Employment equity annual report, 2020-2021

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Introduction

Parks Canada is committed to creating a representative workforce and to developing an inclusive, welcoming and barrier-free environment supportive of all Parks Canada team members.

In compliance with the requirements of the Employment Equity Act, this report highlights the initiatives undertaken from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. It also highlights statistical information required by the Act for women, Aboriginal peoples^Footnote1, persons with disabilities and members of visible minority groups. It presents initiatives and networking activities undertaken during 2020-2021 that aimed at creating a diverse and inclusive workplace for all team members. The report also highlights Parks Canada’s ongoing progress in implementing Employment Equity within the Agency.

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Mandate

Parks Canada is an agency of the Government of Canada with the status of a separate employer. Its mandate is:

On behalf of the people of Canada, we protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations.

Parks Canada has an international reputation as one of the most competent and knowledgeable heritage conservation organizations, and is a key leader in sustainable tourism. Throughout Canada, it manages:

• 48 national parks;
• 1 national urban park;
• 4 national marine conservation areas;
• 171 national historic sites including 9 historic canals; and
• has either full or shared responsibilities for the management of 12 of Canada's 20 World Heritage sites.

The Agency has 450 000 km^² of protected areas with countless unique experiences to suit the needs of its visitors. Last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Parks Canada welcomed approximately 17 million Canadian and international visitors to its national parks/national park reserves, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites. Though far from Parks Canada usual yearly attendance of above 20 million visitors, it is worth noting that all Parks Canada locations were closed the full months of March and April 2020 due to health concerns, with some sites resuming operations in June 2020. Some locations never opened to visitors during the fiscal year.

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Organizational structure and key responsibilities

Organizational structure

Parks Canada reports to Parliament through the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Parks Canada’s Operations Directorate is grouped into six regions: British Columbia and Yukon; Alberta; Prairies and Northwest Territories; Ontario and Waterways; Quebec and Nunavut; and Atlantic.

There are a total of 34 field units geographically located across Canada with a large majority located in rural areas. Field units are groupings of national parks/national park reserves, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas that deliver programs including on-site services to visitors.

On March 31, 2021, Parks Canada had a total workforce of 5658 indeterminate and determinate employees^Footnote2, the majority of whom are located outside the National Capital Region. Due to the seasonal nature of much of Parks Canada’s operations, close to 50% of its workforce is comprised of seasonal and term employees during the high operational summer season.

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Key responsibilities of Parks Canada

1. National park and national marine conservation areas

   As the first national park service in the world, Parks Canada has played and continues to play a vital role in the development and management of a system of national parks. The parks are representative of various Canadian geographical regions and landscapes. In managing national parks and national marine conservation areas, Parks Canada is mandated to protect ecological integrity and key features while creating education and enjoyment opportunities for visitors. In carrying out its responsibilities, Parks Canada works in collaboration with Indigenous peoples, stakeholders and neighbouring communities.

2. National historic sites

   Parks Canada develops and maintains historic sites that are of national interest to Canadians and of profound importance to understanding Canada’s history and cultures. Each site tells its own story in commemorating places, persons and events of national historic significance. The Agency strives to ensure the system of national historic sites is developed in collaboration with Canadians to define important aspects of our history.

3. Heritage conservation – Canada

   Additionally, where mandated, Parks Canada provides support for the conservation and presentation of designated heritage properties that are managed by others. These include national historic sites, heritage railway stations, heritage lighthouses, federal heritage buildings, archaeological sites, the gravesites of Canadian Prime Ministers, and Canadian heritage rivers.

4. Heritage conservation – International

   The Agency also contributes to international heritage conservation. It provides leadership through participation in international conventions, programs, and agreements, notably as a State Member for the World Heritage Convention and for the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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Parks Canada’s approach to employment equity, diversity and inclusion

Parks Canada plays an important part in assisting its managers and employees in fostering a representative workforce and inclusive workplace. The agency plays an important part in creating an awareness of Parks Canada’s employment equity, multiculturalism and diversity obligations through the development of directives, guidelines and tools. The agency also promotes the creation of an inclusive, representative, diverse, respectful and meaningful work environment for all Parks Canada team members by collaborating between employees (including managers), and with clients, partners and Champions, to ensure the success of its programs and initiatives.

