Evidence of meeting #17 for Status of Women in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was departments.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:50 a.m.
Liberal
9:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
What I'd like to do is this. Ms. Minna asked the question, and you were saying that you are doing analysis of projects. Could you provide us with a sample of what you've done, the gap analysis that she's asking for, so that we understand how you operate--you take your mandate, you look at the department, and determine what it has met and what it has not met? If you give us the gap analysis, perhaps we will be able to move forward with that.
Thank you, Ms. Minna.
We'll now go to Madame Boucher, cinq minutes.
9:50 a.m.
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Thank you very much for coming here today, Mesdames.
The debate is very interesting. It's complicated, but less so than one would have thought at the outset. We are getting answers that inform us a little.
Some mechanisms for Treasury Board submissions have been implemented since September 2007. This is quite new, but these analyses were implemented a number of years ago. Would you say that a certain amount of education still has to be done in each department for gender-based analysis to become automatic?
I'd also like to know how many departments, in your opinion, are examining gender-based analysis, and what are the results of that initiative.
9:55 a.m.
Director, Gender-Based Analysis, Status of Women Canada
I forgot your first question.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
I wanted to know whether a lot of educating had to be done in the departments.
9:55 a.m.
Director, Gender-Based Analysis, Status of Women Canada
Yes, there's still a lot to be done. However, the approach has changed. We get better results by relying on accountability rather than imposition. The fact that people understand that gender-based analysis is part of the work and of policy development, that it's not an ideological position, but simply a way to conduct a good and comprehensive job of analysis, helps us much more in getting the departments on our side. When they sense that we're trying to impose a position on them, they immediately offer resistance. When we stay in the world of methodology and rigour, and the analysis is perceived as an aid or a tool, the doors open and it's very easy to work in collaboration with the departments.
As to the other question—
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
In your experience, how many departments are sensitive to gender-based analysis? Are tangible results being achieved by some of them?
February 14th, 2008 / 9:55 a.m.
Senior Policy and Program Analyst, Status of Women Canada
We currently have an interdepartmental GBA committee. It consists of people from the departments where there are GBA duties, whether it be a network, a responsibility centre together with a network or duties. At the federal level, there are 17 who have some kind of capability, which doesn't mean that each department covers the full range of work in the field.
As for results, it's hard to generalize because there are a lot of factors and pressures involved in the departments. However, we know that Citizenship and Immigration Canada officials started working with us on training in 2001. They're the ones who have the most extensive implementation experience. They've become much more sophisticated. So we can see results at CIC.
As we said earlier, this takes time and awareness efforts. The knowledge and expertise have to be disseminated within the departments. We see results in small areas. In terms of accountability, the Treasury Board can now conduct an evaluation. So we can identify the elements much more precisely and determine whether equality-related results have been achieved.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
When the departments resist gender-based analysis, to what is that due? Is it related to the fact that the budget is feminized? Is it due to the fact that they feel... I don't know how to put it—
9:55 a.m.
A voice
We're getting near the end.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
“Resistance to change”, that's what you want. Are they resisting change?
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Is the resistance due to the mentality, to the fact that the budget is being feminized? Do the departments feel that it's an obligation?
9:55 a.m.
Director, Gender-Based Analysis, Status of Women Canada
I don't really know. Workload is sometimes mentioned. Once again, I think the approach is at issue. In the past, when women's issues were dealt with, people perceived the matter as additional work that they were being asked to do, and they opposed it. Now it's part of the analysis and training they receive. I believe we've already distributed kits to you on that subject, but we're going to distribute others.
The training is modelled on each process involved in policy development. For those who do this kind of work, it's not really complicated. We simply tell them that when data is collected, that they must ensure it's broken down and that, if they do research, they must ensure they expand the pool of researchers they call upon in order to include female researchers. It's really disarming in the sense that they can't simply refuse to do it.
10 a.m.
Director, Gender-Based Analysis, Status of Women Canada
It's simpler that way.
10 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
I thank you because I think there are so many other questions.
A question that was posed by Madame Boucher was, could you provide us with a list of departments that have GBA capacity?
10 a.m.
A voice
Yes.
10 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Thank you.
We now go to Madame Deschamps, cinq minutes, s'il vous plaît.
10 a.m.
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I may be a bit of a sop, but I'd nevertheless like to welcome you and take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day.
10 a.m.
An hon. member
That's nice!
10 a.m.
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Now I'm going to be more pragmatic and ask you how many years Status of Women Canada has been developing the implementation of gender-based analysis.
