2020–21 Departmental Results Report: Women and Gender Equality Canada

Minister's message

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most serious public health and economic crisis Canada has ever faced. It has magnified the existing inequities in our society; and women, girls, youth, Indigenous, and LGBTQ2 individuals have been disproportionately impacted.

Women have supported both their children and communities throughout the pandemic, youth have missed out on educational and training opportunities, and gender-diverse individuals have been cut off from their support systems. Focusing our programs on equity-seeking communities is not only the right thing to do – it is necessary to successfully emerge from the pandemic.

As Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, it is my pleasure to introduce our 2020-21 Departmental Results Report. This report provides an in-depth look at our accomplishments to advance gender equality in the 2020-21 fiscal year.

WAGE played a critical role in providing emergency services to those who need it most during the pandemic. In collaboration with the Canadian Women’s Foundation, Women’s Shelters Canada, and the Government of Quebec, WAGE invested nearly $100 million in emergency funding in over 1,200 organizations providing critical Gender-Based Violence (GBV) supports and services. This funding allowed more than 1.1 million women and children experiencing GBV a safe place to go to during the pandemic. WAGE also launched a $100 million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund call for proposals in 2021, which will help underrepresented women and gender-diverse people, including those living in rural and remote communities, recover from the pandemic.

This funding builds on previous investments in the sector over the past few years. Since 2018, through the Capacity-Building Fund, funding was provided to more than 250 women’s and Indigenous organizations to support and strengthen the women's movement in Canada. Additionally, this year WAGE invested more than $12 million for 70 capacity-building projects led by LGBTQ2 community organizations to strengthen their operations, grow their networks, and to continue advancing equality for LGBTQ2 individuals across Canada.

The Government of Canada works with all levels of government and partners across Canada to end GBV in all its forms and to ensure that all survivors of GBV have reliable and timely access to protection and support services. WAGE leads the federal GBV Strategy, and Budget 2021 has committed to building on this work with an investment of over $600 million in moving towards a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

We also marked a historic milestone on January 22, 2021 when provincial and territorial governments, as well as the federal government, endorsed the FPT Ministerial Joint Declaration for a Canada Free of Gender Based Violence. This declaration is an important step forward in the development of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence in Canada.

Preventing and addressing human trafficking is one of the most important aspects of the Government of Canada's ongoing work to end GBV. Over the course of 2020-21, and in collaboration with Public Safety Canada, WAGE invested $14 million through the Human Trafficking Initiative in organizations providing critical supports and services to victims and survivors of human trafficking, helping them escape violent situations and regain control over their lives.

The Government of Canada is also working to address the serious issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and WAGE has continued to support the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Commemoration Fund – including with a $55 million funding commitment from Budget 2021 for Indigenous and Two-Spirit and LGBTQQIA+ organizations’ gender-based violence prevention programming. In 2020-21, 110 projects were funded to support their capacity and networks to commemorate and honour the lives of Indigenous daughters, mothers, sisters, and aunts that were tragically lost.

Throughout the pandemic, we continued to provide advice and guidance to departments and central agencies on the application of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus). Under the leadership of WAGE, the Government of Canada continues to apply GBA Plus in all decision-making processes, to ensure federal policies, programs, services, and other initiatives include the lived experiences of all individuals, including Indigenous women, young women, Black and racialized women, LGBTQ2 people, as well as women living with disabilities and in rural or remote communities.

In the last year and a half, we have made historic investments to create a sustainable and resilient economy that values women’s work—but there is still much more to do. I'm confident that our work, and the work of our many partners, are helping lay a solid foundation for a more inclusive and equal Canada for everyone.

As Minister, I look forward to building on these important accomplishments in the years to come.

The Honourable Marci Ien, P.C., M.P.
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Results at a glance and operating context

In 2020-21, WAGE's total operating budget was $222,111,655 and its total actual full-time equivalent workforce was 345.

Over the 2020-21 fiscal year, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to shape WAGE's activities and operational plans. The pandemic magnified inequalities and exposed systemic issues as certain groups and individuals were disproportionately impacted by the health crisis, including women, girls, and LGBTQ2 individuals. Women were also more likely to experience Gender-Based Violence (GBV), including sexual assaults and intimate-partner violence. Police services in Saskatoon reported a 10% increase in domestic violence reports when isolation measures were implemented in March 2020. The York region in Ontario reported a 22% increase in domestic incident reports between March and April 2020. Vancouver's Battered Women's Support Services (BWSS) experienced a 400% increase in calls from victims of GBV and concerned family members and friends between April and May 2020. The Ganohkwasra Family Assault Support Services, located on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, also saw an increase in demand for support with the volume of calls nearly doubling in April 2020. Half of shelters surveyed by Women's Shelters Canada reported an increase in the severity of violence being experienced by women and girls during the pandemic.

Women were also disproportionately affected by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Statistics Canada, in March 2020, women made up the majority (63%) of all employment losses, experiencing job losses at twice the rate of men. As the economy reopened after the first wave of the pandemic, recovery of COVID-related employment losses was uneven, with women, youth, students, low-wage workers, and recent immigrants less likely to regain their livelihoods. In fact, in May 2020, employment increased twice as fast among men than women. For certain populations, such as Indigenous women, newcomer and immigrant women, lone parents, senior women, and LGBTQ2 people, the pandemic has both compounded and been compounded by pre-existing challenges, including poverty and inadequate housing.

