Strategic and Operational Plans and Programs

2020-2023 Human Resources Strategic Plan

Lead Directorate: Human Resources Directorate

Purpose

• The Human Resources Strategic Plan 2020-2023 sets out how the OPC will recruit people with the required skills to ensure it can deliver on its mandate in a changing and evolving environment.
• This plan outlines how the OPC will lead its current and future workforce to deliver on its mission and mandate. The plan’s priority actions aim to ensure that the OPC remains an employer of choice with a high capacity for employee attraction and retention. This plan encompasses the Official Languages and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion plans.

Background

• This plan was launched among employees in March 2020. It is in its third year.
• The previous HR plan expired in 2019. In addition to developing a three-year plan, the organization held several consultation sessions with the Commissioner and sector heads, middle managers and employees.
• The plan identifies the priority actions that the organization will take each year to deliver on its mandate, maintain its human resources and attract new employees. It does not identify a quantitative target. Quantitative objectives are set out in the specialized plans.

Next steps

• Preliminary work on the new plan for 2023-2026 will be initiated during the third quarter of the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

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2021-2024 Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan

Lead Directorate and Champion:
1. Human Resources Directorate
2. Champion for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Sue Lajoie

Purpose

• The purpose of this plan is to achieve the common expectations for all deputy heads set out in the Clerk’s Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service. The plan sets out priority actions to create an inclusive and welcoming workplace for all.

Background

• To combat racism and advance equity and inclusion, the OPC has developed the Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2021-2024. This three year plan was the subject of discussions by the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee between April and October 2021. Its principles were presented to the National Labour-Management Consultation Committee (NLMCC) on November 15, 2021. On November 23, 2021, the plan was adopted by the Executive Management Board (EMB).
• The various internal partners are called upon to contribute to the implementation of this EDI plan.
• The priority actions are aimed at achieving a workforce that is representative of the Canadian population and employment equity groups and foster an inclusive and open minded workplace.
• On March 30, 2022, the year-end review was submitted to the EMB+.

Further reading

• Message on the implementation of the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet on the Call to Action and OPC response.

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2021-2024 Official Languages Strategic Plan

Lead Directorate and Champion:
1. Human Resources Directorate
2. Official Languages co-champions: Gregory Smolynec & François Cadieux

Purpose

• The Official Languages Strategic Plan, launched in March 2022, is a three year roadmap that guides efforts through 2024 to achieve substantive equality of English and French in the workplace and guarantee full respect for the language rights of the public and employees.

Background

• Over the last two years, several initiatives have been launched to increase bilingualism within the OPC. In 2019, some language profiles were raised, and the temporary language training program was implemented. Participation in language training has increased significantly since 2020.
• Nevertheless, a certain level of language insecurity persists. The OPC, like the public service as a whole, sometimes struggles to provide services of equal quality in both official languages, and French is too often a language of translation. The proportion of bilingual employees in the organization as a whole is good, but this is not true in all directorates.
• The OPC delivers a national program. This presents serious challenges. For some employees, the right to work in French is more theoretical than real.
• To ensure respect for the right of members of the public to receive services in their preferred official language and employees’ right to work in the official language of their choice, the plan sets out bilingualism targets for each sector. All executives and managers must have a valid CBC/CBC profile, 35-40% of employees must have a CBC/CBC profile and 35-40% of employees must have a BBB/BBB profile.
• On March 30, 2022, the year end review was submitted to the Executive Management Board Plus.

Next steps

• As this is a three year plan, the actions identified for Year 2 of the plan will continue to be implemented over the course of the year.
• Some Year 1 activities will be ongoing and others will be wrapped up depending on operational capability.

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Gender-based Analysis Plus Policy Framework and Action Plan

Lead Committee and Champion:
1. Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) Working Group
2. GBA Plus Champion: Lara Ives

Purpose

• Women and Gender Equality Canada recommends that organizations develop a Gender-based Analysis (GBA) Plus Framework to provide a foundation for an organization’s sustainable and systematic use of GBA Plus. See: Making Gender-based Analysis Plus sustainable. Their proposed framework is meant to be adaptable to any organization’s structure and needs.
• The OPC’s GBA Plus Framework and Action Plan is in line with its commitment to enhancing privacy protection for Canadians, including vulnerable groups. It is scalable and will help the OPC to promote a culture of inclusion and non-discrimination and ensure that our information, programs, and services are accessible, informed and advance equality for all Canadians.
• The OPC’s GBA Plus activities support the federal government’s commitment to GBA Plus and can help satisfy requirements related to budget requests and Treasury Board submissions.

Background

• In 2021, the GBA Plus Working Group developed the GBA Plus Framework and Action Plan. The Framework was approved by the Commissioner and shared with staff in late 2021.
  • The Framework sets out the guiding principles, a statement of commitment and the roles and responsibilities of relevant staff. Sector heads are responsible for determining whether and how GBA Plus will be incorporated into the work of their teams.
  • The Action Plan sets out an organizational work plan and ongoing activities.
• The Canadian Gender Budgeting Act (2018) assigned responsibility to the Minister of Finance and the President of the Treasury Board to make available analysis of the gender and diversity impacts of tax and program expenditures.
  • The Minister of Finance must report on the gender and diversity impacts of all new budget measures described in a budget plan and make available to the public analysis of gender and diversity impacts of tax expenditures.
  • The President of the Treasury Board is required to annually make available to the public analysis of gender and diversity impacts of the existing Government of Canada expenditure programs that the President, in consultation with the Minister of Finance, considers appropriate.
  • Treasury Board submissions and Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports are largely used to fulfil these obligations.
• Annually, the OPC is required to complete GBA Plus supplementary tables as part of its Department Plan and Departmental Results reporting, to account for our institutional GBA Plus capacity and provide highlights of GBA Plus results reporting capacity by program.
• One notable activity is a pilot initiative to apply GBA Plus to the OPC’s Contributions Program. In summer 2021, Employees in the Policy, Research and Parliamentary Affairs Directorate worked with Canadian Equity Consulting to determine how the OPC can be more inclusive in its approach so that it is attracting proposals from diverse candidates and is encouraging research proposals that incorporate an inclusive lens. The Policy, Research and Parliamentary Affairs Directorate has begun implementing the recommendations, and while the work is ongoing the OPC is optimistic to already be seeing positive changes.

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OPC Awards and Recognition Program

Lead Directorate: Human Resources Directorate

Purpose

• Under the TBS Policy on People Management and its associated Directive on Performance Management, each organization must develop a recognition program.
• The OPC Recognition Program is one way OPC recognizes its employees’ valuable contributions, the quality of their work, their exemplary behaviour and the positive results they deliver. It encourages recognition of exceptional people and teams that have had a significant impact on the organization.
• There are five competitive annual awards that lead to a competitive process. A sixth award was created in 2022.

Background

• The OPC Recognition Policy was updated and approved on May 4, 2022.
• The Commissioner hands out the formal awards during an annual ceremony.
• For the 2021-2022 fiscal year, the annual ceremony was held during the OPC town hall on May 31, 2022.
• The Recognition Program also includes guidelines for instant awards to recognize employee achievements in a less structured manner through monetary awards over the course of the year.

Program

• Recognition Policy
• Guidelines for Formal Awards
• Guidelines for Instant Awards