Gender-based analysis plus

Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus Capacity

Public Safety Canada’s Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) governance model includes the following key aspects:

All areas of Public Safety Canada are responsible for improving and maintaining GBA Plus capacity and to apply GBA Plus considerations to all aspects of the Department's mandate;

The departmental GBA Plus Framework confirms that Assistant Deputy Ministers, with the support of their respective GBA Plus Advisors, are responsible for ensuring GBA Plus is effectively applied to initiatives, and for tracking and reporting on GBA Plus outcomes within their area of responsibility;

The departmental GBA Plus Advisor Network—chaired by the Public Safety Canada’s GBA Plus Coordinator— provides peer review services and advice on GBA Plus matters in the areas of specialization of the advisors. The Network also serves as a learning and information-sharing forum on GBA Plus best practices; and

The Department’s GBA Plus Champion provides senior-level leadership, including promoting GBA Plus and mentoring the GBA Plus Advisor Network.

Accountability, monitoring and reporting mechanisms to ensure integration of GBA Plus considerations in decision making include:

All Cabinet proposals require a comprehensive GBA Plus review;

Each Branch is required to document and retain GBA Plus work related to new policy and program proposals presented for senior management approval to support monitoring and reporting on the quality and consistency of GBA Plus application;

Annual reporting is made to senior management, through the Departmental Management Committee (DMC), on the implementation of the Department's GBA Plus Framework;

All program evaluations brought to the senior management committee responsible for monitoring program outcomes (the Performance Measurement and Evaluation Committee) also include considerations related to GBA Plus outcomes; and

GBA Plus indicators that were built into Program Performance Information Profiles and the Departmental Results Framework are monitored to inform policy and program evolution and decisions.

Progress on other activities to support departmental GBA Plus capacity include:

Completed department-wide canvassing exercise to re-invigorate the departmental GBA Plus Advisor Network and established a virtual forum to strengthen informal engagement with the Network;

Finalizing review of existing departmental GBA Plus tools and resources, as well as new materials (i.e., departmental GBA Plus Guide and GBA Plus Advisor Guide) to enhance departmental capacity; and

Updating departmental GBA Plus landing page to raise awareness of existing GBA Plus tools, resources and capacity-building opportunities.

Section 2: Gender and Diversity Impacts, by Program

National Security - National Security Leadership

Core Responsibility:

National Security

Program Name:

National Security Leadership

Target Population:

All people in Canada, particularly those of equity-seeking groups (e.g., LGBTQ2+, racialized communities, those living with a disability, etc.)

Distribution of Benefits:

No statistics were collected in 2021-22.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

Public Safety Canada completed a GBA Plus assessment in 2019, when the Secure Air Travel Act (SATA) and Secure Air Travel Regulations (SATR) were amended, through the National Security Act, 2017, to enhance the Passenger Protect Program (PPP).

As part of the Benefits Realization Plan (2019) for the enhanced PPP, six benefits have been identified that will have diversity impacts. These are: 1) reduction of false name matches; 2) improved air travel for individuals who are not on the SATA List; 3) earlier identification and resolution of potential matches; 4) reduced privacy concerns; 5) increased program integrity; and 6) enhanced procedural fairness. The enhanced PPP is expected to have a direct positive impact on all travellers to/from and within Canada, and is expected to have an indirect positive impact on members of minority and marginalized groups, as it will help clear legitimate air travellers in advance of flight departure, help reduce delays and help address what may be perceived as possible discrimination when members of minority/marginalized groups experience delays at airports. In particular, the EPPP is expected to have positive impact on travellers that are children under the age of 16, who have the same or a similar name as an individual on the SATA, List by clearing them in advance of flight departure through the government-controlled centralized screening system and the Canadian Travel Number (CTN).

In November 2021, Public Safety Canada developed a Performance Measurement Strategy Framework to collect data on a quarterly and annual basis that enables the monitoring and reporting of the benefits. Specific indicators have been developed to identify the differential impacts of the EPPP. For example, the Project is able to extract data for children under the age of 16, such as, the total number of child travelers that are screened through the centralized screening system and the number of child CTNs issued. Moreover, disaggregated data can be pulled to differentiate the number of false name matches amongst adult and children under the age of 16.

By March 2023, a final Project close-out report is expected to include an analysis on the overall objectives and benefits of the enhanced PPP, and will assess the gender and diversity impacts through specific performance indicators and will also evaluate the perception of the public, especially marginalized groups, through feedback received in the form of surveys, interviews and media analysis. As part of the Performance Measurement Strategy Framework, Public Safety Canada has also identified the opportunity to include qualitative feedback from key stakeholders, particularly the No Fly List Kinds (NFLK), a civil society group advocating for the fairness of air travellers, especially children.

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

N/A

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2021-22.

