Gender-based analysis plus

Governance structures

The Responsibility Centre and focal point for GBA+ lies with the Strategic Policy Division at national headquarters. Because CSC manages a diverse offender population, it has staff across the country dedicated to issues relative to women offenders, Indigenous offenders, ethnocultural offenders, victims of crimes, and other groups. This configuration is bolstered by national bodies (e.g., Ethnocultural Advisory Committee), and various branches and sectors within national headquarters (e.g., Indigenous Initiatives Directorate, and the Women Offender Sector) that consider potential differential impacts of policy, programs and legislation on the needs of different offender populations.

With respect to CSC policy, staff in the Strategic Policy Division provide a "challenge" function and apply a GBA+ lens during policy development. In addition, CSC engages in a formal consultation process prior to adopting new policies or significant modifications to existing policy. This includes consultation with all CSC sectors and regions, and externally, with inmate committees and a broad range of stakeholders representing the interests of different non-profit organizations, community representatives, academia, experts in various fields and offender groups.

In addition to specific sectors and branches, CSC relies on its policy, evaluation and research units to monitor the assessment of gender and diversity components of its initiatives. From a human resources perspective, CSC also monitors employment equity results.

Human resources

The Responsibility Centre and focal point for GBA+ lies with the Strategic Policy Division. While CSC does not have employees dedicated full-time to working on GBA+, CSC has two national co-champions and the entire Strategic Policy team (11 FTEs) who share the responsibility to support continued awareness, knowledge and application across national headquarters.

Planned initiatives

Respecting Gender Identity or Expression

CSC is reviewing and updating many of its policies to ensure that human rights as they pertain to "gender identity or expression" are respected for all offenders as well as for staff, while ensuring a healthy and safe environment for everyone. CSC expects to continue this work during the 2020-21 fiscal year and beyond.

Concurrently, CSC has started working on related initiatives, including developing an overarching national policy (Commissioner's Directive) on managing offenders with gender considerations; drafting a Guide to Support Transgender Employees; and reviewing its forms as an initial step toward implementing Treasury Board's Policy Direction to Modernize the Government of Canada's Sex and Gender Information Practices. Work on these initiatives is expected to continue during the 2020-21 fiscal year.

As new or updated policy documents, communication products and offender programs are implemented, they will reflect gender-inclusive language rather than "binary" (e.g., "he or she") language.

Reporting capacity and data

Note: Performance Measurement is best suited to provide input for this section. Also, HRM-Employment Equity may have input, from a staffing perspective.