Gender-based analysis plus
In this section
Introduction
In 2018, Parliament passed the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act. The Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports are being used to fulfill the President of the Treasury Board's obligations to make public, every year, analysis on the impacts of expenditure programs on gender and diversity.
Each department is responsible for conducting their own Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus).
The Policy on Results indicates that Program officials, as designated by Deputy Heads, are responsible for ensuring data collection for meeting policy requirements.
Applicability
All organizations must complete GBA Plus supplementary information tables in departmental plans and departmental results reports on an annual basis.
Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus governance and capacity
Governance
The Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics (CGDIS) is Statistics Canada's centre of expertise on gender, diversity and inclusion, as well as on the Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) framework. The centre plays a critical role in supporting the agency's Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP), which aims to address systemic issues such as gender gaps and racism through improved data collection and analysis. Key activities of the centre include managing a public-facing hub; conducting research on gender, diversity and inclusion; disseminating analytical products; and building GBA Plus capacity across the agency.
The DDAP Secretariat is housed within the CGDIS and serves as the primary platform for delivering disaggregated and intersectional data to Canadians. These data are crucial for informing inclusive policy decisions. The DDAP enables GBA Plus by providing more detailed data, allowing for intersectional analyses that consider various identity factors, such as gender, race and ethnicity, income, education, and socio-economic factors. This approach supports equitable decision making that benefits the entire Canadian population. Additionally, the CGDIS leads the GBA Plus Responsibility Network, which includes representatives from each area of Statistics Canada, working together to integrate GBA Plus into all levels of the agency.
The CGDIS reports to Canadians through the Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics Hub, which centralizes related resources. The hub was redesigned in the fall of 2024 to improve user experience, and it now connects to 10 other Statistics Canada hubs and portals, including the Sex, Gender and Sexual Orientation Statistics Hub, which reports on Canada's Gender Results Framework and provides data and analyses on gender and 2SLGBTQ+ populations. Alongside the hub, the centre continues to enhance data disaggregation, develop new research products and support Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy by collaborating with external advisory committees. These efforts ensure that Statistics Canada remains at the forefront of providing data that help address systemic inequalities and promote inclusivity.
Capacity
The CGDIS plays a key role in reporting on gender, diversity and inclusion data for Canadians. It works to identify and address gaps in data and analysis, support the development of new data, and enhance knowledge and capacity related to GBA Plus. GBA Plus is a critical tool for understanding how different population groups experience policies and programs, with a focus on gender and its intersection with other identity factors. The DDAP, a broader government-wide strategy for collecting detailed demographic data, supports the effectiveness of GBA Plus by providing the essential disaggregated data required for analysis.
The CGDIS also manages the internal GBA Plus Community of Practice (CoP), which serves as a platform for sharing tools, resources and knowledge. This community fosters collaboration with the GBA Plus Responsibility Network. The CoP regularly hosts meetings, presentations and workshops, such as those focused on methodological considerations in disseminating statistical information related to gender diversity and inclusion.
In addition to its data responsibilities, the CGDIS leads engagement and outreach efforts, raising awareness and building capacity for GBA Plus within Statistics Canada. These efforts include developing training materials that promote data disaggregation and supporting GBA Plus across all areas of the agency. The CGDIS also collaborates with the Canada School of Public Service and various working groups to provide input and support for GBA Plus training and awareness initiatives.
Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus
The centre plans to allocate two full-time equivalents (FTEs) specifically for GBA Plus work within Statistics Canada during the 2025-26 fiscal year. The FTEs will be responsible for several key tasks, including reviewing the GBA Plus content in Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions and ensuring that these critical documents reflect inclusive, evidence-based decision making.
In addition to content review, the FTEs will coordinate GBA Plus training sessions and awareness initiatives across the agency, fostering a deeper understanding of GBA Plus principles among staff. They will also serve as the central point of contact for GBA Plus within Statistics Canada, providing guidance and support to various teams, including collaborating closely with the agency's GBA Plus Champion on strategic initiatives. Their work will extend to the creation and development of a comprehensive GBA Plus action plan, which will outline goals and strategies to further integrate GBA Plus across the agency's operations. These FTEs will play a vital role in advancing gender and diversity.
Section 2: Gender and diversity impacts, by program
Core responsibility: Statistical information
Program: Economic and Environmental Statistics
The Economic and Environmental Statistics program produces a wide range of economic and environmental statistics on, for example, national and international accounts, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, research and development, price indexes, finance, tourism, transportation, agriculture, and the environment. The program monitors the inclusion of gender and diversity characteristics (GBA Plus) in the statistical products that it releases, specifically,
- the number of GBA Plus-related statistical products (e.g., catalogued products, such as data tables, research articles, studies, fact sheets, infographics, interactive dashboards and reference products) released and made available on Statistics Canada's website
- the number of GBA Plus outreach activities (e.g., consultations and presentations) for external stakeholders (e.g., other government departments, academia and non-governmental organizations)
- the number of surveys or other tools collecting data on the following GBA Plus identity factors: gender and sexual orientation.
