Health Canada
Letter on Implementation of the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion

Summer 2021 update

Dear Ms. Charette:

The Clerk’s Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service comes at a critical time. Canadians are grappling with health inequities brought into sharper relief as a result of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the reality of systemic racism and discrimination in our society. Against this backdrop, Health Canada must demonstrate clear leadership and take concrete steps to address racism and advance diversity and inclusion.

In response to the Clerk’s Call to Action, Health Canada has strengthened its commitment to diversity and inclusion. We have a zero tolerance approach to racism and discrimination in all forms. We are dedicated to ensuring all employees have a safe, healthy work environment where they are treated with respect, dignity and fairness, where they can participate freely and where space is made to listen to every voice. Working with employees, we are committed to identifying and eliminating systemic barriers to recruitment, retention and career development in the workplace. These values are the foundation of our ongoing response to the Call to Action.

To accelerate action on our commitment to creating a safe and positive workplace and a workforce that reflects Canada’s diversity, we have made some fundamental changes to our approach over the past year. Central to this is our commitment to co-development of actions with our employees.

The past year at Health Canada included listening, reflecting and co-developing with employees specific actions to advance anti-racism, equity and inclusion in our policies and practices. This letter outlines the progress we have made under three major themes:

• Listening to and Engaging Employees: We held Anti-Racism Listening sessions to hear directly from employees about their personal experiences with racism and discrimination, and are taking action to respond to the recommendations stemming from these sessions. We hosted over ten employee Town Halls, using them to further the dialogue on racism, diversity and inclusion and reinforce our commitment to a zero tolerance policy for discrimination and racism. We have also increased support to our various employee networks advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Recruitment, Retention and Career Development: We have worked with employees to co-develop approaches to inclusive staffing and professional development that has led to increased diversity in hired executives, increased mentorship opportunities and equitable access to language training for employees who identify as Indigenous, Black or other racialized groups. As a strategic forum to help inform, shape and guide our work, we launched the Health Canada Leadership Council on Diversity and Inclusion (LCDI) in the summer of 2020 with employee representatives and network leaders with the goal of identifying and eliminating systemic barriers, including for recruitment and training.
• Measuring Progress and Getting Results: As we take stock of the progress made to date to respond to the Call to Action, we are measuring both improvements in employment equity demographics as well as employees’ workplace experience. We remain committed to working alongside employees to measure our results to reduce barriers to inclusion and to promote an inclusive, safe, healthy work environment.

As Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Minister, our commitment to establishing a culture of diversity and inclusiveness at Health Canada is further entrenched in our Statement of Action against Systemic Racism, Bias and Discrimination in the Public Service including:

• Eliminating barriers to inclusion in the workplace by taking a zero tolerance approach to all forms of racism and discrimination towards Indigenous, Black, other racialized communities and other equity-seeking groups.
• Speaking out against injustices and creating an environment where employees feel safe to speak up against racism, discrimination, harassment and oppression, while amplifying the voices of Indigenous, Black, other racialized communities and other equity-seeking groups.

The Statement of Action, signed by all members of our Executive Table, underscores our collective commitment to identify and reduce systemic racism, bias and discrimination, and to promote a diverse and inclusive workforce and workplace.

The following sections outline Health Canada’s actions in response to the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion.

Listening to and Engaging Employees

Addressing racism and promoting equity and inclusion means listening and understanding the challenges faced by employees who identify as Indigenous, Black and other racialized groups. Employees themselves play a leadership role in safeguarding equity and fairness in our workforce, and we are proud that our employees are embracing this work. Participation at the activities and events organized by the department and employee networks have ranged from intimate sessions of about 25 participants, to Town Halls with more than 5,000 participants.

Employee Networks

Achieving our diversity, equity, inclusion and employment equity objectives is an essential responsibility, and over the past year, we have welcomed the opportunity to work closely with Health Canada employee networks to action.

We have strengthened our employee networks, including supporting the creation in February 2021 of the Black Employees Matter Network. Our new Executive Champion for this network will help ensure that the voices of Black employees are represented and that their ideas are brought forward to senior management.

Health Canada employee networks include:

• the Black Employees Matter Network (BEM);
• the Indigenous Employees Network (IEN);
• the Visible Minorities Network (VMN);
• the Gender and Sexual Diversity Network (GSDN);
• the Persons with Disabilities Network (PWDN);
• the Managers’ Network (MN); and
• the Young Professionals Network (YPN).

Over 1,700 employees are members of these networks that provide a forum to discuss issues, ideas, provide advice and support to each other. They also serve as consultation bodies for policies and programs and actively organize and promote activities and events open to all employees. For more information about the mandates and work of the employee networks at Health Canada, please see Annex A.