In 2020-2021, in light of the continued evolving diversity and inclusion context, Parks Canada continued its progress towards the development of its Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which aims to foster a high-performing, diverse workforce, and optimize a safe, healthy, inclusive and respectful workplace. During the year, the Accessibility team was merged with the Diversity and Inclusion team to consolidate their efforts on their common objective of equity and inclusion for all, with an increased visibility of intersectionality.

Last year, Parks Canada established a shared governance for the strategy to provide the coordination and framework for the various initiatives within the Agency, in collaboration and consultation with the various clients, stakeholders and partners, including the diversity and inclusion champions and employee networks, as well as the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council. Parks Canada also initiated discussions and actions with all seven target themes, which include the four employment equity designated groups, black employees, official languages and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Two-Spirited Employee LGBTQ2+. The strategy will link to the employment equity objectives set out in the Agency’s renewed employment equity plan for 2022-2025, for which the development is underway.

As a concrete action stemming from the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, in 2019, the Parks Canada established a key partnership with a local non-profit organization, LiveWorkPlay, to increase the recruitment and inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities and autism. The Agency made its first hire in March 2020 and a second one in March 2021 and continued working on perfecting the program’s implementation within Parks Canada and meeting with LiveWorkPlay staff to support the hired employees and develop techniques to facilitate the communication between managers and employees with intellectual disabilities. Information sessions facilitated by LiveWorkPlay were delivered to Parks Canada Agency’s managers in February 2021 to further promote the hiring of persons with intellectual disabilities within the Agency.

The 2020 Minister’s RoundTable was held in October 2020 with over 13,000 participants online and 60 stakeholder organizations (through nine virtual discussions) sharing their perspectives on the work of Parks Canada throughout the consultation. Under the Parks Canada Agency Act, the Minister responsible for Parks Canada has the obligation and opportunity to convene a round table every two years to discuss the work of the Agency with Canadians. Out of the five themes discussed during this consultation, three were directly linked to racialized communities, religious minority communities and/or Indigenous peoples: Diversity, inclusion and accessibility; Indigenous leadership in conservation; Protecting our cultural heritage. Seventeen stakeholder organizations representing racialized communities, religious minority communities and Indigenous peoples participated in the nine virtual stakeholder sessions. Following this consultation, 12 actions items were identified for the Agency and a commitment from the PCEO was pledged. Out of these, 10 items are directly aiming at improving experiences for and/or relationships with racialized communities, religious minority communities and/or Indigenous peoples. An action item is proposed to increase access to nature in urban surroundings where most of racialized communities and religious minorities are living. Two action items are proposed to improving the visitor experience for a wider diversity of visitors in all Parks Canada administrated places. Six action items are proposing to establishing new partnerships or strengthening existing relationships with Indigenous partners to better protect natural habitats and cultural heritage. One action item is proposed to reinforcing the framework for History and Commemoration aiming at including more diverse voices in the stories Parks Canada is sharing. The PCEO pledge is to chair the new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council aiming at creating a barrier-free work environment.

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Parks Canada’s employment equity and diversity champions

Parks Canada takes a participative and integrative approach to achieving a representative workforce and to nurturing the well-being of its employees. In 2020-2021, in order for the Agency to continue to foster a positive and inclusive work environment for all team members, the existing champion structure was revised. In addition to the four employment equity groups, the revised structure includes a champion for official languages, Black employees and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Two-Spirited Employees (LGBTQ2+), and the accessibility component has been added to the persons with disabilities champion role.

The new structure details the renewal of champion roles, integration of roles and responsibilities and support for employee networks in the performance management process for senior management, to foster employee engagement and increased accountability. A few examples of the roles and responsibilities of champions will be the discussion of issues and barriers at the Senior Management Committees, and ensuring a working knowledge of the community they represent, as well as the barriers, issues and concerns they face. As part of their responsibilities, the Champions also have to identify an employee representative to serve as Chair for the employee network, and solicit employee participation in their respective network. They will also provide support to the network chair to promote events and communications, and communicate shared issues to senior management.

The Parks Canada Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Council was also introduced at the end of the fiscal year 2021. Chaired by the President & CEO, membership includes Co-Champions, Senior Management Committee members, the Ombudsman representatives from equity group networks and Union representation. The Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) Manager will also attend as ex-officio member of the Council. The Council meets at least twice per year to report on activities, share information and best practices, and provide advice that supports horizontal integration of efforts across Agency policies, programs and activities. Additionally, employment equity, diversity and inclusion will be a standing discussion item at the Human Resources Committee meetings.

