Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

Goal setting

Question 1

Has your organization set goals (for fiscal year 2023-2024 or future fiscal years) for recruiting and promoting Indigenous peoples and Black and other racialized people?

• Work is underway to set goals.

Please provide details and/or examples, including what your organization is using to set its goals (e.g., operational priorities, labour market availability [LMA], population data, workforce availability [WFA]), and how these goals are communicated to employees, if applicable. What has been the most helpful in advancing towards the goals you have set? What challenges, if any, have you encountered?

For 2024-2025, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) will establish indeterminate hiring goals for Indigenous, Black and other racialized people, based on workforce availability (WFA), self-identification and attrition/turnover data. These goals will be linked to performance management and will be revised periodically, as new data becomes available. These targets will be calculated using attrition rates over the past 12 months. One of the challenges encountered relates to establishing hiring goals for Black employees, as the same data sources are not readily available in a disaggregated manner, so an alternative methodology was developed using the percentage of Black people among visible minorities projected in WFA.

The focus will be on the Scientific & Professional and the Executive and Executive feeder-groups categories, as there are forecasted gaps in these categories. The hiring goals will be communicated to Executives, hiring managers and Human Resources, and will be published on our intranet site, along with a snapshot of HICC’s current representation.

Question 2

Has your organization set goals to foster greater inclusion (for fiscal year 2023-2024 or future fiscal years)?

• Work is underway to set goals.

Please provide details and/or examples, including which metrics or data your organization is using, if applicable (e.g., your Public Service Employee Survey results, pulse surveys, exit interviews, human resources administrative data).

HICC will launch its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy and Action Plan for 2024-2027 in the fall of 2024. The DEI Action Plan has four fundamental pillars – Leadership Culture, Inclusive Recruitment, Sense of Belonging, and Career Development, and will include actions and goals for improving inclusion and truly establishing a sense of belonging.

During 2023-2024, HICC completed a comprehensive Employment Systems Review (ESR). Results of this review are serving as a core resource in informing our DEI Strategy and Action Plan which includes goals and addressing systemic barriers to inclusion. The ESR process included multiple engagement sessions with members of employment equity groups. These conversations provided meaningful data about employees’ lived experiences and their perspectives on inclusion within the department. Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) data was also analyzed to help establish an understanding of current perceptions on inclusion for members of diverse communities. The report emphasized the need for evidence-based decision-making, inclusive workplace practices, and ongoing review to ensure compliance and effectiveness in achieving diversity and inclusion goals.

Measuring progress

Question 3

Has your organization developed an approach for measuring progress towards your established goals? 

How is the approach being implemented within your organization (e.g., how is it communicated to employees? What are the roles of executive team members including the Chief Data Officer and Head of Audit and Evaluation and regional management if applicable? How are you reporting on results and outcomes both internally and externally?)?

In 2024-2025, HICC will be developing an approach for measuring progress towards established goals. The approach will provide a foundation for the work, and will be communicated to all HICC employees, along with measurements, results, reviews and updates. 

HICC is also developing its DEI Strategy and Action Plan for 2024-2027 which will include key performance indicators for measuring progress and success on activities and goals.

Hiring goals will be reviewed and updated annually in light of major changes to the size of the department. Progress on representation is deemed successful if targets are reduced and if HICC’s representation equals/surpasses workforce availability. Data will be provided for performance management purposes.

Consequential accountability

Question 4

How is your organization using performance management and/or talent management processes to establish accountability for results?

• Qualitative objectives are in performance management agreements.
• Work is underway to develop approaches to establish accountability for results in either of these processes.

Please provide details about how performance management and/or talent management processes are being used to establish accountability for results.

HICC executives (EX) have qualitative performance indicators related to DEI, and work is underway to include quantitative goals as part of the performance management process for 2024-2025. Furthermore, the HICC EX Review Committee discusses DEI objectives, including talent management and the development of talent from equity-deserving communities, and the various Champion roles which are accountable for advancing the inclusion objectives of the organization. Committee members are also engaged to identify candidates for the Mosaic Leadership Development program.

HICC is currently revamping its Talent Management Program. The renewed program will include components specifically for employment equity and equity-seeking group members. As part of the review of this program, employees were invited to participate in working groups and engagement sessions aimed at gathering a variety of views on approaches to talent and career management. This approach led to a better understanding of key issues and barriers to effective talent management.

Qualitative objectives have consistently been included in performance agreements for both executives and non-executives. The addition of quantitative objectives for the 2024-2025 performance cycle will strengthen HICC’s ability to meet equity goals.