We have introduced a new funding model to support the work of networks, and support the network chairs and co-chairs through assignments that we fund. Network members are supported in balancing the workload of their substantive position with their work in these groups, including through letters of support we provided them and their managers outlining their time commitment to the network. Their contributions are also included in Performance Agreements, learning and talent management plans. We meet regularly with these networks to discuss issues of concern, as do the ADM champions we have appointed for each network.

Departmental events to hear from and engage employees

In the fall of 2020, we held Anti-Racism Listening Sessions and heard from many employees about their personal experiences with racism and discrimination—both as individuals and public servants in the workplace. We understand that speaking up about these issues can be difficult, so we worked to provide a safe space for the listening sessions by bringing in two independent, experienced, registered professionals to conduct the sessions. We also gave employees multiple ways to share their stories.

Through these sessions, we gained valuable insights from employees with lived experiences about the barriers that exist at Health Canada. While some of the stories were difficult for speakers to convey, and difficult to hear, this was an important step in gaining a better understanding of the barriers many employees have and continue to face, and an important course of action toward creating lasting and meaningful change.

Participants touched on a large number of themes related to racism and discrimination in the workplace, including experiencing an unfair playing field; a lack of representation and advancement opportunities; a toxic workplace; poor mental health; exhaustion; and the impact of systemic racism, overt and covert racism, unconscious bias, stereotyping, and marginalization. We strongly encouraged executives to attend these sessions to hear directly from employees. We have shared the report from the Anti-Racism Listening Sessions with employees, on the Department’s intranet. The document has already been viewed more than 2,000 unique times by employees.  

We are taking action to address the recommendations of the Anti-Racism Listening Sessions Report, working with the Leadership Council on Diversity and Inclusion (LCDI) and employee networks. Some of the key recommendations include: customized language training; a review of HR practices and policies to uncover unconscious biases at the recruitment, retention and career development levels; helping employees practice their second language at work; improving the psychological and emotional safety of Black, Indigenous and racialized employees; and cultural sensitivity training for all employees. In response to these recommendations, actions are being advanced in three broad categories: Leadership Action, Communication and Awareness; and Career Development.

Throughout 2020-2021, we also hosted more than 10 Town Halls to engage and inform employees on the pandemic, mental health, science and our commitment to a diverse workforce and healthy, inclusive workplace. Many of these forums were specific to generating an ongoing dialogue on racism, equity, diversity and inclusion. The Town Halls also allowed us to reiterate our commitment to zero tolerance for racism and discrimination. These events were designed to be fully accessible and barrier free, with spoken and sign interpreters as well as closed captioning allowing all employees to participate and receive vital information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many events also included a question-and-answer period using a platform called Slido, empowering employees to speak up about difficult topics.

We also supported our employees’ participation in an interdepartmental ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) Series, encouraging dialogue and awareness across government on diversity and inclusion. Health Canada contributed to this initiative by leading the creation and development of panel discussions and resource guides for federal public service employees. This series hosts live moderated virtual panels once a month and provides space for ongoing nuanced conversations amongst public servants on inclusion and belonging.

Together with the Gender and Sexual Diversity Network, Health Canada celebrated the vibrancy and diversity of LGBTQ2+ communities during Pride Month in June 2020 and Public Service Pride Week in August 2021. Health Canada employees recently helped develop content for AMA: Pride Season, held in July 2021 and replayed during Public Service Pride Week.

We have developed multi-year action plans in collaboration with persons with disabilities, including the co-creation of a Workplace Wellness Service Centre (WWSC) to provide single window support for employees and managers implementing accommodations and to simplify the process for accessing accommodations. The WWSC resulted from dedicated engagement by our Champions for Persons with Disabilities, employee networks and corporate services to respond to the challenges faced in navigating accommodations services.

To support inclusion and equity in our work, Health Canada has strengthened its focus on Sex and Gender-based Analysis Plus (SGBA+) analysis, building it structurally into our work. In 2021, we consulted employee networks, alongside the Diversity and Inclusion Office, on the SGBA+ Policy to ensure that the revised policy incorporates considerations from different equity groups. We recently evaluated our SGBA+ efforts and are using these learnings to ensure greater transparency and accountability. For example, we are implementing specific requirements to consider sex, gender, racialized and other vulnerable populations in new drug and health product submissions, including medical devices.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted systemic racism and the uneven impacts on health outcomes for vulnerable populations within Canada, including Indigenous and racialized communities and the elderly. A core focus in responding to the pandemic has been on working with provinces and territories (PTs) to increase equitable access to health services and products for these communities. We have worked with our colleagues at Indigenous Services Canada to organize national dialogues on anti-Indigenous racism with Indigenous Organizations, PTs, health professional associations, stakeholders, and federal partners. We also developed a joint federal, provincial, and territorial statement on addressing anti-Indigenous racism in the health system, and a Canada Health Act interpretation letter from the Health Minister to her PT counterparts on countering racism in the health system.

