:
Great. We have a powerful group of women sitting in front of us today and we can hardly wait to hear you report.
What we'll do is each presenter will have five minutes, and at the end of that time we will open it for questions. We will do what we usually do, having our first round one, round two, round three, and we'll have seven-minute questions and answers, as we usually do.
But to start off, could each of you, starting with Kathy, give a five-minute presentation, please?
Thank you.
Thank you for inviting me to speak about the measures our department is taking to ensure that gender-based analysis is applied to our policies and programs. We believe that solid analysis on a wide range of issues, including gender, is key to fulfilling our departmental mandate. As you know, it's a mandate that focuses on Canadians' social and economic well-being and has a very broad impact on Canadians' lives. So given that broad mandate, we realize that gender-based analysis is an integral part of our policy work.
I know that before you prepared your report for 2005, you actually heard from representatives of two departments, Human Resources and Social Development and Skills Development. The representatives of those departments at that time described how the two departments address the issue of gender-based analysis.
[Translation]
Each had a slightly different approach. For example, Social Development Canada focussed on its advisors network and training tools. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada emphasized the responsibility of managers to ensure that GBA was fully addressed in the course of policy and program development, and provided a challenge function through its policy committees.
[English]
Then, as you know, in February 2006 the new department of Human Resources and Social Development was announced and was created. Since then the department has worked on integrating its approach, obviously, to gender-based analysis.
Overall, we take an integrated approach to gender-based analysis. We hold all managers responsible for analysis within their mandates. Gender-based analysis is one of the important lenses that they're held responsible for.
In addition to that accountability for each manager, at each manager's level, challenge functions are built into the process. We have policy committees at the DG and ADM levels, and I will talk a little bit more on how that process works.
In addition to that approach, we have a unit of three FTEs in the international social policy and diversity division of the strategic policy branch in our department, and that unit is mandated to coordinate learning events, tools, and other resources to assist employees in performing gender analysis. That's the legacy of the gender analysis and policy division that had been in the old social development department.
During our transition period into the new department, this unit has focused its efforts on meeting interdepartmental reporting requirements such as contributing to Canada's report on our implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, but as the new department is coming into place, this unit is going to spend more of its time and resources on learning events and tools.
In particular, the predecessor to the Department of Social Development Canada had a lot of success with what they called “learning events”. For example, just before the new department was created in January 2006, a gender-based analysis training session was held. It was actually open to employees of both of the former departments. It was basically a course that used case studies and exercises to demonstrate the process of incorporating gender and other diversity considerations at the various stages of the policy development process. About 25 people attended, and the evaluations show that it was actually quite a useful session. People learned a lot about it and got the tools they need to be able to take the integrated approach to gender-based analysis.
So this is the kind of thing we think we need to do more of, given that we've taken an integrated approach to gender-based analysis.
That's generally how we approach gender-based analysis. What I'd like to do fairly quickly, if I can, is address specifically the recommendations in your report to demonstrate how we have responded to those recommendations. There was a recommendation with respect to having a designated responsibility centre for gender-based analysis in the department, and while I've said that each manager is responsible for gender-based analysis, we have placed the gender-based unit in the branch. It's called our strategic policy branch. So it's the assistant deputy minister of strategic policy who has particular responsibility for coordinating that unit, making sure the tools and resources are provided.
There was a recommendation with respect to participation in the interdepartmental committee on gender-based analysis. We are a member. Originally, it was in two departments. Now the one department is a member of that committee and participates actively.
:
Madam Chair, with your approval, rather than taking the time of the committee to read my entire statement, which has been submitted to the committee, perhaps it might be more beneficial if I were to highlight the key points of my statement for a few minutes.
In Justice Canada, we have a fully integrated model of gender-based analysis. We think this model works well, mainly for a couple of reasons. First, it's built upon the premise that GBA must be everybody's concern, that you cannot build sound analysis unless everyone is sensitized to gender and diversity issues across the department and the requirement to be sensitive is owned by everybody, not just a few. This way, we think that GBA becomes a routine and substantive consideration in all the work we do.
