Supplementary Information Tables

Gender-Based Analysis Plus

Governance Structures

DFO and the Coast Guard are committed to strengthening the Department’s policies and decision-making processes by ensuring that GBA+ assessments are conducted during the development of new or renewed policies and program proposals, to provide thorough decision-making information, and minimize unintended gender-differentiated impacts of departmental activities.

This applies to all sectors and regions within DFO and the Coast Guard. GBA+ assessments are required for all policies, programs, and initiatives seeking Ministerial approval, including: Memoranda to Cabinet, Treasury Board submissions, legislative proposals, regulatory processes, and budget proposals.

Human Resources

Two full-time equivalents (FTEs) were dedicated to GBA+ implementation in the Department in 2018-19, including:

• 1 FTE as Departmental GBA+ Focal Point
• 1 FTE on GBA+ advisory committees and other governance bodies including the Coast Guard

Major Initiatives: Results Achieved

Fisheries and Ocean Canada- Advancing Reconciliation

The Government of Canada is committed to transforming its relationship with Indigenous Peoples based on recognition, respect, cooperation and partnership. The Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation Directorate at DFO has undertaken a complete review of collaborative management and commercial fisheries programming with GBA+ considerations in mind. The GBA+ assessment identified direct impacts to both men and women, and medium inter-generational and income distribution impacts. As a part of the review, DFO has and will continue to introduce additional performance measures to track gender-based employment statistics aimed at pursuing opportunities to increase employment for Indigenous women.

Over the coming year, DFO will advance proposals to negotiate treaties and reconciliation agreements with Indigenous groups. Each proposal will consider and incorporate GBA+ considerations, drawing on existing information and gathering new information through department-wide collaboration. The long-term benefits of achieving agreements, implementing treaty obligations, and conducting meaningful engagement will contribute to narrowing the economic gap between Indigenous Nations and non-Indigenous Canadians, and reduce health risks associated with living in communities with low socio-economic outcomes. DFO will also ensure that treaty rights and the benefits of fisheries agreements (treaty or reconciliation) are communicated equally to men and women.

Canadian Coast Guard - Sustained Efforts Towards Diversity and Inclusion

The Coast Guard is taking action to promote awareness of the Government of Canada’s commitment to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. Supporting measures include leadership communications from the Commissioner on GBA+ topics (in speeches and messages to staff), targeted social media campaigns, and participation in national initiatives such as the Day of Pink and Pride Parades across the country.

The Coast Guard is working to ensure that its members have safe, practical, and inclusive uniforms. Work to modernize uniforms will be undertaken alongside other federal public service security and defence organizations, with a view to establishing common guiding principles, as well as leveraging best practices, economies of scale, and whole-of-government innovation.

Specific attention has also been placed on applying a GBA+ lens to the Coast Guard’s national recruitment and retention strategy, and on providing equal opportunities for women and gender-diverse individuals in hiring and promotion. Building a more diverse workforce as well as more inclusive and respectful workplaces will continue to be a priority for the Canadian Coast Guard in 2019-20.

Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) Renewal

The Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) was established in 2005 as a 15-year, three-phase program to assess and remediate federal contaminated sites. The goals of FCSAP are to reduce risk through liability-reducing activities thereby ensuring the health and safety of Canadian communities and restoring ecological integrity.

Renewal of the FCSAP Program will have positive impacts on a variety of demographic groups, including people of Indigenous status, women, children, and communities impacted by contamination such as coastal and remote communities. Northern, rural, and Indigenous communities will particularly benefit from FCSAP renewal because these communities are disproportionately impacted by contaminated sites due to their reliance on hunting, fishing, and foraging for food gathering purposes, which is further exacerbated by food insecurities. Animals and plants harvested for food accumulate contaminants, which can affect the health of those consuming them.

The renewed FCSAP Program begins in FY 2020-21 and sunsets in 2034-2035. The findings of the GBA+ analysis, including existing inequalities in the workforce demographic and local community participation, will be monitored during the program implementation. The following impacts will be monitored:

• Reduction of risks at Federal Contaminated sites by remediating sites that impact community wellbeing;
• For DFO and Coast Guard sites, the Department would use community engagement best practices to help ensure vulnerable communities or groups are included in planning and implementation, thereby increasing community project buy-in and improving mitigation measures to be put in place; and
• Increase diversity in the contaminated sites industry and promote local economies.

Bill C-68: An Act to Amend the Fisheries Act and other Acts in Consequence

Bill C-68 received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019. Under the amended Fisheries Act, the Minister may consider “the intersection of sex, gender, and other identity issues” alongside Indigenous, community, and other social, economic, and cultural factors for Canadians in the decision-making process for the management of fisheries.

DFO-CCG is among the first departments to legislate the consideration of GBA+ factors in decision making. The Department will continue working to integrate GBA+ considerations into decision-making and minimize existing inequities. As departmental programs and policies are further developed, analyses will be undertaken to inform more specific assessments of differential impacts.

Reporting Capacity and Data

The Strategic Policy Directorate at DFO directs sectors and regions preparing GBA+ analyses to seek data and reporting capacity from the Economic Analysis and Statistics Directorate (EAS) to support their analysis. EAS is the lead sector responsible for data mining and statistics.