Gender-based analysis plus

Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus Capacity

The Department continues to promote and apply GBA Plus in the development and implementation of its policies and programs, and management of its operations.

Governance:

Public Safety Canada's de-centralized governance model for GBA Plus ensures that the responsibility to advance the implementation of GBA Plus – including improving and maintaining GBA Plus capacity and applying GBA Plus considerations to all aspects of the Department's mandate – is shared across the Department:

• The Department's GBA Plus Champion provides senior-level leadership, including promoting GBA Plus and mentoring to the GBA Plus Advisor Network;
• GBA Plus Center of Expertise builds capacity across the organization through learning events, training and knowledge mobilization;
• The GBA Plus Advisor Network – managed by the departmental GBA Plus Center of Expertise – serves as a learning and information-sharing forum to support GBA Plus Advisors, who are embedded in each Directorate of Public Safety Canada. The GBA Plus Network is a forum for GBA Plus Advisors to ask questions, share tools, resources, best practices and lessons learned, to improve GBA Plus competencies and enhance organizational capacity, and;
• Assistant Deputy Ministers 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.

Capacity:

In 2022-23, Public Safety Canada continued to support capacity-building to strengthen the application and the implementation of GBA Plus through the following activities led by the GBA Plus Centre of Excellence:

• In March 2023, the Department hosted two departmental GBA Plus workshops in collaboration with the Centre for Learning in Intercultural Effectiveness at Global Affairs Canada. These workshops were attended at near-maximum capacity, with 42 GBA Plus Advisors in attendance (maximum capacity was 44), representing each branch in the Department. The workshops focused on the practical application of GBA Plus through tailored case studies based on actual Public Safety Canada programs and initiatives. The case studies were instrumental in enhancing capacity and application of GBA Plus considerations in areas where application is more challenging due to their technical and operational nature, such as critical infrastructure and emergency management;
• Currently in development is a survey of GBA Plus Advisors which will solicit information regarding their overall experience during the 2022-23 fiscal year. The results will be used to help inform the GBA Plus Centre of Expertise as it continues to support the GBA Plus Advisor Network and enhance services in an effective and meaningful way. The survey is expected to be released in Summer 2023, with results available in the Fall;
• Numerous tools to promote GBA Plus and enhance departmental capacity were refined/developed throughout the year – including the department's internal GBA Plus Framework and GBA Plus Guides for employees and advisors. Dissemination of these tools is expected in the 2023-2024 fiscal year; and,
• Work continues to refresh the GBA Plus resource page on the Department's internal network, which is anticipated to be completed in Fall 2023. The new resource page will improve communication to employees to better promote resources, tools, learning opportunities. It will also provide updated guidance on requirements and raise awareness of the roles and responsibilities of key players in the departmental governance structure.

The GBA Plus Centre of Expertise renewed the membership of the GBA Plus Network in 2022-23, identifying a total of approximately 56 advisors across the Department, with representation in all Directorates to support their needs. Throughout the year, the Network met regularly to discuss key upcoming activities, identify gaps, raise awareness of roles and responsibilities, promote available resources, onboard new advisors, and provide working-level support for integrating GBA Plus considerations;

Section 2: Gender and Diversity Impacts, by Program

National Security - National Security Leadership

Core Responsibility:

National Security

Program Name:

National Security Leadership

Program Goals:

Under this Program, national security policy, legislation, and programs that contribute to the government's ability to counter current and emerging threats are developed and implemented.

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

By gender

Third group: broadly gender-balanced (2021-22, last results available)

By income level

Third group: no significant distributional impacts (2021-22, last results available)

By age group

Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors (2021-22, last results available)

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Not available at the time of publication.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Key Program Impacts Statistics:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts:

Bias Sensitivity, Diversity and Identity (BSDI) is about analyzing, understanding and responding to structural inequities and biases in national security work. Through capacity building, including through specialized training, BSDI applies intersectionality-based analysis and bias-sensitive and inclusive approaches to inform and shape policies, programs and operations, and to improve community engagement activities and practices. The use of BSDI can support policy makers and practitioners in understanding their own individual biases and assumptions, and mitigates the unintended impacts that biases can have on the Canadian population. BSDI also supports the increased accountability of government to Canadians, by ensuring that the government is systemically and rigorously applying a bias-sensitive lens to all aspects of national security. Due to capacity challenges experienced in 2022-23, no results are available at the time of publication.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Not available for 2022-23.

National Security – Critical Infrastructure

Core Responsibility:

National Security

Program Name:

Critical Infrastructure

Program Goals:

The intent of the Critical Infrastructure program is to develop and implement policies to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure in Canada, and to coordinate with partners to manage broad-scale protection efforts. Individual CI programs administered by the Department 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 CI in Canada, they do not capture GBA Plus data.

Target Population:

Critical Infrastructure Stakeholders

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

N/A

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity:

N/A

Key Program Impacts Statistics:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts:

Critical infrastructure (CI) programs do not directly contribute to the six pillars and goals of the Government of Canada's Gender Results Framework. The CI programs administered by the Critical Infrastructure Directorate (CID) have been designed to strengthen the resilience of physical and digital infrastructure in Canada from an all-hazards perspective, and do not collect sufficient data to enable the monitoring and reporting of program impacts by gender and diversity. As part of the online consultation to support the process to renew Canada's National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure and overall approach to CI security and resilience, GBA Plus information was voluntarily collected through the process of registering to participate in the “Let's Talk Critical Infrastructure” online consultation. This information was utilized to gain a better understanding of the diversity within the CI community, which will be able to assist with future CI renewal work.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

As part of the online consultation to support the process to renew Canada's National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure and overall approach to CI security and resilience, GBA Plus information was voluntarily collected through the process of registering to participate in the “Let's Talk Critical Infrastructure” online consultation. This information was utilized to gain a better understanding of the diversity within the CI community, which will be able to assist with future CI renewal work. While the online consultation provided useful stakeholder feedback, the decentralized responsibility for Canada's CI sectors, along with varying levels of dedicated resources, sectoral maturity and access to federal supports across the Lead Federal Department community, created challenges for the collection and usage of data to inform policy and program development. Consequently, the data Public Safety Canada collected as part of this consultation represents a small fraction of all of Canada's various CI stakeholders, and does not lend itself to be meaningfully used for informing large-scale policy development. As Public Safety Canada continues to work towards renewing Canada's approach to CI, efforts are being made continue to mend these identified data gaps and forge a path forward that allows for a more robust GBA Plus data collection from a variety of diverse CI stakeholders.

National Security – Cyber Security

Core Responsibility:

National Security

Program Name:

Cyber Security

Program Goals:

Through the Cyber Security Program, Public Safety Canada aims to enhance Canada's ability to respond to current and emerging cyber security threats. 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 2022-23, Public Safety Canada introduced a project activity report to better assess the diversity amongst program recipients and their GBA Plus efforts.