[Translation]
Second, the fully integrated model works because of the extensive building blocks we put in place before we moved to an integrated model. This included 15 years spent developing our expertise and during which time we instituted a special gender and diversity unit, as well as delivered extensive training to our employees. Without these extensive building blocks in the formative years, our fully integrated model would have been almost impossible to implement. We needed this ground work to be done—to evolve as an organization in our sensitivity, in other words—in order for the fully integrated model to function successfully.
[English]
My statement contains a few examples of how our integrated GBA justice policy works in practice. I'll highlight two of them.
One example concerns former Bill C-2, on the protection of children and other vulnerable persons. That legislation, you'll recall, contained many important measures, but one of the areas where GBA was front and centre was on the changes to facilitate the receipt of testimony by vulnerable victim witnesses in specific types of offences like spousal abuse, like sexual assault, where women are the primary victims. GBA played an integral role in the development of our better policy in those areas.
Another example concerns the work of the Policy Centre for Victim Issues, which is part of our policy division in the department and which provides the victim lens for all criminal law reform and criminal justice policy development. Again, GBA is an integral part of the work done by this group, where the needs of women as victims are well documented.
Finally, to have a successful, integrated GBA model, one must have employees who are sensitized to these issues. Training helps, and we've done a lot of this over the years, but changing demographics have played a very key role in supporting our goals on GBA.
[Translation]
First, we are witnessing a new generation that views the world globally and conducts integrated comprehensive analysis as a matter of course and with much practicality. Just as importantly, the roles and representation of women in the Department have changed considerably. There are more women than men in the Department and there are now more women lawyers and women executives than there are men lawyers or men executives. Even at the Governing Council table—our most senior executive body chaired by the Deputy Minister—women now occupy one half of all positions. This shift in demographics has facilitated the success of the integrated GBA model.
[English]
Of course, there's always room for improvement. We have new things to learn. We continue to evaluate ourselves, we assess whether we have it right, but we feel we're well positioned to face any challenges.
Thank you for your time and the opportunity to appear before you today. I'd be pleased to answer any questions.
:
Thank you very much, Madam Chair and honourable members. Thank you for this opportunity to provide you with an update on the progress we have been making with gender-based analysis in CIC since we last appeared before this committee.
May I draw your attention to the fact that we do have a handout for you, which I will be making reference to in my remarks.
As you know, CIC is the only federal department required by law to analyze and report to Parliament on gender-based impacts of our policies and programs, and this legislative requirement is quite unprecedented in federal statutes. We certainly take this requirement very seriously at CIC. Our work in response to this opportunity is ongoing, and as I will outline further, we have continued to make progress since we last appeared before the committee.
As you may recall, the function of gender-based analysis was first established in 2000 in Citizenship and Immigration. In 2005, we centralized this responsibility in a gender-based analysis unit within our strategic policy branch, and at the same time we launched our five-year strategic plan. In addition to conducting this analysis on behalf of the department, the unit also provides the tools, training, and support necessary to maintain and indeed strengthen our capacity for gender-based analysis throughout the department.
Establishing the unit was a great start, but we realized that we needed to do more and do things a bit differently. So last spring, following a reorganization in our department, we decided to move the gender-based analysis unit to provide greater opportunities to strengthen and integrate it into all existing departmental planning and reporting processes. The responsibility now falls under the corporate planning and reporting group, and their responsibilities now include providing guidance, planning, reporting, and capacity building for gender-based analysis.
The gender-based analysis is now carried out at the branch level, where most of our department's policy and program work occurs. We are looking forward to implementing gender-based analysis throughout the department and finding ways to make it part of our day-to-day business at CIC. For example, gender issues are included as part of the general discussions taking place in our policy committee, a new decision-making forum to discuss departmental policy directions for CIC.
As I have mentioned, the analysis is taking place at the branch level. Our five policy branches in the strategic and program policy sector have gender-based analysis plans and are in the process of updating them on an annual basis. These plans have resulted in tangible results, some of which were outlined in the annual report to Parliament on immigration, which was tabled in Parliament on October 31, and we've included it in your information package.
