The role of the champion is to ensure that the officers—and the officers are the lead contact point with departments.... Our job as a champion is to make sure that we embed gender-based analysis in the policy challenge function and that we provide our officers with the tools they need so that they understand gender-based analysis and what the requirements are.
So that's the role of the champion: to make sure it's embedded in our training programs and in the culture of PCO officers, so that the PCO officers, who are really the lead contacts with departments in performing a policy challenge function, understand their role. When working on a particular policy initiative, if there's a priority that's moving forward identified by the government as a priority, the officer dealing with the department will ask the questions, will understand and ask whether the implications have been assessed.
As appropriate, it would be included in the analysis of the memorandum to cabinet. Also, through an interdepartmental process we would look to Status of Women. A key part of any initiative coming forward to cabinet, and the role of PCO, is to ensure that there is in fact horizontal coordination and that we ensure that any initiative coming in has a full interdepartmental process, which includes a meeting where representatives from each department—and that would include a representative from Status of Women—would have an opportunity to review an initiative coming forward and to provide their input.