Over the 2020-21 fiscal year, the Government of Canada demonstrated its enduring commitment to eliminating GBV and advancing gender equality and equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, making significant investments through targeted programs, policies, and initiatives. In order to help more women get back into the workforce and to ensure a feminist, intersectional response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada created the Task Force on Women in the Economy, co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance. The Task Force harnesses the best ideas from a diverse group of experts to advise the government on a feminist, intersectional action plan that addresses issues of gender equality in the wake of the pandemic. Through the Government of Quebec, the Canadian Women's Foundation and Women's Shelters Canada, WAGE also invested nearly $100 million in COVID-19 emergency funding to over 1,200 shelters, sexual assault centres and other organizations providing critical GBV supports as part of the Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. As a result of this emergency funding, over 1.1 million women and children experiencing GBV had a place to turn for support during the pandemic. In addition to supporting efforts to respond to the upsurge in cases of GBV, WAGE sustained efforts to advance the development of a National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence, so that people experiencing violence have access to services and supports, no matter where they are in the country.

In addition to its ongoing response to address the effects of COVID-19 on women and girls and other diverse populations in Canada, WAGE continued to lead federal efforts to apply Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus). GBA Plus is a tool to uncover who is impacted by an issue the government is trying to address, how they are impacted, how initiatives could be tailored to meet diverse needs, and how barriers to accessing the initiatives can be mitigated. When GBA Plus is applied to the development and implementation of government activities, policies, programs, services and other initiatives are more responsive to diverse needs, fair and inclusive. In 2020-21, WAGE supported federal departments in the application of GBA Plus in their proposals to Cabinet and developed additional training and resource materials to improve federal employees' capacity to apply GBA Plus in governmental decision-making. WAGE also facilitated a coordinated approach throughout the pandemic, working with partners in better applying GBA Plus to COVID-19 initiatives. Additionally, the Department provided support to the Department of Finance Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat to strengthen the application of GBA Plus in the federal budgeting process.

COVID-19 emphasized the need for research to advance gender equality and equity by providing knowledge to inform equitable recovery strategies. Throughout 2020-21, WAGE sustained its commitment to enhancing knowledge by undertaking and funding research. This work helped increase understanding of inequalities, fill knowledge gaps on issues relevant to gender equality and GBV and informed policies, programs, and initiatives across the Government of Canada and beyond.

In 2020-21, the department focused on four priority areas:

For more information on Women and Gender Equality Canada’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the "Results: what we achieved" section of this report.

Results: what we achieved

Core responsibility

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; 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.

Results

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout 2020-21, WAGE's activities were informed by GBA Plus. In doing so, the Department was able to develop responsive and inclusive initiatives and provide support to those most in need. Some groups in Canada were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health measures implemented to combat the virus. Diverse groups of women, girls, and members of the LGBTQ2 community faced increased marginalization and underrepresentation during the pandemic, including Indigenous women, Black women, women of colour, and women living with disabilities or in rural or remote communities.

In response to the increased need for support by women experiencing GBV, WAGE acted quickly by distributing nearly $100 million in COVID-19 emergency funding, through the Canadian Women's Foundation, Women's Shelters Canada, and the Government of Quebec, as part of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. This funding helped support the work of over 1,200 frontline organizations, who collectively reached more than 1.1 million women and children experiencing violence. Because of this funding, over 450 organizations were able to hire additional staff, and close to 550 organizations were able to extend staff shifts to respond to the increased demand for services. Over 350 organizations were able to purchase additional protective equipment and cleaning supplies to ensure the safety of their staff and clients. Additionally, over 600 organizations were able to expand programs and services to respond to the increased need and nearly 100 organizations were also able to support children impacted by GBV through childcare and support services.

Women and girls in Canada were also disproportionately affected by the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, WAGE launched the $100 million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund to support projects to increase women and girls' participation in Canada's economic, social, democratic, and political life post-COVID-19. The Fund, launched on February 11, 2021, was designed to promote systemic change to confront the root causes of inequality and meaningfully respond to the severe economic and social consequences of the crisis.

In addition to its contribution to Canada’s feminist response to COVID-19, in 2020-21, WAGE also continued to advance gender equality in four priority areas: preventing and addressing GBV; strategic action and engagement to address systemic barriers to gender equality; ensuring robust GBA Plus throughout federal government decision-making processes; and supporting community action to advance gender equality.

Priority Area #1: Preventing and addressing Gender-Based Violence

Over the course of the 2020-21 fiscal year, WAGE collaborated with federal, provincial, and territorial governments; Indigenous partners; civil society organizations; Gender-Based Violence victims; survivors and advocates; and academics to identify gaps in GBV programs and services. Furthermore, WAGE organized and led the 38^th Annual Meeting of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers responsible for the Status of Women in January 2021. This meeting was co-chaired with the Saskatchewan Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. Together, governments representing each province and territory, as well as the federal government, endorsed the the FPT Ministerial Joint Declaration for a Canada Free of Gender Based Violence. This declaration, signed on January 22, 2021, represented a historic milestone in the response to GBV and the advancement of gender equality for people across Canada, as well as an important step in developing a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence in Canada. The development of the National Action Plan continued to be informed by the voices and experiences of survivors, civil society organizations, academics, and advocates through meetings of the Minister’s Advisory Council on Gender-Based Violence, as well as 22 roundtables with more than 1,000 individuals.

In addition, WAGE's GBV Knowledge Centre curated resources and research for its online platform to share information on federal opportunities related to GBV. The Knowledge Centre also created searchable databases that bring together existing data, evidence, and federal initiatives on GBV. In 2020-21, to improve access to resources for people affected by GBV during the pandemic, the GBV Knowledge Centre enhanced the tools and information available online, including the addition of a consolidated list of GBV crisis lines in each jurisdiction. WAGE also expanded the database with the addition of 42 federally-funded GBV-related research reports and created a new web series, “Research in-Brief,” to provide short summaries of WAGE-funded research reports. Between April 2020 and March 2021, the online platform was visited almost 64,000 times (a 125% increase from the previous fiscal year). During the same period, the GBV Knowledge Centre hosted 11 webinars featuring researchers, GBV and knowledge mobilization experts, public servants and funding recipients. More than 1,400 participants from federal, provincial and territorial governments, academic institutions, and national and international non-governmental organizations attended these webinars.