Target Population:

Cyber Security Cooperation Program (CSCP):

• 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

By gender

Second group: 60% to 79% men. Cyber security professions are predominately male therefore there is a slight advantage to men, however advancements have been made in encouraging more women to join the field.

By income level

N/A. The CSCP does not favor projects based on income or monetary amounts.

By age group

N/A. The CSCP does not favor projects based on the age of applicants.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Groups that may have benefited directly:

• 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;

Groups that may have benefited indirectly:

• Students;
• Federal Government;
• Think Tanks; and
• Individual Canadian Citizens

Expected benefits experienced by groups:

• Promote cyber security research and innovation;
• Advance the government, businesses and individuals knowledge of cyber security practices;
• Protect critical infrastructure;
• Defend against cybercriminals;
• Promote resiliency;
• Protect sensitive information; and
• Support academic institutions

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Other Key Program impacts:

No data is available related to the CSCP for 2022-23, as the data collection source was developed and finalized in Spring 2022. The first round of data collection will take place in 2023-24 (see “GBA Plus Data Collection Plan” below).

Separate from the CSCP, the Department co-chairs a Bias Sensitivity, Diversity and Identity (BSDI) Cyber Security Working Group alongside Communications Security Establishment. This interdepartmental working group has representation from over 10 federal government departments. The purpose of this working group is to provide a dedicated space to foster collaboration and to discuss BSDI and GBA Plus challenges, opportunities and implications as they relate to cyber security. The working group will share best practices, tools, lessons learned and training opportunities while developing a unified BSDI approach for the cyber security community within the federal government.

Supplementary Information Sources:

• Gender Results Framework
• Quality of Life Framework

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

An Annual Performance Report was created in Spring 2022 to capture CSCP results for the next reporting cycle in 2023-24.

Community Safety – Border Policy

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Border Policy

Program Goals:

The Border Policy Program provides federal policy coordination and coherence on a variety of border issues, such as customs, immigration, refugees and citizenship, border integrity and cross-border law enforcement. The First Nations Organized Crime Initiative contributes 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.

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:

By gender

Third group: broadly gender-balanced.

By income level

Second group: somewhat benefits low income individuals (somewhat progressive).

By age group

Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

FNOCI encourages enhanced partnerships between Indigenous communities, the RCMP, and other Canadian and American law enforcement agencies which facilitates investigations in which Indigenous women and women who live in more remote areas are often at greater risk for violence. In some instances, barriers may exist for collaboration. However, Public Safety Canada continues to prioritize a collaborative approach as part of its commitment to Indigenous reconciliation. FNOCI support police investigations.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Key Program Impact Statistics:

Not available, as no specific diversity data is collected as part of the FNOCI.

Other Key Program impacts:

The FNOCI 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+, in both communities to support crime prevention through the promotion of healthy lifestyles and positive choices. For example, FNOCI supported targeted community outreach in Kahnawake through programming like, “Just the Facts,” a short web series designed to raise awareness and educate community members on basic police procedures and existing laws to help promote life choices away from criminality.

Supplementary Information Sources:

• Just the Facts! Web video

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

The Department plans on engaging community leaders in Kahnawake and Akwesasne on how best to measure GBA Plus outcomes in a culturally appropriate way in 2023-24.

Community Safety - Corrections

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Corrections

Program Goals:

The program is responsible for providing advice on the strategic priorities of law enforcement and correctional agencies and on a broad range of national correctional and criminal justice program, policy and legislative issues and activities; leading legislative reforms; and the management of litigation. In fulfilling its mandate, the program leads collaborative efforts with other portfolio agencies and actively works with and supports provincial and territorial partners as well as consulting with other stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations and senior justice officials. The program also develops and implements innovative approaches to community justice, Indigenous corrections and community safety, and safe and effective community release and reintegration through grant and contribution funding, as well as facilitating the sharing of information to promote public safety objectives concerning the correctional system generally and in particular with respect to victims through the National Office for Victims.

Target Population:

Law enforcement agencies throughout Canada

Distribution of Benefits:

N/A

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

The Grants and Contributions Program to National Voluntary Organizations provides funding to eligible recipients who are active in the area of corrections, conditional release and/or community reintegration. These voluntary organizations serve target populations that include various groups, such as women, Indigenous peoples, and youth.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Other Key Program impacts:

Grants and Contributions Program to National Voluntary Organizations (GCPNVO):

Through this program, assistance is paid to various voluntary organizations. In the application process, applicants are required to identify the target populations and groups that the proposed programs are intended to serve and if any other groups might intentionally or unintentionally benefit more than the stated target population. The elaboration of NVO target populations are noted above. However, while funding recipients have the option to report demographic data in the regular non-financial reports they provide throughout the fiscal year, recipients are not compelled by the agreements to report specific demographic information at this time. As such, data is not presently available regarding impacts of this program. Nevertheless, the program remains committed to encouraging all its stakeholders to respect vulnerable populations regardless of identity factors or socio-economic status.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

No data collection plans available for 2022-23. However, for the GCPNVO, the Department anticipates exploring ways to request demographic information more consistently on non-financial reporting in the future.

Community Safety - Crime Prevention

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Crime Prevention

Program Goals:

Through the Crime Prevention program, Public Safety Canada works with stakeholders to prevent and reduce crime in populations and communities most at risk and to build resilience in the face of threats to safety and well-being. Through the National Crime Prevention Strategy, Public Safety Canada supports the implementation and evaluation of local, targeted crime prevention initiatives with the objective of developing and sharing knowledge of what works to prevent and reduce crime among at-risk populations and vulnerable communities. GBA Plus analysis is used to help inform funding priorities and application assessment by identifying key at-risk populations and communities.

Target Population:

Nation's Capital Extraordinary Policing Costs Program:

Law enforcement in the National Capital Region.

National Crime Prevention Strategy:

Public Safety Canada provides funding toward preventing and reducing crime in Canada and increasing knowledge of what works through four separate funds, each focusing on the following identified priority populations:

• Crime Prevention Action Fund: Vulnerable groups of the population, particularly children and youth from 6-30 years, and high-risk offenders.
• Youth Gang Prevention Fund: At-risk youth from 12-30 years.
• Northern and Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund: Indigenous children and youth populations / Indigenous communities both on and off-reserve and in the North.
• Security Infrastructure Program: 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)

Nation's Capital Extraordinary Policing Costs Program

By gender

Third group: broadly gender-balanced. The group who has the most direct impact is the funding recipient, the City of Ottawa. As part of the program renewal in 2020, liaison teams were implemented as part of the GBA Plus framework. The liaison teams employed during protest activities are reflective of gender-sensitive intersectional indicators representative of all Canadians.

