Search National Action Plan on Open Government Tracker
Issue to be addressed
Open government should benefit all Canadians. Yet many communities continue to be under-represented in government engagement processes. These communities seeking equality can include women, girls, LGBTQ2 people, racialized communities, persons with disabilities, young Canadians, low-income Canadians, and others who face barriers in accessing government information and participating meaningfully in the government’s decision-making
Commitment
The Government of Canada will support greater inclusion and diversity in its public engagement. We will apply an intersectional lens to open government activities and work to ensure that the voices and experiences of marginalized and under-represented communities are represented, considered, and included. In particular, we will:
- test ways to make government engagement and consultation processes more open to everyone
- implement Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in public engagements and consultations
- build capacity for government officials to design, facilitate, and support more open and inclusive dialogue
- engage Canadians on gender equality
- support initiatives that build the capacity and longer term viability of women’s organizations
- increase access to gender and inclusion data
- put people with lived experiences of the consequences of public policy, including members of vulnerable communities such as persons who are homeless or in poverty, at the centre of Government of Canada policy design processes
- ensure our own National Action Plan on Open Government is as inclusive as possible by conducting a rigorous analysis of gender-based impacts of all commitments
Milestones
8.1 Test best practices for inclusive dialogue and engagement
8.1.1 public engagement or awareness-raising sessions organized in partnership with community organizations representing equality-seeking communities
8.1.2 At least 4 best practices tested as part of in-person events, for example, use of alternative venues, event amenities such as child care and transportation, and event structure
8.1.3 Report on inclusive engagement practices and guidance for government departments published
8.2 Promote development of skills and competencies required to design, facilitate, and support open and inclusive dialogue in policy development, with support materials and capacity building activities
8.2.1 Competencies for supporting open and inclusive dialogue are part of a policy competency framework for public servants
8.2.2 Capacity-building activities are developed and offered to public servants
8.2.3 Open and inclusive dialogue case studies and supporting materials are published and shared with the public
8.3 Implement Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in public engagement and consultations
8.3.1 A guide to integrate GBA+ in public consultations and engagement has been developed and implemented, as part of the Guide to Public Engagement
8.4 Engage Canadians on gender equality by hosting a national roundtable on GBA+, leading a national conversation on gender equality with young Canadians, and developing a strategy that engages men and boys as partners in advancing gender equality
8.4.1 In-person or online engagement sessions held:
- Roundtable: targeting approximately 250 stakeholders reached in person
- Engaging men and boys: targeting approximately 90 organizations engaged on the development of a strategy
8.4.2 Engagement sessions include participation from youth, Indigenous people, officials from different levels of government, academics, civil society representatives, and industry representatives
8.4.3 Information discussed during engagement sessions are shared in public reports (for example, What We Heard Reports, website platform)
8.5 Support initiatives that build the capacity and longer-term viability of women’s organizations
8.5.1 Capacity supports (for example, resources, tools, strategic plans, sustainability plans) are generated by funded projects
8.6 Increase access to relevant and timely gender and inclusion data
8.6.1 More than 50 indicators are released to improve access to sex-disaggregated and gender data to support GBA+ analysis
8.6.2 Data strategies are developed, including concepts and standards, to address gaps as the relate to the concerns of LGBTQ2 communities
8.6.3 A gender-based violence (GBV) knowledge centre is established to serve as a hub to coordinate federal initiatives under Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, support data collection and research, and disseminate and mobilize GBV-related knowledge and evidence
8.6.4 Annual reports to Canadians on the GBV Strategy’s results are released
8.6.5 Data and research in priority areas related to gender-based violence are released
8.7 Put people with lived experiences of the consequences of public policy, including members of vulnerable communities such as persons who are homeless or in poverty, at the centre of Government of Canada policy design processes
8.7.1 A Federal Housing Advocate and National Housing Council are appointed and are starting to consult and collaborate with stakeholders, including people with lived experience of housing need and homelessness
8.7.2 An independent National Advisory Council on Poverty is established to provide advice to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. The Council will be representative of Canada's diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity, regions, Indigenous people, and official languages, and include members with lived experience of poverty
8.8 Conduct GBA+ for all commitments in Canada’s 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Open Government
8.8.1 A feminist and inclusive peer review of National Action Plan commitments has been conducted
8.8.2 A GBA+ review of National Action Plan commitments has been completed