We are also committed to addressing the systemic racism faced by scientists within the Health Portfolio. As Deputy Minister Champion for the Science and Technology Community, Dr. Harpreet Kochhar and his colleagues in other science-based departments have identified promoting anti-racist science as one of their priorities. Together, they will identify and address the effects of racism and biases in science and science processes, and raise awareness through engagement of the federal scientific community.

Our Anti-Racist Science Action Plan is aimed at eradicating racial bias in science and strengthening federal science in the Department. The plan is scheduled to launch in fall 2021 and includes three key pillars: assessing and raising awareness of racism in science; identifying and implementing anti-racist science solutions; and making links with the federal Science and Technology Community. Work is actively ongoing on this plan, and progress on these pillars will be continue to be monitored.

Recruitment, retention and career development

We are committed to ensuring the composition of our workforce reflects Canada’s population by recruiting, retaining and supporting the career development of Indigenous employees, Black and other racialized employees, including for senior leadership roles.

Launching the Health Canada Leadership Council on Diversity and Inclusion

In support of this commitment, in the summer of 2020 we launched the Health Canada Leadership Council on Diversity and Inclusion (LCDI) as a way to co-develop with employees new ways to promote a more diverse and inclusive workforce. This group is chaired by us as the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Minister, and is composed of champions and chairs from the employee networks alongside volunteer employee members. The Council amplifies the voices of people in our employee networks to understand key issues and meets regularly to co-develop strategies and programs to eliminate systemic barriers to recruitment, retention and training. To date, work driven by the LCDI includes implementing a flexible funding model for support to employee networks, strategies on inclusive staffing, addressing unconscious bias and diverse selection boards, and recommendations on training needs for all staff. Stemming from Council discussions, the Employment Equity Data Working Group is working to support increased availability and transparency of disaggregated data that can be used to inform recruitment, retention, and career development actions.

To further ensure we meet our goal of increasing executive Indigenous representation, since 2020, we have renewed our focus on staffing of Indigenous candidates and have created an Executive Level Indigenous Inventory open to Indigenous peoples across Canada. This has resulted in the hiring of four self-identified Indigenous executives, and ongoing referrals of Indigenous candidates. Health Canada has also implemented the Indigenous Management Development Program and the Indigenous Career Management for Employees Program to support career advancement of Indigenous employees.

In 2021, Health Canada has continued targeted hiring of new executives who self-identify as Indigenous, Black, and other racialized groups or as persons with disabilities, building on expansion of diversity at the executive level in 2020, including several Assistant Deputy Ministers. We have formalized the use of pools, inventories and curricula vitae of highly qualified candidates from Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities from across Canada for executive positions. Hiring managers are requested to sign and declare that they have reviewed the information available from these candidates before moving forward with candidates outside of these pools and inventories.

Through various feedback mechanisms, we noted that language training is a major barrier to career advancement. As such, in March 2021, we launched an Equitable Access to Language Training Program to provide targeted language training for employment equity groups. The program supports equitable distribution of training opportunities. To date, 123 employees have joined the program, and work is underway to support language training as part of individual learning plans and professional development to prepare individuals for executive positions.

A number of mentoring initiatives for employees and students have been implemented, supported by our partners in the employee networks and senior executives who share expertise, provide support and sponsor our future leaders. As an example, we are introducing the Mentorship Plus program to mentor high potential and aspiring Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles.

Our work with employee networks helps promote inclusive staffing and eliminate barriers in our staffing policies to ensure recruitment is inclusive and accessible. For example, we increased targeted recruitment strategies and used diverse selection boards in staffing processes. We have also implemented training sessions for managers on unconscious bias in staffing, and developed resources for managers and employees to promote greater diversity in the workplace through two sets of guidelines that address inclusive recruiting and gender diversity (e.g., the Practical Guide for Managers and HR Advisors on Inclusive Recruiting, and the Guide to Supporting Gender Diversity in the Workplace). Health Canada is also working with employee networks to develop an Anti-Racism Guide that will provide practical information to managers and employees on how to nurture a respectful and inclusive workplace that is free of racism.

To support our overall efforts, we strengthened corporate support by creating a Diversity and Inclusion Office with a Network Secretariat, acting as a liaison for employee networks. We also created an Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Team. Both are led by senior leaders who are racialized employees. Since its establishment, the Office ensured the publication of Employment Equity Workforce Demographic Reports on our intranet so that all employees have access to our workforce representation data. By better understanding Health Canada’s workforce, we can all work together to ensure our representation reflects the population we serve.

To help ensure the Department has the most up-to-date workforce representation available, the Diversity and Inclusion Office is working with employee networks to launch the 2021 Self-Identification Campaign in fall 2021. The campaign will inform employees of the new categories of disabilities associated with the persons with disabilities employment equity group, and it will promote the importance and value of self-identifying as well.