The actions outlined above are also part of HICC’s DEI Strategy and Action Plan 2024–2027.

Specific, tangible actions outlined in the forward direction of the Call to Action

Question 5

Have you, as head of your organization, and/or your executive teams sponsored at least two Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles?

• Work is underway to develop an approach to sponsorship.
• Neither I nor my executive team have sponsored at least two Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles.

Please provide details about the nature of sponsorship that you and/or your executive team have provided, along with other programs, such as mentorship or leadership development, if applicable.  

As part of HICC’s DEI Strategy and Action Plan 2024–2027, it is anticipated that Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) will sponsor at least one person from an under-represented community (currently the aim is to mentor). In addition, each executive (EX) will mentor and/or sponsor at least one person from under-represented communities.

Currently, HICC supports one employee, who self-declared as a member of an employment equity or equity seeking group, through the Mosaic Leadership Development program. This employee has been provided with an extended acting opportunity at the EX-01 group and level, to help them gain experience which will support their leadership development and career advancement goals.

Moreover, the launch of the second cohort of the Mentorship Plus program will take place in early summer 2024. The goal of this initiative is to provide members of designated employment equity and equity-seeking groups with opportunities to develop their leadership skills and support them in fulfilling their career goals. Consultations were held to better understand the needs and goals of equity-seeking members. Consequently, the second cohort now features an expanded eligibility criterion, a new pairing process, and the introduction of a group mentoring option.

Question 6

Have you, as head of your organization, personally endorsed at least one recruitment campaign for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees?

• Work is underway so that I will personally endorse at least one recruitment campaign for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees.
• I have not personally endorsed at least one recruitment campaign for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees.

Please provide details.

At HICC, we continue to leverage existing processes, recruitment campaigns and outreach events, to identify potential talent from candidate pools that include Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees. Human Resources (HR) works with all managers to prioritize existing applications from members of employment equity communities. In this way, we aim to reduce the need for Indigenous employees, Black and other racialized employees to submit multiple applications for similar positions. Examples include:

• Prioritizing consideration of candidates who self-declare in staffing processes
• Federal Student Work Experience Program hiring concentrated on students in employment equity (EE) groups
• Accessing EE-focused staffing processes initiated by other departments
• Promoting organizations that work specifically with Indigenous and Black people, as well as persons living with disabilities
• Participating in outreach events, including:
  • Salon Mamu 2023 – a collaborative event promoting opportunities between Indigenous Communities and businesses
  • An employment opportunity for Indigenous students hosted by the Indigenous Centre of Expertise at the Public Service Commission of Canada.

HICC’s 2024-2027 DEI strategy includes a Deputy Minister commitment to personally endorse a recruitment campaign for Indigenous, Black and racialized employees.

HICC also connected potential candidates who self-declared as Indigenous with current employees who self-identify as Indigenous to share their experiences and perspectives working with HICC to help advance the recruitment of Indigenous peoples.

Question 7

Has your organization prioritized official language training for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are ready for advancement?

• Work is underway to develop an approach to prioritizing official language training for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are ready for advancement.
• My organization has not prioritized official language training for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are ready for advancement.

How is your organization prioritizing official language training?

HICC has a robust second language training program. Establishing support and funding for second language training expressly includes consideration of the Clerk’s Call to Action and Employment Equity status. HR advisors actively promote employment equity considerations when providing advice and guidance on recruitment and talent management, as they pertain to access to language training.

A new ADM-level Official Languages (OL) Champion has recently been appointed. With a focus on equity-seeking communities, this individual will lead the adoption of a renewed vision, and set the direction for how HICC approaches OL and second language training.

Does your organization offer access to Indigenous language training or have plans to offer access? Please provide details. 

HICC has not yet given consideration to offering access to Indigenous language training.

Question 8

Has your organization provided support and/or invested resources for organizational employee networks and communities?

• Engagement with employees and employee networks in my organization’s decision-making is meaningful and regular.
• Governance structures are in place to support employee networks and communities (e.g., champions, champions/chairs participate at management tables).
• Material supports are provided for employee networks and communities (e.g., dedicated funding, FTE support, allowing time to engage in activities).
• Work is underway for my organization to further engage with or to provide support for and/or invest resources in departmental employee networks and communities.

Please provide additional detail about how your organization engages with and supports employee networks and communities.

HICC has consistently had DEI Champions in place, at both the executive and non-executive levels. Currently, HICC has established a variety of champion roles, directly under the leadership of the Deputy Minister.

