FEWO Committee Report

CHAPTER TWO: FEDERAL COMMITMENT TO GENDER-BASED ANALYSIS: THROUGH STATUS OF WOMEN CANADA

A.     Background

In 1995, Status of Women Canada took on a capacity building role as part of the federal commitment through the Federal Plan for Gender Equality. This federal plan put a renewed focus on equality issues and particularly on gender-based analysis. The federal plan emphasized shared responsibility whereby Status of Women Canada worked with the 24 individual departments in applying the knowledge to policy and program development.

I would argue that training, horizontal policy coordination and sharing of best practices are the best means of advancing crosscutting issues, such as gender equality. Careful attention by departments to such issues leads to stronger proposals for Cabinet consideration and ultimately improved results for Canadians. Ms. Joan Atkinson (Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Social Development Policy, Privy Council Office)

B.     Mandate Implementation

In 1999, the Gender-based Analysis Directorate was established as part of an effort to step up the pace and enhance the progress for the 2000 to 2005 period. To fulfil its role, Status of Women Canada through the Gender-based Analysis Directorate developed a six-point strategy consisting of training; tool development; policy case studies; research, information, and education promotion; evaluation and accountability; and coordination. These elements are described further in the following sections.

1.     Training

Status of Women Canada, using a policy and program development framework familiar to most policy analysts, and applying this through case studies and examples, developed a curriculum. Participants learned how the socio-economic realities of women and men were different; how to question assumptions about gender roles; and how to integrate gender considerations in all the relevant steps of policy and program development from research, consultation, development of options, and communication, right through to program delivery and evaluation.

 

…a direct correlation exists between knowledge of gender-based issues within an organization and the successful implementation of the GBA approach. Ms. Hélène Dwyer-Renaud (Director, Gender-Based Analysis, Status of Women Canada)

It delivered customized training to policy and program analysts at Citizenship and Immigration, National Defence, Canadian Heritage, and with the federal committee on women in science and technology that gathers representation from 15 departments. A train-the-trainer program was also developed and now has 11 anglophones and 9 francophone trainers available on a regional basis for both domestic and international training. As of December 2004, the new Canada School of Public Service agreed to the inclusion of training in its curriculum and discussions are ongoing about the development on a collaborative basis of a senior management awareness tool on gender-based analysis.

2.     Tool Development

Status of Women Canada also recognized that tools and aids are needed to support officials in investigating whether a policy and program would alter the situation of women, compared to men, positively or negatively. Tools now in existence, such as departmental guides help define a policy issue with the aid of questions or checklists, improved data collection, and the use of gender indicators. Eventually, these should provide more valid data, a better understanding of trends, and a more accurate picture of the situation of women compared to men. The anticipated result is that the unintended impacts will be detected early on and not after the fact.

We should endeavour to find opportunities to get the expertise Status of Women has, because at the end of the day, it has to be ingrained in every department. That only happens through training and ensuring the policy capacity is reflective of that aspect. I can't overemphasize — those policy analysts are looking at 15 different trade-offs. Every time they look at every policy.... It's a complicated business, and anything to reinforce using the tools available, that Canada leads in, would be tremendously important. Mrs. Ruth Dantzer (Associate Secretary, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat)

3.     Policy Case Studies

Policy case studies have proven to be a valuable method to test the process and the anticipated outcomes. Experience shows that, for best results, gender-based analysis should be introduced gradually in a select number of policy areas. Departments are encouraged to go beyond the simple act of obtaining training and to tie learning to a concrete project with real results.

Obtaining a critical mass of successful GBA projects is at the early stages throughout the federal government. The process involves following a set of selection criteria and then assessing projects under probability of successfully achieving concrete results linked to gender equality. It then requires senior management support through a signed memorandum of understanding between Status of Women Canada and the senior departmental officials. The final step is to seek public reporting of results in the annual departmental progress reports.

Status of Women Canada provided various examples of pilot projects examining relevant departmental policy issues. These were outlined as follow:

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Citizenship and Immigration Canada — Since 2001, there is a memorandum of understanding between Status of Women Canada and the Department to pursue training and tool development activities. As a result, an impact assessment tool is applied from that department to the legislative regulations under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. In addition, there are hands-on workshops and training courses with analysts as well as the development of a gender-based analysis policy and strategic planning process.

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Canadian Heritage — In 2003, GBA training with a focus on the Canada Community Agreements and the issues faced by francophone minority women was delivered to the Official Languages Support Programs Branch. The program has since reviewed its methods of operation in order to integrate a gender lens, including the evaluation of project proposals, as well as a slight change to the criteria that highlights inclusiveness of the Canada community agreements, and thus expands the process more widely for francophone minority women.

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National Defence — GBA training focused on the need to increase the knowledge of civilian and military employees on matters pertaining to gender and diversity in a variety of policies and programs, including human resources.

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Infrastructure department — Negotiations for training in a pilot project are underway and may include areas such as governance of construction and construction methods, among others.