Measuring progress and getting results

We are measuring our progress, both in terms of representation and progress on the employee workplace experience, including through rates of employment equity representation, and Employment Equity Workforce Demographic Reports. We are using trends in our representation data to help support recruitment, retention, and development efforts. We also use the trends in representation gaps to review and discuss potential systemic barriers to inclusion.

As noted above, some of the concrete actions that the Department has taken to create a more dynamic and diverse workforce include:

• Increasing the number of executives from Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities through career development and talent management;
• Ensuring diverse selection boards for staffing processes; and
• Revising and relaunching cultural awareness training as well as training on Unconscious Bias and Bill C-65.

Our efforts are starting to pay off, although a sustained and stepped-up effort is required looking ahead. For non-executive levels, Indigenous employees accounted for 2% of new hires in 2019-2021 and just over 1% of new hires in 2020-2021. Employees who self-identify as visible minorities accounted for 26% of new hires in 2019-2020 and 28% of new hires in 2020-2021; these numbers include Black employees, who represent 21% and 23% of these hires. In this past year, we also hired more than 150 students from Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities, an increase of about 50% over the previous year. Of the students hired in 2019-2020, 2.7% self-identified as Indigenous and 33.4% self-identified as visible minorities. In 2020-2021, fewer students were hired overall, and there was also a slight decrease in the proportion of hires in employment equity categories.

For more information on employee and employment data and statistics, including Employment Equity at a Glance for Racialized Persons/Visible Minorities, please see Annexes B and C.

An important input to our work on diversity and inclusion is the feedback received from employees through the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES). While the feedback received under the Diversity and Respect theme in 2020 was broadly positive and an improvement over 2019 PSES results, it is nevertheless clear we still have work to do in improving our workplace culture. For example, 12% of Indigenous respondents and 10% of racialized respondents—versus 8% of non-Indigenous respondents and 8% of non-racialized respondents—indicated that they had been a victim of harassment on the job in the past 12 months. And, 10% of racialized respondents—compared to 4% of non-racialized respondents—indicated that they had been a victim of discrimination over the past 12 months.

Similarly, findings from our Health Canada Pulse Check Surveys and Anti-Racism Listening Sessions also indicate a less favourable response from employees who are members of employment equity groups, compared to the overall employee response in areas including mental health, well-being, adequacy of home workspace setup, and management support.

This year, Health Canada will undertake an Employment Systems Review, as outlined in the Employment Equity Act, to identify and address potential barriers to recruitment, retention, development and promotion for employees, particularly for members of the four designated employment equity groups. This review will contribute to additional strategies to remove barriers to the hiring, retention and career development of Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and racialized persons. The report will support human resources planning throughout the Department and inform the development of our 2022-2025 Multi-Year Diversity and Employment Equity Plan, 2022-2025 Official Languages Action Plan, and the Accessibility Action Plan.  

Taking challenges and barriers into account, we recognize and acknowledge that there is a great deal to be done. We are committed to continuing to work together with our employees to better understand how we can co-develop concrete actions and measurable responses to deal with issues of racism, discrimination, inequities and harassment in our workplace.

Challenges and barriers

Our Department’s response to the Clerk’s Call to Action has happened within the wider context of COVID-19. The critical work required to guide and support the Government’s response to this pandemic has created its own set of challenges and barriers. They included significant hiring and staffing efforts; providing accommodations to remote work; and responding to tight timelines with changing workloads and priorities.

We have also faced several other challenges, ranging from behavioral to more systemic in nature. For example, based on feedback from our employees, we have learned that hiring managers are not fully aware of their responsibility to ensure a representative workforce or aware of how to recognize and address representation gaps for the recruitment, retention, development and promotion of staff. We have also learned that members of employment equity groups are more likely to be disadvantaged when it comes to access to language training, creating a barrier to their career advancement.

Finally, it has been brought to our attention that some employees have been told that participating in employee network activities is not considered “real work,” and taking on such roles (such as the chair or co-chair) may be seen as a “career limiting move.” These findings clearly indicate that much work remains to be done, and the actions we outlined above are helping to address these challenges. For example, by funding employee networks and recognizing network participation in letters from us, as the Deputy Ministers, to network members and their managers, as well as in employee performance agreements, we are underscoring the importance of employees’ contributions to the networks and to our commitments on diversity and inclusion.

We continue to address these challenges and remain committed to ensuring that we create a more diverse, safe, healthy and inclusive workplace. For example, we have developed training modules and other resources to help managers create a more representative workforce, and strongly encouraged their use.

Conclusion – A commitment to meaningful change

At Health Canada, we are dedicated to fostering a diverse, equitable, safe, respectful, healthy and inclusive workplace—one that’s free of racism, discrimination, and harassment.

We are committed to continuing our engagement with employees, particularly Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees, including our support for the employee networks. We also are committed to eliminating barriers to the hiring, retention and career development of Black, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and racialized persons.

