Public Safety Diversity and Inclusion Framework

Foreword from the Deputy Minister and the Associate Deputy Minister

We must work together to achieve a diverse and inclusive Public Safety Canada. In the words of the Clerk of the Privy Council, “the time has come for us to make major advances, not minor improvements”. The Public Service, and the organizations within it, including Public Safety, must be reflective of the diversity of our country and serve Canadians equally. In this way, our organizations will uphold Public Service values, become more effective, and build public trust.

The human toll of racism and discrimination must also be acknowledged. Racism and discrimination may affect you personally, or your friends, neighbours and colleagues. For those affected, it touches their families, careers, mental health and well-being in profound ways and – in the most disturbing of cases – it has led to the loss of life itself.

Systemic racism and all forms of discrimination have no place in the Government of Canada. The Clerk has recently issued instructions to Deputy Ministers on Diversity and Inclusion, which build on the April 2020 Treasury Board Directive on Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, that will guide federal organizations in making measurable changes to our workplaces.

Each of us need to be part of this change. In August, we shared a consultation paper with all employees, seeking your views on the changes we need to make at Public Safety. A sincere thanks to all of you that shared your thoughtful ideas, reached out to us directly and engaged in many informative group discussions over recent weeks. We have listened carefully to your feedback, which has shaped the development of this Strategic Framework on Diversity and Inclusion.

Based on your feedback we will be looking at a broad scope of issues including addressing systemic racism and biases against racialized groups, as well as discrimination and systemic barriers for other groups, including persons with disabilities and members of LGBTQ2+ communities. We also heard, loud and clear, about the importance of considering intersectionality when looking at these issues.

We heard that we need to continue to put the emphasis on the people that make up Public Safety, our organizational culture and building a diverse and inclusive workplace together. This means the focus of the Strategic Framework needs to be our workforce and our workplace. We believe this focus will allow us to build a strong, representative foundation that will, in turn, support our efforts to improve our policies and programs and to fully reflect the diverse communities we serve.

We heard that you expect meaningful, structural change so we will be putting in place a dedicated secretariat to make this possible and we will be measuring results. This focused effort will help us all in reaching our objectives, sustaining focus, and achieving real change. The dedicated unit will develop a more detailed Action Plan, as well as a clear and transparent method to measure progress that will hold us all accountable.

By now, you have heard us say many times that this process is a virtuous circle – a continuous and sustained cycle of action, learning and improvement. We ask each of you to show leadership from wherever you stand in the organization and to walk with us – and with each other – along this path to change.

Rob Stewart
Deputy Minister

Table of Contents

• A Strategic Framework on Diversity and Inclusion
• Our Workforce Today
  • Public Safety Canada's Workforce Overview
• The Way Forward
  • Guiding Principles
  • Current Initiatives, Activities and Commitments
• A Framework for Change: Three Pillars
  • Building Awareness and a Culture of Inclusion
  • Increasing the Diversity of Public Safety Canada's Workforce
  • Fostering an Inclusive and Accessible Environment
• Measurement
• Next steps

A Strategic Framework on Diversity and Inclusion

The purpose of the Strategic Framework is to provide a high-level roadmap for change.

This document will:

• offer a preliminary assessment of Public Safety's workforce data today;
• outline the principles that will guide the process of change;
• lay out existing initiatives, activities and commitments that we will build upon;
• establish the three pillars of the Strategic Framework; and,
• identify next steps.

We will build on this Framework, in the future, by establishing a governance structure, developing a more detailed Action Plan, and measurement and reporting tools.

Our Workforce Today

This is a preliminary overview and assessment of Public Safety Canada's workforce today. Although this is only part of the overall picture, with this information, we can begin to identify our strengths and challenges as an organization, set meaningful goals and track our progress. Additional data from various sources and more in-depth analyses will be needed to provide a more comprehensive assessment.

The following overview focuses primarily on the representation of the four employment equity (EE) groups as outlined in the Employment Equity Act, as well as the workforce availability targets as set by the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS). The EE categories are: Women, Indigenous peoples,^{Footnote 1} Persons with disabilities, and Members of visible minorities. Unless otherwise indicated, all data below are from a Human Resources (HR) snapshot as of September 30, 2020.

Public Safety Canada's Workforce Overview

The Department of Public Safety employs approximately 1,205 full time equivalents (FTEs), the majority of whom work in the National Capital Region (89%), while the remaining 11% work in the regions.^{Footnote 2}

Self-Identification within Public Safety

Although the majority of Public Safety employees have provided self-identification information (66%), there is still over one third or our workforce that has not (Figure 2). This represents a notable gap in the data and potential limitations in our ability to provide an accurate and more detailed picture of our workforce.