By income level

N/A. Because the OPS liaison team has been implemented to engage with communities during protest activities, and protest participants can be from many economic backgrounds, income level is not applicable to the groups directly impacted by this program. However, this program has indirect impacts on low-income individuals, including those without housing, who are disproportionately affected by protest activities and demonstrations in Ottawa.

By age group

N/A. OPS liaison teams engaged during events in the Nation's Capital come from many different backgrounds. Additionally, participants in protests, events, and demonstrations in the Nation's Capital also come from many different backgrounds. As a result, age groups are not applicable to either primary or secondary groups impacted by this program.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

The direct beneficiary of this program is the City of Ottawa, who use the funding to benefit all people in the Nation's Capital. The indirect beneficiaries primarily include City of Ottawa municipal taxpayers, individuals participating in protests and/or demonstrations and others that may be affected by such activities in the Nation's Capital.

National Crime Prevention Strategy

(Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF))

By gender

Third group: broadly gender-balanced. The CPAF provides funding to initiatives working with girls and young women, as well as boys and young men. Based on statistics from the Criminal Justice System (CJS), those most at risk of becoming involved in the CJS are young boys and men, who make up 75% of youth in correctional settings. For 2022-23, a total of 1400 youth participated in CPAF funded projects. Forty-nine percent (49%) of these participants identified as male.

Research has indicated that the risk factors related to involvement in the CJS, as well as the types of crime committed, vary between boys and young men, and between girls and young women. Furthermore, while concrete data is lacking for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth involvement in the Canadian CJS, early research indicates that this population is at a heightened risk of coming into contact with the CJS due to risk factors related to homelessness and family violence. As such, the 2021 CPAF call for applications invited applicants to propose initiatives that include gender-responsive components within their projects, meaning that the initiatives proposed should take into account the gender of the demographic being served, and tailor the programming to the specific needs of that sub-demographic. For 2022-23, fifty-one (51%) of CPAF project participants identified as non-male (i.e., female, non-binary, transgender and gender-fluid).

By income level

Not collected

By age group

First group: primarily benefits youth, children or future generations. The 2021 CPAF Call for Applications focused on supporting multi-sectoral, community-driven crime prevention initiatives to enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors impacting youth aged 12-30 years, from priority populations, including Indigenous and Black youth. In 2022-23, 86% of youth participating in CPAF funded projects were between the ages of 12 and 25 years.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

In total, 40 crime prevention initiatives were selected for implementation in 2022-23 under the CPAF, including: 25 multi-sectoral direct intervention (DI) projects focusing on Black and Indigenous youth; 8 research projects, 5 focusing on multi-sectoral initiatives and 3 focusing on crime-related impacts of the pandemic; and, 7 Partnership Mobilization Projects that will assist Indigenous community organizations in developing multi-sectoral partnerships and mobilizing their respective communities. The majority of projects selected from the 2021 CPAF Call for Applications will focus on supporting Black and Indigenous youth; implementing and strengthening multi-sectoral, gender responsive and trauma informed approaches; and will have a strong regional distribution (i.e., with 2 projects in New Brunswick; 1 project in Nova Scotia; 10 projects in Quebec; 10 projects in Ontario; 5 projects in British Columbia; 5 projects in Alberta; 2 projects in Manitoba; 2 projects in Saskatchewan; 1 project in Northwest Territories; 1 project in Yukon; and 1 in Nunavut).

Youth Gang Prevention Fund

By gender

Second group: 60% to 79% men. The YGPF provides funding to initiatives working with girls and young women and boys and young men who are at risk of becoming involved or sustaining involvement in gang activity. 

Project that are currently funded through the YGPF were selected from the 2018 NCPS Call for Applications that focused on addressing Indigenous and rural communities where youth gangs/violence were impacting on the community. In 2022-23, a total of 1905 youth participated in YGPF funded initiatives. Sixty-two percent (62%) of these participants identified as male.

By income level

Not collected

By age group

First group: primarily benefits youth, children or future generations. YGPF provides time-limited funding for initiatives in communities where youth gangs are an existing or emerging threat impacting youth aged 12-30 years. In 2022-23, 78% of participants in YGPF funded initiatives were between the ages of 12-25 years.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

In 2022-23, activity reporting from six YGPF funded initiatives indicate that projects are serving participants from multiple ethno-cultural backgrounds. Aligned with a focus on Black and Indigenous youth, 50% of projects identified that Indigenous youth were participating in their projects and 83% reported that Black youth were participating in their projects.

Northern and Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund

By gender

Not available – Data collection not completed in time for this publication.

By income level

Not collected – Data collection not completed in time for this publication.

By age group

Not available – Data collection not completed in time for this publication.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

N/A

Security Infrastructure Program

By gender

N/A – this program funds infrastructure projects (installation of cameras etc.). Eligible recipients include places of worship, community centres, educational institutions and gender-based violence shelters.

By income level

N/A – this program funds infrastructure projects (installation of cameras etc.). Eligible recipients include places of worship, community centres, educational institutions and gender-based violence shelters.

By age group

N/A – this program funds infrastructure projects (installation of cameras etc.). Eligible recipients include places of worship, community centres, educational institutions and gender-based violence shelters.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Since 2017, communities at-risk of being victimized by hate crimes that applied to the Security Infrastructure Program are mainly Muslim (53%), Jewish (35%), Sikh (3%), Afro-Canadian (2.5%), Multi-cultural (1.5%), Indigenous (less than 1%), and other (3.7%).

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Other Key Program impacts:

Nation's Capital Extraordinary Policing Costs Program (NCEPCP):

The NCEPCP reimburses the City of Ottawa for eligible extraordinary, reasonable and justifiable policing costs specific to the Nation's Capital. The contribution program funding ran from 2015 to 2020 and was evaluated internally by Public Safety Canada's evaluation unit in 2019 to inform its renewal. One of the evaluation recommendations was to include GBA Plus considerations in program design and implementation.

The Department engaged with key internal and external stakeholders (Departmental GBA Plus advisors and the Ottawa Police Service [OPS]) to include GBA Plus considerations as part of program renewal and developed a GBA Plus indicator as part of the program renewal process. This indicator identifies the number of times the OPS liaison team is used throughout an event to coordinate with various community groups to preserve safety and security in the Nation's Capital. This is not disaggregated by various groups, meaning there are no documented differences between this program's indirect impacts on identified groups engaging with the OPS.

Local policing jurisdictions in Canada have adopted standardized training to work with various groups and stakeholders from the Canadian public in a way that ensures fundamental Charter rights are upheld. For the purposes of safety and security, the data is not disaggregated beyond liaison team engagement. However, the OPS do have an action plan relating to equity, diversity and inclusion.