I am pleased to report that the results of gender-based analysis were included in our annual report of 2006 for the first time. For example, possible gender and diversity issues were analyzed by us in 2006 when we responded to the plight of some 800 Karen refugees who were going to be resettled from Thailand. The analysis allowed us to address and mitigate any issues that may arise during their settlement process.
Further analysis is under way to help us work more effectively with the sponsoring groups and service providers to ensure that these new arrivals to Canada receive effective support targeted to their individual needs.
A second example: we have used gender-based analysis to help us deal more effectively with the issue of human trafficking victims, most of whom are women. We recognize that women who are victims of this crime have unique protection needs. Instructions have been sent to all of our officers advising them on appropriate interview techniques and the importance of informing victims about counselling and other resources available to them as traumatized victims of crime.
To further assist the victims of trafficking, we have instituted a temporary resident permit for 120 days to ensure that victims have protection and legal status in Canada. This status also affords victims access to medical and psychological services as required to deal with their experiences.
This 120-day period of reflection gives victims the time they need to assess how they would like to move forward with their lives, including the choice of whether or not to assist with any prosecution of their trafficker. For those who wish to remain permanently in Canada, CIC provides them with the information required as to how to proceed. In addition to the initiatives outlined in the annual report, you can find other examples of GBA taking place in our department.
We continue to use gender-based data in our Facts and Figures publication, which provides information on new permanent residents in Canada, as well as temporary residents entering Canada to work or study.
:
Thank you for the invitation to appear before your committee on the Treasury Board Secretariat's progress in the area of gender-based analysis.
I am pleased to have with me Monique Boudrias from the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada. As part of the Treasury Board portfolio, the agency is responsible for a number of human resources policies, including the employment equity policy.
Also with me is Jeanne Flemming, assistant secretary and the TBS gender-based analysis champion; as well as Hélène Laurendeau, assistant secretary of our labour relations and compensation operations branch.
Today I'd like to update you on the progress we have made in implementing our commitments on gender-based analysis. The committee may also be interested in some of our recent findings on the closing of the gender wage gap, and this is actually very good news.
I'll begin with our commitments as set out in the government's response to your committee's report, “Gender-Based Analysis: Building Blocks for Success”. In this document, the secretariat laid out four areas that we were committed to working on.
[Translation]
First, training staff on the use of gender-based analysis within the context of our mandate.
Second, screening the Treasury Board management policies to ensure that there are no unintended gender impacts.
[English]
The third is using the management, resources, and results structure policy, also known as the MRRS policy, which requires departments to use performance information in the management of their programs, including those with gender-specific objectives.
Our fourth commitment was ensuring that the management accountability framework, or MAF for short, makes reference to assessing analytical capacity and practices in departments.
Madam Chair, TBS is committed to gender equality. I think our accomplishments speak to that commitment.
Before I go into detail, I'd like to quickly outline the division of roles and responsibilities between departments, the Privy Council Office, and Treasury Board in respect to this matter.
[Translation]
Departments are responsible for the application of gender-based analysis and for the inclusion of gender considerations in their policies and programs.
[English]
The Privy Council Office oversees and supports the process of policy-making government-wide, specifically the considerations that have to be applied consistently in the development of public policy. Our role at TBS is to ensure value for money in government programs and oversight in the management functions. Once programs are approved by cabinet, we perform a challenge function on the implementation of these programs.
[Translation]
Now, let me review our accomplishments, beginning with our commitment to training.
[English]
We've organized our training into two different streams, based on our two main responsibilities. The first role is really the challenge function that we perform on the Treasury Board submissions we receive from departments. The second is our management policy development and oversight role.
[Translation]
This summer, we ran a pilot project on gender-based analysis for the analysts who perform the challenge function. We would like to thank Status of Women Canada for sharing its valuable tools, expertise and support in that area. They made it possible to ensure the success of this pilot project. We are now developing additional training events based on the results of the pilot session, and are incorporating this training into our annual cycle.
[English]
The second group, those responsible for renewing and reviewing the management policies, receive training at the outset of the policy renewal initiative, and in fact we'll be conducting two training sessions specifically on gender-based analysis later this month.