We thank employees for their strong commitment and collaboration in support of open and honest conversations about racism, discrimination and how to dismantle it to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive Health Canada. We recognize those who spoke up and called out instances of racism and discrimination during our Anti-Racism Listening Sessions. Their courage and dedication are making change happen within our organization.

We are strongly committed to building on the actions outlined above and co-developing their design and delivery with employees. We will be measuring our progress regularly and are striving to create a healthy and inclusive workplace that is accessible to all.

Creating a workplace free of systemic racism can only happen when each of us commits to increasing our understanding and acting consistently to change our behaviours.

We recognize this challenge. We are committed to rooting out racism and to sustaining the attention that you have given to this issue. We also understand the trust you have placed in us to get this right. We know we have a lot of work to do together.

Annex A

At Health Canada, the following employee networks exist in our organization, and included below are their roles and mandates, as well the activities and achievements they have accomplished in relation to diversity and inclusion:

Black Employees Matter Network (BEM)

The Black Employees Matter Network (BEM) is a new network of employees who are committed to improving working conditions and promoting career advancement opportunities for Black employees at Health Canada. The network is comprised of Black employees, people of colour and allies. Key BEM accomplishments and activities supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• Fully established Network and structure, in less than one year, with the support of funded assignments for chairs, co-chairs and junior position, and dedicated time for active volunteers. This initiative provided an opportunity to connect frequently with members to better understand their needs, create new initiatives and organize events;
• Targeted virtual peer support sessions with BEM members to support their mental health, and networking session to provide advice on career advancement;
• Organized departmental virtual events accessible to all employees to commemorate Black History Month; and collaborated with other employee networks on initiatives such as the Anti-racist Science event, allyship, unconscious bias and inclusive staffing initiative to raise awareness on these issues and improve the Department’s internal staffing processes;
• Working on implementing inclusive and equitable policies and practices to enable the availability of meaningful opportunities, resources and tools for career development for Black employees. This is being done through:
  • Collaboration with the Human Resources Services Directorate (HRSD), improving the Health Canada Science Management Development program including mentoring for Black employees, to better prepare them for senior and managerial positions;
  • Proposing the creation of a strategic framework specific to the challenges faced by Black employees in the public service in order to aid Black employees obtain management and senior management positions;
  • Working on creating an Education and Training strategy to raise awareness and educate employees on the different forms of anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination. This includes:
    • Providing resources, guidance and input on creating a safe environment for Black employees; and
    • Collecting and reviewing current educational and training offerings, which will be followed by asking for input from employees and to identify gaps.
  • Recommending areas of improvement for the Department, including:
    • Making recruitment, promotion and retention data accessible to employees through the Department’s intranet.
    • Implementing a targeted selection process to increase the representation of Black employees in executive and scientific roles.

Gender and Sexual Diversity Network (GSDN)

The Gender and Sexual Diversity Network (GSDN) consists of employees who represent the spectrum of gender identities, gender expression and sexual orientations at Health Canada. Key GSDN accomplishments and activities supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• Regular distribution of a newsletter to build awareness of current events related to sexual diversity and gender plurality within Canada and internationally;
• Hosted an interdepartmental meeting to share best practices on initiatives that advance awareness and equity for sexually diverse and gender plural communities;
• Co-hosted an event with the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) Visible Minority Network to explore intersectionality and how societal norms shape our understanding of sexual diversity and gender plurality;
• Initiated a re-launch of a modernized positive space initiative at Health Canada (HC) and PHAC;
• Promoting the use of pronouns that support inclusivity (e.g., in email signature blocks); and
• Amplified events, tools and resources on topics related to sexual diversity and gender plurality (e.g., gender-inclusive writing resource from the Translation Bureau, Microsoft Teams backgrounds, Guide to Supporting Gender Diversity in the Workplace, public service pride season events).

Indigenous Employees Network (IEN)

The Indigenous Employees Network (IEN) provides First Nations, Inuit and Metis employees with a proactive voice on initiatives affecting Indigenous people in the workplace. Key IEN accomplishments and activities supporting a shift toward greater cultural safety, diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• Collaboration with IENs in the Public Health Agency of Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada to plan and deliver remote learning activities to commemorate Indigenous Awareness Week, National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day;
• Holding sharing circles and teachings for its members in the wake of incidences of racial violence against Indigenous peoples and the confirmations of unmarked burial sites at former Indian Residential Schools;
• Targeted information sessions with IEN members on career development programs available to Indigenous employees;
• Collaboration with other employee networks on initiatives on unconscious bias, inclusive staffing and allyship; and
• Collaborated with the corporate Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Team and other employee networks to develop changes to executive, manager and supervisor performance management agreements, which focus on reconciliation, anti-racism, anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion. The reconciliation measure moves beyond the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #57 and requires executives to commit to ongoing learning, cultural change in their business areas, and ongoing commitments to recruitment, development and retention of Indigenous employees.

