDC and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in preparation for Canada's Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the United Nations.

In 2023-24, WAGE will continue to collaborate with GAC on the Generation Equality Forum as a co-leader of the Feminist Movements and Leadership Action Coalition by supporting global feminist initiatives, as well as other relevant international institutions, such as the G7 Gender Equality Ministerial meeting and the Gender Equality Advisory Council, and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. WAGE will also continue to engage in the Organization of American States' Inter-American Commission for Women as a Member of the Executive Committee, with a three-year term from 2022 to 2025. Finally, WAGE will also continue to engage bilaterally with key international partners, including the United States of America, to make progress on gender equality objectives in the context of the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership; and Chile, to implement the Canada-Chile MOU on Cooperation in Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment.

In 2023-24, WAGE will continue to support key activities undertaken by other departments, including the following:

• supporting Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) in ongoing efforts to promote the empowerment of women entrepreneurs through the Women's Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES);
• supporting ESDC and other federal departments to strengthen the inclusion of women and underrepresented groups in high-potential industries (e.g., green energy), skilled trades, and male-dominated fields (e.g., science, technology, engineering, and math);
• supporting the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to make safe, stable, and affordable housing available to all Canadians, particularly for vulnerable and at-risk populations;
• supporting Health Canada and other federal departments to advance initiatives that provide all Canadians with access to sexual and reproductive health services; and
• working with ESDC and ISED to strengthen equitable access to leadership and decision-making positions for women and marginalized communities. This includes, but is not limited to, working with Canadian Heritage on initiatives to reduce prejudice and discrimination and to prevent and eradicate experiences of violence.

In 2023-24 WAGE will continue to fund and undertake research to mobilize knowledge on gender equality. Recognizing that there is a need for more national-level, systematically collected and disaggregated data pertaining to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and additional intersecting factors capturing diversity.

WAGE will work with Statistics Canada in 2023-24 to publish data-driven reports on issues related to gender equality in Canada, including an intersectional analysis of the gender wage gap, experiences of self-employed women and women business owners in Canada, the impacts of unpaid and paid care work, and barriers and challenges faced by lone parents. WAGE will also continue to collaborate with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) on the development of the National Women's Health Research Initiative. WAGE will collaborate with CIHR on the Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition, one of the two funding streams under the National Women's Health Research Initiative. The Coalition will be composed of hubs across Canada linked through a coordinating centre that will work together to maximize the visibility and impact of women's health research and practice in Canada.

Finally, WAGE will also undertake new research in 2023-24 to further understand and advance gender equality in Canada and expand on the availability of intersectional data. This will include research on identifying barriers for women and gender diverse individuals in politics, including the harassment of elected officials, as well as research on the pathways for women, youth, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals in and out of homelessness.

Support the application of GBA Plus throughout federal government decision making processes

In 2023-24, WAGE will continue to strengthen its role in providing leadership on GBA Plus to work towards a federal government that systematically considers equity, diversity, and inclusion in everything it does. WAGE will also continue to work to build a better understanding of the needs of communities and women's and equality-seeking organizations and work with them to advance gender equality. WAGE will implement processes to better collaborate and communicate with women's movements, organizations, experts, and advocates on issues related to gender equality.

One of the federal government's key tools in developing policies, programs and initiatives across the government that are responsive and inclusive is GBA Plus. GBA Plus is an analytical tool used for understanding how various factors that make up who we are and the world around us interact to shape our experiences as well as our social, health, and economic outcomes. Applying GBA Plus to all initiatives embeds equality, fairness, and inclusion considerations in decision-making processes across government business. Over the last 25 years, Canada has made steady and incremental progress in institutionalizing GBA Plus so that all government decisions better reflect and respond to the needs of diverse groups of people. WAGE will continue to build on progress made through its response to the recommendations and findings from the Auditor General of Canada's 2022 performance audit of GBA Plus. The purpose of this audit was to provide assurance that the federal government has acted to address recommendations from a previous audit completed in 2015, through its implementation of the actions in the 2015 Management Response Action Plan (MRAP). In 2023-24 WAGE will continue to focus on two key recommendations from the 2022 performance audit: identifying and addressing barriers to conducting rigorous GBA Plus and assessing and reporting on the implementation of GBA Plus in federal departments and agencies, including their impacts on policy, legislative and program initiatives.