EE Group Representation within Public Safety and Workforce Availability (WFA) Estimates

In order to ensure the Federal Public Service represents the Canadians it serves, TBS provides workforce availability estimates (WFAs)^{Footnote 3} to be used as benchmarks to measure employment equity and representation for the public service. Consistent with the general public service, representation for women and Indigenous peoples at Public Safety is in line with the WFA targets, as outlined in Figure 3 below. There are gaps, however, in representation for members of visible minorities and persons with disabilities. Although some of the gaps for persons with disabilities may be attributed to more recent changes in the official definition and scope of this category which resulted in an increase in the WFA target, there is still clearly room for progress and a need for increased representation at Public Safety.

Figure 5 below also provides an illustration of the gaps between EE group representation at Public Safety and the WFA targets for specific group classifications, listing the number of FTEs required to reach our targets. There are clear gaps to fill for the visible minority representation within the EC and PM classifications, as well gaps in the AS and PM classifications for persons with disabilities and within the PM classification for women.

The data provides a surface-level assessment of the gaps in EE representation at Public Safety and highlights some of the challenges in gathering information through self-identification. While this overview highlights certain gaps, more detailed analysis is necessary to explore disaggregated data where possible, to gather and examine other data sources, to analyze the data from an intersectional lens, and to assess other important questions around retention and career progression.

The Way Forward

The workforce overview only provides a part of the overall picture of diversity and inclusion at Public Safety. This framework outlines what we need to do in order to gain a better understanding of our strengths, gaps and challenges. This includes our guiding principles for moving forward, current efforts already underway, and our three pillars outlining our framework for change.

Guiding Principles

Public Safety Values	We are a values-based organization that makes the connection between organizational health and employee health and wellness. In a values-based organization, employees at all levels demonstrate ethical leadership and make ethical decisions. The organization responds appropriately to conflict or instances of wrongdoing. It also assesses its progress, measures its performance and adjusts as necessary to continue to be effective.
Transparency and Accountability	We are committed to open and honest engagement with all employees who wish to contribute during the development of this Strategic Framework, the future Action Plan, the resulting initiatives and beyond. We will measure progress and openly communicate results.
Sustained Commitment to Change	We are firmly committed to a continuous process of improvement. We must sustain our collective focus on diversity and inclusion over time to ensure change is achieved.

Current Initiatives, Activities and Commitments

A wide range of efforts are already underway to enhance diversity and inclusion and to address systemic barriers, racism, and unconscious bias within Public Safety's workforce.

Workplace Consultative Committee (WCC)

The WCC's primary purpose is to focus on matters related to the Departmental culture, character and identity, including matters related to diversity and inclusion, in addition to the Public Service agenda related to corporate management and corporate agendas and initiatives. The WCC is chaired by the Associate Deputy Minister of Public Safety, and comprises departmental champions and representatives from the branches, Communications, the Chief Information Office, Human Resources and the regions.

Departmental Champions

The Deputy Ministers have developed a new structure for champions in which each Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) will be responsible for a key workplace issue. This will include a designated ADM that will serve as the Diversity and Inclusion Champion. Announcements on this new structure and the designation of these roles will be made shortly.

READI Committee

Culture Connect is a working group that facilitates collaboration between all the different culture-related activities at the department in order to build a healthy workplace culture. The group acts as a consultation body to help inform and advance culture-related activities, initiatives and programs being developed in the department. Culture Connect is governed by a Chair, supported by a Secretariat and has reporting and general members. Reporting members consist of one to two members from branches, champions and network representatives, and subject matter experts.

Working Group on Indigenous Issues

The working group promotes the establishment of meaningful and lasting working relationships with Indigenous communities and groups – relationships based on mutual respect and trust as a matter of practice. The group provides a forum to share information and an opportunity for public servants to learn about best practices when working with Indigenous communities, groups or associations, including but not limited to fulfilling the Duty to Consult, engaging with Elders and members of the community, and soliciting advice and guidance on policies and programs.

Ombuds Office

The mandate of the Ombuds Office is to support employees at all levels of Public Safety Canada, regardless of location, employment status or level, in managing and addressing workplace issues, including concerns regarding diversity and inclusion and experiences of discrimination, by providing a trusted space to openly discuss problems without fear of reprisal. The Office helps employees navigate existing information, resources, and programs in place to resolve these issues.