National Security – Critical Infrastructure

Core Responsibility:

National Security

Program Name:

Critical Infrastructure

Target Population:

Critical Infrastructure Stakeholders

The Critical Infrastructure Directorate’s (CID) mission is to enhance the resilience of Canada’s critical infrastructure (CI). Priorities for CID include: 1) modernizing and renewing Canada’s strategy and approach to CI resilience; 2) enhancing partnerships with domestic and international CI stakeholders; and 3) implementing national policies and programs to enhance resilience. As they are currently structured, CI programs do not directly contribute to the six pillars and goals of the Government of Canada’s Gender Results Framework. Public Safety’s CI programs have been designed to strengthen the resilience of physical and digital critical infrastructure in Canada from an all-hazards risk management perspective.

Individual CI programs administered by CID are not structured to collect GBA Plus data to enable the monitoring and reporting of program impacts by gender and diversity. As these programs are focused on enhancing the resilience of physical and digital critical infrastructure in Canada, they do not capture GBA Plus data.

Additionally, CID had no initiatives in 2021-22 in which GBA Plus implications needed to be monitored, and no CID-led Memoranda to Cabinet or Treasury Board submissions were produced during this period.

Distribution of Benefits:

N/A

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

N/A

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2021-22.

National Security - Cyber Security

Core Responsibility:

National Security

Program Name:

Cyber Security

Target Population:

Cyber Security Cooperation Program:

• Canadian not-for-profit organizations;
• Canadian academic and research institutions;
• Provincial, territorial and local governments and authorities;
• Canadian individual researchers and professionals; and
• Canadian for-profit organizations.

Distribution of Benefits:

N/A

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

Cyber Security Cooperation Program (CSCP):

Diversity is a significant part of the Grants and Contributions CSCP, and as such, a diversity pilot was initiated in 2020 with a second call out for applications to the Grants and Contributions CSCP. The objective of the second call for applications included targeting under represented and vulnerable groups that would benefit from initiatives and diversifying regional representation of the submissions. The applicants were required to include considerations of GBA Plus in their project design as well as how they would apply this to their project implementation, which was assessed as part of the selection process. They were required to indicate data sources and/or evidence to support this conclusion. The projects recommended were typically those that indicated how they would address barriers of their target populations and included a focus on underrepresented populations. These projects are currently ongoing and are being delivered across Canada.

An example of an approved project was one submitted by HealthCareCAN, entitled Setting a National Standard for Cyber Resiliency in Healthcare. They want to establish a standard for all healthcare organizations whether made up of ten-bed rural community facilities or a thousand-bed referral hospital providing complex care that help protect users from cyber breaches. It was noted that victims of breaches are often likely to be of lower socio-economic status, and thus healthcare standards must be higher. Their model includes focus groups and targets participants whose perspectives might not otherwise be heard. Examples include the First Nations health Authority in British Columbia and various northern healthcare organizations, particularly those with disproportionately Indigenous client populations.

In order to appropriately measure the outcomes of the CSCP, Public Safety Canada is working on introducing a project activity report. The report will be sent to program recipients in order to measure the success and overall satisfaction with the CSCP. This will help PS to address any shortcomings or concerns for each new cycle of the program. It will encourage open dialogue and transparency with program recipients. As well, the report will deliver a mechanism to introduce GBA Plus to our communities while providing a scoring incentive on applications received from new and existing recipients.

No statistics were collected in 2021-22.

National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS):

As a part of the NCSS Mid-Term Review, Public Safety Canada, as the lead department, carried out a survey which looked at several components of the NCSS. Part of that survey included a question asking the signatory departments if GBA Plus was considered in the design of their respective initiative in the Action Plan, and if so, how was GBA Plus being applied. Based on the information gathered, it was determined that the policy community needed to build capacity related to knowledge, including access to research, tools and experience in carrying out and applying the GBA Plus lens when designing and developing initiatives and recommendations. To help accomplish this, the cyber community developed a working group, which is open to all cyber policy analysts and advisors with the goal of sharing experiences, best practices, toolsets and research, as well as lessons learned. As noted above, research, or the lack of thereof available Canadian data, was cited as an area of opportunity. Thus, the working group is focused on identifying data gaps and seeking opportunities to partner with Statistics Canada to increase research to support and inform decision-making and initiative development that supports Canada’s unique intersectionality. Public Safety is working with Statistics Canada to add additional GBA Plus questions to its numerous research questions related to cyber programs.

For example, there has been a deliberate focus to begin collecting diversity and inclusion data as part of the Canadian Survey of Cyber Security and Cybercrime (CSCSC). Work is also underway within the department, and in collaboration with Statistics Canada, to increase GBA Plus data collection in future iterations of cyber security surveys, including the CSCSC.

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

Public Safety Canada’s Cyber Security Cooperation Program (CSCP) aims to contribute to the federal government’s leadership role in advancing cyber security in Canada. By enabling close collaboration with other levels of governments, the private sector, academia, and non-governmental organizations, the CSCP’s purpose is to commission research and yield comprehensive results which help position domestic governments, businesses, and citizens to better anticipate trends, adapt to a changing environment, and remain on the leading edge of innovation in cyber security.

