Gender-based Analysis Plus

The Covert Program’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee has made several recommendations highlighting the need to strengthen the program’s approach to demographic data collection, continuously review and evaluate training and selection practices from an equity, diversity and inclusion – and GBA Plus – lens, as well as improve communication and increase awareness among employees about program-level changes.

The Witness Protection Program applies GBA Plus as part of its protected persons admission process. During the year, each new protected person undergoes a series of assessments, and the program creates a plan to address their safety, security, and unique needs. The program will continue its staffing efforts to employ members from diverse backgrounds and experiences to better reflect the changing needs of the program and the environment in which it operates.

Federal Policing International Operations collects sufficient data to enable it to monitor and report program impacts by gender, but not as much by diversity. Currently, it is difficult to have access to data related to the target audience of Canadian and foreign law enforcement agencies, as well as affected populations in states where Canadian law enforcement and security institutions engage. As the information systems within the RCMP evolve in these areas, the program will be in a better position to capture and report on gender-based data. As part of the review of the Performance Information Profile for the International Program and of the Action Plan for strengthening the Canadian Police Arrangement Reporting, the International Program began developing new performance measurement indicators in fiscal year 2022-23, including GBA Plus indicators, to better capture the impact of the program and the lessons learned at both the program and mission levels. Performance measurement objectives were identified and subsequent GBA Plus data will be systematically collected, analyzed, reported and leveraged for continuous program improvement for 2024-25 and going forward.

To enhance the ability of the program to deliver gender-sensitive programming, Women, Peace and Security is a key pillar within all Pre-Deployment training sessions for deploying officers. These sessions include topics such as gender roles, gender mainstreaming, and the RCMP’s targets related to women’s participation in international deployments. All deploying police officers must undergo the Pre-Deployment training, also known as the International Peace Support Operations Training. A detailed understanding of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security is delivered to all officers who deploy, as part of pre-deployment training. During this training, the RCMP also provides in-class, mission-specific sessions on the differential impact of conflict on women and girls, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, cultural awareness, as well as Code of Conduct and ethics. All International Program personnel – both within headquarters and deployed – are required to take Women and Gender Equality Canada’s online GBA Plus training. Alongside the United Nations, Federal Policing will continue to strive to meet the goal of 30% female participation by 2028. To achieve this, it is incumbent upon the RCMP and its Canadian Police Arrangement partners to continue to address gender barriers. Employing women peacekeepers as role models in recruitment processes, providing clarity around deployment criteria, and building awareness are key activities that will enhance female participation in peacekeeping missions. As part of the Elsie Initiative, Canada has established bilateral technical assistance and training partnerships with the Zambia Police Service to increase the deployment of women. The RCMP partnered with the Zambia Police Service in this regard, to support the Zambia Police Service to increase its capacity to deploy more women peacekeepers. Finally, in 2022-23, Federal Policing International Operations renewed its involvement in the United Nations Pre-Selection Assistance and Assessment Team training to continue to increase women’s participation in United Nations peace operations by assisting women police officers to be successful in their applications to serve in United Nations Peacekeeping Missions. The RCMP’s commitment to deliver this training continues to assist the United Nations in increasing the number of female police officers deployed on missions.

In support of the RCMP Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, Federal Policing will continue to roll out its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and advance the following GBA Plus initiatives related to staffing efforts: incorporate GBA Plus considerations, best practices, and lessons learned to committee and staffing selection processes, as well as talent management and succession planning processes, to ensure a bias-free environment; implement strategies and diversify approaches, methods and outreach materials to attract diverse applicants. These include the development of bias-free Federal Policing recruitment material promoting the organization's diversity through portraying different gender and ethnic groups.

Federal Policing National Governance will continue ongoing work with Business Intelligence and Transformation on collecting Diversity and Employment Equity information to analyze available disaggregated data as part of the staffing process to apply an intersectional approach in the future, to assess potential impacts on candidates’ selections based on their identity factors and identify challenges in hiring from diverse groups; and, promote and provide access to diversity and GBA Plus awareness training and self-assessment and feedback tools.

In collaboration with the Disability and Accessibility Network, Federal Policing Strategic Management provided feedback on the Public Service Disability Management and Accommodation Program Framework which will be able to provide a consistent mechanism to track, capture and report on data once launched.

During the Sexual Assault Review Committee’s continuous work to review files, personnel are asked to document their observations, as well as trends.. During these reviews, Committee members indicate which of the predetermined options are present, such as the victim or suspect being under 16 years old or over 60 years old; the victim or suspect being Indigenous; the victim or suspect identifying as part of the 2SLGBTQI+ community. There is some irregularity among the files as to the gender or diversity of the victim or suspect, therefore this data may not be sufficient in accuracy or robustness to report on program impacts.

The National Office of Sexual Offence Investigative Standards continues to review concluded sexual assault investigations. These reviews assist in measuring the effectiveness of current policies, training, and other supporting resources, while also examining the quality of investigations with a view to identifying any trends, good practices, barriers, issues, or gaps, and to make recommendations to improve the quality of sexual assault investigations.

The National Office of Sexual Offence Investigative Standards will continue to oversee the Sexual Assault Investigation Review Committees that have been established in provinces and territories where the RCMP is the police of jurisdiction. These external review committees are beneficial as they: improve collaboration with Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Agencies; enhance mutual understanding of the RCMP and participant’s roles and responsibilities with respect to responding to sexual violence; identify and promote good practices to improve RCMP policies and training; involve collaboration with a variety of different community organizations; ensure that the RCMP develops a victim-centered and trauma-informed response to sexual assault crimes; enhance the accountability framework related to the investigations of sexual assault complaints; improve the quality of RCMP sexual assault investigations; and increase community confidence and trust in the investigation of sexual assault complaints, as well as measuring improvements in the quality of investigations.

The National Office of Sexual Offence Investigative Standards will create two new Sexual Offence Investigative courses, to be delivered in a classroom setting, for 2024. The purpose of these courses is to continue to improve RCMP personnel’s knowledge and ability in conducting comprehensive sexual offences investigations. They will also focus on teaching members to use a trauma-informed and victim-centered approach when responding to sexual violence complaints and introduces investigative best practices processes in a scenario-based learning environment. Women and Gender Equality Canada was consulted on the development of the materials for an online portion which will be utilized and expanded upon in the two classroom setting courses. The final content of these two courses is still in development.