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Western federal councils and provincial governments — Discussions are taking place related to rural initiatives.

4.     Research/Information/Education

Status of Women Canada works to ensure that information about best practices is readily available, compiling that information and ensuring regular promotion and education activities. It sees a direct correlation between knowledge of gender-based issues within an organization and the successful implementation of the GBA approach. Thus, it works to increase awareness, promote common acceptance of GBA concepts and encourage the use of best practices among partners.

To achieve the goals, Status of Women Canada has set up a GBA resources centre, distributed 8,000 information kits since 2003, organized two fairs and one public conference, made over 75 presentations at conferences and other events, created an e-bulletin and done 40 case studies.

5.     Evaluation

To assess the effectiveness and efficiency of GBA and related processes, the GBA Directorate at Status of Women Canada promotes the concept of an evaluation continuum. It starts with an individual assessment of knowledge gained from GBA training, continues with a survey of organizations and ends with a GBA performance measurement model. This model will provide a means to evaluate how gender-based issues, including racial considerations, diversity, age, disabilities and other factors, are incorporated in a proactive manner into planning and implementation at each phase of policy and program development.

6.     Coordination

As the organization responsible for carrying out a horizontal and vertical mandate and for promoting GBA implementation, SWC works strategically to enlighten and inform people about the process of GBA implementation across departments and to bring about changes aimed at achieving gender equality.

The GBA Directorate chairs an inter-departmental committee (IDC) on GBA on which 13 departments are represented currently. The IDC is open to all departments that take part in GBA. Originally, the committee served as a forum for sharing information on best practices, but the format was altered in 2002-2003 to assist in the development and coordination of GBA activities across federal government departments.

The Committee did not receive evidence about why only 13 departments are represented or how many of these 13 departments are active participants. However, Status of Women Canada acknowledged that in its coordinating role, it often encounters resistance from other departments and reluctance to make a commitment to gender-based analysis.

The Department identified several factors that contribute to the lack of participation in GBA:

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Formal authority or levers are lacking to ensure compliance with the 1995 GBA policy (the exception is Citizenship and Immigration legislated requirement through the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to report annually).

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Departments are willing to take up training but not necessarily willing to be held responsible for applying the new knowledge systematically across the board.

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Departments want Status of Women Canada and its GBA Directorate to do the work.

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Because GBA presumes a shift in work methods and attitudes and knowledge, the departments interpret this as meaning an increased workload.

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Confusion arises because of changing terminology since the 1995 plan.

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When individuals who champion gender equality leave or when offices to coordinate and integrate gender-based activities are lost following a restructuring or reorganization, departments have no incentive to replace the people or activities.

C.     What Works

Status of Women Canada provided multiple examples of approaches to gender based analyses that are working in the federal government. In particular it emphasized that organizational structure is a key element for integrating and sustaining the practice of GBA. It stressed that it would like to see more efforts placed on “having departments move up the stairway from individual capacity to organizational capacity.”⁷

Several departments were identified as moving GBA forward within the federal sector through a variety of initiatives:

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Citizenship and Immigration through the development of a five-year strategic plan, in keeping with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the requirement to report to Parliament, provided a framework for GBA covering the period 2005-2010 that sets out the Department’s objectives, principles, activities, and reporting steps tied to branch business plans. This is an example of a phased-in approach where sound practices, sound examples and pilot projects within a department are expected to have snowball effect.

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CIDA was cited as the pioneer in the training area with productive outcomes over 15 years and ongoing revamping of its training package to make it even better.

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Citizenship and Immigration, Indian and Northern Affairs, Health Canada, and the former HRDC have all adapted Status of Women Canada’s training package to meet their departmental needs. In focusing on programs and policies under their responsibility in all their training, they aim to have trained officials use their knowledge to improve the departmental work.

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Health Canada launched a five-year implementation plan in 2003 under the auspices of its women’s health strategy that includes a gender-based analysis policy, projects such as the development of women’s health indicators, and support for research. The aim is to provide strategic leadership and analytical support to departmental officials.

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The former HRDC had launched a department-wide policy on GBA to provide a framework for the Department’s commitments and ongoing efforts. It had also created a network of gender advisers, who were individuals trained in GBA and who served as contact points for sharing GBA information with branch officials.

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Indian and Northern Affairs’ Women’s Issues and Gender Equality Directorate, also known as WIGE, coordinated the implementation of that department’s gender equality analysis policy by ensuring that it was reflected throughout the Department’s business lines across headquarters and regional offices. For example, that Department required that all memoranda to cabinet reflect the application of gender-based analysis. The WIGE Directorate is supported by a network of gender equality analysis representatives in all branches and regions of that department.

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Justice Canada adopted its policy on gender equality analysis in 1997, requiring the analysis of every issue with respect to its impact on gender equality and is currently improving the mainstreaming of the practice of GBA throughout its operations.

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7	FEWO, Evidence, Helène Dwyer-Renaud, 10 February 2005, 1530.