In March 2020, WAGE launched a survey on the GBV Knowledge Centre platform to measure performance and users’ experiences. Conducted from March 11, 2020 to March 31, 2021, the results indicated that:

• 75% of respondents were satisfied with the usefulness of the information found on the online platform;
• 75% of respondents had already used, or intended to use the information; and
• 68% of respondents were extremely or very likely to recommend the GBV Knowledge Centre to others.

In 2020-21, WAGE funded and undertook research to support evidence-based programs, policies and initiatives. During the reporting period, Statistics Canada, in collaboration with WAGE, published analyses on the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS) and the Survey on Individual Safety of the Postsecondary Student Population (SISPSP). For example, data related to experiences of GBV among LGBTQ2 people was released in September 2020, providing the first ever nationally representative data on transgender and gender-diverse people in Canada. In addition, data collection for the Survey on Sexual Misconduct at Work(SSMW) was undertaken between February 2020 and June 2020. Statistics Canada began releasing the results in April 2021, with the release of further results planned in the 2021-22 fiscal year. These surveys provide evidence on experiences and impacts of GBV among diverse populations in Canada that is crucial for developing and improving programs and services for survivors of GBV and their families.

In addition, WAGE invested $2.1M in 18 multi-year research projects on GBV. The projects focus on a variety of topics, including:

• Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), including the development of core competencies for specialists and the implementation of IPV interventions with immigrant populations;
• Sexual violence, including studies on LGBTQ2 post-secondary students' experience of sexual violence, access to justice, experiences of sexual assault survivors with diverse identities, and additional analyses of SSPPS data;
• Human trafficking, with a study designed to assess the benefits of assisting human trafficking survivors through an integrated system of multi-stage shelters and support services in large urban centres;
• Men and boys, including a study aimed at developing tailored guidance for government, private and not-for-profit sectors on how to design practices, policies and programs that effectively engage men and boys in preventing GBV and advancing gender equality; and
• Indigenous peoples, including studies focusing on culture-based practices of GBV prevention in urban Indigenous communities, use of Indigenous ways of knowing in community-based prevention of GBV, GBV among Indigenous women and girls with disabilities, and GBV survivors' experiences and needs with respect to the criminal justice system in Canada's North.

In response to the results of the SISPSP, WAGE began work in 2020 on developing and implementing the Framework to Prevent and Address GBV at Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada, Courage to Act. This framework builds on earlier work commissioned by WAGE that identified promising practices, critical gaps, and recommended key steps to develop a prevention framework and begin implementation. Courage to Act is a national initiative to address and prevent GBV at post-secondary institutions in Canada. It works to enable post-secondary institutions across Canada to adapt and adopt successful approaches and best practices to address and prevent GBV at their institutions. WAGE also funded a team of experts from across Canada to develop tools, create resources and share strategies in the first national collaboration of its kind to take action on GBV on post-secondary campuses. Resources, including a trauma-informed complaints process toolkit, a community risk screening tool, an education toolkit, and a support and response toolkit, are now accessible to post-secondary institutions. Through the Courage to Act Framework, ten national communities of practice have been built, bringing together post-secondary administration staff, faculty, students and community advocates to explore promising practices and key issues for change, and to provide feedback on these toolkits.

Through its funding programs, WAGE also met the needs of those affected by GBV across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, WAGE has distributed nearly $100 million in COVID-19 emergency funding as part of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan.

The funding was allocated as follows:

• $36.24 million was provided to Women's Shelters Canada to distribute to women's shelters, including Indigenous off-reserve shelters across the country (outside of Quebec);
• $40.8 million was provided to Canadian Women's Foundation to distribute to sexual assault centres and other GBV organizations (outside of Quebec), with $7.2 million coming from WAGE's G&C program budget;
• $17.46 million was provided to the Government of Québec to distribute to GBV organizations across the province, with $2.3 million coming from WAGE's G&C program budget; and
• Up to $5 million was provided to Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) Canada and Women's Shelters Canada to support the mobilization of grassroots and community organizations to inform the National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence.

Over the 2020-21 fiscal year, WAGE also supported the Government of Canada in implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) 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. Further, WAGE participated in the development of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, which is the Government of Canada's contribution to the broader National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.

Since 2018, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Commemoration Fund has supported families and communities in honouring the lives of those who had disappeared or been murdered, and has raised awareness around issues of violence towards Indigenous women and girls and its root causes. In 2020-21, the MMIWG Commemoration Fund invested more than $12 million across 100 approved projects, including support for Eagle Vision Inc to develop a series of podcasts entitled "TAKEN," sharing the stories of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls with the hopes of raising awareness of the issue. The podcast reached over 609,000 Canadians, who listened to the episodes over 1.4 million times. TAKEN was made available in both Cree and English and has over 10 thousand subscribers.

Over the course of this fiscal year, WAGE also supported the government in implementing the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking. Following a June 2020 Call for Proposals, WAGE invested $14 million in 43 projects for organizations to develop, deliver and test empowerment-focused prevention and intervention promising practices for at-risk populations, victims, and survivors of human trafficking, including women and girls, Indigenous women and girls, LGBTQ2 and gender-diverse people. For example, the Women's Centre for Social Justice received $266,273 to develop and implement promising practices to advance knowledge and enhance empowerment supports for survivors of human trafficking in Ontario, Alberta, Yukon, British Columbia and Quebec. The organization is also developing a national membership support program designed by and for diverse survivors of human trafficking. The program will focus on community connection, peer support, and advocacy strategies. WAGE's Human Trafficking Initiative also contributed to other Government of Canada priorities, including preventing and addressing GBV, developing the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, and implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' Calls for Justice.