Champions will engage with and support the various employee networks (e.g. the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) Network, Persons with Disabilities Network). For example, the Official Languages Champion and the PSES Champion will provide support to the DEI Champion, given the significant interrelationships between Diversity, Equity and Inclusion priorities. Together, these Champions will set the direction and priorities, help shape culture, and model behaviour in concrete ways that will allow HICC to advance efforts to improve inclusion and belonging among employees.

The Human Resources Division, the Accessibility Hub, and the Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion Secretariat invest efforts to support the DEI Champions, enabling them to engage fully with employees and their communities in a manner that builds trust and aids in understanding the needs expressed by various groups.

HICC also created Call to Action (CTA)-based working groups – voluntary tables where anyone from HICC could request to become a member. As part of these working groups, employees provided feedback on strategies aimed to support members of employment equity and equity-deserving groups (for example, the review of the Mentorship Plus Program and our Talent Management Program).

All employees are encouraged to take time to lead and/or participate in networks and communities for which they have an affiliation. These groups are supported with departmental space, materials, and other resources. 

Question 9

Has anti-racism, equity and inclusion work been embedded in your organization’s integrated business plan and/or mental health plan?

• Work is underway on our integrated business plan and/or mental health plan to embed anti-racism, equity and inclusion work.

Question 10

Does your organization have a calendar to avoid holding major meetings and events during significant religious, spiritual, and cultural periods?

• Work is underway to develop this calendar at my organization.

If the calendar already exists, please provide additional details on how this calendar is communicated or promoted within your organization.  

HICC has collected and integrated information from a variety of sources, such as Heritage Canada and the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, to develop a DEI-based calendar. This calendar will provide the foundation for communication efforts to promote, raise awareness and educate employees about important cultural days and significant events for various communities and cultures, and will support departmental planning, helping to avoid scheduling major meetings and events during significant religious, spiritual and cultural periods. Information about important cultural days and significant events is communicated through Deputy Head messages, Champion messages and various internal communication tools (e.g. Intranet site, employee newsletter), as well as engagement sessions and presentations that enhance employees’ understanding.

The goal is to develop a calendar that may be continuously improved and easily accessed by all employees.

Additional information about your organization’s ongoing initiatives 

Question 11

What are two or three specific barriers that you have faced in advancing work on the Call to Action?

Please provide two or three examples.

1. Public service-wide culture issues: some managers hesitate to consider pools of qualified candidates if they have not participated in the assessment process. While some improvement is noted in this area, greater culture change is required.
2. Challenges faced in attracting and retaining qualified individuals interested in working in the field of Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within the public service. Unique skillsets and lived experience, including intersectional attributes, are extremely valuable to the continuity and evolution of this work. 

Question 12

Recognizing that employees often have multiple identities, what actions is your organization undertaking to support Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are also members of other communities, such as persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and religious minorities who face compounding barriers of discrimination?

Please provide details.

HICC has always taken an intersectional approach to our work in addressing barriers faced by members of Indigenous communities, as well as Black and other racialized employees, who are facing systemic discrimination. HICC’s Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion (AREI) team, created three years ago, has consistently been staffed with individuals who represent intersectional identities, so they can ensure an intersectional lived experience lens is applied to the work being done.

In addition, HICC has established an Accessibility Hub that works closely with our AREI Secretariat to ensure discussions are not limited to one dimension of a person’s identity. HICC also supports various employee resource/community groups. Employees are encouraged to participate in one or more of these groups, either as people who identify with the group(s), or as allies.

The 2024-2027 DEI strategy includes a variety of activities that are specifically designed to increase a sense of belonging, by acknowledging and examining intersecting factors and their impacts with respect to discrimination. This approach will allow HICC to engage the workforce to shape departmental culture and priorities in a manner that recognizes individuals belonging to multiple communities. It will also allow for the design of a customized engagement strategy that will identify cross-community issues and solutions.

Question 13

In your first year of implementing the forward direction of the Call to Action, what impact has this work had on the culture of your organization?

Please provide the two or three most important impacts. 

1. As HICC moved to implement the forward direction on the Call to Action, the importance of the availability of clean and disaggregated quantitative and qualitative data has become even more clear. Setting targets, identifying initiatives that will make the most difference, and measuring results all require quality data. This realization has had a direct impact on HICC’s Data Strategy and will impact the future “data culture” within the department and public service-wide.
2. On a related note, there has also been an additional impact on strategic planning, to further support the integration of business goals and related resource implications (staffing, funding, etc.).