Our second commitment was to ensure that management policies do not include any unintended consequences from a gender perspective. In the federal accountability action plan, the government committed to reviewing and renewing the entire suite of management policies to make sure that accountabilities and responsibilities are clear.
In addition to the training that I just mentioned, we've also put in place tools and a rigorous process to make sure that our policies don't include unintended gender consequences. In each policy we actually go through a very rigorous process and analyze them.
:
Thank you, Madam Chair. It is a pleasure for me to be here this afternoon as a representative of the Treasury Board portfolio.
When I last spoke to this committee in March of 2005, I provided an overview of the significant work we do in support of gender equality. Today I would like to provide you with a bit of a progress report and tell you how we are integrating gender equality analysis and gender issues into our ongoing work.
The Public Service Human Resources Management Agency has a lead role for implementing the government human resources modernization and renewal agenda.
[Translation]
The Agency plays a leadership role in a variety of ways. One of its critical tasks, under the Employment Equity Act, is to ensure that Canada's Public Service is both representative and inclusive. Thus, women's issues are important to us not only because the Act requires that we pay attention to them, but also because they are a key component of our institutional values.
Two of those values, equality and equity, are widely integrated across the Public Service and ensure optimal use of the talents and skills of Canadians, as well as the elimination of barriers to women's full participation in the Public Service of Canada and federal work places.
[English]
As part of the Treasury Board portfolio, we work in close collaboration with the Treasury Board Secretariat to strengthen and renew the policy framework of the government. Consequently, our HR policy analysts have the same opportunity to follow the courses on gender-based analysis.
In support of this work and as a reflection of our lead responsibility for HR management in the public service, we are undertaking an exhaustive consultative process with key stakeholders, including unions, to modernize our HR policies. The consultation process helps to ensure that a diversity of perspectives and concerns, including gender equality, are brought to bear on the development of new and revised policies.
[Translation]
In the same vein, the development of new classification standards for the public service of Canada, as well as analysis and gender-related issues are key concerns for us. We want to ensure that the work carried out by both men and women is valued equally. Our efforts to modernize the classification system stem directly from that value.
[English]
As we seek to modernize the Public Service of Canada, and as we strive to sustain the delivery of excellent services to Canadians, we are also strengthening our accountability frameworks and incorporating gender analysis. Our efforts are coordinated with those of the Treasury Board Secretariat, under the management accountability framework, which has specific components addressing human resource management as well as values and ethics.
We have developed the people component of the management accountability framework, which identifies seven strategic outcomes. Each outcome has multiple indicators that enable us to assess, monitor, and take into account the overall health of human resource management in the public service.
We are now in the process of collecting and analyzing departmental information from that exercise, and we will be using it to assist departments in improving, among other things, their performance with respect to employment equity and achievement of equity-based goals. We will do this by providing advice, sharing information and best practices, and having workshops and information sessions.
Additionally, we have strengthened our research capacity to ensure that we can improve not only human resource management practices but also human resource planning in the public service, by facilitating the identification of current and future needs for human resource management. Such analysis will continue to include a significant gender dimension as we seek to capitalize on higher female participation rates in our labour force and as we respond to challenges in the areas of recruitment, retention, demands for alternative working arrangements, learning, and career progression of our employees, including persons in all the employment equity groups.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
:
I want to thank you very much for your presentation, Ms. Boudrias. That was very well done. We look forward to the question and answer period.
Before we get to that, we were supposed to have representation today from the Department of Finance. Unfortunately, Rob Wright, the Deputy Minister of Finance, has been advised of a last-minute meeting with the minister. He said he'd be very pleased to appear at a later time before the committee, and he has been so kind as to provide me with some speaking notes, but he did not have time to have them translated, so those will be translated and distributed to the committee as well.
Actually, documents from the Department of Finance--I've been advised--are available in both languages. It's the Treasury Board document that needs to be translated still, so you'll get that at a later date. Sorry about that. We'll make sure the committee is provided with all these documents.
:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Yes, it is unfortunate that the representative from Finance isn't here, because it's actually at the core of a lot of what happened, especially with budget time.
I thank all of the deputy ministers who have come today, because this is very important.
My first question actually had to do with Finance, but I think some of the questions I can ask, and maybe the relationship to Finance is also here, because essentially you need to deal with that.