Managers’ Network (MN)

The Managers’ Network (MN) seeks to build a strong, vibrant and valuable community of managers who actively support each other regardless of level, when dealing with change, or in fulfilling their mandate and obligations. Key MN accomplishments and activities undertaken over the past year include:

• Managers’ Network Annual Forum – this full-day Forum is a cornerstone event for the Network. Each year focusses on a different theme with some satellite and timely issues covered as well. Themes are identified through consultation with members to identify priority needs and gaps. The 2020-2021 theme was Managing During Challenging Times. It focused on leading with empathy and respecting diversity as each employee is different and brings unique experiences and backgrounds to the team. The diversity of the presenters was also a priority for Forum planners.
  

  
  The MN is in the process of finalizing a work plan of activities, which will in part support increased diversity and inclusion to meet employment equity (EE) objectives. These activities include:

  • Competency building for managers on various topics including an overview of the Call to Action; onboarding generally and how to meet the needs of EE seeking groups; accommodations and creating an environment that is inclusive by default; and navigating sensitive topics with team members (e.g., how to respectfully talk about what is on everyone’s mind, such as Residential School burial sites, the murder of George Floyd, court decisions on high profile race-involved cases, or other topical national or global events);
  • Participation in the TBS Mentorship Plus initiative to break down barriers for employees from under-represented communities;
  • Planning for the 2021-2022 Managers’ Network Forum – at which diversity and inclusion across the Department and the Agency will be a key element of the event; and
  • Providing the management community’s perspective at the Deputies’ Leadership Council on Diversity and Inclusion (LCDI). Planning is underway for an LCDI Fall Retreat where concrete actions will be identified to improve diversity and inclusion across the Department, including an implementation plan. The plan will be shared back with the MN and where possible, will inform future work plan activities.

Persons with Disabilities Network (PWDN)

The Persons with Disabilities Network (PWDN) seeks to empower persons with disabilities and collaborate with all employees in influencing positively the culture within HC. Key PWDN accomplishments and activities supporting accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• Being an early adopter of the Government of Canada’s Workplace Accessibility Passport, the Department, alongside the PWDN, is recognized as a trailblazer for accessibility standards across the public service;
• Addressing the intersectionality of official languages and accessibility – how that affects and relates to persons with disabilities;
• The PWDN’s bidirectional communications strategy, WOOFR / OUAF (“We Owe Ourselves Full Respect” / “Ouverture, Unité, Affirmation, Franchise”) – hosted by the Network’s own Assistance Dog, Kyha;
• The Network’s newsletter and anonymous canine Bark-Back Service “VIA_KYHA” is set to launch in September 2021. The newsletter will inform PWDN members of the network’s activities, news, events, and important initiatives in the Department and the PWD community. VIA_KYHA will provide referrals and resources to employees seeking guidance and support related to disability and the workplace;
• Participating in several intersectional Working Groups wherein members strive to promote allyship as they advocate for accessibility for all types of disabilities throughout every stage of recruitment and the career life cycle in both official languages; and
• Supporting policy-makers in implementing bilingual captioning, described video, American Sign Language and Quebec Sign Language services, and other important accommodations toward a barrier-free Canada for all employees and applicants, as well as all clients accessing federal services and products in the implementation of the Accessible Canada Act and the upholding of the principles therein.

Visible Minorities Network (VMN)

The Visible Minorities Network (VMN) provides a venue where visible minority employees can feel visible, vocal and valued. The network engages in leadership activities with the Visible Minorities Champions and Chairs Committee. Key VMN accomplishments and activities supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• Initiated and led the organization of the successful event on the 1997 Tribunal Order during the 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Week in partnership with HRSD and other employee networks;
• Established with HRSD a Working Group on Inclusive Staffing: Co-Chaired by the VMN and HRSD to review and implement the seven Permanent Corrective Measures of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal’s Order. One measure that is being tested is instituting a “diverse selection board” for HR processes. Other measures are being reviewed by the Working Group;
• Established, in partnership with HRSD, the Working Group on Inventories, to establish inventories of VMs who are aspiring to progress to the EX cadre and for those who have been stagnating in the same level for years and need opportunities to progress;
• Worked with HRSD to ensure that Talent Management Plans are not restricted to employees with a performance management agreement rating of “succeed +”; and
• Worked with the HC Science Management Development Program team to remove the mandatory two-year management experience for VMs who aspire to become managers. That experience requirement was discriminatory as many VMs do not get opportunities to act as managers.

