Implementing Gender-Based Analysis

Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Implementing Gender-Based Analysis

(Report 1—2015 Fall Reports of the Auditor General of Canada)

19 April 2016

Richard Domingue, Principal
Office of the Auditor General of Canada

Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to discuss our 2015 Fall Report on gender-based analysis.

Gender-based analysis (GBA) is an analytical tool for assessing the gender-specific impacts of policies, legislation, and programs on women and men. This tool is intended to help policy-makers consider gender issues and support decision making. Implementing gender-based analysis can help integrate social, economic, and gender differences into policy development.

At a United Nations conference in 1995, the Government of Canada committed to analyzing gender-specific policy impacts on women and men before making decisions. Our audit focused on the implementation of GBA, an area we first examined in 2009. Our 2015 audit included Status of Women Canada, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Privy Council Office, and four departments. At the time, they were known as Employment and Social Development Canada, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Industry Canada, and Natural Resources Canada. In our audit, we selected and examined a total of 16 recent policy initiatives from the four departments.

In our audit, we observed that gender-based analysis was still not fully deployed across the federal government, although 20 years had passed since the government had committed to applying this type of analysis to its policy decisions. In other words, gender considerations, including obstacles to the full participation of diverse groups of women and men, are not always considered in government decisions. This finding is similar to what we found in our 2009 audit.

We also found in our 2015 audit that a gender-based analysis framework was not implemented in 6 of the 25 departments and agencies that had committed to implementing the 2009 government-wide Departmental Action Plan on GBA.

We found that the analyses conducted by the sampled departments were not always complete, nor of consistent quality. A complete GBA was performed by the four departments for half of the 16 sampled initiatives. Examining the Family Violence Prevention Program at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, we found evidence that the completion of GBA contributed to program development.

We found that Status of Women Canada, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and the Privy Council Office made progress in promoting and supporting the application of gender-based analysis in the federal government. For example, Status of Women Canada developed guidance documents, tools, and online training materials for departments and agencies. It also drafted a new GBA strategic plan. The Secretariat and Privy Council Office clarified their expectations about what information on gender issues needed to be reported in Cabinet documents.

Despite all these efforts, departments and agencies face barriers to including gender-based analysis in policy development. These barriers can include the absence of mandatory requirements to conduct GBA, tight deadlines for developing policy initiatives, and limited review by senior management of the completeness of GBA.

The central agencies and Status of Women Canada have agreed with our recommendations and prepared an action plan to address them.

Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening remarks. I would be pleased to answer any questions the Committee may have. Thank you.