In the CSCP’s second call for applications, the Department made a targeted effort to ensure diversity and inclusivity standards were exceeded. All applicants were required to include GBA Plus considerations in the development of their project submission in the areas of project development and implementation plan, such as target population(s) the project is intended to benefit. In order to appropriately measure the outcomes of the CSCP, Public Safety Canada is working on introducing a project activity report. The report will be sent to program recipients in order to measure the success and overall satisfaction with the CSCP. The report will deliver a mechanism to introduce GBA Plus to our communities while providing a scoring incentive on applications received from new and existing recipients.

Supplementary Information Sources:

• Gender Results Framework
• Quality of Life Framework

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

The CSCP initiatives received from the call for applications with a GBA Plus focus and recommended for approval met the diversity and inclusion requirements, and data will be available in future years once recipients provide their final reports, which are due by June 2024.

Phase two of the pilot was carried out during 2022, with an expanded scope and data collection to include all relevant programs over and above those in Phase one. Engagements with stakeholders, including but not limited to, other government departments, central agencies as well as provincial and territorial consultations were carried out. Program partners and recipients were surveyed to include considerations for changes to program design, the potential to seek out other levels of government to support the inclusion of anti-racism/biases initiatives and activities.

Once finalized and approved, the new program recipient report being developed will be issued and following completion of a program, the report will be completed and collected. Data will be available for the next cycle.

Community Safety - Border Policy

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Border Policy

Target Population:

The First Nations Organized Crime Initiative (FNOCI) targets all Canadians with an emphasis on the Mohawk communities of Akwesasne and Kahnawake. While Public Safety Canada’s border policy generally benefits all Canadians, some programs target some communities or groups more specifically.

Distribution of Benefits:

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

Throughout 2021-22, Public Safety Canada continued to ensure GBA Plus was taken into account in the development and design of all border-related initiatives. This was achieved through the inclusion of robust and thorough GBA Plus analysis with any policy documents, including budget asks, memoranda to Cabinet, and Treasury Board submissions. For example, GBA Plus considerations were applied to help strengthen Canada’s policies on border management, including for instances of human trafficking and for those fleeing war or abuse where individuals often identify as women or children. Border policies reflect outreach with Canada’s Indigenous communities that bisect the Canada/US border and engagement on international protocols developed through multilateral fora like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to help address unique needs.

While no specific statistics on gender and diversity are collected through the FNOCI, the initiative continued to contribute to the overall objective of keeping all Canadians safe by providing funding directly to First Nations police services to enhance their ability to disrupt organized crime activities and foster positive community engagement. In 2021-22, Public Safety continued to contribute to the overall safety of the Mohawk communities of Akwesasne and Kahnawake by providing funds to assist their respective police services in addressing organized crime and cross-border criminality. This included helping to increase capacity, knowledge and skills to disrupt organized crime and criminal activities in and around their communities. By providing targeted investments to the Akwesasne and Kahnawake First Nation communities, for example, culturally responsive policing services targeted youth, including girls and those identifying as 2SLGBTQIA+^{Footnote 1}, in both communities to support crime prevention through the promotion of healthy lifestyles and positive choices.

Thorough border policy development includes consideration of a wide variety of vulnerable populations who fall within the category of GBA Plus. Due to the nature of Public Safety’s role in border management, our policies must reflect the relevant status of individuals crossing the border, and take into account whether they are part of a vulnerable group, all the while respecting their individual rights and preserving their personal integrity. Common examples of where GBA Plus considerations might intersect border policy include instances of human trafficking and smuggling vulnerability, individuals fleeing war and other types of abuse, many who identify as women and children. The Border Policy Program within Public Safety participates in several working groups that take account and monitor information from sources both within and outside Public Safety, concerning, but not limited to, Human Trafficking, Irregular Migration, and Indigenous border crossing issues, to ensure that policies reflect the most up-to-date information.

Public Safety also regularly receives quantitative analysis from several groups in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) that provide detailed information about the number of irregular migrants crossing the border on a daily basis, as well as broader migration patterns. Qualitative analysis on vulnerable groups often comes from partner agency reports which highlight a variety of issues across different countries, and which may prompt individuals to seek refuge in Canada. Accounting for, and analyzing this data (e.g., irregular migration data provided by IRCC, CBSA, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)) informs the policy development process.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2021-22.

Community Safety - Corrections

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Corrections

Target Population:

Law enforcement agencies throughout Canada

Distribution of Benefits:

N/A

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

The program do not collect details on the recipients’ own clients or services, and so detailed information on program results by GBA Plus related factors are not readily available.

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

Biology Casework Analysis Contribution Program (BCACP) and National Flagging System Class Grant Program (NFSCGP):

No demographic data is collected via the BCACP or the NFSCGP due, in part, to the requirements under the Privacy Act and DNA Identification Act not to collect personal information if it is not directly related to the delivery of programs. This reflects the reporting requirements for the programs as approved when these programs were created. Also, Public Safety Canada does not collect diversity information from the groups funded under these programs because the funding supports their operational and salary fees, rather than direct service delivery.