Young Professionals Network (YPN)

The Young Professionals Network (YPN) is a joint network between HC and the Agency. The network seeks to connect and equip current and future leaders of Canada’s public service by creating spaces for professional growth, cultivating community, and amplifying the voices of young/young-at-heart professionals. Key YPN accomplishments and activities supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace include:

• A diverse and intersectional membership, with 89% of respondents (212) in the Network’s annual survey for 2020-2021 identifying as part of one or more EE groups. Over the past year, the YPN has aimed to integrate this intersectional lens through all of its activities;
• Creating space for its members to share their diverse and unique experiences at HC through the Voices of Young Professionals feature in their biweekly newsletter. By submitting original content, members have shared their experiences advancing anti-racism efforts within HC and created infographics and resources in support of diversity and inclusion;
• Connecting members with opportunities to engage in different diversity and inclusion activities. For instance, the YPN shared a call-out to participate in a survey and provide feedback on an anti-bias tool being developed by the Inclusive Staffing Working Group, led VMN and HRSD. The YPN has also worked to bring forward the perspectives of young/young-at-heart professionals in corporate discussions;
• Continuing to prioritize the work needed to build the inclusive and diverse workplace young professionals want to see by supporting targeted professional development and training opportunities, increasing collaboration with other employee networks, and providing opportunities for its members’ perspectives to be shared during these important discussions; and
• Fostering a community of young/young-at-heart professionals that embodies a diverse and inclusive culture and has the potential for transformational change as their members go on to become the future leaders of Health Canada and the public service.

Annex B

Health Canada – Intake, Departures, and EX Promotions Data

Source: HR Reporting

Number of Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees who:

Intake: Joined Health Canada in 2020/2021 compared to the total number of employees who joined in 2019/2020

The following information examines all Indeterminate and Term > 3 Months employees who have joined the organization and are considered new employees during the fiscal year presented. Upon joining the department, employees are provided with an opportunity to self-identify. This information is used to determine departmental representativeness of the four Employment Equity Groups.

	FY 2019-2020	FY 2020-2021	Total
Indigenous	22	14	36
Non-Indigenous	1098	1266	2364
Total	1120	1280	2400
% Intake	2.0%	1.1%	n/a
Racialized persons	297	358	655
Non-Racialized persons	823	922	1745
Total	1120	1280	2400
% Intake	26.5%	28.0%	n/a
Black	58	58	116
Non-Black	239	300	539
Total	297	358	655
% Intake Black	5.2%	4.5%	n/a
% Intake Non-Black	21.3%	23.4%	n/a

Intake by source: Joined Health Canada in 2020/2021 compared to the total number of employees who joined in 2019/2020

The following information examines how employees joined Health Canada. They either joined from outside the Federal Public Service (recruitment) or through a transfer in from other Federal Public Service Organizations (Inter-departmental transfers in).

	Source Intake	FY 2019/2020	FY 2020/2021	Total
Indigenous	Total	22	14	36
	Recruitment	11	5	16
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	11	9	20
Non Indigenous	Total	1098	1266	2364
	Recruitment	663	792	1455
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	435	474	909
Racialized	Total	297	358	655
	Recruitment	202	245	447
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	95	113	208
Non Racialized	Total	823	922	1745
	Recruitment	472	552	1024
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	351	370	721
Black	Total	58	58	116
	Recruitment	46	42	88
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	12	16	28
Non-Black	Total	239	300	539
	Recruitment	156	203	359
	Inter-Departmental Transfers IN	83	97	180

Departures: Left Health Canada in 2020/2021 compared to the total number of employees who left in 2019/2020

The following information accounts for all Indeterminate and Term > 3 Months employees who left the organization and are no longer considered employees during the fiscal year presented. The employees most recent self-identification information is used to determine the employment equity designated group that they belong to. This information then is used to determine the rate of departure of employees in these designated groups. The information below includes employees who left the Federal Public Service all together (departures such as resignations or retirements) and those that move to other Federal Public Service organizations (Inter-departmental transfers out).

	FY 2019-2020	FY 2020-2021	Total
Indigenous	39	25	64
Non-Indigenous	779	679	1458
Total	818	704	1522
% Departure	4.8%	3.6%	n/a
Racialized persons	152	148	300
Non-Racialized persons	666	556	1222
Total	818	704	1522
% Departure	18.6%	21.0%	n/a
Black	34	33	67
Non-Black	118	115	233
Total	152	148	300
% Departure Black	4.2%	4.7%	n/a
% Departure Non-Black	14.3%	16.3%	n/a

Promotions: Appointed to Executive positions in 2020/2021 compared to the total number of employees appointed to Executive positions in 2019/2020

The following information examines all non-Executive Indeterminate and Term > 3 Months employees within the organization who have moved into Executive Cadre (EX Group) during the fiscal year presented. This only includes employees movement into this group from within the organization and doesn't account for those who join from either outside the Federal Public Service or from other Federal Public Service organizations. The employees most recent Self-Identification information is used to determine the employment equity designated group.