WAGE also commemorated the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which ran from November 25 to December 10, 2020. WAGE raised awareness through a social media campaign (#16days) and held a virtual event to commemorate the day. On November 26, 2020, as part of the activities, the Honourable Minister Maryam Monsef hosted a panel discussion with experts on the impacts of COVID-19 in the GBV sector. On December 6, 2020, WAGE held a virtual vigil to commemorate the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women and observed a moment of silence to honour the 14 women who lost their lives at Polytechnique Montreal in 1989.

Priority Area #2: Strategic action and engagement to address systemic barriers to gender equality

In response to the pandemic, WAGE supported the Government of Canada in implementing initiatives to ensure an inclusive response and recovery. In particular, WAGE, in collaboration with the Department of Canadian Heritage, established the Equity-Seeking Communities COVID-19 Task Force (ESACT), made up of members from 28 federal departments and agencies. The Taskforce was established to track COVID-19’s impacts on equity-seeking communities, including economic, health, poverty, and mental wellbeing impacts; to hear from these communities directly on the needs and gaps in government-response; and to inform the Government response to better meet the needs of those most affected. ESACT’s work fostered a better understanding of COVID-19’s disproportionate impacts and resulted in evidence-informed initiatives to support those who needed it most.

Various tools were also developed by WAGE at the outset of the pandemic to ensure that GBA Plus was applied to government response and recovery initiatives. Tools developed include a knowledge synthesis that compiled data and insights from research on the gendered and intersectional impacts of COVID-19; a series of policy briefs on the gendered and intersectional impacts of COVID-19; and guidance on applying GBA Plus in the development of COVID-19 response measures. These tools have been used by federal departments, facilitating quick access to relevant and accurate information to support policies and programs across government.

Research was also undertaken to increase understanding of systemic barriers to gender equality. For example, WAGE commissioned research from the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) on the impact of the pandemic on unpaid domestic and care work, core housing needs, food security, personal safety, home schooling, and access to various services. Similarly, WAGE commissioned research reports from Statistics Canada on the gendered impacts of the pandemic. For example, WAGE commissioned a study on the gendered impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the proportion of youth neither in employment nor education at the start of the 2020/21 school year, which explored the effects of the pandemic on various groups facing barriers to education and the labour market. WAGE also commissioned Statistics Canada to undertake data collection and research related to barriers to gender equality, including the publication of 15 research papers related to the cost of childcare, diversity on boards of directors, gender representation in federal leadership roles, the labour market experiences of women; the gender wage gap; parental leave in Canada, and business ownership among men and women. WAGE commissioned an additional 21 research projects in 2020-21 with universities and community-based research organizations related to systemic barriers to gender equality, including employment, education, and health outcomes of LGBTQ2 individuals; barriers to women in leadership roles; and intergenerational transmission of poverty.

On the international stage, the 65^th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW 65) took place in March 2021, and as Head of Delegation for Canada, the Honourable Minister Maryam Monsef delivered Canada's National Statement and participated in the UN Women's Ministerial Roundtable. The theme for the 65^th session of the UNCSW was "women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls." A key outcome of the meeting was the Agreed Conclusions, which supported this year's theme. Civil society organizations were engaged to inform Canada’s position on these Agreed Conclusions. Canada was successful in including language on Indigenous women and girls and recognizing the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on women and girls. The Agreed Conclusions also recognized the critical role that women have played in COVID-19 response efforts, as well as in economic recovery and growth, and emphasized that it is necessary to strengthen the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women, including women with disabilities, in all stages of the COVID-19 response and recovery.

As a part of the Department's efforts to mark the 25^th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, WAGE supported projects to engage with civil society organizations (CSOs) on key gender equality issues and Beijing priorities. In particular, WAGE supported two initiatives in January and February 2021:

• Two townhall discussions titled Feminist Forum #1: The Impact of COVID-19 on Women in the Economy, held on January 26, 2021, and Feminist Forum #2: The Impact of Women’s Leadership on COVID-19, held on February 2, 2021. At the UNCSW 65, a third townhall on Women's Leadership during the COVID-19 Pandemic was held on March 17, 2021.
• A virtual public engagement in collaboration with DisAbled Women’s Network Canada, called Beyond Beijing +25: An Intersectional Approach to Engaging Civil Society on Girls, Women, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Folks with Disabilities. The purpose of the discussion was to analyze how systemic oppressions (ableism, racism, colonialism, sexism, heteropatriarchy and other systems of oppression) shape the lives of Indigenous, racialized, rural, and gender-diverse girls, women, trans and gender non-conforming folks with disabilities.

WAGE is one of six federal government departments co-leading the Government of Canada's implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Amongst the Department's contributions in the 2020-21 year were guidance and support to ensure that Canada's strategy to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aligns with the Gender Results Framework. In 2020-21, WAGE collaborated with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and other federal departments to develop and publish Moving Forward Together: Canada's 2030 National Strategy. The strategy aims to create and foster an enabling environment for ongoing dialogue and participation where all Canadians are encouraged to take action to implement the 2030 Agenda and to make progress on advancing its SDGs. In addition, WAGE collaborated on the development of Canada's Federal Implementation Plan of Agenda 2030. WAGE will continue to coordinate federal efforts towards the advancement of SDG 5: Gender Equality, in collaboration with other key contributing departments and agencies. Furthermore, WAGE, along with Global Affairs Canada, continued to co-chair a federal interdepartmental working group on harmful practices that aligns with Target 5.3 of SDG 5: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

The 2020 Fall Economic Statement also provided an investment of $1 billion in new funding to the National Housing Strategy through the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). The RHI is rapidly creating up to 3,000 new affordable homes for Canada's most vulnerable populations, who have been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes women and children fleeing violence, seniors, young adults, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people dealing with mental health and addiction issues, veterans, LGBTQ2+ people, racialized groups, recent immigrants and refugees. The RHI covers the construction of modular housing, the acquisition of land, and the conversion of existing buildings to affordable housing, and is available to municipalities, provinces, territories, Indigenous governing bodies and organizations, and non-profit organizations. This initiative is managed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), with expertise and strategic advice provided by WAGE.