My first question was on the kind of financial resources you have and your departments receive. We don't know about other departments. Some of you are doing some good work with respect to maintaining and training in this area.
Just very briefly, I have a series of questions, if you wouldn't mind giving me some quick answers, if you could, in terms of your financial resources dedicated to this area. What resources are you given or have you put aside?
The other question is. this. At budget time, does the Department of Finance expect whatever proposals go from your departments into the budget to have a GB analysis done before they go into the budget process, rather than after the fact?
As to my other question, there was a task force commissioned by the previous government, and the report was made in December 2005. One of the recommendations it made...and the reason for the task force at the time was because of the difficulty of getting GBA across the whole of the government. I understand in your departments there are some departments that are doing better than others. At that time, there was talk about legislation, and the report does recommend and it has guidelines for a possible bill.
I wonder if any of you have read that and whether you might tell me what you think of that particular recommendation and whether or not we need a bill, not with respect to your departments but maybe.... Maybe it's not a fair question. Just tell me what you think of that recommendation and how it's structured.
I'm thinking that the departments we have here are probably the ones that are more in tune with the GBA as opposed to some others.
:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much to our witnesses this afternoon. Certainly it's an extremely important issue, and one that, from your testimony, is not only important to us, but certainly important to you as well.
Actually, my question was going to be for Linda and it was going to be on the issue that has just introduced. Unfortunately, we don't have enough time to hear everybody's full testimony. Thank goodness we have the written submission before us, because I was very interested in what you had to say in here about your update on the recent findings for the gender wage gap.
I wonder if you could tell us a bit more about that. You go on to say that over 15 years, the wage gap has shrunk by more than half. Maybe you could just elaborate a bit more on what you were starting to say to , please.
:
This is our research, and it was undertaken subsequent to a request by this committee.
We found that this wage gap reduction was really the result of a number of factors, including the effectiveness of our employment equity programs, pay equity settlements, the professionalization of work inside the core public administration, and the fact that more women have chosen to further their education. Our research is showing that the gap is continuing to decrease.
Perhaps I'll just share a few more statistics. We will certainly share them with you following the session, but I think they are of interest.
The gap over the past 15 years has narrowed by over 13%, and our wage gap is 11% versus 17% for the general population. One of the main reasons is that there are more women being hired into highly paid jobs. That's up from an average of 53% to 61%. So that is also very significant.
Almost twice as many women now work in management, scientific, professional, and administrative jobs than they did in 1991. This is largely because new recruits are coming in to higher-paying jobs.
Finally, for the under-35 age group, the wages of men and women are almost identical. There's just a 2% gap, so we're definitely moving in the right direction. This is an area where we need to continue to really monitor our progress, but I think we expect the wage gap to continue to narrow, particularly as the male-dominated baby boomers start to retire in greater numbers over the next few years. A lot of work is also being led by the agency around classification, modernization, and the new standards we've put in place to include safeguards to help mitigate potential gender bias downstream.
Those are just a few statistics that I think really speak to some of the progress we've made inside the core public administration.
Thank you for all of this. It's certainly appreciated.
I'm wondering, and I'm building on my colleague's question, has there been a gender-based analysis of the cuts from last September 2006 on the programs, not on your department specifically but on the programs? We know that literacy, Status of Women Canada, court challenges, the Law Commission of Canada, all were affected, among many. Has there been an analysis of the impact of those cuts?
I'll address this third question to all of you.
Ms. Lizotte-MacPherson's presentation indicated that the Privy Council Office plays a critical role in terms of GBA, and essentially that role is to ensure that departments and agencies have used an appropriate GBA lens in terms of their consideration of what they do.
I wonder if you could please tell me if the Privy Council has asked your department to amend policies because of GBA, with specific examples. I think that question was alluded to, but I wondered if you could give more details.
:
I couldn't give you a specific example. I think what a number of us have said is that at various points in a policy development process there is what we are all calling a “challenge function” with respect to GBA.
The analyst is expected to use GBA when it gets to the next layer. The assistant deputy minister is asking questions about the impact, a broad range of impacts, including gender. The next step is you go out into an interdepartmental process--so other players--and in particular we have talked about the Status of Women asking those questions.