	FY 2019-2020	FY 2020-2021	Total
Indigenous	0	1	1
Non-Indigenous	11	12	23
Total	11	13	24
% of Promotion	0%	7.7%	n/a
Racialized persons	1	2	3
Non-Racialized persons	10	11	21
Total	11	13	24
% of Promotion	9.1%	15.4%	n/a
Black	0	0	0
Non-Black	1	2	3
Total	1	2	3
% of Promotion	0%	0%	n/a

Prepared by: Corporate Services Branch – Human Resources Services Directorate - HR Reports

Annex C – Health Canada - Employment Equity at a Glance - April 2020

Everyone benefits and everyone has a role to play in embracing diversity, inclusiveness and respect.

Overall - Visible Minorities

Fostering a workplace culture that values diversity and promotes an equitable workforce.

Historical representation % and #

	Apr 2016	Apr 2017	Apr 2018	Apr 2019	Apr 2020
Representation	24.3%	25.2%	25.7%	26.3%	27.0%
Number	1,607	1,702	1,751	1,986	2,119
WFA	15.3%	15.4%	15.4%	15.4%	19.1%

Current Gaps and Utilization Rates

Group	Utilization Rate	Gaps
EN	15%	-6
NU	64%	-4
MD	66%	-9
IS	85%	-5
PG	85%	-1
ND	88%	0
EC	92%	-20
CH	95%	-8
EG	97%	-1

Current % of Designated Group – Top 5

By Branch	Percentage	Total
CSCB	8%	86%
HECSB	11%
CSB	15%
ROEB	21%
HPFB	32%

 

By Group	Percentage	Total
CH	7%	69%
AS	10%
EC	11%
BI	18%
SG	23%

Recruitment

The intake of designated employment equity (EE) groups is in line or above that of Workforce Availability (WFA) to ensure continued support of inclusiveness and diversity.

% of Intake

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Intake	172	299	394	232
% of Intake	20.6%	25.3%	25.5%	24.2%
Average WFA	15.4%	15.4%	15.4%	17.2%

Intake Source % and #

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
Inter-Departmental Transfer IN #	76	123	133	52
Inter-Departmental Transfer IN %	44.2%	41.1%	33.8%	22.4%
External Recruitment #	96	176	261	180
External Recruitment %	55.8%	58.9%	66.2%	77.6%

Intake Rates

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
EE Designated	9.6%	15.8%	19.3%	10.5%
Non-EE Designated	12.4%	16.1%	20.0%	12.0%

Professional Development

That existing employees have access to developmental opportunities for career advancement.

% of Promotions (Permanent)

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Promotions	129	150	218	169
% of Promotions	22.7%	22.6%	27.8%	24.6%
Average Representation	24.7%	25.4%	26.0%	26.6%

% of Lateral Transfers

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Laterals	98	111	112	127
% of Laterals	21.9%	23.8%	24.8%	26.2%
Average Representation	24.7%	25.4%	26.0%	26.6%

% of Actings (Temporary Promotions)

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Actings	700	707	749	775
% of Actings	22.9%	24.2%	24.8%	24.5%
Average Representation	24.7%	25.4%	26.0%	26.6%

Retention Plan

That existing employees want to stay and work at Health Canada.

% of Departures

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
# of Departures	115	130	173	122
% of Departures	16.0%	17.6%	20.8%	17.9%
Average Representation	24.7%	25.4%	26.0%	26.6%

Departure Type #

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
Transfers out #	74	84	111	65
Resignation #	11	8	15	15
Retirement #	19	22	29	20
Other #	11	16	18	22

Departure Type %

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
Transfers out %	64.3%	64.6%	64.2%	53.3%
Resignation %	9.6%	6.2%	8.7%	12.3%
Retirement %	16.5%	16.9%	16.8%	16.4%
Other %	9.6%	12.3%	10.4%	18.0%

Departure Rates

	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020
EE Designated	6.4%	6.9%	8.5%	5.5%
Non-EE Designated	11.3%	11.1%	11.5%	9.2%

Post-Secondary Recruitment (PSR) & Student Bridging

To create an environment where the intake of students and graduates leads to future employment.

	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20
Student Hires (All)	668	769	992	954
Student Bridging & PSR (All)	268	338	538	316
# EE Designated	83	115	183	96
% EE Designated	31.0%	34.0%	34.0%	30.4%
% Appointed for a Determinate Period (All)	48.1%	51.2%	56.9%	56.3%

Additional Facts

	Average Age	% Women	% Indeterminate	% Leave without Pay	% EX Minus 1 or Above
EE Designated Group	43.6	61.7%	95.5%	5.7%	9.5%
Non-EE Designated Group	44.1	66.1%	92.8%	6.2%	15.3%

Due to Phoenix, data may be delayed by the timing of pay files being transferred into or out of the department or the processing of actions.