Repository of Practices
Primary GCM Objectives
Secondary GCM Objectives
GCM Guiding Principles*
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Dates
Summary
Gender-Based Analysis Plus is an analytical tool used by the Government of Canada, including Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, that enables public servants to achieve the best possible outcomes for clients, including Canadians, permanent residents (including refugees), temporary residents, and prospective clients (people interested in coming to Canada). Gender-based Analysis Plus assesses how groups of women, men and people of all genders experience and may be impacted by government policies and programs. The “plus” acknowledges that Gender-based Analysis Plus is not just about gender. Each individual has multiple identity factors that intersect to make them who they are, including: age, levels of education, socio-economic status, ethnicity, race, religion, and mental or physical disability. The Government of Canada has been committed to using Gender-based Analysis Plus in the development of policies, programs and legislation since 1995. The Gender-based Analysis Plus commitment was reinforced by the 2010 Government of Canada Departmental Action Plan on Gender-Based Analysis.The Action Plan was released in response to a 2009 Auditor General’s report, which had concluded that most federal departments were not adequately integrating Gender-based Analysis Plus within policy and program development. Canada has legal obligations for gender equality under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada is the only federal department with a legislative requirement to conduct Gender-based Analysis Plus. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a gender-based analysis of the impact of the Act must be included in the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration. Given the international and federal commitments noted above, the scope of Gender-based Analysis Plus activities within Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada goes beyond this legislative requirement to also address citizenship and passport policies and programs.
Organizations
Main Implementing Organization(s)
Detailed Information
Benefit and Impact
In 2022, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada applied the use of Gender-based Analysis Plus to several policies and programs that were put in place during or before 2019, which lead to improving outcomes for 2SLGBTQI+ populations, supporting survivors and those at risk of gender-based violence, facilitating resettlement and economic mobility in Canada, supporting racialized newcomers, and advocating for gender and diversity on the international stage.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada recognizes that racialized women face barriers to entering the workforce due to their intersecting identities of race and gender, among other factors. In 2018, Canada launched the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot to support targeted employment services for racialized newcomer women through the Settlement Program. Results to date show improvements in career adaptability and employment outcomes for participants. While the Pilot expired in 2023, funding for select, existing projects has been extended until March 2025. The use of Gender-based Analysis Plus help uncover those barriers and implement more inclusive programs.
To measure a policy or program’s effectiveness and ensure successful implementation, the Department receives regular feedback from subject matter experts, community members and partners, and collects disaggregated data on the initiative in order to assess progress and highlight unintended impacts.
Key Lessons
At Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, there is a dedicated team, the Equity Branch, that provides information on the mandatory requirements for subject matter experts who are seeking to conduct a Gender Based Analysis Plus assessment on their policies and programs. The team also leverages Gender Based-Analysis Plus resources from Women and Gender Equality Canada, such as training courses on the Canadian School of Public Service, to equip officials.
Increased collection and use of disaggregated data is a priority for the Government of Canada to build a stronger evidence base for decision-making, provide consistent and accurate reporting on results, and address the unique needs of marginalized populations through the use of Gender-based Analysis Plus in policy and program design and service delivery.
Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)
• identifying the issue,
• identifying people and their needs,
• identifying differences,
• developing options, and
• implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
Additional guidance is provided through the “Introduction to GBA Plus” training course from the Women and Gender Equality department. It is important to recognize that migrants and refugees come for all walks of life and have multiple, intersecting identities, so applying the Gender-based Analysis Plus tool helps understand the barriers they face and how more equitable outcomes for all newcomers can be achieved.
Innovation
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada uses Women and Gender Equality’s Gender Based Analysis framework to make the practice sustainable. The Department has been reporting on the use of Gender Based Analysis Plus in Annual Reports to Parliament since 2002. Additionally, the departmental Policy on Gender-Based Analysis is implemented since 2011 as an established vehicle for the regular use of resources for training and implementation practices of Gender Based Analysis Plus. In 2023, the Department established an Equity Branch reporting directly to the Deputy Minister to act as the focal point for equity initiatives and the centre of expertise to oversee the implementation of Gender Based Analysis Plus. The new branch provides ongoing and consistent guidance and internal advice to areas in policy and program design, service delivery and people management to ensure that the practice is used accurately and sustainably in the long term.
Additional Resources
Date submitted:
*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).