Grants Program to National Voluntary Organizations (GPNVO):

No demographic data is collected via the GPNVO due, in part, to the requirements under the Privacy Act and DNA Identification Act not to collect personal information if it is not directly related to the delivery of programs. This reflects the reporting requirements for the programs as approved when this program was created. Also, Public Safety Canada does not collect diversity information from the groups funded under these programs because the funding supports their operational and salary fees, rather than direct service delivery.

Diversity and Inclusion Grants and Contributions Programs Review:

As part of this departmental initiative, the Programs Directorate is leading on developing a strategy for collecting demographic data on funding applicants, recipients and project participants. The data will enable Public Safety to conduct demographical analyses to better inform program design and delivery and identify any gaps to address funding needs for underrepresented communities. The data will primarily be collected through the Standard Funding Application Form. Other data collection methods may include the Annual Performance Report (APR) and project activity reports. The demographic attributes identified for data collection are aligned with Statistics Canada to ensure consistency, uniformity and interoperability across the Government of Canada. These include but are not limited to: ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age and gender. A Demographic Data Collection Governance Framework is currently in development to support the rollout of the strategy by identifying the roles and responsibilities of implicated stakeholders.

The collection of demographic data was completed for three community safety programs during their 2021 Calls for Applications including: the Community Resilience Fund, the Crime Prevention Action Fund and the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP). The collection of demographic data will also be collected during SIP’s 2022 Call for Applications. The Program review has also undertaken work to reduce barriers for underrepresented communities’ applicants by allowing options for advanced payments, developed an outreach strategy template to under represented communities and host information sessions, revised application guides to clarify eligibility requirements under each program, and piloting integration of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion assessment tool into the evaluation of proposals. Scaling up and expansion efforts to other remaining applicable grants and contributions programs in Public Safety Canada will begin in January 2023.

Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative (ACSPI):

ACSPI continued to collect sufficient data to enable it to monitor and report program impacts as well as to identify persistent and emerging trends related specifically to Indigenous Peoples. Using qualitative data software, the finalized Community Safety Plans (CSPs) were entered for future analysis for trends and patterns, from which theme papers to be written on topics such as domestic violence and food insecurity, which will support the future development of additional learning modules on topics such as gangs, program adaptation and partnership building, taking into account GBA Plus components. These modules will support responding to the needs expressed by Indigenous communities themselves through providing culturally-relevant and culturally-competent solutions to community safety issues acknowledging the needs of various GBA Plus intersectional groups. The policy, coordination and research unit was being expanded in 2021-22, establishing future capacity for analysis of GBA Plus components. The ACSPI continued to approach measurement and tracking of GBA Plus considerations by maintaining a dataset of GBA Plus outcomes and indicators collected during the CSPs process (e.g., community safety issues that primarily effect women and youth, reintegration of offenders) and following the completion of CSPs, and conducting regular analyses to identify persistent and emerging trends. Increased support relating to reintegration of offenders and alternatives to custody was identified as a persistent trend. It was also determined that increased partnerships with other internal Public Safety Canada’s stakeholders and other government departments was required to support communities related to 2SLGTBQQIA+^{Footnote 2} people and gang-involved individuals. Data collected was also used to inform a consolidated picture of Indigenous programming and support the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Horizontal Initiative Results Framework.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2021-22.

Community Safety - Crime Prevention

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Crime Prevention

Target Population:

• Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF): Vulnerable groups of the population, particularly children and youth from 6-24 years, and chronic offenders.
• Security Infrastructure Program (SIP): Communities at risk of hate-motivated crime.

Distribution of Benefits:

National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS): Youth Gang Prevention Fund (YGPF), Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF), Northern and Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund (NICPF)

Distribution of Benefits by income level

*2021-22 or most recent

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

Security Infrastructure Program (SIP):

Since 2017, communities at-risk of being victimized by hate crimes that applied to the SIP are mainly Muslim (53%), Jewish (35%), Sikh (3%), Afro-Canadian (2.5%), Multi-cultural (1.5%), Indigenous (less than 1%), and other (3.7%). Historically, around 75% of SIP funding has been allocated to projects in the Jewish (42%) and Muslim (33%) communities. Most participant organizations (86%) reported an increased sense of security among the population that access the facility. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of SIP participants indicated that they would recommend the Program to other institutions/communities.