Then the central agencies are asking exactly the same kinds of questions, and even in the cabinet committee process you find the same kinds of questions.
Ideally, obviously, the issues have been addressed. That is the whole part of the challenge function at the interdepartmental process. If you haven't done your gender-based analysis, if you can't answer the questions about impacts, you go back to the drawing board and get the information and then include it in your policy proposals.
:
Madam Chair, I do not often attend meetings of this committee, but I am pleased to be here in the company of representatives of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. My questions are probably addressed more to Ms. Siddall. I'll give the others a little rest.
Immigrant women constitute a large proportion of the female population, and I believe that number has been increasing over the years. They are an asset. Many of them are successful economically—very successful—and make a remarkable contribution to our economy, our community and political life, and human rights. We have only to look at the women in Quebec representing large union organizations or large women's organizations. I am thinking of the dynamism demonstrated by the Réseau des femmes d'affaires, as well as women who are members of the Association des femmes en finance du Québec
At the same time, there is one reality that affects immigrant women and refugees when they apply for immigrant status. I believe that Ms. Siddall is very much aware of the harm that can be caused by the Immigration Act, in terms of their equitable treatment and recognition as heads of family, as well as their particular circumstances when they are refugees. Often they are on welfare, which prevents them from being reunited with their children and their spouse.
There is also the matter of recent measures that were taken or imposed with a view to ensuring there is proof of family ties. I'm referring to DNA tests to prove the existence of a blood relationship, as well as a whole series of measures, including the points system used for candidate selection. I could list a number of other issues that affect women, particularly the wage gap in other countries. In Canada, we have seen that such a wage gap exists. We are making progress, but in many countries, the progress has not been as significant or noteworthy. I would like to know specifically what plan of action the Department of Citizenship and Immigration has put in place to remove the barriers faced by these women, and I also would like to know about both efforts and expenditures in that area.
:
I believe I have multiple questions.
In terms of the different streams of immigration that we have, we certainly did the gender-based analysis on our selection criteria for skilled workers. There is no indication that it is biased against women, and it's gender neutral.
For example, we give credit for the experiences of a spouse, whether male or female, and we also extended the work experience from 5 to 10 years, in recognition that women would take time out of the workplace to raise their families.
When it comes to our refugee selection, of course, we're looking at the most formidable groups, and our policy is to resettle the most vulnerable, including women and women at risk. This is now a disproportionate part of our program. What we are trying to do with the new settlement funding.... Over $300 million in the last budget will certainly assist in settlement programs for all newcomers to Canada. In fact, we are reporting an accountability mechanism indicating that 65% of our clients for language training, for example, are women. This will certainly benefit them.
You had other questions there, but I'll summarize it as that. We believe we make strong efforts to evaluate our policies and programs, family unification included, and make adjustments if we have to, wherever possible.
:
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
In a recent report--I was looking at this document--we had testimony from the Business and Professional Women of Canada. They talked very specifically about the growing gap in terms of men's and women's salaries, and that income gap has widened, actually, between men and women who are university graduates. I think it was something quite astounding: university graduates who are female are making something like 48% of what their male counterparts make. There was a reference to a report, Equality for Women: Beyond the Illusion. That was a 2005 report.
When we see this report and hear the testimony here and hear from others, like the Professional and Business Women, I'm wondering why there are these discrepancies, these contradictions. Is it because of things such as that women, by virtue of the fact that they have so many obligations outside of their jobs, don't perhaps work as many hours or can't go after the promotions that men would go after? Is that a possible explanation for the difference between what we're hearing here and what we heard from the Professional and Business Women? Has there been any analysis of that done?
:
We have 27 seconds left, so there's not much time.
Maybe what we'll say is thank you to all our presenters today for coming and giving your expertise and your very insightful comments. As a committee, we thank you for the time you have spent here today.
I would say, too, that I am going to suspend the meeting for just a couple of minutes to allow our guests to depart from the room, and I'll call the meeting back in two minutes.
The meeting is suspended briefly.
[Proceedings continue in camera]