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Parks Canada’s diversity and inclusion employee networks

Parks Canada has worked for many years to improve opportunities for all team members across the Agency. At Parks Canada, the opportunity to join designated employee networks is valued. The Agency believes this is an excellent way for team members to create a sense of belonging, to expand their networks, to take part in awareness-raising activities and consultations and to give a voice to employees. All Parks Canada team members who belong to a group or who are interested in a topic that affects their group, or for whom the cause is of interest to them, can take part in the employee networks.

The LGBTQ2+ Employees’ Network provides support and a coherent voice to Parks Canada LGBTQ2+ team members across the country. Its members and allies support the recognition of diversity, both within the public service and the LGBTQ2+ communities, and express the view that more needs to be done to make the workplace an inclusive environment where all public servants can feel included, supported and accepted. The LGBTQ2+ Network works towards making Parks Canada a welcoming and inclusive employer and service provider to the LGBTQ2+ community.

Parks Canada LGBTQ2+ Employee Network has remained active despite the COVID-19 pandemic and continued working on tools and events to promote a more inclusive workplace. They have held virtual gatherings and communicated with their members through emails. The networks’ internal web page was also kept up to date with new information and resources for LGBTQ2+ employees and allies. Notably, in October 2020, they published a revised Guide to Trans-Inclusive Workplace, which provides staff with inclusive practices to help transform their work environment in a safe space for all LGBTQ2+ members. The guide provides information and tools for employees and managers to implement concrete behaviors in support of their trans and gender nonconforming colleagues. Other tools, LGBTQ2+ promotional merchandise and activities were also shared on the page, broadcasting Parks Canada implication with the LGBTQ2+ community.

In March 2020, the Agency launched a working group to develop Parks Canada’s first Accessibility Plan. Employees of all levels and occupations were encouraged to participate on a voluntary basis. In total, 68 employees from across the country signed up for this project. The group meets every two weeks to discuss and evaluate accessibility barriers, challenges and opportunities important to the people with disabilities community from both an internal (employees) and external (visitors) perspectives. The plan follows the implementation of the Accessible Canada Act passed in 2019 and aims at removing and preventing barriers for people with disabilities.

Parks Canada’s Indigenous Affairs and Cultural Heritage Directorate (IACH) launched on March 4, 2021 an employee-led network to take immediate steps to open a dialogue on racism and promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace. IACH Network on Diversity and Inclusion (INDI) is composed of four working groups: Raising Awareness and Understanding; Addressing Biases in our Work; Building a More Diverse Workforce; and, Building Relationships with Racially Diverse Partners. In its first few months, INDI created an evergreen learning list; hosted an immersive learning activity on racism; and, launched a research project into best and innovative employment practices relevant to the Directorate.

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Key employment equity and diversity initiatives 2020-2021

I. Parks Canada leadership in relationships with indigenous communities

Parks Canada recognizes that building positive, respectful and collaborative relationships with Indigenous peoples and partners is fundamental to successfully implementing its mandate. Further, the Agency acknowledges that ensuring a workforce representative of Indigenous peoples from entry level to senior management positions is critical to its work, particularly efforts to strengthen relationships with Indigenous partners whose traditional territories include lands and waters administered by Parks Canada as protected heritage places.

In 2020-2021, the Indigenous Affairs and Cultural Heritage Branch undertook a variety of initiatives to support the Agency’s ongoing work with Indigenous partners:

• Four Indigenous awareness events were marked nationally including: International Year of Indigenous Languages, Indigenous Awareness Week, National Indigenous People’s Day and Orange Shirt Day.
• Eight Agency-wide network calls were held to specifically support national heritage places’ efforts to engage Indigenous partners in areas such as Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous conservation, “Words matter”: communications about Indigenous affairs, Cultural awareness: Métis peoples, best practices for building relationships, and policy updates. This included a four day virtual Indigenous Relations Community of Practice meeting series that took place in October 2020 and virtual engagement training in February and March of 2021, which provided employees who play a key role in Indigenous relations within their business unit (field unit or directorate) an opportunity to network with others in similar, specialised roles across the country.
• The Branch continued to work with other Parks Canada directorates to support initiatives to ensure that Indigenous voices are respectfully engaged and meaningfully contribute to the management, conservation, restoration, and sharing of natural and cultural heritage in Canada. Examples include the Stories of Canada program, and the Conservation and Restoration program.