In December 2020, to further federal efforts to increase diversity in leadership, including more women in leadership positions, the Government of Canada launched the 50-30 Challenge to promote diversity in the corporate sector in Canada, investing $33 million in a joint initiative with the private sector to develop an online toolkit and give grants to diversity-serving groups to enable them to provide services and resources to the Challenge participants. Over 1,200 organizations across Canada have now joined the 50-30 challenge. To support this initiative, WAGE provided technical advice from a gender and intersectional perspective to help ensure that the initiative was reflective of women's realities in the workplace. WAGE also focused on its own internal diversity and inclusion initiatives. To this end, WAGE implemented mandatory anti-harassment and anti-racism training for all employees and executives within the Department. In addition, WAGE also conducted a review of its systems and processes related to the recruitment and retention of students, to remove systemic barriers and improve the recruitment and retention of students from diverse backgrounds. WAGE also implemented accessibility standards for external meetings and events with stakeholders, such as closed captioning in both official languages, as well as communication in American Sign Language and Quebec Sign Language.

Additionally, in 2020-21, WAGE worked with the President of the Treasury Board to support the Prime Minister and the Clerk of the Privy Council to develop and implement an action plan to increase the representation of women, Black and racialized Canadians, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples and LGBTQ2 Canadians in hiring, appointments, and leadership development within the Public Service.

WAGE also engaged with youth on gender equality. In 2020-21, the Department continued to support five Indigenous organizations focusing on Indigenous youth across Canada. These organizations engaged Indigenous youth on gender equality issues that matter most to their communities. In 2020-21, WAGE also held dialogues with the Youth Working Group on how to best engage Canadian youth, particularly as it relates to investment and capacity-building for youth-led organizations. In collaboration, WAGE and the Youth Working Group identified priorities, and developed recommendations and an approach to engage youth across Canada on furthering gender equality.

Finally, in 2020-21, WAGE collaborated with partners to share knowledge and information on advancing equality for women and girls, and engage youth, including Indigenous youth, to strengthen attitudes and behaviours that support gender equality. Throughout the year, the FPT Ministers responsible for the Status of Women held three video conferences – two ad-hoc meetings in May and September 2020, and the 38th Annual Meeting in January 2021. The focus of these meetings was to collaborate on addressing the intersectional impacts of COVID-19 in Canada and the development of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

Priority Area #3: Ensuring robust GBA Plus throughout federal government decision-making processes

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) is an analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs, and other initiatives. It provides a tool to understand how factors such as sex, race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic conditions, geography, culture, and disability impact experiences and outcomes, and can affect access to and experience of government programs. Applying GBA Plus to all initiatives helps ensure that government initiatives are responsive and meet the needs of diverse groups of people.

In 2020–21, WAGE supported federal departments in the application of GBA Plus in their proposals to Cabinet and developed guidance on applying GBA Plus in the context of COVID-19. In partnership with the Canadian School of Public Service (CSPS) and Global Affairs Canada, WAGE developed new GBA Plus training for federal public servants. The new course was created to build GBA Plus capacity and strengthen the application of GBA Plus in governmental policies, initiatives, and decision-making. WAGE also worked with the CSPS to develop a GBA Plus Learning Pathway for federal employees to continue expanding their GBA Plus knowledge. To support this work, WAGE established a Government of Canada Learning Advisory Committee on GBA Plus (LACGBA Plus) comprised of federal public servants from various departments across the Government of Canada. The LACGBA Plus is intended to be a working-level group and is co-chaired by WAGE and CSPS.

In 2018, the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act was enacted making gender and equality considerations a permanent feature in all federal budgets.

In preparing for the 2020 Fall Economic Statement (FES) and federal Budget 2021, the Department worked with the Department of Finance Canada and the LGBTQ2 Secretariat to improve the quality of GBA Plus in the federal budgeting process. Over the course of the fiscal year, WAGE provided support to the Department of Finance Canada by working with other departments to improve the quality of GBA Plus in a subset of budget proposals, ultimately supporting the public release of a summary of this analysis in both the 2020 FES and federal Budget 2021 (Impacts Report). Notably, in Budget 2021, amongst other improvements, a greater proportion of GBA Pluses were performed at earlier stages of initiatives, compared to previous federal budgets. Early application is known to influence the design and implementation of initiatives more meaningfully.

Throughout the pandemic, WAGE facilitated a coordinated approach across the government by supporting federal departments in their consideration of GBA Plus within response measures; co-chairing an interdepartmental taskforce focused on supporting equity-seeking groups; working with provincial and territorial partners on applying GBA Plus to COVID-19 initiatives; and co-hosting a panel discussion entitled Achieving an Inclusive Pandemic Response with GBA Plus, attended by over 1,500 public servants.

WAGE continued to monitor progress and address gaps in the application of GBA Plus. For example, WAGE developed two resources to guide the application of GBA Plus to pandemic response initiatives. In addition, WAGE disseminated to all federal departments new step-by-step guidance on conducting GBA Plus, as well as new resources to better understand the various factors to consider when doing GBA Plus.