The renewed contribution program (2020-25) now requires the OPS to report on the use of GBA Plus liaison teams in the security planning of larger scale events. For 2022-23, an engagement level of 100% during extraordinary events requiring the use of the liaison team activities was met. Additionally, the OPS attended 100% of the events required of them based on security assessments in the Nation's Capital. The purpose of the liaison teams for the OPS is to work with demonstrators to facilitate peaceful protests, demonstrations and events/gathering involving various community groups, including minorities and vulnerable populations. This includes employing teams that reflect the overall diversity of both local communities and the wider population of Canada, particularly in the Nation's Capital.

National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS):

GBA Plus considerations are central to the work of the NCPS. The NCPS draws on statistics and research on overrepresentation to inform priorities and determine the complex mix of risk factors that may put individuals at risk for contact with the criminal justice system. This information helps to set priorities for the Strategy, and informs program design and project evaluation. In 2022-23, forty (40) new crime prevention projects were selected for funding from the 2021 Crime Prevention Action Fund Call for Proposals. The 2021 CPAF application form asked applicants to identify the target participants for their projects. This information was analyzed as part of the application review process in order to ensure the priority populations would be reached. The forty projects selected for funding include: 25 multi-sectoral direct intervention (DI) projects focusing on Black and Indigenous youth; 8 research projects (5 focusing on multi-sectoral initiatives and 3 focusing on crime-related impacts of the pandemic); and 7 Partnership Mobilization Projects that will assist Indigenous community organizations in developing multi-sectoral partnerships and mobilizing their respective communities. The majority of projects selected from the 2021 CPAF Call for Proposals will focus on supporting Black and Indigenous youth; implementing and strengthening multi-sectoral, gender responsive and trauma informed approaches; and will have a strong regional distribution with 2 projects in New Brunswick; 1 project in Nova Scotia; 10 projects in Quebec; 10 projects in Ontario; 5 projects in British Columbia; 5 projects in Alberta; 2 projects in Manitoba; 2 projects in Saskatchewan; 1 project in Northwest Territories; 1 project in Yukon; 1 in Nunavut.

Projects funded through the NCPS contribute to the evidence base on crime prevention. In 2022-23, Public Safety Canada published and funded new research reports and infographics to expand the knowledge base of effective crime prevention approaches by providing stakeholders with the tools and information on how to prevent and address bullying and cyberbullying among Canadian youth and young adults. More specifically, these reports examined the impact of cyberbullying on Canadian youth populations; the role that families can play in helping to prevent and address cyberbullying behaviours; and the prevalence of cyberbullying and cybervictimization in Canada, with a focus on identifying at-risk populations.

Diversity and Inclusion Grants and Contributions Programs Review:

In 2022-23, Public Safety Canada made significant progress to advance the development of a strategy for the collection of disaggregated data on funding applicants, recipients and project participants under the departmental initiative “Diversity and Inclusion Grants and Contributions Programs Review”. Notably, this fiscal year focused on finalizing the strategy and supporting plans which are highlighted below:

Grants and Contributions Programs Demographic Data Governance Framework -

Developed in October 2022, the Framework identifies, at a high-level, the process and persons or groups responsible for the collection and analysis of demographic data collected under Departmental grants and contributions programs.

Diversity and Inclusion Grants and Contributions Programs Review - Performance Measurement Framework –

Developed in July 2023, the purpose of the Framework is to assess how effective the departmental initiative is in accomplishing its primary objective – namely, to provide underrepresented communities with equal access to public safety program funding and to provide insight on the initiative's progress against the activities under the Implementation Plan. The Framework underwent a comprehensive consultation process with various internal stakeholders to identify appropriate performance indicators, baselines and targets.

Diversity and Inclusion Grants and Contributions Programs Review - Data Plan –

Developed in February 2023, the Data Plan is a significantly more detailed document that outlines key information underpinning the collection and analysis of demographic data including: technological systems and processes, data storage, privacy and access considerations, and resource requirements. The Plan is in progress and will undergo consultations in the coming months.

Emergency Management and Programs Branch (EMPB) Data Collection and Reporting Working Group –

In an effort to streamline data collection and reporting, the Working Group was established in January 2023 and is comprised of diverse representatives across EMPB. This group is actively engaged in standardizing data reporting templates across multiple programs, particularly with respect to the collection of disaggregated data.

Supplementary Information Sources:

Cyberbullying reports can be accessed via the following links:

• Research Report: Examining Key Populations in the Context of Implementing Cyberbullying Prevention and Intervention Initiatives - Literature Review on the Role of the Family.
• Research Summary: Examining Key Populations in the Context of Implementing Cyberbullying Prevention and Intervention Initiatives
• Online harms faced by youth and young adults: The prevalence and nature of cybervictimization
• Infographic: Cyberbullying among youth in Canada
• Infographic: Cybervictimization among young adults in Canada
• Ottawa Police Service Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS):

The NCPS continues to gather GBA Plus data through the Annual Performance Reports, which are completed by funding recipients. These reports provide information about participants served by NCPS funded projects, including information about age, sex and gender.

Diversity and Inclusion Grants and Contributions Programs Review (D&IGCPR):

As previously noted, in 2022-23, Public Safety Canada made significant progress to advance the development of a strategy for the collection of disaggregated data under the D&IGCPR. Future fiscal years will focus on operationalizing these plans.

Community Safety - Indigenous Policing

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Indigenous Policing

Program Goals:

The Indigenous Policing program provides funding to support policing services in Indigenous communities that are professional and responsive to the communities they serve.

Public Safety Canada funds policing services that are professional, dedicated and responsive to First Nation and Inuit communities. GBA Plus was applied and continues to be applied in all program and policy updates to consider the unique needs of Indigenous people, including disproportionate crime rates as related to Indigenous women and girls, and the indirect impacts of low-income status and remoteness on Indigenous communities.

Target Population:

First Nations and Inuit communities in Canada

Distribution of Benefits:

By gender

Third group: broadly gender-balanced. This program is intended to benefit a broadly gender balanced group as it provides policing services to all eligible First Nations and Inuit groups served by the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP). The overall goal of the program is to increase policing and community safety in Indigenous communities. However, certain demographics (e.g., women, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people) are more often victims of crime, so they will indirectly benefit more than other demographics by seeing a reduction in crime rates.

By income level

First group: strongly benefits low income individuals (strongly progressive). While the FNIPP is intended to benefit recipients of all income levels, according to the 2016 Census of Population, individuals in Indigenous communities were more likely to live in low-income families, with a relatively high proportion of the population in the bottom income decile.