Through a GBA Plus Action Plan, WAGE will work to enhance the framing and parameters of GBA Plus in 2023-24, with particular attention to the intersectional analysis of race, indigeneity, rurality, disability, and sexual identity, among other characteristics, to better capture the lived experiences of all Canadians.

Supporting Community Action to Advance Gender Equality

In 2023-24, WAGE will continue to provide support to Canadian women's organizations and equality-seeking groups, with a particular focus on Indigenous women, women with disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ communities and newcomer, racialized and migrant women.

As part of the Government of Canada's efforts to promote 2SLGBTQI+ equality, protect 2SLGBTQI+ rights and address discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ communities, WAGE will use Budget 2022 funds announced as part of Canada's first federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan to continue to support community initiatives to address the unique needs and persistent disparities facing 2SLGBTQI+ communities through the 2SLGBTQI+ Projects Fund; and continue to provide capacity funding to Canadian 2SLGBTQI+ organizations so that they can continue their important work in communities across Canada.

In addition, WAGE will conduct an evaluation of its Women's Program in 2023-24. WAGE will continue to support projects under the Women's Program, including the 237 projects funded through the Feminist Response and Recovery Fund that address or remove systemic barriers impeding the progress and advancement of women by addressing three priority areas as follows:

• encouraging women and girls in leadership and decision-making roles;
• improving women's and girls' economic security and prosperity; and
• ending violence against women and girls.

To raise awareness and encourage action and engagement in conversations to further gender equality, the department will undertake initiatives that promote and commemorate gender equality, including International Women's Day, Gender Equality Week, Women's History Month, International Day of the Girl, Persons Day, Transgender Day of Remembrance, International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia, International Transgender Day of Visibility, Launch of Pride Season.

Gender-Based Analysis Plus

GBA Plus is embedded throughout all of WAGE's activities. For example, GBA Plus is considered in the design, implementation, and delivery of all programs within the department. WAGE has a legislated mandate to promote a greater understanding of the intersection of sex and gender with other factors, including, but not limited to race, ethnicity, Indigenous identity, age, sexual orientation, education, income, geographical location and disability. In addition to leading by example, WAGE continues to deliver on its mandate by working with central agencies and with other federal organizations to apply policies, programs, legislation, funding and all government initiatives are informed by GBA Plus and are designed and delivered in a manner that is fair and responsive to the needs of all Canadians.

To facilitate access to data and evidence in support of advancing GBA Plus analysis, the department is undertaking and funding research and data collection, as well as working with Statistics Canada to implement a Disaggregated Data Action Plan, to fill existing knowledge gaps. To support the application of GBA Plus to the monitoring and implementation of its own initiatives, the department collects and analyzes disaggregated data related to its funding programs and other initiatives.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

As part of the Government of Canada's implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, WAGE will continue to work with Employment and Social Development Canada, the lead federal department, and other responsible federal departments and agencies to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

WAGE will continue to collaborate with other federal departments and agencies in delivering the Federal Implementation Plan. WAGE is the lead on SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls and will facilitate collaboration with other key contributing departments and agencies that have work that is linked to this SDG. Specifically, WAGE will focus on coordination of federal initiatives under SDG 5, including monitoring and reporting on progress through the federal government's annual reporting process on the 2030 Agenda. This involves working with Statistics Canada to ensure alignment with the Gender Results Framework. WAGE is also the lead on the cross-cutting objective of leaving no one behind by advancing gender equality, empowering women and girls, and advancing diversity and inclusion. In this role, WAGE will assist other departments in ensuring that their efforts to advance the SDGs reflect this objective.

Key risk(s)

WAGE's core responsibility of advancing gender equality for women, including socio-economic, and political equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression is broad and cross-cutting, and has the potential to impact the achievement of the Department's results. Created in 2018, WAGE has grown significantly in size and continues to develop new partnerships with the Provinces and Territories. With increased expectations on the Department in a period of rapid change, there is a risk that the Department may not be able to implement or deliver on its commitments. To help mitigate this risk, strengthening the Department's organizational structure will help ensure that there are enough people in appropriate positions to deliver on the mandate and priorities.

As the Department continues to grow and establish functions consistent with a mature federal department, the capacity to manage risk will grow. An update of the existing corporate risk profile will establish a longer outlook on risk, get ahead of the pressures of short-term demands, and better anticipate and respond to mid-term threats and opportunities.