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II. Workplace accessibility passport

On December 3, 2020, to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Parks Canada joined 18 other federal organisations as an early adopter of the GC Workplace Accessibility Passport developed by the Office of Public Service Accessibility (OPSA). This confidential and voluntary form is a tool for public service employees to describe the barriers they may face at work and the adaptive tools and support measures they need to succeed. It allows to track actions and discussions with management, recording concrete adaptive tools and measures used to help the employee succeed in the workplace. It also serves to facilitate accommodation conversations with managers and corporate services and it follows the employees throughout their careers avoiding the burden to having to re-explain the support measures they need each time they change managers/organizations.

The form and its instructions and guides were made available on Parks Canada intranet page and broadcasted to employees through different means and at different occasions, including through an all-staff email communication on December 3, 2020, through the ParksLEARN Bulletin – Fall 2020 edition and during Parks Canada Virtual Town Hall directed to all staff on December 7, 2020. In addition, information sessions facilitated by OPSA were offered to employees and managers to further promote the use of the passport at Parks Canada.

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III. Fostering a culture of reconciliation within Parks Canada

Among federal departments and agencies, Parks Canada is uniquely positioned to demonstrate leadership in renewing and strengthening the relationship with Indigenous peoples, due in part to the Agency’s role as a manager of a significant amount of federal lands and waters – nearly all of which have been traditionally used by Indigenous peoples.

The Indigenous Workforce Strategies team, created in 2019 to support the recruitment, retention, and advancement of Indigenous employees at the Agency, has continued to fully support Parks Canada’s core responsibilities to realize a workforce of shared leadership with Indigenous peoples of Parks Canada places.

The Indigenous Employee Sharing Circle (IESC) is an employee-driven initiative that was launched in fall 2020 to provide a safe speaking circle for Parks Canada Indigenous employees. The circle meets every two months, and upon request from members, and has remained active during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides opportunities of discussion between Indigenous employees, and at times with Elders and other Indigenous peoples outside of the agency. Amongst their sessions, the IESC has also met twice with Parks Canada Indigenous Peoples’ Champions.

For the first time, in 2021, Parks Canada completed the Many Voices One Mind (MVOM): a Pathway to Reconciliation Scoreboard which allowed the agency to record and report on several aspects regarding of its Indigenous employment retention. Specifically, the report allowed to identify rates of representation for Indigenous employees, at the executive and non-executive levels and to outline current efforts undertaken by the agency to improve these levels of representation in regions and at the national office. The MVOM final report containing scoreboards from all participating departments will provide government-wide best staffing, retention and career advancement practices and data accessible to Canadians. The scoreboards also identify gaps and areas to improve with the purpose of extending support, advancement and engagement

In the context of the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic, mental health has been a major focus for all employees, and Parks Canada established and broadcasted specific resources directed to Indigenous employees, including the capacity to speak to an Elder through the existing Employee and Family Assistance Program. The internal webpage dedicated to Wellness and Mental Health of Indigenous employees has been regularly updated during the year to provide links and tools aiming to help Indigenous employees through their specific circumstances, at home and in the workplace, beyond COVID-19 challenges.

Furthermore, in relations to the numerous barriers identified by Indigenous peoples when it comes to recruitment within the public service, Parks Canada has supported the development of a webpage accessible to the public that explains the process and rationale of requiring security screening for future employees. Other tools and documents pertaining to Indigenous staffing were created to support the agency’s actions in removing recruitment systemic barriers.

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IV. Recruitment initiatives

Designated group representatives on selection boards

Whenever possible, business units have representatives of employment equity designated groups on selection boards. Selection board members are trained on bias-free selection and those who may have limited experience are provided additional expertise and support by including a human resources team member or another experienced manager on the board. For example, when recruiting for key Indigenous Relations positions, the Jasper Field Unit includes Indigenous partners on the selection board.

External recruitment advertising

Recruitment posters and job advertisements routinely brand Parks Canada as an inclusive employer that encourages candidates from employment equity groups to apply. Certain regions share posters of interest to various employment equity group partners to promote possible job opportunities within the Agency. Promotional materials such as brochures, posters, student employment posters and web content represent culturally diverse groups.

Targeted recruitment

Parks Canada has been conducting targeted recruitment processes to hire members of equity groups. Hiring managers may limit the area of selection to a particular equity group in support of positive measures designed to prevent, eliminate, and reduce disadvantages experienced by historically disadvantaged groups. The agency provides reasoning in the job posters when priority is given to members of a designated group and ensures a fair selection process that focuses on qualifications absent of biases. Such job postings have been used for example for Indigenous targeted staffing in field units working directly with Indigenous communities. It has also been used at the executive level to target groups such as visible minorities members.