By age group

First group: primarily benefits youth, children or future generations. While the FNIPP is intended to benefit recipients of all age groups, according to the 2016 Census, the median age for Canada's Indigenous population is 29.1 years, as opposed to a median age of 40.9 years for non-Indigenous Canadians. The Inuit population is notably younger, with a median age of 24 years whereas the median age among Métis is 33 years, edging closer to the median age of non-Indigenous Canadians.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Indigenous Women and Girls

The FNIPP is intended to benefit a broadly gender balanced group as it provide policing services to all eligible First Nations and Inuit groups served by the FNIPP. The overall goal of the program is to increase policing and community safety in Indigenous communities. However, certain demographics (e.g., women, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people) are more often victims of crime, so they will indirectly benefit more than other demographics by seeing a reduction in crime rates.

• Indigenous women are physically assaulted, sexually assaulted or robbed almost three times as often as non-Indigenous women. The majority of Indigenous women who are victimized report experiencing multiple episodes of violence, and are between 15 and 34 years of age.
• Despite the fact that Indigenous women make up four percent of Canada's female population, they represent nearly one-quarter (24%) of all homicide victims and are 12 times more likely to be murdered or missing than any other woman in Canada. This disproportion can be explained in part by an elevated risk of partner violence for Indigenous women compared to non-Indigenous women in Canada. There is an overrepresentation of Indigenous women in street prostitution in Western provinces and Quebec.
• Indigenous people were more likely (9%) than non-Indigenous people (4%) to have been a victim of spousal violence. Of these, Indigenous women were three times more likely (10%) to report being a victim of spousal violence than non-Indigenous women (3%), and Indigenous men were twice as likely (8%) as non-Indigenous men (4%). Indigenous victims of non-spousal violence were more likely not to report the crime to police than their non-Indigenous counterparts.
• The overall rate of violent victimization among Indigenous women was double that of Indigenous men; nearly triple that of non-Indigenous women; and more than triple that of non-Indigenous men.

2SLGBTQQIA+

Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA (2SLGBTQQIA+) communities are disproportionately impacted by violence, poverty, homelessness, and mental-health issues. 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals experience intersecting oppression due to multiple non-dominant identity factors such as gender, sexuality, race, status, and geographic isolation. This discrimination is compounded in the lives of 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals when they try to access gender-affirming healthcare, mental health counselling, and anti-violence services. 

Age groups

While the FNIPP is intended to benefit recipients of all age groups, according to the 2016 Census, the median age for Canada's Indigenous population is 29.1 years, as opposed to a median age of 40.9 years for non-Indigenous Canadians. The Inuit population is notably younger, with a median age of 24 years whereas the median age among Métis is 33 years, edging closer to the median age of non-Indigenous Canadians.

• According to the 2016 Census, the median age for Canada's Indigenous population is 29.1 years, as opposed to a median age of 40.9 years for non-Indigenous Canadians. The Inuit population is notably younger, with a median age of 24 years whereas the median age among Métis is 33 years, edging closer to the median age of non-Indigenous Canadians.
• In 2016, Indigenous children aged 14 and under represented 26.8% of the total Indigenous population, while non-Indigenous children aged 14 and under accounted for 16.4% of the non-Indigenous population.

Regarding victimization and risk factors:

• In 2015-16, Indigenous youth represented 35% of all youth admissions to correctional services.
• Indigenous children made up 7.7% of all children under the age of 15 in 2016 but accounted for 52.2% of children in foster care in private homes.
• Regarding domestic violence, the 2014 General Social Survey found that 40% of Indigenous respondents said they were physically or sexually abused as children, in contrast to 29 % of non-Indigenous people who reported family violence.

Low Income

While the FNIPP is intended to benefit recipients of all income levels, according to the 2016 Census of Population, individuals in Indigenous communities were more likely to live in low-income families, with a relatively high proportion of the population in the bottom income decile.

According to information from the 2016 Census of Population, individuals in the Indigenous communities in this study were much less likely to have completed high school. In addition, they were less likely to be employed and less likely to participate in the labour force, which may be tied to limited access to work opportunities in more remote communities. In turn, individuals in Indigenous communities were more likely to live in low-income families, with a relatively high proportion of the population in the bottom income decile.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Other Key Program impacts:

The Government of Canada continues to recognize the importance of effective policing in First Nation and Inuit communities to ensure the safety of vulnerable groups, including women, girls and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

In 2022-23, Public Safety Canada continued to engage with First Nations, including First Nations women organizations, and collaborated with the provinces and territories, the First Nations Chiefs of Police Association, the First Nations Police Governance Council, and First Nations modern treaty and self-governing agreement signatories to identify practical considerations to inform the co-development of First Nations police services legislation. The input received through this engagement is being used to develop objectives and guiding principles to inform the elements of the legislation.

Community Safety - Law Enforcement and Policing

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Law Enforcement and Policing

Program Goals:

The Law Enforcement and Policing Program's mandate fulfills the Minister's legislative responsibilities to initiate, recommend, coordinate, implement and promote policing policies, programs, projects, and specific accountabilities associated with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, including the establishment of strategic priorities. Public Safety Canada provides federal leadership, promotes coordination and supports a comprehensive approach to the development of firearms policy, including legislative and regulatory measures, to enhance public safety and address firearms-related violence. GBA Plus analysis is used in the development of policy proposals.

Target Population:

Firearms Policy: All Canadians, law enforcement, municipalities

Distribution of Benefits:

By gender

First group: predominantly men (80% or more men). According to data from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's (RCMP) Canadian Firearms Program, males represent the largest demographic with a firearms licence (86 per cent males versus 14 per cent females; January 2022).

96% of suicides by firearm are males (Statistics Canada).

Violent crime is often committed by males (92 per cent in 2019; Cotter, 2021), and males are more likely to be victims of firearm-related homicides (83 per cent of homicide victims were male in 2020; Statistics Canada, 2021).

10% of victims of firearms-related violent crime are at the hands of an intimate partner, with 80% of victims being women (Statistics Canada).

By age group

Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors. Individuals must be 18 or older to obtain a firearms licence in Canada, of which there are approximately 2.25 million licence holders. Minors between the age of 12 and 17 can be eligible for a minor's licence with limited privileges. There were less than 4,300 of these licences in 2021.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Regulations came into force in 2022-23 to expand licence verification and business record-keeping for non-restricted firearms. These measures reduce the risk of non-restricted firearms being transferred to those without a valid licence. Suicides by firearm are primarily committed by males, and ensuring only valid licence holders can acquire and posses firearms lowers the risk of unlicensed individuals obtaining firearms to commit self-harm or criminal acts.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Other Key Program impacts:

Reporting capacity for this program is limited due to the lack of sufficient individual recipient microdata information regarding program clients for the purpose of undertaking GBA Plus. GBA Plus, including trend analysis (for example, based on gender, sex, and socioeconomic characteristics) and net impact analysis is undertaken through the use of aggregate and disaggregated data collected and provided to Public Safety Canada by other departments and agencies such as the Canada Border Services Agency, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Statistics Canada. Work is underway to improve data quality, with an initial focus on consistency of data collected, however, in 2022-23, priority attention was given to supporting the Government and Minister with advice on legislative, regulatory and policy due to resource constraints.

