2020–21 Departmental Plan - Gender-based analysis plus

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s strategy to ensure that GBA+ is integrated into departmental decision-making processes during the 2020-21 fiscal year includes:

• An established Departmental Policy Statement on GBA+: The policy, established February 27, 2015, states that, "Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is committed to integrating gender-based analysis into policy development and program delivery in a way that reflects Canadian values and government commitments in advancing gender equality."
• A GBA+ Champion: The Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management Branch, and the Chief Information Officer sit as the Department’s Inclusivity and Diversity champions, which includes GBA+. The Champions plays a vital role in providing leadership and coordination in the promotion, implementation, and monitoring of gender-based analysis in the development of effective policies, programs, and legislation.
• An established GBA+ Responsibility Centre: The Strategic Integration Unit in Strategic Policy Branch is the Department’s GBA+ Responsibility Centre. It provides guidance on GBA+ application within the Department, is the point of liaison with Women and Gender Equality Canada, and represents Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on the Science, Economic and Research Cluster of the GBA+ Interdepartmental Committee, which is led by Women and Gender Equality Canada.
• A fully implemented GBA+ assessment questionnaire: The GBA+ assessment questionnaire serves as a mandatory element in the development of Memoranda to Cabinet and policy and program proposals (for example, Treasury Board submissions and budget proposals). It also provides a framework to guide analysts in the consideration of possible diversity impacts related to proposed initiatives and identification of mitigation strategies to ensure all policies and programs are as effective as possible. Key considerations are reflected in Cabinet and other policy and program documents.
• GBA+ guidance: The GBA+ Responsibility Centre meets with subject matter experts at the onset of the Department’s Cabinet Affairs kick-start process to discuss GBA+ expectations in the development of Memoranda to Cabinet and policy and program proposals (for example, Treasury Board submissions and budget proposals) and ensures key GBA+ considerations are reflected at each stage of the policy development cycle.
• GBA+ Implementation Working Group: To increase the capacity and awareness of GBA+ within the Department and to ensure there are adequate resources dedicated to GBA+, the intradepartmental working group aims to share departmental efforts related to GBA+, and engage analysts across the Department on GBA+ implementation and capacity enhancement projects.
• Recommended training: Completion of Women and Gender Equality Canada's GBA+ online course is recommended to all subject matter experts that lead the development of, for example, Memoranda to Cabinet, Treasury Board submissions, and budget proposals. Ongoing promotion and participation in staff training also takes place throughout the year.
• An enhanced range of available gender-disaggregated data: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Research and Analysis Directorate requested the data compilation and production of a number of gender-disaggregated statistical categories from Statistics Canada’s 2016 Census of Agriculture, to expand the collection of gender disaggregated data for the sector. The Department’s GBA+ Responsibility Centre works closely with the Research and Analysis Directorate to analyze data and disseminate statistics and findings to lead analysts completing gender-based analyses, as well as anyone looking for data regarding women in agriculture. Ongoing collaborative efforts within the Department strive to enhance the range of gender-disaggregated data available to support GBA+.
• Established GBA+ communications: The development of a departmental Knowledge Workspace site to serve as a central hub for GBA+ tools and resources related to women in agriculture is underway.

Accountability mechanisms to ensure that GBA+ is integrated in departmental decision-making processes include:

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Cabinet Affairs, Treasury Board and Budget proposal submission processes: Completion of the GBA+ Assessment Form by program and policy leads is a mandatory element of the development of Memoranda to Cabinet and other policy or program proposals (i.e., Treasury Board submissions, budget proposals, etc.), providing a framework and guidance to help analysts think about possible diversity impacts related to their proposed initiatives, and to assess and address them as needed to ensure all policies and programs are as effective as possible. The Department’s GBA+ Responsibility Centre meets with lead analysts early in the kick-start process to outline the GBA+ requirements and provide guidance to ensure that intersecting factors are considered.
• Senior Management: A Director General, Assistant Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister are responsible to approve gender-based analyses included in Memoranda to Cabinet, Treasury Board submissions and budget proposals.

Monitoring and reporting mechanisms to assess and communicate the extent to which GBA+ is included in decision-making within the Department include:

• GBA+ Responsibility Centre: Plays a monitoring and challenge function to ensure that detailed GBA+ assessments are completed and that key considerations are incorporated in the development of all policy, program and budget proposals. Liaises with Women and Gender Equality Canada when necessary, and briefs senior management on necessary information and upcoming events.
• Cabinet and Interdepartmental Affairs: Oversees the Memorandum to Cabinet process to ensure completion of all components, including the application of GBA+ in the decision-making process.
• Finance and Resource Management Services: Oversees the Treasury Board submission process to ensure completion of all components, including the application of GBA+ in the decision-making process.

The planned total number of full-time equivalents dedicated to GBA+ implementation in the Department in 2020–21 is 1.5.

• This makes up the GBA+ Responsibility Centre and accounts for other work in the Department to develop and expand the range of gender-disaggregated data to support GBA+.
• The number of total planned full-time equivalents may evolve as the Department continues to consider how to advance GBA+.

Departmental initiatives in which GBA+ will be applied and monitored in 2020-21 are outlined below:

• Development of a Strategy to address Gender Gaps: Budget 2019 included a commitment to develop a strategy over the next five years focussed on addressing gender gaps across the entire agriculture and agri-food value chain. During the 2020-21 fiscal year, the department will:
  • Research and analyze gender dynamics across the agriculture and agri-food value chain, including the barriers women face in participating and establishing themselves in the sector.
  • Engage with stakeholders on approaches to address barriers faced by women in the sector.
• Implementation of the Departmental GBA+ Network: In order to more effectively implement GBA+ throughout the Department, a GBA+ network has been established consisting of advisors across each branch to support GBA+. The network will work to normalize GBA+ across all departmental activities, beyond GBA+ requirements for Memoranda to Cabinet, Treasury Board Submissions and budget proposals, and ensure GBA+ is being conducted earlier in the development of policies and programs.
• Continue to monitor the AgriDiversity Program: AgriDiversity is a $1 million per year program, under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, aimed at underrepresented groups, including women.
  • Potential results for AgriDiversity are to help more youth, women, Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities access the resources to build or enhance their entrepreneurial capacity and business skills, allowing them to better participate in the sector, modernize their operations and improve their productivity.
  • A GBA+ specific indicator could include the number of approved projects focused on women in agriculture.

Departmental programs that collect information to undertake GBA+ are outlined below.

The following Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada programs ask applicants to identify which underrepresented groups will benefit and, if willing, to indicate whether these groups are Indigenous, youth, women, visible minorities, official language minority populations and/or persons with disabilities:

• AgriAssurance Program
• AgriCompetitiveness
• AgriDiversity
• AgriMarketing
• AgriRisk Initiatives

The following program, whose ultimate beneficiaries are youth, collects data on the youth’s status in terms of underrepresented groups (Indigenous, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, women):

• Youth Employment and Skills Program

The following programs ask for information about the mandate of the corporation or organization in relation to underrepresented groups:

• Dairy Farm Investment Program
• Dairy Processing Investment Fund
• AgriScience Program: Projects
• AgriInnovate

In addition, the newly created Indigenous Agriculture Food Systems Initiative collects information on the Indigenous status of the applicant and the proposed benefits to/for Indigenous communities.

There is no publicly released data for these programs. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s remaining 13 programs do not collect GBA+ relevant information.