Planned results for Advancing Gender Equality

The following table shows for Advancing Gender Equality, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, as well as the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

The financial, human resources and performance information for Women and Gender Equality Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned budgetary spending for Advancing Gender Equality

The following table shows for Advancing Gender Equality, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for Women and Gender Equality Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned human resources for Advancing Gender Equality

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for Women and Gender Equality Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Internal services: planned results

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
• materiel management services
• acquisition management services

Planning highlights

Enabling tools and processes

As part of the government's approach to information technology (IT) and information management (IM), WAGE will continue to strengthen its digital capacity and operational efficiency based on user collaboration, while continuing to strengthen cybersecurity. To this end, WAGE will continue to:

• migrate services to cloud computing platforms offering reliability and security while allowing increased capacity, as well as access to better performing applications;
• implement TBS's directive on return to office and support a smooth transition to hybrid work arrangements;
• implement policies and procedures to take full advantage of hybrid work to create a culture of innovation, trust, collaboration, and community across the department;
• equip staff with digital solutions to optimize collaboration and exchange, particularly in a hybrid work environment; and
• strengthen cybersecurity, particularly considering the hybrid work context, while ensuring that the right balance is struck between security and organizational performance expectations.

WAGE will also continue to provide its staff, including the Minister and exempt staff, with the necessary equipment to maintain the required efficiency and productivity, while adapting an optimizing its internal processes, whether in terms of financial controls, financial management, contracting or asset management.

WAGE will leverage its robust governance mechanisms for decision-making processes that are evidence-based and timely.

Strong human resources processes

WAGE will enhance the client centric service excellence culture and employee signature experience in a hybrid workplace by strengthening and optimizing its staff capacity with a nimble workforce that balances indeterminate/contingent staffing measures.

WAGE will also continue to promote evidence-based human resources management through the implementation of automation, streamlined processes and modern tools in support of integrated planning. These processes and tools will aim to:

• support human resources planning;
• support employees and managers to navigate in a hybrid work environment; and
• provide advice, promote tools and initiatives related to equity, diversity and inclusion to support a diverse, inclusive, and skilled workforce.

Diversity and Inclusion within WAGE

WAGE will continue to implement commitments to a diverse and inclusive workplace, by integrating diversity and inclusion and official languages commitments and considerations at all levels of the organization.

In 2023-24, the department will:

• continue to implement key activities under the WAGE Accessibility Plan, the Official Languages Action Plan, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategic Plan, and the Mental Health and Wellness Plan;
• continue raising awareness on diversity, inclusion, and accessibility with managers and employees involved with HR management activities, including recruitment and hiring processes, and adding the lens of diversity and inclusion on all HR activities, including mentoring;
• promote the Recruitment, Retention and Advancement Plan for Indigenous employees, recognizing Indigenous employment opportunities and challenges;
• promote the Recruitment, Retention and Advancement Plan for Persons with a disability, recognizing and addressing accommodation needs;
• support selection board members and hiring managers to complete the mandatory training related to inclusive hiring practices for a diverse workforce;
• continue to offer and promote training opportunities to combat racism, oppression, intolerance, and other forms of discrimination, such as anti-oppression, anti-racism, accessibility, and unconscious bias training;
• promote inclusive language across the department that seeks to avoid discrimination, whether related to sex, gender, sexual orientation or other identity factors such as ethnic, origin, culture, language, ability or age; and
• incorporate diversity and inclusion considerations in the work of Champions and engage with departmental networks and communities of practice.

Supporting employee well-being

WAGE will continue to implement commitments to build a healthy and sustainable workforce, including:

• promote holistic workforce well being as a core organizational value and prioritize mental, physical, emotional, and psychological health;
• rigorously enforce workplace safety and security requirements;
• provide organizational support options to employees during times of personal needs and crises;
• support employees by demonstrating leadership during times of organizational and societal uncertainties; and
• continue to establish and manage clear annual performance objectives and supports.

Planning for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses

WAGE has set a target of 5% which aligns with the mandatory minimum target of 5% as set out in the Appendix E to the Directive on the Management of Procurement. The target was set based on an analysis of WAGE's Indigenous procurement results over the last two fiscal years. In fiscal year 2023-24, it is anticipated that contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses will be for the procurement of information technology goods, miscellaneous professional services, and temporary help services. To further support the department's commitment to economic reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, WAGE will provide quarterly performance reports to Senior Management and will continue to raise awareness among delegated managers.