Funding to Enhance Canada's Firearm Control Framework:

Activities under the Funding to Enhance Canada's Firearm Control Framework will help support the collection of data to enable better monitoring and/or reporting of program impacts by gender and diversity (i.e. age, gender, geographic location). Public Safety Canada continues to work with partners involved in the collection and analysis of law enforcement data.

For example, work is ongoing with Statistics Canada to ensure consistency and reliability of data collected on firearms across Canada. Statistics Canada carried out a feasibility study in consultation with key stakeholders and identified information that could potentially be collected from police services using the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey. they have since made a number of revisions to the UCR Survey, starting in 2021, although it may take a few years for these changes to be fully implemented by police services in a way that allows the reporting of this information to the UCR. Statistics Canada is also committed to working with the policing community and key organizations to enable police to report statistics on Indigenous and ethno-cultural groups in police-reported crime statistics for victims and accused persons.

While Public Safety Canada recognizes the importance of data collection and governance in the firearms framework, resource constraints limited the scope of the Department's work in 2022-23 to supporting the advancement of Bill C-21. Work in this domain included engagements with Indigenous communities and other stakeholders, as well as providing support to the Government to advance legislation on red/yellow flag regime. As Bill C-21 is still before Parliament, no implementation measures or outcomes are currently available for this program or the Bill.

Supplementary Information Sources:

• Gender-related homicide of women and girls in Canada
• Deaths and age-specific mortality rates, by selected grouped causes
• Criminal victimization in Canada, 2019
• Victims of police-reported violent firearm-related crime, by relationship of accused to victim and region, Canada, 2009 to 2014, 2015 to 2020, 2019 and 2020

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

No plan is currently in place for this program due to a lack of resources and other competing priorities. However, the Department acknowledges the importance of this work, and is hoping to leverage work going on in response to the Mass Casualty Commission to expand overall governance, including on data, in regards to the federal firearms framework.

Community Safety - Serious and Organized Crime

Core Responsibility:

Community Safety

Program Name:

Serious and Organized Crime

Program Goals:

The objective of the Serious and Organized Crime program at Public Safety Canada is to enhance the safety and security of Canadians by combating and reducing the impact of serious and organized crime in Canada. The program aims to prevent and disrupt criminal activities carried such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, cybercrime, and other illicit activities.

In 2022-23 the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet (NSPCSEI) increased the priority placed on GBA Plus research by developing a working-level agreement with Statistics Canada and Public Safety Research Division to develop research reports that actively seek alternate data sources to identify GBA Plus considerations of online child sexual exploitation (CSE), particularly in respect of vulnerable groups and at-risk populations.

Target Population:

Online child sexual exploitation (OCSE): All Canadians / children and youth under the age of 18

Human Trafficking: Women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples

Biology Casework Analysis Contribution Program (BCACP): Law enforcement agencies throughout Canada

Distribution of Benefits:

Online child sexual exploitation

By gender

Third group: broadly gender-balanced. Benefits are distributed equally under the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet, however girls are more often victimized by this crime, and thus receive more benefits than boys, although the gap is growing less significant.

By age group

First group: primarily benefits youth, children or future generations, given the target population for the National Strategy for the Protection of Children for Sexual Exploitation on the Internet (i.e., children and youth under 18).

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Children and youth directly benefited from the NSPCSEI which aims to protect children from OCSE and prevent this crime. They receive targeted prevention and awareness to better understand the risks and consequences associated by interaction with potential online predators. They are also directly impacted by initiatives under the strategy that aims at making the internet safer and free of OCSE through: funding of ICE units to increase the investigative capacity of law enforcement agencies, a national awareness campaign to increase awareness of the risks of OCSE, a webinar series and engagement with digital industry and victims support organizations to increase understanding of the scale and scope of the issue and find new ways to combat OCSE. Groups indirectly impacted by the strategy are educators, parents, caregivers who are in direct contact with children.

Human Trafficking

By gender

Fifth group: predominantly women (80% or more women). According to Statistics Canada reports, there were 2,688 detected victims of police-reported human trafficking in Canada between 2011 and 2021. The vast majority (96%) of these victims were women and girls, while a small proportion (4%) were men and boys.

By age group

First group: primarily benefits youth, children or future generations. Since 2011, victims were most often aged 18 to 24 (45%), while another quarter (24%) of victims were aged 17 and younger. The remaining victims were aged 25 to 34 (21%), 35 to 44 (7%) and 45 and older (3%). While seven in ten (71%) female victims were aged 24 and younger, male victims were not concentrated in the youngest age groups. Of the relatively small number (117) of men and boys who were identified as victims of human trafficking, they were most often aged 25 to 34 (29%) and the remaining victims were evenly distributed across other age groups: 17 and younger (19%), 18 to 24 (17%), 35 to 44 (17%) and 45 and older (18%). Overall, two-thirds (67%) of detected victims of human trafficking were women and girls aged 24 and younger.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Not available at the time of publication.

Online child sexual exploitation:

Not applicable.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Not available.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Other Key Program impacts:

Biology Casework Analysis Contribution Program:

A review of performance data revealed that GBA Plus indicators are not being collected by the Ontario and Quebec forensic laboratories under the Biology Casework Analysis Contribution Program (BCACP). Submissions for DNA analysis are anonymous and are often not clearly linked to a specific individual until a match is established. For these reasons, evidence of program impacts by gender and diversity has not been documented. Given the importance of preserving the anonymity of DNA samples in the National DNA Data Bank (NDDB), the Ontario and Québec forensic laboratories will continue to proceed with respect and consideration by preserving the anonymity of the DNA samples they analyze.

However, hits in the cross-jurisdictional NDDB assist police investigations in every jurisdiction in Canada equally, thereby contributing to the safety and security of all Canadians regardless of gender, age, sex or income. These hits are expected to provide indirect benefits to specific gender and demographic groups, such as women and girls, who continue to be over-represented among victims and survivors of reported sexual assault and “other sexual violations.” In Canada, Indigenous women, women with disabilities, women with poorer mental health, women who are gay or bisexual, and women who live in more remote areas are more at-risk for violence.

National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (NSCHT):

The NSCHT supports one pillar of the Gender Results Framework, which is Eliminating Gender-Based Violence and Promoting Access to Justice. Canada's NSCHT is informed by the findings of detailed GBA Plus analysis and qualitative and quantitative information gathered through various methods, including the following in 2022-23:

• National consultations conducted in Fall 2018;
• Aggregated data from Statistics Canada reported in annual Juristat reports; and
• Performance reporting by external organizations funded under federal grants and contribution programs (reporting will be available following the program's completion in March 2024).

