Gender-Based Analysis attempted to help girls and women regain equality in governmental activities, programs, and initiatives. It emerged in 1995 and this further updated to GBA plus. Additionally, the updated version emphasized other factors, such as age, disability, geography, sexual inclination, etc.
The Office of the Auditor General released the latest GBA report recently. This audit intends to verify whether the governments successfully execute these policies and programs. The previous audit occurred in 2015, and the recent audit seeks to know what measures were taken after the former audit’s suggestions came out.
Moreover, the report concluded that understanding whether GBA plus can achieve the desired outcomes is challenging and nearly impossible.
Gender-Based Analysis report- all you need to know
The latest report on GBA states that the lack of government regulations in the programs leads to incomplete information. Additionally, the lack of proper divisions within the data is another factor.
Besides this, most departments are executing the same approach concerning the GBA plus. Unfortunately, none of these departments acknowledge any other additional factors to check the outcomes.
According to (WAGE) Women and Gender Equality Canada, the GBA plus lacks a consistent understanding of its interrelated aspects. Furthermore, the report sometimes only focused on sex and gender to determine the outcomes of the department. Also, these results were related to the impacts of the GBA plus. Some departments also used other factors, excluding sex or gender, to divide the raw data.
Hence, it is essential to understand that with accurate data, it would be easier to analyze whether GBA plus works per the plan or not. It will not be possible to bring forth less inclusive programs and policies under the government.
GBA audit results
The GBA report of the audit also believes that developing policy initiatives and their strict deadlines is also a matter of concern. Additionally, the unavailability of senior management to review the initiatives causes a problem in implementing the GBA policy. Apart from this, the government fails to train people regarding GBA plus and spreads awareness about its significance.
OAG asked WAGE to assist through training, practical tools, and additional guidance telling government departments and agencies how to execute GBA plus. Furthermore, WAGE even revealed to OAG the 30 training sessions they have provided to the agencies, committees, and departments.
Moreover, they even added 15 tools and guides, including the following:
- As an initiative in response to the pandemic, the department partnered with the Canada School of Public Service to assist and guide departments and agencies.
- In 2021, they even introduced more recommendations for identity factors. Moreover, they brought forth a detailed guide for GBA plus.
IRCC’s response- Gender-Based Analysis plus in everyday functioning
IRCC responded to the recent report by OAG with a few suggestions, such as including GBA plus in day-to-day operations.
Additionally, IRCC recommended reassessing the GBA plus’s, working group. This implies building a community of equity policy to practice further and create data standards for using, collecting, and incorporating disaggregated data. Moreover, the department seeks to rebuild the 2011 policy of GBA. However, this upgraded policy will emphasize more on digital transformation, anti-racism, and intersectionality.
According to the department, the Chief Data Officer Branch is creating a structure for disaggregated data. It is a measure to bridge the gap between ethnocultural diversity and intersecting factors, such as gender. Hence, IRCC will also access the new map of data to encourage its work on anti-racism. Besides this, it will also look into the impact of GBA plus on the existing government programs and policies.
OAG also suggested that government departments display a report on the execution of the GBA plus.
IRCC stated that it is already working on submitting the reports and making sure they align with the TBS and IRPA regulations.
Additionally, the report suggested that the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat provide clearer instructions to departments. The instructions mean setting measurable goals for GBA plus.
These steps will ensure an accurate GBA report and even lead to its better execution in the upcoming future.
OAG- a conclusion
The OAG is expected to provide accurate and unbiased information to the Parliament so that it gets a fair idea about the success of government programs and activities.
This information also implies that the government is responsible for delivering targets and objectives related to the program.
The OAG works in close alignment with TBS, the Privy Council Office, and WAGE to verify whether the objectives on gender equality were fulfilled or not. TBS takes care of accountability, ethics, and transparency within the governmental departments.