Positive Space

The overall goal of the Positive Space Initiative is to create a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and all members of the LGBTQ2+ communities. The Public Safety Positive Space Initiative seeks to achieve this goal by training groups of employees as volunteer champions who promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Employee Surveys

Public Service Employment Survey (PSES)

The PSES allows the federal public service to identify what it is doing well and what it could be doing better to ensure the continuous improvement of people management practices, and ultimately, to ensure better results in services for Canadians. The survey includes questions that help collect demographic information, and identify and track diversity and inclusion challenges as well as experiences of discrimination in the workplace

Departmental Pulse Surveys

This is a new series of short questionnaires that will be released in a four week period and repeated several times each year. The Pulse Surveys will complement the results of the much more comprehensive PSES. The questionnaires seek employee views on how to make Public Safety a more rewarding place to work, with questions grouped by specific themes (i.e. Mental Health and Wellness, Diversity and Inclusion and COVID-19 and Working Remotely). These questionnaires also collect information from respondents to enable analysis by demographic characteristics.

Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+)

GBA+ is an analytical tool used to assess the potential impacts of policies, programs, services, and other initiatives on our diverse population, taking into account gender and other identity factors. The “plus” refers to other intersecting factors beyond gender such as age, race, education, language, geography, cultures and income. Public Safety supports the inclusion of robust gender- and diversity- based analysis into the development of all policy proposals to Cabinet, Budget proposals, programs, services, communication strategies, public consultations, legislation and other departmental activities. We have an extensive GBA+ Advisor Network across the Department to ensure successful application of GBA+, to track and report on GBA+ and to continue efforts to increase awareness, build capacity and enhance governance of GBA+ at Public Safety.

Review of Programs (EMPB)

This initiative aims to modernize our Grants and Contributions Programs by examining the administration and delivery of our many programs to Canadians using a diversity and inclusion lens.

Minister's Mandate Letter

Implementation of the Minister's mandate letter commitment to ensure access to unconscious bias and cultural competency training for Canada's law enforcement and security agencies. This effort includes the Bias Sensitivity, Diversity and Identity (BSDI) in National Security initiative.

Values and Ethics Strategic Framework and Action Plan

The Framework and Action Plan bring together departmental Values and Ethics and Workplace Wellness initiatives to provide clarity and coherence; articulate the department's objectives for the next three to five years regarding its corporate values and ethics; assess ethical risks and develop mitigation strategies for them; and, define the expectations, roles and responsibilities, elements and other aspects that work together in order to create and maintain a values-based organization and healthy organizational culture.

Public Safety's Diversity and Inclusion Program

The program encompasses some of the initiatives listed above and focuses on the elimination of barriers to employment for the four EE groups and the efforts towards encouraging diversity and inclusion in our culture and approach to work. The program also provides a diversity and inclusion toolkit for employees and managers, and is responsible for organizing Diversity and Inclusion Week at Public Safety.

A Framework for Change: Three Pillars

Going forward, we will build on these initiatives. Public Safety's efforts will be organized around three pillars:

Building Awareness and a Culture of Inclusion

Objective

Establish a culture of inclusion at Public Safety, where individuals have the knowledge, support and competencies to address racism and discrimination, understand intersectionality, and show leadership by embracing the values of diversity and inclusion, at all levels of the organization.

Education and raising awareness

Increasing education and awareness is essential in order to effectively work toward our goal of eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination. We will identify recommended and mandatory training requirements for all levels as well as develop supporting resources, tools and guidelines.

Engagement

We will work to promote safe spaces for dialogue that will de-stigmatize discussions around systemic racism, discrimination, and implicit bias. This will include designing an outreach plan for the department, to engage employees, hear directly from those affected by racism and discrimination, invite outside experts and learn from inspiring examples of leadership in this area. We will also continue to rely on existing forums and networks that support diversity and inclusion at Public Safety, as well as encouraging manager-employee discussions throughout this engagement process.

Mental Health and Wellness

To support the process of change and those personally affected, we will ensure that employee mental health and wellbeing supports are available, culturally-relevant, and widely communicated to employees.

Increasing the Diversity of Public Safety Canada's Workforce

Objective

Further diversify our workforce, at all levels, so that Public Safety is more representative of the Canadians we serve.

Workforce Analysis

We will analyze available workforce data to develop a more comprehensive picture of Public Safety's representation gaps and to better understand any challenges around the recruitment, retention and career progression of diverse employees, and how intersectionality may affect these issues.