While its primary purpose is to provide referral services to victims and survivors of human trafficking, data collected by the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline provides further insight into the characteristics of individuals who are victims or vulnerable to being victimized. This includes the collection of non-identifying, aggregated data such as gender, age, geographic location, and trafficking typology. A publicly available report was published in July 2023.

Public Safety Canada continued to require that Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime (CPCSOC) funding recipients' annual report include GBA Plus-related data collection about the demographic categories of their target population, and ages and gender of project participants where possible. No work was done in 2022-23 to modify these. The Department also worked with partners to gather qualitative information on the performance of the National Strategy, including as it relates to emerging GBA Plus impacts and considerations, throughout its implementation.

National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet:

Initiatives under Canada's National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet (NSPCSEI) are informed by the findings of detailed GBA Plus. Public Safety Canada has actively sought alternate data sources (research, special studies, input from partners) to identify GBA Plus considerations of online child sexual exploitation (OCSE), particularly in respect of vulnerable groups and at-risk populations. For example, in 2022-23 Public Safety Canada entered into an agreement with Statistics Canada to prioritize and explore alternative sources of information that may provide insight on GBA Plus and online child sexual exploitation. The Department provided funding to Statistics Canada for a Juristat Bulletin released in March 2023, on OCSE. Using data from the Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and the Integrated Criminal Court Survey, the article examined criminal justice outcomes of online child sexual exploitation and abuse incidents that were reported to police between 2014 and 2020, and the pathways of these incidents through the justice system, including court case outcomes.

Furthermore, in 2022-23, the Department's anti-online child sexual exploitation team entered into a working-level agreement with the Public Safety Research Division to identify and prioritize steps to enhance the National Strategy's understanding of GBA Plus aspects of online child sexual exploitation through the development of a report. The GBA Plus report is currently being finalized, and will also cover 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, and racialized minority groups.

Supplementary Information Sources:

• Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2021
• Reports from the Public Processed in 2022 (Cybertip, excluding Project Arachnid)
• Online child sexual exploitation and abuse: Criminal justice pathways of police-reported incidents in Canada, 2014 to 2020
• Evaluation of the Human Trafficking Hotline

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

In 2022-23, Public Safety Canada began work to refine the Performance Measurement Framework for the NSPCSEI to ensure that GBA Plus data can be collected and better demonstrate the impacts of the Strategy. This work is being undertaken with Strategy partners and is still under development.

Emergency Management - Emergency Prevention/Mitigation

Core Responsibility:

Emergency Management

Program Name:

Emergency Prevention / Mitigation

Program Goals:

Public Safety Canada aims to promote a safer and more resilient Canada through the reduction of disaster risks, recognizing that emergency management is a shared responsibility. The Department works with all orders of government, the private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations, professional associations, Indigenous groups, and the general public. Specifically, the Department works to promote the reduction of impacts and risks of hazards through proactive measures, before an emergency or disaster occurs.

Target Population:

All Canadians

Distribution of Benefits:

National Risk Profile

By gender

Third group: broadly gender-balanced. No significant gender-related impacts are anticipated as a result of the National Risk Profile.

By income level

Third group: no significant distributional impacts. No significant income-related impacts are anticipated as a result of the National Risk Profile.

By age group

Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors. No significant inter-generational impacts or impacts to youths and seniors are anticipated as a result of the National Risk Profile.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

GBA Plus principles were embedded in the engagement process for the first round of National Risk Profile (NRP) risk and capability assessments, and participants were asked to consider GBA Plus dimensions, including gender in their feedback to more accurately capture the range of factors that contribute to disaster risk.

The NRP aims to understand and raise awareness of disaster risk among all Canadians, and dimensions of income, gender and age were not specifically targeted. That said, these dimensions are substantive factors captured in the GBA Plus lens questions asked of risk and capability assessment participants.

Local emergency management practitioners, academics, non-governmental organization representatives, and other key participants, were able to provide information concerning these dimensions as part of the assessment processes.

The second round of NRP risk and capability assessments were partly completed in 2022-23, with planning for targeted GBA Plus engagement in 2023-24. Moving forward, the NRP will include engagement with gender advocacy groups and other key subject matter experts, to ensure that perspectives across GBA Plus representative communities are included within the initiative.

Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries (PTSI) Action Plan

By gender

N/A

By income level

N/A

By age group

N/A

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

The Department's support to the Canadian Institute of Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT), as the Knowledge Exchange Hub of the National Research Consortium on PTSI, ensures that CIPSRT staff take into account GBA Plus factors when engaging in staffing actions, and developing the Academic, Research and Clinician Network of researchers across the country. CIPSRT is planning to incorporate GBA Plus metrics into the development of the Knowledge Translation (KT) Plan to better achieve equity, diversity, and inclusion through KT.

Public Safety Broadband Network

By gender

N/A

By income level

N/A

By age group

N/A

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

No data is available for the Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN) as the work is currently anticipatory. However, a future nationwide PSBN could help address connectivity and capability gaps across the country, and would be expected to enhance emergency response in underserved and marginalized communities. It will be important to monitor intersectional factors as they evolve over time in order to ensure that a future PSBN accounts for any impacts to vulnerable populations including in the deployment, network coverage operations, and/or tools and devices that leverage a future network. 

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Key Program Impacts Statistics:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts:

The Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a Resilient 2030 (EM Strategy) has integrated GBA Plus within its design. Analysis conducted in its development considered how risks and capability gaps may disproportionately affect different individuals, communities, and vulnerable populations. Throughout 2022-23, Federal / Provincial / Territorial (FPT) governments continued to implement the 2021-22 Emergency Management Strategy Interim Action Plan, which considers GBA Plus within related initiatives. FPT Ministers Responsible for Emergency Management have since extended the Action Plan until December 2023. 

Further, federally-led efforts such as the National Risk Profile continue to be refined to better-integrate GBA Plus considerations. It assesses and shares risk information regarding disasters in Canada; this includes disproportionate impacts felt by vulnerable populations. These analyses consider how risks and capability gaps may disproportionately affect different individuals, communities, and vulnerable populations. The First Report of the National Risk Profile, which was developed in 2022-23, contains disaggregated information about impacts across all segments of the population. GBA Plus principles were embedded in the engagement process for the first round of NRP risk and capability assessments. To ensure that NRP assessment findings reflected the diverse and varying realities of Canadians, whole-of-society stakeholders across a number of sectors were included as a part of the assessment process. For example, the Department contracted the services of a Certified Indigenous Business to conduct targeted engagement sessions, research and literature reviews on Inuit, Métis, and First Nations perspectives on emergency management. The outcomes of these engagement sessions were insights related to community members' views on risk exposure to floods, wildland fires and earthquakes as well as on the unique challenges faced by Indigenous communities when it comes to preparing for, and responding to, disasters.