National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS):

Intervention projects funded under the NCPS are developed using a multi-sectoral, partnership approach to enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors related to criminal involvement, such as exposure to family violence, with a specific focus on Black Canadian youth and Indigenous youth. Below are three examples of initiatives that were selected for funding in 2021-2022 based on GBA+ considerations, as well as their impact on communities, namely the provision of tailored services to priority populations:

• A Quebec-based initiative was selected in 2021-2022 to provide culturally-relevant services and supports to primarily Black boys, girls and young adults between the ages of 6 and 25, who are at risk of, or who are engaging in, criminal behaviour in the city of Montreal. Approximately 700 youth per year will receive training in the Youth Survival Toolkit, including strengthening life skills, mental health, peer and family relationships as well as educational and employment skills.
• A British Columbia-based initiative was selected in 2021-2022 to provide culturally-adapted services and supports to reduce violence, gang involvement, bullying and cyber bullying, among primarily Indigenous boys, girls and young adults, ages 12-24 from Seabird Island and three neighbouring communities. Approximately 220-260 youth and their families will be provided with access to culturally-adapted recreation and educational activities as well as case-managed social supports and counseling interventions.
• A Nova Scotia-based initiative was selected in 2021-2022 to provide culturally-relevant services and supports to strengthen family relationships, increase access to learning/education, and reduce barriers to meaningful employment opportunities, among primarily Black boys, girls and young adults, ages 8-25 throughout the province. The project will reach between 150 – 200 youth participants per year through an interconnected grassroots strategy with projects that foster community collaboration, understanding and growth.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

The Department’s Grants and Contributions Diversity and Inclusion Working Group is working to develop a better method of collecting demographic data moving forward. As part of the departmental initiative – “Diversity and Inclusion Grants and Contributions Programs Review” – the Programs Directorate is leading on developing a strategy for collecting demographic data on funding applicants, recipients and project participants. The data will enable Public Safety to conduct demographical analyses to better inform program design and delivery and in particular, identify any gaps to address funding needs for underrepresented communities. The data will primarily be collected through the Standard Funding Application Form. Other data collection methods may include the Annual Performance Report (APR) and project activity reports. The demographic attributes identified for data collection are aligned with Statistics Canada to ensure consistency, uniformity and interoperability across the Government of Canada. These include but are not limited to: ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age and gender. A Demographic Data Collection Governance Framework is currently in development to support the rollout of the strategy by identifying the roles and responsibilities of implicated stakeholders.

The collection of demographic data was completed for three community safety programs during their 2021 Calls for Applications including: the Community Resilience Fund, the Crime Prevention Action Fund and the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP). The collection of demographic data will also be collected during SIP’s 2022 Call for Applications. Scaling up and expansion efforts to other remaining applicable grants and contributions programs in PS will begin in January 2023.

Community Safety - Indigenous Policing

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Indigenous Policing

Target Population:

First Nations and Inuit communities in Canada

Distribution of Benefits:

N/A

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

Public Safety Canada is currently developing a new Annual Performance Report to be disseminated to both First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP) communities and FNIPP police service providers which will support the collection of GBA Plus data under the FNIPP, including the demographic makeup of FNIPP governance bodies. GBA Plus considerations for the FNIPF are captured under FNIPP reporting. Public Safety Canada will also use the Annual Performance Report, Statistics Canada’s Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, and the First Nations Information Government Centre surveys to measure crime rates and perceptions of community safety in First Nation and Inuit communities.

Public Safety Canada used a GBA Plus lens in the design and delivery of the virtual engagement process to inform the co-development of First Nations police services legislation. In December 2021, Public Safety Canada hosted three pre-engagement sessions with a diverse number of First Nations to seek views on how an engagement approach to inform a federal First Nations police services legislation could be structured, as well as the potential engagement themes and discussions. Participants shared that discussions should focus on the development of federal legislation and not to revisit concerns with the FNIPP, which were raised during the 2016 engagement. We also heard that participants wanted to have rich conversations on the roles of First Nations, Canada and provinces/territories in supporting First Nations police services. These views shaped the themes and development of contextual information intended to inform the launch of the virtual engagement process. Participants also suggested a nation-to-nation approach to engagement, and the inclusion of women, youth and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. As a result, to increase the amount of engagement during the launch of the Government of Canada’s engagement process that launched on March 21, 2022, Public Safety Canada invited over 1200 representatives from First Nations, First Nations organizations, First Nations police services, First Nations police boards/commissions, First Nations women’s organizations, First Nations youth organizations, First Nations 2SLGBTQQIA+ people and organizations, subject matter experts and others in order to understand diverse perspectives and views. The Minister of Public Safety Canada also sent letters to all modern treaty and self-governing agreement signatories signaling the desire to engage on a nation-to-nation, government-to-government basis on their policing priorities. Participants engaged with Public Safety Canada through virtual engagement sessions, bilateral discussions and by submitting written comments/submissions by email. Engagement sessions were also guided by First Nations Elders who shared their knowledge of First Nations values, stories and histories to inform discussions.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Public Safety Canada continues to explore ways to support culturally-responsive policing in Indigenous communities, including ways to improve data collection, to ensure the safety of vulnerable groups, including women and girls. For example, through the FNIPP, the Department is funding Community Safety Officer (CSO) pilot projects to gather information on the efficacity of alternate service delivery approaches. Each project will have a significant data collection component in order to help inform future decisions on CSO projects. Many CSO programs emphasize Indigenous lens to conflict resolution and enhanced engagement with vulnerable groups, including women and girls. In 2021-22, the FNIPP funded a CSO project in Yukon and gathered submissions from provinces and territories (PTs) for future pilot projects. In addition, the Department undertook a data gathering exercise in 2021-22 seeking information on existing FNIPP agreements from PTs to inform funding decisions. This work will be continued in the next fiscal year and beyond.