Priority Area #4: Supporting community action to advance gender equality

In 2020-21, WAGE continued to support community action to advance gender equality, including through the funding of women's, equality-seeking, and LGBTQ2 organizations. WAGE continued to develop and implement funding approaches for the LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund in collaboration with the LGBTQ2 Secretariat. A Call for Proposals for the Fund closed in the spring of 2020, and the disbursement of funds to successful applicant organizations started in fall 2020. More than $12 million was invested to help build the capacity of 70 LGBTQ2 organizations across the country whose initiatives contribute to building a strong LGBTQ2 movement in Canada to advance equality for all people.

One such organization, the Community-Based Research Centre, has been allocated $363,671 over two years starting in 2020-21 to strengthen its capacity to advance equality for gay, bisexual, trans, Two-Spirit, and queer men (GBT2Q) in Canada. This is being achieved through the development of community-based research training for GBTQ2 organizations; an internal knowledge translation and exchange strategy; governance enhancements; and the creation of an online portal to facilitate community access to CBRC research data.

In 2020-21, WAGE invested a total of $111 million in 185 projects through the Women's Program. Funded projects at the national, regional, and local levels worked to address three priority areas: increasing women’s economic security and prosperity; ending violence against women and encouraging women’s leadership and democratic participation. This funding allowed for more than 1,500 resources and tools to be created and shared in 2020-21, and nearly 50% of projects resulted in changes to policies and institutions. Systemic changes have been made to reduce barriers to equality and increase the proportion of women in leadership positions. The following represents a breakdown of Women's Program funded projects and results in the 2020-21 fiscal year:

• Encouraging women's leadership and democratic participation: In 2020-21, WAGE invested nearly $25 million to support 39 projects through this priority. Funded projects in this area that were completed in 2021 developed and disseminated more than 1,100 different resources to improve access to supports for women leaders. As a result, more than 1.4 million women gained access to services and supports that resulted in better opportunities for leadership positions in various spheres. 
• Increasing women's economic security and prosperity: In 2020-21, WAGE invested more than $54 million to support 73 projects through this priority. Funded projects in this area that were completed in 2021 developed and disseminated more than 150 different resources to increase awareness of what services and supports were available and how to access them. As a result, nearly 370,000 women gained access to services and supports that resulted in better opportunities in education, employment, health, and social services, and gained skills and knowledge to create more equitable conditions for women in various spheres.
• Ending violence against women: In 2020-21, through the Women's Program, WAGE invested nearly $15 million to support 38 projects through this priority. Funded projects in this area that were completed in 2021 developed and disseminated more than 180 different resources to increase awareness of what services and supports were available and how to access them. As a result, 2.2 million women gained access to services and supports related to GBV, including access to counselling, court services, and trauma-informed victims' services.

In response to the disproportionate economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis on women, on February 11, 2021, WAGE launched the $100 million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund to support systemic change projects to increase women and girls' participation in Canada's economic, social, democratic and political life. The Fund seeks to ensure that Canada's recovery is inclusive of diverse women by prioritizing projects tackling barriers faced by marginalized or underrepresented women, including Indigenous women, Black women, women of colour, LGBTQ2 communities, and women living with disabilities or in rural or remote communities.

WAGE also continued to strengthen innovative partnerships across sectors to amplify program funding for women's organizations and equality-seeking organizations. For example, Plan International Canada is receiving $1.5M in funding towards a 36-month, multi-sector initiative co-funded by WAGE and Unilever Canada. The Power Within is an innovative project that aims to support young people, particularly girls and gender-diverse youth, in developing leadership skills, knowledge, and confidence through an intersectional approach to research, curriculum development and delivery, and a digital platform designed for youth, parents and teachers. During the 2020-21 fiscal year, the project established a youth advisory council, completed the first phase of the needs assessment, started its development of the student curriculum and workshop materials, created an online platform for the digital community, and is establishing a task force to amplify gender equality through community outreach. Additional activities supported by Plan International Canada and Unilever Canada included digital public awareness campaigns and the broad-scale delivery of its Dove Self-Esteem Project programming, which was tailored to suit the diverse experiences of youth of all genders and identities across Canada.

The 2020-21 fiscal year was an important one for gender equality, marking the 50^th anniversary of the release of the report from the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. The ground-breaking report, tabled in Parliament on December 7, 1970, included 167 recommendations on updating the legislative system and addressing critical issues for women. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister Maryam Monsef marked the occasion by encouraging everyone in Canada to recognize the women of impact in their communities, families and workplaces and honour the feminists whose struggle has created more opportunities for the rest of us. This included paying particular attention to the contributions of diverse women, including racialized women, immigrant and newcomer women, women with disabilities and Indigenous women, as well as women working on the frontlines of the pandemic.

Throughout the year, WAGE continued to promote community action through virtual events across Canada. During Women's History Month in October 2020, WAGE celebrated the courageous women and girls who contributed to a better, more inclusive Canada and world. The theme #BecauseOfYou celebrated women and girls in Canada who have made, and continue to make, a lasting impact on our country. WAGE also promoted the Women of Impact in Canada online gallery, which recognized the contributions and achievements of 100 exceptional Canadian women and girls who made an impact in politics, the arts and sciences, and other fields. During Gender Equality Week (September 20-26, 2020), WAGE raised awareness of the important contributions women and gender-diverse communities have made to the growth, character and identity of Canada; celebrated the significant achievements and accomplishments that the Department made in advancing gender equality; and reconfirmed its commitment to address persistent gender equality gaps in our country. International Women's Day (March 8, 2021), with a focus on feminist recovery, shone a light on how women supported people in Canada during the pandemic and how an inclusive recovery offers the opportunity to advance gender equality and provide economic and social stability for all Canadians. To mark International Women's Day, WAGE convened Canada's Feminist Response and Recovery Summit on March 8^th and 9^th, 2021. The Summit brought together experts, feminist leaders, and those with lived experience to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the lives of women in Canada. It focused on the steps that the government, civil society, and all Canadians can take to ensure an inclusive response and recovery from the pandemic that leaves no one behind. The Summit brought together more than 3,000 participants from 24 countries, including professionals from women's organizations, thinktanks, academia, provincial governments, unions and other members of the public.