Statistics Canada's Economic and Environmental Statistics program continues to collect and disseminate data on the ownership of businesses by gender and other diversity and identity factors (businesses majority-owned by women, Indigenous people, immigrants, people with disabilities and racialized groups) for its surveys and statistical programs.
Program: Centres of Expertise
The Centres of Expertise, such as the CGDIS, undertake innovative research, analysis and data development activities. They continually seek new data sources, leading-edge methods and systems, cost-effective operations, and new statistical products to address the current and future information needs of Canadians. The Centres of Expertise monitor the inclusion of gender and diversity characteristics (GBA Plus) in the statistical products they release, specifically,
- the number of GBA Plus-related statistical products (e.g., catalogued products, such as data tables, research articles, studies, fact sheets, infographics, interactive dashboards and reference products) released and made available on Statistics Canada's website.
- the number of training and awareness initiatives related to GBA Plus.
The Centres of Expertise will continue to provide mentorship and specialized knowledge when required to ensure that deliverables employ best practices and meet the needs of stakeholders.
Program: Censuses
The Censuses program provides statistical information and analyses that measure changes in the Canadian population and its demographic characteristics, and in the agricultural sector. The program includes the Census of Population and the Census of Agriculture.
The Censuses program monitors the inclusion of gender and diversity characteristics (GBA Plus) in the statistical products it releases, specifically,
- the number of GBA Plus-related statistical products (e.g., catalogued products, such as data tables, research articles, studies, fact sheets, infographics, interactive dashboards and reference products) released and made available on Statistics Canada's website.
Using the richness of the disaggregated data available from the 2021 Census, the Censuses program continues to conduct intersectional analyses to highlight the impacts of various programs and initiatives on various groups of people and support decision makers.
Program: Socio-economic Statistics
The Socio-economic Statistics program provides integrated information and relevant analysis on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of individuals, families and households, as well as on the major factors that affect their well-being.
The vast majority, if not all, of the work undertaken by the Socio-economic Statistics program includes GBA Plus considerations. The Socio-economic Statistics program monitors the inclusion of gender and diversity characteristics (GBA Plus) in several ways:
- the number of GBA Plus-related statistical products released (e.g., catalogued products, such as data tables, research articles, studies, fact sheets, infographics, interactive dashboards and reference products) released and made available on Statistics Canada's website
- the number of GBA Plus outreach activities (e.g., consultations and presentations) for external stakeholders (e.g., other government departments, academia and non-governmental organizations)
- the number of training and awareness initiatives related to GBA Plus
- the number of visits to the Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics Hub by fiscal year
- the number of Gender Results Framework indicators released by sex or gender by fiscal year
- the number of Gender Results Framework indicators released by sex or gender and other identity factors by fiscal year
- the percentage of programs from the agency's program inventory, excluding internal services, that have data collection plans for reporting on impacts on gender and diversity
- the number of surveys or other tools collecting data on the following GBA Plus identity factors: gender and sexual orientation.
The Socio-economic Statistics program will maintain its focus on producing analytical products on gender, diversity and inclusion. In June 2024, following the 2026 Census of Population Content Consultations, Statistics Canada released a report and draft recommendations aimed at expanding standards of racialized populations. The objective is to have a new collection and dissemination standard ready for the 2026 Census.
In addition, Statistics Canada supports the federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan objectives, notably by strengthening national data on 2SLGBTQI+ populations. Statistics Canada released its first statistical standard on sexual orientation in August 2023, along with an updated question to collect data on this topic. The Socio-economic Statistics program continues to conduct intersectional analysis of the 2SLGBTQ+ population and aims to fill data gaps, including by looking at the feasibility of collecting data specific to the intersex population.
Program: Cost-recovered Statistical Services
Through the Cost-recovered Statistical Services program, Statistics Canada conducts special surveys to gather new data; produces high-quality statistics that are currently not part of the agency's data holdings; and conducts on-demand special analytical projects to meet the specific needs of federal, provincial and territorial institutions and other clients.
Cost-recovered projects and statistical services are undertaken across programs, throughout the agency. For example, on a cost-recovery basis, Women and Gender Equality Canada has funded, and continues to fund, research and other projects that have addressed important gender-, diversity- and inclusion-related data and knowledge gaps. The Cost-recovered Statistical Services program monitors the inclusion of gender and diversity characteristics (GBA Plus) by
- the number of GBA Plus-related statistical products released (e.g., catalogued products, such as data tables, research articles, studies, fact sheets, infographics, interactive dashboards and reference products) released and made available on Statistics Canada's website.
The Cost-recovered Statistical Services program will continue to provide mentorship and specialized knowledge when required to ensure that deliverables employ best practices and meet the needs of stakeholders.