Recruitment Strategy

We will establish a detailed action plan to address the findings of the above assessment, including setting targets and timeframes to close representation gaps. We will review human resource and staffing policies, procedures and practices to reduce barriers and the influence of implicit bias, as well as to better inform and support hiring managers. Among other measures, we will increase the use of diverse representation on staffing boards so that staffing decisions are informed by a broader range of perspectives and experiences.

Development and Retention of Diverse Talent

We will identify mechanisms to support the development and retention of diverse talent and future leaders, for example, strengthening the use of talent management and sponsoring diverse employees with potential for future leadership positions.

Workforce Data

We will better integrate the analysis of workforce data into departmental HR planning processes and reporting to senior management. We will supplement workforce data through pulse surveys and/or focus groups to further diagnose key issues. We will also work with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) and the interdepartmental community to address known data limitations, including incomplete or inadequate data for certain equity groups and the limited ability to disaggregate data.

Self-identification

We will seek to increase employee self-identification and examine the feasibility of expanding the identification categories, while taking into consideration employee confidentiality. Most importantly, we need to create an environment where we all feel safe and comfortable in providing this information. This will provide a more complete and accurate picture of our workforce, help to identify gaps with greater precision and improve progress measurement.

Effective Informal and Formal Recourse Systems

It is essential that employees feel empowered to address concerns, inappropriate behavior and issues of harassment and discrimination – and have the support to deal with the impact of these situations, beginning with positive management-employee relationships. This includes a spectrum of formal and informal recourse mechanisms and services, including the Public Safety Ombuds office, Union Representatives, Employee Assistance Services, the Office of Informal Conflict Management, Labour Relations, Values and Ethics, and performance and talent management. We will continue to closely monitor PSES results, anonymized feedback from the Ombuds office, and other sources of data on the workplace to ensure that employees are supported by the department.

Fostering an Inclusive and Accessible Environment

Objective

Ensure that Public Safety's digital and physical infrastructure is free of barriers and enables full engagement and accessibility for all employees.

Our Digital and Physical Environments

A diverse and inclusive Public Safety needs both physical and digital environments that enable everyone to meaningfully participate. This requires us to look at these environments through an intersectional lens. Aligning with the federal accessibility strategy, we will identify barriers and establish plans to ensure our IT and building infrastructure and equipment meet modern accessibility standards.

Harnessing the Possibilities of Remote Work

The rapid transition to a primarily remote work environment, caused by COVID-19, has opened our minds to both the benefits and the challenges of new ways of working. It is now clear that telework will continue to be a significant component of the way we operate as a department moving forward. We will examine our current remote structure to determine how best to leverage the current environment to support all employees, including the accommodation and career progression of persons with disabilities. A virtual workforce will also provide other opportunities to expand our access to a more diverse talent pool across Canada.

Accessibility Passports

Public Safety will adopt the use of Accessibility Passports. The passport is designed to facilitate conversations between employees with disabilities and their managers about the tools and supports employees need to succeed in their jobs. This will support employee mobility and career development by ensuring portability of adaptive tools and support measures between federal organizations.

Measurement

Measurement will be essential to demonstrating change and ensuring transparency and accountability. Moving forward, we will build on our existing data and establish a clear set of measures to track progress. This work will include looking at information captured by the PSES and the Pulse Surveys, and will be led by the new centralized secretariat within the department responsible for Diversity and Inclusion. In line with our principles of transparency and accountability, and the Clerk's recent instructions, departmental results will be reported on a yearly basis.

Next steps

As an immediate next step, we will establish a centralized secretariat to lead Public Safety's Diversity and Inclusion efforts. This team, reporting to the Associate Deputy Minister, will work closely with CMB, the Inclusive by Design Committee and the relevant Champions, Ombuds office and departmental networks to coordinate and leverage new and existing efforts. It will also play a lead role in working with the Portfolio agencies and other Government departments in the coordination and sharing of information and best practices on related initiatives. Further details on the structure and functioning of this unit will be shared with all employees as that information becomes available.

Based on this Strategic Framework, this centralized team will develop an Action Plan that:

• provides more detailed objectives and implementation plans for each of the three pillars outlined above, informed by employee engagement and outreach;
• aligns departmental plans with the Clerk's recent instructions to Deputy Ministers on Diversity and Inclusion and the April 2020 TB Directive on Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion;
• establishes a clear set of targets and an overall measurement strategy, including selecting and incorporating specific measures from the options outlined by the Clerk and providing annual reporting; and,
• anchors Public Safety's actions in the guiding principles set out in this Framework.

This process puts people first. It places the workforce at the centre of our efforts. It ensures that we have a solid foundation as we move forward together to build a more diverse and inclusive Public Safety.

Date modified:

2023-03-10