Results:

Gender-based Analysis (GBA) Plus

GBA Plus is embedded throughout all of WAGE's activities.

For example, in the 2020-21 fiscal year, WAGE applied GBA Plus to the design and delivery of its grants and contributions funding programs. As a result, funding was directed to populations most impacted by the issues the department was addressing through its funding, and the department was able to monitor the uptake and impact of its funding on diverse groups of people. For example, in 2020-21, of all WAGE's funded projects, 34% supported Indigenous women and girls, 10% helped racialized women and girls, 8% served women and girls living in northern, remote, or rural areas, and 4% served women and girls living in official language minority communities.

In light of the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on diverse groups of women, girls and members of the LGBTQ2 community, WAGE applied GBA Plus to the design and delivery of responsive programming for organizations providing supports and services to those experiencing GBV. WAGE distributed nearly $100M to over 1,200 shelters, sexual assault centres and other organizations providing critical GBV supports. Because of this funding, over 1.1 million women and children experiencing violence had a place to turn. This included 480,000 Indigenous women and girls; almost 470,000 women and girls with disabilities; 365,000 Black and racialized women and girls; and over 420,000 immigrants, refugee and/or non status women and girls. 

Experimentation

In June 2019, WAGE announced three $10 million partnership agreements with Community Foundations Canada, Grand Challenges Canada, and the Canadian Women's Foundation.

The agreements were the first of their kind for WAGE, representing two innovative partnership arrangements: an obligation to match funding 1:1 and redistribution of funding to third parties.

By 2020-2021, all three projects were well underway with over $5M in matched funds raised and over 200 third parties funded for a variety of projects focused on advancing gender equality across Canada.

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

In 2020-21, as part of the Government of Canada's implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in support of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, WAGE continued 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 (SDGs).

WAGE collaborated with other federal departments and agencies on the development of Canada's 2030 Agenda National Strategy, published in February 2021,and began contributing to Canada's Federal Implementation Plan for the Agenda 2030. This involved working with departments such as Statistics Canada to ensure alignment with the Gender Results Framework. The Government of Canada took concrete steps to advance SDG 5, gender targets across the SDGs, and Canada's National Ambitions with respect to SDG 5, including implementing GBA Plus into federal budgets, implementing the federal strategy to prevent and address GBV through the continued development of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, and additional investments in gender equality through the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

WAGE also supported the Government's commitment to advancing SDG 5 through its departmental programs and initiatives. This included WAGE's investments in the Women's Program, which aims to achieve the full participation of women in the economic, social and democratic life of Canada, and the GBV Program, which supports organizations working in the GBV sector in developing and implementing promising practices to address gaps in supports for Indigenous and underserved groups of survivors in Canada. WAGE also supported other departments in the development and implementation of their gender equality-related programs, including providing support to the development of an Early Learning and Childcare System and to the new Rapid Housing Initiative. WAGE continued to support the application of GBA Plus across the federal government and the whole-of-government implementation of the SDGs, which also contributed to progress on SDG 5 (gender equality).

*In 2020-21, the difference between actual and planned spending is a result of additional funding received in support of Canada's COVID-19 pandemic response.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Department for Women and Gender Equality's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Internal Services

Description

Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:

• Acquisition Management Services
• Communication Services
• Financial Management Services
• Human Resources Management Services
• Information Management Services
• Information Technology (IT) Services
• Legal Services
• Material Management Services
• Management and Oversight Services
• Real Property Management Services

*The increase between planned and actual full-time equivalents in 2020-21 is mainly due to an increased demand on internal services such as human resource management, information technology, management, and oversight.

WAGE continued to focus on strengthening its organizational structure, governance and processes in order to effectively deliver on priorities and to coordinate gender equality initiatives across federal departments and agencies. This included improving the organizational and leadership structures for more effective work functions and people management; developing and implementing a plan for diversity and inclusion; and implementing initiatives to support the health and well-being of staff. WAGE also established the Corporate Management Committee, developed standardized governance processes and tools to maximize the efficient and effective management and operation of the governance committees, and resumed operations of WAGE's governance structures and processes in the context of COVID-19. These changes will create more effective business processes and enhance the operations of the Department, which is integral to identifying and delivering on government priorities.

During 2020-21, WAGE continued to strengthen and stabilize the Corporate Secretariat's functions by identifying efficient practices and modernizing templates, business processes, procedures, and guidance documents to support a department that is agile.

WAGE worked diligently with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) in order to stabilize the Department's Assistant Deputy Minister baseline, which led to the creation of 2 indeterminate ADM positions. In addition, multiple changes in reporting relationships of the executive structure were completed, improving WAGE's internal process, aligning initiatives and functions, enabling faster decision-making and integrating a more lean and flexible structure which is aligned with the Clerk's Beyond 2020 report.