The ongoing work on additional risk and capability assessments as part of the National Risk Profile, which started in 2022-23, included planning for targeted GBA Plus engagement. This engagement will include advocacy groups and experts representing a variety of population groups, to ensure that all perspectives and disproportionate impacts are included within the National Risk Profile.

Supplementary Information Sources:

• Emergency Management Strategy
• National Risk Profile: Strengthening Canada's All-Hazards Approach to Emergency Management

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2022-23.

Emergency Management - Emergency Preparedness

Core Responsibility:

Emergency Management

Program Name:

Emergency Preparedness

Program Goals:

Public Safety Canada works in collaboration with other federal departments and provincial and territorial governments, academia, national associations and non-governmental organizations to strengthen national emergency preparedness including planning, training, exercises, and sharing lessons learned. These efforts, taken prior to an emergency, are aligned with Government of Canada priorities and are aimed at making Canadian communities safe and resilient. Related awareness activities include Emergency Preparedness (EP) Week, an annual, week-long public education effort led by PS in collaboration with emergency management partners, and the observation of Fire Prevention Week each October, which aims to reduce human, environmental, and financial losses associated with fires.

Target Population:

All Canadians

Distribution of Benefits:

Emergency Management Public Awareness Contribution Program

By gender

Third group: broadly gender-balanced. Gender was not a factor for this initiative. Women are considered a vulnerable group but campaigns were not specifically targeting women.

By income level

First group: strongly benefits low income individuals (strongly progressive). Low income households were a target for this initiative as income level is a strong determinant of disaster vulnerability.

By age group

Third group: primarily benefits seniors or the baby boom generation. The elderly were a target group for this initiative as they are considered a vulnerable group due to lack of mobility, pre existing health issues, and social isolation.

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

The Emergency Management Public Awareness Contribution Program (EMPACP) was targeted towards seniors, Indigenous communities, and newcomers to Canada. Campaigns within the initiative were specifically designed and implemented focusing on each group. Events were held with Indigenous representation as part of the activity to “Host community gatherings in 3 Indigenous communities to gather stories of resilience, risk awareness, and preparedness.” Other focus groups were carried-out that included women, newcomers, seniors, and low-income earners, and these focus groups were held virtually.

While women and low income were not targets of the campaign, they were indirect beneficiaries due to their participation in certain activities.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Key Program Impacts Statistics:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts:

GBA Plus is integrated into several sub-initiatives of the Emergency Management Strategy, including as the Emergency Management Public Awareness Contribution Program (EMPACP). The EMPACP in particular aims to increase the level of preparedness and readiness of vulnerable groups (i.e., low-income Canadians, seniors, women, new Canadians, and Indigenous communities) to disasters induced by natural hazards. The funded program for 2022-23 was a continuation of the “Driving Risk Awareness to Action and Building Resilience for Vulnerable Canadians in High-Risk Areas” program designed and implemented by the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) from 2020-24. Target groups for the 2022-23 fiscal year included Indigenous communities, the elderly, and newcomers to Canada. Public awareness campaigns as part of the program reached nearly 1.5 million people throughout the year, although data on the efficacy of the program is still being collected and analyzed due to the program being ongoing. High levels of engagement throughout specific CRC campaigns will inform Departmental public awareness emergency preparedness initiatives going forward.

Supplementary Information Sources:

Emergency Management Public Awareness Contribution Program

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2022-23.

Emergency Management – Emergency Response/Recovery

Core Responsibility:

Emergency Management

Program Name:

Emergency Response/Recovery

Program Goals:

The Emergency Response/Recovery program supports coordination of federal activities related to the response and recovery from disasters and emergencies.

Target Population:

All Canadians

Distribution of Benefits:

Flood Insurance and Relocation Project Task Force

By gender

N/A

By income level

N/A

By age group

N/A

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

The Flood Insurance and Relocation Project Task Force report on options for low-cost flood insurance for homeowners at high risk of flooding has also integrated GBA Plus considerations into their respective analyses, including conducting data analysis of social vulnerability factors and flood hazard exposure to identify where issues exist from a GBA Plus standpoint.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Key Program Impacts Statistics:

N/A

Other Key Program impacts:

Flood Insurance and Relocation Project:

GBA Plus has been a major component of the Flood Insurance and Relocation Project (FIRP) from the beginning of this initiative and the current three-phased approach is underway: (1) Outline in general terms the kinds of GBA Plus issues that are relevant to this Project; (2) Conduct data analysis of social vulnerability factors and flood hazard exposure to identify where issues exist from a GBA Plus standpoint (3) Propose strategies to address the identified issues.

In 2022-23, for the FIRP, GBA Plus considerations were identified by integrating 2021 national census data with residential property level flood damage data. The results show that residential flood risk may affect populations and places differentially, that is a group of population and certain areas in Canada are highly vulnerable to flood risk than other population subgroups and geographic areas.

To better understand the distribution of diverse populations in Canada's high and low flood-risk areas, national census-based racial/ethnic, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics were analyzed individually against high and low flood-risk areas (classified using a threshold of average damage ratio to residential properties). The analysis demonstrated to what extent certain vulnerable populations are geographically concentrated in areas with a higher risk of flooding in Canada. The results indicate that across Canada, in many areas, several indicators of social vulnerability, including persons living alone, renters, seniors (age 65 and above), Indigenous populations, persons with no high school diploma, those not in the labour force, low-income status, and households on social assistance are more likely to be in high flood-risk areas than in low flood-risk areas.

The findings of this report will inform the development of various policy options for flood insurance and strategic relocation, as well as help to inform future steps including consultation and implementation.

These results were used to support GBA Plus considerations concerning the continued development of several of Public Safety Canada's flood risk initiatives, including flood insurance, strategic relocation, disaster financial assistance, and flood risk portal, in addition to an assessment of financial flood risk and social vulnerability.

Social Vulnerability Index:

Public Safety Canada is working with Statistics Canada to conduct Canada-wide social vulnerability analysis and creating decision support tools such as multiple indices of social vulnerability for Canada using national census-based microdata and state-of-the-art analytical methodology. Census dissemination area level composite social vulnerability scores on the sub-indices (a minimum of two developed for Public Safety Canada needs to support Emergency Management programs) and the global social vulnerability index will be computed based on the best-fitting statistical model (for Canada and each of the regions) and released as dissemination area level shape files through the Statistics Canada website along with a user guide and analytical report. Public Safety Canada is the product owner for the components of the Social Vulnerability Index (emergency management sub-indices and combination into an Apex index) and therefore will have approval authority for these aspects (i.e., how the indices are defined, what their constituent census variables are, and the methodology for computing the aggregation weights).

Supplementary Information Sources:

Adapting to Rising Flood Risk - An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Nothing to report for 2022-23.

Date modified:

2023-11-09