Planned budgetary spending for internal services

The following table shows for internal services, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Planned human resources for internal services

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to carry out its internal services for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the department's planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2023–24 with actual spending for the current year and the previous year.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2020–21 to 2025–26

The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.

The change in planned spending over time is largely due to grants and contributions funding. From 2021-22 to 2022-23, WAGE received time-limited funding to support gender-based violence organizations as part of the initiative to advance towards a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Starting in 2023-24 to 2025-26, funding is stable which will allow WAGE to continue implementing the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of Women and Gender Equality Canada's core responsibility and for its internal services for 2023–24 and other relevant fiscal years.

The increase in forecast spending in 2022-23 is primarily attributable to the following time-limited funding:

• Advancing gender equality in Canada (Budget 2019)
• Advance towards a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and to advance 2SLGBTQI+ equality (Budget 2021)
• Support the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and the implementation of the first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan (Budget 2022)

The decrease in planned spending in future years is due to the following time-limited funding:

• Gender-Based Violence funding to organizations as part of the initiative to advance towards a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (Budget 2021 funding ends in 2022-23)
• Sustainability of women's and equality-seeking organizations (Budget 2018 funding ends in 2022-23)
• Advancing gender equality in Canada (Budget 2019 funding ends in 2023-24)
• Advancing 2SLGBTQI+ equality (Budget 2021 funding ends in 2023-24)

Planned human resources

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of Women and Gender Equality Canada's core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and the other relevant years.

The variance in FTEs is a direct result of the funding allocated to the Department and explained in the previous section.

Estimates by vote

Information on Women and Gender Equality Canada's organizational appropriations is available in the 2023–24 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future‑oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of Women and Gender Equality Canada's operations for 2022–23 to 2023–24.

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, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, are available on Women and Gender Equality Canada's website.

The expected decrease in total expenses is mainly attributable to decreases in transfer payments due to time-limited funding.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable Marci Ien

Institutional head: Frances McRae

Ministerial portfolio: Department for Women and Gender Equality

Enabling instrument(s): Department for Women and Gender Equality Act

Year of incorporation / commencement: 2018

Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

Information on WAGE's raison d'être, mandate and role is available on the WAGE's website.

Information on WAGE's mandate letter commitments is available in the Minister's mandate letter.

Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on WAGE's website.

Reporting framework

WAGE's approved departmental results framework and program inventory for 2023–24 are as follows:

Supporting information on the program inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Women and Gender Equality Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

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

• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
• Horizontal initiatives
• United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

Federal tax expenditures

Women and Gender Equality Canada's Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government­‑wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis plus.

Organizational contact information

Mailing address

P.O. Box 8907, Station T CSC, Ottawa, ON K1G3H6

Telephone: Toll Free:1-855-969-9922 and Local: 613-995-7835

TTY: 819-420-6905

Fax: 819-420-6906

Email:

General Inquiries: WAGE.Communications.FEGC@wage-fegc.gc.ca

Media inquiries: WAGE.Media.FEGC@wage-fegc.gc.ca

Funding Programs: WAGE.NationalRegion-RegionNationale.FEGC@wage-fegc.gc.ca

WAGE Contact Page

Website(s): Women and Gender Equality Canada

Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
A document that sets out a department's priorities, programs, expected results and associated resource requirements, covering a three year period beginning with the year indicated in the title of the report. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A change that a department seeks to influence. A departmental result is often outside departments' immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that connects the department's core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department's actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities and expected results set out in its Departmental Plan for that year. Departmental Results Reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.

full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. Full time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2023-24 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the Government's agenda in the 2021 Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fighter harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation and fighting for a secure, just, and equitable world.

high impact innovation (innovation à impact élevé)
High impact innovation varies per organizational context. In some cases, it could mean trying something significantly new or different from the status quo. In other cases, it might mean making incremental improvements that relate to a high-spending area or addressing problems faced by a significant number of Canadians or public servants.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative where two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)
Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
An inventory of a department's programs that describes how resources are organized to carry out the department's core responsibilities and achieve its planned results.

result (résultat)
An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization's influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.