WAGE also worked to stabilize its organizational structure by completing more than 600 classification actions in 2020-21. Several staffing processes were initiated to recruit and maintain positions in various branches across Canada. Diversified hiring strategies were used, including advertised and non-advertised processes, exchange programs, secondment agreements with other organizations, free agent programs, student co-op programs, the Federal Student Work Experience program, the recruitment program for political leaders, the Federal Internship Program for Newcomers, the Federal Internship Program for People with Disabilities, and the use of pools from other federal departments. These diverse approaches allowed the organization to attract employees from different internal and external government organizations with the required expertise. WAGE also developed an onboarding program for new employees within the department.

In 2020-21, WAGE implemented additional initiatives for its employees, including:

• a second language training program
• workplace health and wellness approaches that encouraged a work-life balance with compressed hours, telecommuting and flexible hours
• a strategy to prevent harassment and violence in the workplace that included delivering mandatory training on anti-harassment; promoting the employee assistance program; presentations by the Ombud's office; and providing various information sessions accessible to all employees
• an approach that enabled employees to work remotely in a safe manner, including proper equipment, furniture, and IT collaboration capability

Analysis of trends in spending and human resources

Actual expenditures for Women and Gender Equality Canada

Departmental spending trend graph

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

The two graphs are presented to reflect the transition between Status of Women Canada and Women and Gender Equality Canada. Women and Gender Equality Canada was created on December 13, 2018. Therefore, the expenses for 2018-19 cover the period from December 13, 2018 to March 31, 2019. Status of Women Canada ceased to exist on December 12, 2018. Actual spending for 2018-19 covers the period from April 1, 2018 to December 12, 2018.

* Note: Women and Gender Equality Canada was created on December 13, 2018. As a result, actual spending is for the period from December 13, 2018 to March 31, 2019. Status of Women Canada ceased to exist on December 12, 2018. Actual spending for 2018-19 covers the period from April 1, 2018 to December 12, 2018.

The increase between planned spending and actual spending in 2020-21 is a result of additional funding received in support of Canada's COVID-19 pandemic response.

The increase in actual spending in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20 is attributable to funding received in Budget 2019 for advancing gender equality in Canada and for capacity building and community level work of Canadian LGBTQ2 organizations and additional funding received in 2020-21 in support of Canada's COVID-19 pandemic response.

A total of $2.1 million from the variance was carried forward for spending by WAGE in the 2021-22 fiscal year.

*Note: Status of Women Canada ceased to exist on December 12, 2018. Actual spending for 2018-19 covers the period from April 1, 2018 to December 12, 2018.

Actual human resources

*Note: Women and Gender Equality Canada was created on December 13, 2018. As a result, actual full-time equivalents for 2018–19 are from December 13, 2018, to March 31, 2019.

Actual human resources

*Note: Status of Women Canada ceased to exist on December 12, 2018. Actual full-time equivalents for 2018–19 is for April 1, 2018 to December 12, 2018.

Expenditures by vote

For information on the Department for Women and Gender Equality's organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2020–2021.

Government of Canada spending and activities

Information on the alignment of the Department for Women and Gender Equality's spending with the Government of Canada's spending and activities is available in GC InfoBase.

Financial statements and financial statements highlights

Financial statements

The Department for Women and Gender Equality's financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2021, are available on the departmental website.

Financial statement highlights

The 2020–21 planned results for WAGE were based on estimates known at the time of the Departmental Plan. The difference between total expenses for 2020-21 planned results and actual results is mainly due to additional funding received in support of Canada's COVID-19 pandemic response.

On an accrual basis, WAGE's expenses for 2020-21 were $224.7 million. The spending difference of $107.3 million between 2019-20 and 2020-21 is attributable to funding received in Budget 2019 for advancing gender equality in Canada and for capacity-building and community-level work of Canadian LGBTQ2 organizations and additional funding received in 2020-21 in support of Canada's COVID-19 pandemic response.

WAGE total net liabilities are composed of accounts payable and accrued liabilities (75%), employee vacation pay and compensatory leave (19%) and employee future benefits (6%).

Total net financial assets consist of accounts receivable, advances, and amounts due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Government of Canada. The amount due from the CRF represents 84% of the total net financial assets and the remaining 16% is comprised of accounts receivable and advances. The amount due from the CRF represents the amount of net cash that WAGE is entitled to draw from the CRF in the future to discharge its current liabilities, without further appropriations.

Total non-financial assets consist only of tangible capital assets.

The difference for total net liabilities and total net financial assets is mainly the result of a net increase in accounts payable to third parties resulting from timing differences in the settlement of the payables.

Additional information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister[s]: The Honourable Marci Ien

Institutional head: Gina Wilson

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

"Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do" is available on Women and Gender Equality Canada's website.

For more information on the mandate letter commitments, see the Minister's mandate letter.

Reporting framework

Department for Women and Gender Equality's Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2020–21 are shown below.

Supporting information on the program inventory

Financial, human resources and performance information for WAGE's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

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

• Reporting on Green Procurement
• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Horizontal initiatives
• Response to parliamentary committees and external audits

Federal 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.

Organizational contact information

For financial information, contact:

Stéphane Lavigne
Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director
Corporate Services Branch
Telephone: 613-797-9055
Email: Stephane.Lavigne@cfc-swc.gc.ca 

For other information, contact:

Lisa Smylie
A/Assistant Deputy Minister, Departmental Programs and Operations
Telephone: 613-762-5917
Email: Lisa.Smylie@cfc-swc.gc.ca

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 report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3-year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité)

A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. 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 quantitative measure of 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 accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

experimentation (expérimentation)

The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

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. For a particular position, the full-time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person's collective agreement.

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; and understand how factors such as sex, race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic conditions, geography, culture and disability, impact experiences and outcomes, and can affect access to and experience of government programs.

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.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)

The process of communicating evidence-based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.

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)

Identifies all the department's programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department's core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)

A 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.