Gender-based analysis plus – 2021-2022

Institutional GBA+ Capacity

The NFB’s Strategic Planning and Government Relations department assumes responsibility for the GBA+ process. Three FTEs have been assigned (on a part-time basis) to the task of implementing GBA+, in addition to fulfilling an advisory role and overseeing monitoring and accountability.

Every activity linked to the NFB’s mandate (audiovisual programming and production, and accessibility and audience engagement) is meant to advance GBA+ objectives; specifically, through the production and distribution of works that bear witness to Canadian diversity, contribute to the country’s social cohesion, and empower communities that are systematically underrepresented in the media landscape. Therefore, senior managers, program managers and any staff involved in the NFB’s overall decision-making processes are responsible for taking Gender-based Analysis Plus into consideration in their activities.

Specific actions in 2021–2022 include the implementation of the NFB’s Diversity and Inclusion Commitments and Objectives, which add to the GBA+ governance structure a new position responsible for implementing equity and anti-racist practices, as well as an internal liaison position for Indigenous affairs, created to forge closer ties with Indigenous communities and to seek advice on issues related to production and distribution at the NFB.

Highlights of GBA+ Results Reporting Capacity by Program

Audiovisual Programming and Production

This program supports the following goals of the Gender Results Framework: Economic Participation and Prosperity, and Gender Equality Around the World.

The program collects data to monitor and/or report impacts by gender and diversity (GBA+). This data is integrated into the NFB’s Departmental Results Framework (DRF) and performance-measurement strategy for initiatives supporting parity, diversity and inclusion. Examples of indicators include the percentage of the production budget allocated to works made by women in key creative roles and by Indigenous artists.

Data-gathering for in-depth GBA+ analysis, however, remains a challenge, and individual information is not sufficient to undertake in-depth GBA+ analysis.

In 2021–2022, the NFB will review and implement a self-declaration form for filmmakers and creators to compile sufficient data on gender and diversity in the future.

It will implement a set of diversity and inclusion commitments and objectives that seek to create lasting change and an equitable and inclusive workplace.

In 2021–2022, the NFB will also launch the National Programming Group, which will draw on the participation of key actors, both internal and external to the NFB, in order to have a shared vision of trends and a global perspective on projects.

The NFB frequently consults with official-language minority communities, Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) staff internally, and external BIPOC stakeholder communities to evaluate the impact of NFB programs by gender and diversity.

Distribution of works and audience engagement

Through the distribution of its works and engagement with its audiences, the NFB helps improve public awareness of the following pillars of the Gender Results Framework: Gender-Based Violence and Access to Justice, and Gender Equality Around the World. By distributing audiovisual works that reflect the diverse realities and perspectives of Canadians, particularly those who are underrepresented in the media landscape, including Indigenous people, women, people with disabilities, racialized and diverse cultural groups, and the LGBTQ2 community, the NFB ensures these important Canadian stories are seen and heard.

Beyond compiling statistics on general audience numbers by market, interactions with online audiences, and participation in festivals promoting gender equity and diversity, the NFB does not collect sufficient data to report program impacts by gender and diversity (GBA+). It does, however, collect data pertaining to the percentage of works produced that explore topics related to gender and diversity.

Starting in 2021–2022, the NFB will put in place different strategies to develop its data-gathering capacity to better understand its diverse audiences. It will implement a business-intelligence initiative to improve its potential to engage with its audiences, and gain more insight into their consumption habits and areas of interest. This will permit the NFB to improve its data collection to monitor program impacts by gender and diversity.

Promotion of works and NFB outreach

Currently, the NFB ensures it has a presence at public-relations events and promotional activities in the cultural sector and film industry, to make its works better known in Canada and abroad. It supports the Economic Participation and Prosperity pillar of the Gender Results Framework.

Though this program collects some data to monitor impacts by gender and diversity, the scope of the data is limited. The NFB measures the percentage of awards going to women creators and their works. It also measures coverage of these works in the national and international media.

With the implementation of the NFB’s new Strategic Plan and its Diversity and Inclusion Commitments and Objectives, the NFB will develop new tools to expand its capacity to report on impacts by gender and diversity when promoting the organization or its films.

Preservation, conservation and digitization of works

This program sets out to preserve and digitize works in the National Film Board’s collection, to secure their longevity and availability to Canadians today and in the future. As this program is technical in nature, it does not support the pillars and goals of the Gender Results Framework.

The program has created a digitization plan for NFB audiovisual materials based on three factors: the work’s heritage value, level of physical degradation, and whether it is in active circulation. The program does not collect sufficient data to enable it to monitor and/or report program impacts by gender and diversity.

Internal Services

This program supports the following goals of the Gender Results Framework: Economic Participation and Prosperity, and Leadership and Democratic Participation.

The program collects data to enable it to monitor and/or report program impacts by gender and diversity.

Every year, the NFB applies for Parity Certification from Women in Governance (WIG), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women in the areas of leadership development, career advancement and access to board seats. As a recipient of WIG’s Gold certification in 2018 and Platinum certifications in 2019 and 2020, the NFB submitted data demonstrating that its policies, practices and actions are geared to facilitating progress towards equitable representation of women at all levels of the organization. This certification assessed three dimensions of the NFB’s position on gender parity: Strategy (Governance and Vision), Action (Collective Enablers) and Result (Equity).

The NFB’s Diversity and Inclusion Commitments and Objectives, which will be implemented in 2021–2022, apply to the organization as employer, producer, distributor and public institution. In addition to its commitments to gender parity, renewing its relationships with Indigenous people, and supporting the vitality of official-language minority communities, the NFB will set targets for racial equity, diversity and inclusion, to ensure better representation of the great diversity of voices that form the wealth of our country. Through these commitments, data will be collected to better measure results by gender and diversity.