Community Safety - Law Enforcement and Policing

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Law Enforcement and Policing

Target Population:

Firearms Policy: All Canadians, law enforcement, municipalities

Distribution of Benefits:

* 2021-22 or most recent

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

The Government brought into force provisions to expand background checks for firearms licence holders. These provisions removed the 5-year limitation on background checks for applicants, and Chief Firearms Officers will now consider the applicants entire lifetime when issuing a licence. This change means that individuals with a history of violence will not be able to own a firearm, further protecting vulnerable Canadians.

As part of the Department’s ongoing work under the new Horizontal Initiative on Funding to Enhance Canada’s Firearm Control Framework, additional resources were allocated to support analysis related to harm reduction measures intended to prevent firearms violence against marginalized groups, also including intimate partner, gender-based and family violence, and self-harm.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

In 2021-22, GBA plus data was retrieved from other Departments and Agencies to conduct analysis on legislative and regulatory changes. Steps were also taken in the development of a national firearms-related data strategy. In 2021-22, the Government of Canada allocated new resources for planning efforts related to data and research support, as well as engagement and awareness programming on gender-based considerations on firearms policy.

Community Safety - Serious and Organized Crime

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Serious and Organized Crime

Target Population:

• Online child sexual exploitation (OCSE): All Canadians/children and youth under the age of 18
• Human Trafficking: Women, youth, children, and Indigenous Peoples
• Biology Casework Analysis Contribution Program (BCACP): Law enforcement agencies throughout Canada

Distribution of Benefits:

* 2021-22 or most recent

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

Online child sexual exploitation is one of the digital age’s most pressing safety issues that continues to increase in terms of scope, reach and impacts. It is a gendered crime that affects girls, youth with disabilities, youth in foster care and youth living in difficult family situations.

Initiatives and programs under the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet (National Strategy) incorporated GBA Plus considerations as they were developed and implemented. For example, the targeted awareness campaign is focused on the most vulnerable groups identified in the GBA Plus as well as parents, teachers, caregivers, and other persons who come in contact with children and youth. The project, “Keeping Kids Safe Online” led by PLEA Community Services Society of British Columbia, developed and delivered prevention workshops on online safety in schools as well as to adult caregivers to prevent online child and youth sexual exploitation. While most workshops were delivered in mainstream schools, the project also targeted high-risk populations by presenting to youth in custody, teen parent groups, after school programs, community centre groups, drug and alcohol facilities, alternative schools programs, Indigenous youth groups and LGBTQ2 youth groups.

Over the 3-year project, 394 presentations were delivered to 19,236 youth participants, and 60 presentations were delivered to 942 adult caregivers. Evaluation results from post-workshop surveys showed that 84% of participants in grades 8-12 agreed that they gained more knowledge about what information they need to keep safe, and what not to share online, and 85% agreed that they better understand the consequences of sharing personal images and information though technology. Furthermore, 98% of adult participants said the workshop increased their knowledge and understanding of child/youth sexual exploitation.

Human trafficking is a gendered crime that disproportionately affects young women and girls. While qualitative data show that some populations experience heightened risk of being trafficked (e.g. socio- and economically-disadvantaged groups of people such as Indigenous women and girls; homeless youth and youth-in-care; migrants and new immigrants and refugees to Canada; visible minorities; 2SLGBTQQIA+ persons). With support by Public Safety Canada, the Juristat article entitled Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2019 published in May 2021 by Dyna Ibrahim, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics states: “The vast majority (95%) of human trafficking victims were girls and women, and overall, most (89%) victims were below the age of 35”. Human trafficking remains largely under-reported in Canada as obtaining accurate and reliable estimates of human trafficking victims is difficult due to the hidden nature of the crime, difficulties in identifying victims, and the difficulty of reporting to authorities.

The National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking was launched in 2019. Its development was informed by a GBA Plus and intersectional analysis. GBA Plus continues to be incorporated into the design, delivery and implementation of various initiatives funded under the National Strategy. For example:

• In 2020, Public Safety Canada launched a call for proposals under the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime for organizations working to prevent and address human trafficking and support at-risk populations and survivors. In 2021-22, 18 organizations continued to deliver community-based empowerment projects that aim to increase access to trauma-informed, culturally-relevant support services for victims and survivors of human trafficking; and pilot projects that aim to increase awareness of human trafficking among at-risk youth (5 of which started in fiscal year 2021-22). Eight organizations directly serve Indigenous people (two are Indigenous-led). These organizations have each demonstrated how findings of their Gender-based Analysis Plus has been incorporated in their project design, including how members of Indigenous and northern communities, children and youth, 2SLGBTQQIA+ persons, as well as victims and survivors of human trafficking will be engaged and included in their approach and service delivery. These organizations also submit annual performance reports containing information about the demographic categories of their target population, and ages and gender of project participants where possible. An analysis of the reports from the first year of funding will be completed in 2022-23 and at project end in 2023-24;
• Other initiatives funded under the National Strategy include developing training tools for employees in the transportation, hospitality, law enforcement and health care sectors to equip them to identify the signs of human trafficking; and developing guidelines for front-line community workers. These initiatives are under development in 2021-22 and each apply a trauma-informed, culturally-relevant sensitive and gender-responsive lens to the development process;
• In 2021-22, Public Safety Canada continued its delivery of a human trafficking awareness campaign under the National Strategy. The advertising targets the public, with focus on youth, parents, and women and girls, which includes Indigenous Peoples. The aim is to increase awareness of human trafficking, address public misconceptions of the crime, and bring attention to the warning signs and ways to report suspected incidences;
• Public Safety Canada also supported the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking to operate the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline which provides services in over 20 Indigenous languages.

Supplementary Information Sources:

OCSE and Human Trafficking:

• Contribution agreements under the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime require applicants to outline and report on the results of their GBA Plus and how it will be integrated in their project. In addition, contribution agreements include indicators with disaggregated data where appropriate.

Canadian Centre for Child Protection:

• Child Sexual Abuse Images on the Internet: A Cybertip.ca Analysis

GBA Plus is supported by qualitative and quantitative data and information gathered through:

• A Gender and Human Trafficking roundtable hosted by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, in preparation for the G7 Security Ministers Meeting in April 2018;
• National consultations conducted in fall 2018;
• International consultations;
• Aggregated data from Statistics Canada;
• Performance reporting by external organizations funded under federal grants and contribution programs; and
• Data collected by the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline providing further insight into the characteristics of individuals who are victims or vulnerable to being victimized through the collection of non-identifying, aggregated data such as gender, age, geographic location, and trafficking typology.

See GBA Plus Data Collection Plan section below for more information.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

For Human Trafficking related projects funded under the National Strategy, each organization has demonstrated how findings of their respective GBA Plus has been incorporated in their project design, including how members of Indigenous and northern communities, children and youth, 2SLGBTQQIA+ persons, as well as victims and survivors of human trafficking will be engaged and included in their approach and service delivery. These organizations also submit annual performance reports containing information about the demographic categories of their target population, and ages and gender of project participants where possible. An analysis of the data as provided via the projects’ annual performance reports from the first year of funding will be completed in 2022-23 and at project end in 2023-24.

Emergency Management - Emergency Prevention/Mitigation

Core Responsibility:

Emergency Management

Program Name:

Emergency Prevention/Mitigation

Target Population:

All Canadians

Distribution of Benefits:

N/A

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

GBA Plus analysis is integrated into the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a Resilient 2030 (EM Strategy), and related initiatives, including the National Risk Profile (NRP). These analyses consider how risks and capability gaps may disproportionately affect different individuals, communities, and vulnerable populations. The need to improve understanding of disaster risks in all sectors of society is also reflected in the 2021-22 Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Emergency Strategy for Canada Interim Action Plan.

The adoption of a whole-of-society approach with the EM Strategy seeks to leverage existing knowledge, experience and capabilities within EM partners, including those of Indigenous organizations and communities. The EM Strategy commits federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) governments, within their areas of responsibilities, to empower communities and Indigenous peoples with the ability to integrate traditional knowledge, awareness and education programs into broader EM and disaster risk reduction. Federal, provincial and territorial governments have worked together to ensure that these perspectives are interwoven throughout the five Strategic Actions.

The NRP risk assessment sessions, conducted in 2021-22, incorporated GBA Plus considerations in analyzing the impacts of disasters on vulnerable populations, as well as remote and coastal communities. The multi-year initiative supports the identification and analysis of Canada's disaster risks and resilience capabilities in order to strengthen awareness of pan-Canadian risk and help inform priorities for reducing risk and building resilience. Planning for dedicated engagement with Indigenous representation was done as a key part of NRP development, leading to engagement sessions in 2022-23.

The 2021-22 FPT Emergency Management Strategy Interim Action Plan included GBA Plus considerations for several emergency management initiatives. For example, NRP risk and capability assessment sessions, and the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation (TFFIR) report on options for low-cost flood insurance and relocation of residents in high risk areas, included examinations of GBA Plus considerations with regards to the effects of disasters on vulnerable populations, including remote and coastal communities. The NRP supports the identification and analysis of Canada's disaster risks and resilience capabilities in order to strengthen the levels of preparedness and readiness of Indigenous communities as well as vulnerable groups (e.g., low-income Canadians, seniors, women, and newcomers to Canada) to natural hazards.

Initiatives to inform emergency management policy, such as the NRP and the TFFIR, included targeted engagement with academics, non-governmental organizations, first responders, Inuit, Métis and Indigenous people living off-reserve, and other organizations, to incorporate external expertise concerning vulnerable groups and the disaster risks they face. Indigenous Service Canada along with the Assembly of First Nations also undertook a complementary initiative exploring the needs of First Nations with respect to home flood insurance.

Similarly, work commenced by Public Safety Canada pertaining to flood insurance applied GBA Plus analyses to determine how flood risk-reduction and mitigation efforts would benefit not only Canadians in general, but also vulnerable populations specifically.

Further, Public Safety Canada continued to advance Canada’s first-ever National Action Plan on Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries (PTSI) for public safety personnel. The Action Plan’s investments in research and data collection have helped establish data on GBA Plus and other intersecting identity factors that may exacerbate or influence instances of PTSI in public safety personnel, such as race, ethnicity, religion and socio-economic status. This crucial research will inform further investments in prevention, early intervention, care, and treatment to ensure that public safety personnel are better able to identify, prevent and address symptoms associated with PTSI.

Additionally, as part of the process to renew Canada’s National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure, Public Safety Canada has integrated a GBA Plus approach in the engagement strategy to ensure consultations are inclusive and accessible to the broader Critical infrastructure (CI) community, especially non-traditional partners. In addition, Public Safety Canada established the CI Experts Working Group to provide input, advice and feedback on consultation documents and proposals. Consideration was applied to ensure that the group included individuals from diverse backgrounds, including geographic representation, expertise, as well as gender balance.

Supplementary Information Sources:

• National Risk Profile
• Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Emergency Management Strategy Interim Action Plan 2021-22
• Supporting Canada’s Public Safety Personnel: An Action Plan on Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2021-22.

Emergency Management - Emergency Preparedness

Core Responsibility:

Emergency Management

Program Name:  

Emergency Preparedness

Target Population:

All Canadians

Distribution of Benefits:

N/A

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

Public Safety Canada continued to promote and use GBA Plus throughout 2021-22 to ensure inclusive outcomes for Canadians, including in the ongoing delivery of the Emergency Management Public Awareness Contribution Program (EMPACP). The EMPACP continued to fund the Canadian Red Cross to develop and implement its project to deliver a national public awareness campaign targeting at risk populations, including seniors, youth, women, new Canadians, and Indigenous communities. The data collected by the project via reports submitted to PS will support departmental public awareness and outreach activities that target these vulnerable groups and ensure meaningful and focused engagement that aligns with the needs of these communities. Data will start to be collected through reports from the recipient starting in the second half of 2022-23.

GBA Plus considerations have been and will continue to be taken into account throughout the Relocation and Accommodations for the Government Operations Centre Project. The design is informed by research on how building design and features, such as washrooms, feed into broader discrimination against persons of different genders, as well as those with different health or accessibility needs, and those with different religious or cultural observances in the work place.

In March 2022, A Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN) for Canada was released, which details a Canadian approach to implementation of the next generation of public safety communications. A future PSBN will help to address connectivity and capability gaps across the country, as well as enhance the delivery of emergency management services in underserved and marginalized communities. In 2017, prior to the standing-up of the multi-stakeholder Temporary National Coordination Office (TNCO), Public Safety Canada hosted a workshop at which participants were asked to think about the ways in which the PSBN could be viewed through a GBA Plus lens. A number of key items and considerations were raised and remained relevant. The TNCO acknowledged that the policy processes related to the establishment of a PSBN in Canada should take into account the ways in which vulnerable populations could be impacted by the PSBN and consider how the PSBN may be leveraged as a tool to ensure their needs are met during times of emergencies and disasters. 

Supplementary Information Sources:

• A Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN) for Canada
• Emergency Management Public Awareness Contribution Program

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2021-22.

Emergency Management – Emergency Response/Recovery

Core Responsibility:

Emergency Management

Program Name:

Emergency Response/Recovery

Target Population:

All Canadians

Distribution of Benefits:

N/A

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity:

The Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) provides federal financial assistance to provinces and territories affected by large disasters caused by natural hazards. The DFAA program was established to provide the Government with consistent and equitable mechanisms to share provincial and territorial (PT) response and recovery expenditures when such costs place a significant burden on the affected PT economy, and exceed an amount that these jurisdictions might reasonably be expected to bear on their own. This program does not target individuals or any specific demographic of society. Through the DFAA, assistance is paid to the province or territory – not directly to affected individuals, small businesses, communities or target groups. Public Safety Canada also does not collect diversity information from this program because it only provides financially assistance to provinces or territories for eligible expenditures as a result of their own disaster response and recovery programs.

Public Safety Canada commenced a review of the DFAA in 2021-22, with a report planned for mid-2022-23. The Department established a diverse, interdisciplinary panel of external experts, primarily academics, to provide advice and recommendations on the DFAA, taking into account the interdependencies of the DFAA with provincial and territorial programming.

Additionally, the Department continues to work towards ensuring that GBA Plus populations are fully incorporated in all aspects of the Emergency Management Framework, including for response and recovery. It is committed to encouraging its stakeholders to respect vulnerable populations regardless of identity factors or socio-economic status.

Supplementary Information Sources:

• DFAA Review: Advisory Panel Biographies

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2021-22.

Date modified:

2023-03-09