Parks Canada Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) program

Parks Canada participates in YESS led by Employment and Social Development Canada. YESS is an integrated program, which aims to provide flexible and holistic services to support all young Canadians in developing skills, and gaining paid work experience to successfully transition into the labour market. In 2019-2020, the YESS was redesigned to respond to a range of labour market challenges faced by youth, particularly for those facing barriers to employment. It is intended to serve all youth, but with a particular focus on serving youth facing employment barriers, as well as under-represented youth.

In the year 2020-2021, Parks Canada obtained a budget of around 45 million for the hire of over 4000 youth and students divided between field units and the national office. Parks created six separate program streams stemming from the YESS budget and targeting different equity groups at various rates listed below.

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V. Self-identification form

Self-identification forms are routinely sent with every letter of offer to new hires. The rate of return is monitored and follow-up action is taken as appropriate. Since 2010-2011, Parks Canada has provided team members the option to update their profile using an electronic employee self-identification form. In 2020-2021, the return rate for the self-identification survey was 93.5%, consistent with the high return rate in past years.

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VI. Workplace accommodation and employee wellness

Workplace accommodation

As a standard practice, information on advertisements for job opportunities indicate that Parks Canada invites candidates to inform the Agency of any accommodation needs required during the recruitment process. The Parks Canada Workplace Accommodation Policy is available to all team members via the Agency’s Intranet site. The type of accommodation measures taken by field units may include flexible work hours, telework, adaptive equipment, ergonomic assessments, modified duties, workplace modifications and special efforts to integrate employees experiencing an illness, injury or disability limiting the ability to work.

The Agency also has a Disability Management Program. The Program includes a Disability Management Policy and guidelines, a toolkit and a governance framework. The Program, which is accessible to all Parks Canada team members on the Agency’s Intranet, is based on a comprehensive, proactive workplace health strategy that incorporates prevention, early intervention, accommodation and rehabilitation. These measures support the continued employment and promotion of employees experiencing an illness, injury or disability limiting the ability to work.

Employee wellness

Employment equity, diversity and inclusion go together hand in hand with employee wellness. Parks Canada’s greatest asset is its employees. Supporting workplace well-being is therefore one of the Agency’s priorities.

As such, the Agency has taken a proactive lead in creating and supporting a healthy and safe workplace by establishing a Workplace wellness training plan to equip individual employees with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively support a psychologically safe and healthy workplace. In 2019-2020, Parks Canada enhanced the service offers of the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP). As such, the number of consultation hours with a professional has been increased from 8 to 12 hours per situation and per individual for employees and their immediate family members. This program remained active during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parks Canada and its President & CEO frequently demonstrated their engagement towards employee wellness with regular and frequent communications with Parks Canada team members. As such, the Agency promotes workplace mental health and well-being events, programs, services, resources and support available to its team members on a regular basis. Bi-weekly this year, Parks Canada has sent short virtual calendar events to a group of staff in order to promote various aspects of mental health through tools, resources, invitation and reminders. Each email event focuses on one or more topics, often pertaining to the pandemic situation, Canadian events and news as well as general workplace related challenges. The communications also provide areas for consideration to help team members, supervisors and managers improve their workplace and encourage breaking down the stigmas around mental health. The Agency promotes national events and encourages its team members to participate.

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VII. Training initiatives

General awareness training for Parks Canada team members

Parks Canada encourages all team members to increase their awareness of employment equity and diversity. Team members have access to tools on the Agency’s Intranet such as the Employment Equity Policy, the Workplace Accommodation Policy, and the Toward a Harassment-Free Workplace Policy. New team members are required to complete the online training course: Evolving Workplace: Everybody Wins, which is an online session with the objective of informing Parks Canada team members of employee and manager responsibilities in creating a more welcoming, respectful and fair workplace. The session provides an overview of the Employment Equity Policy, the Workplace Accommodation Policy and the Toward a Harassment-Free Workplace policies. As of March 31, 2021, a total of 2,138 Parks Canada team members completed the training. The Bias-Free Selection training is comprised of four online training modules which presents an overview of the issues, concerns, and potential strategies that can and should be implemented to ensure a bias-free appointment process. As of March 31, 2021, a total of 536 Parks Canada team members completed the training. The number of members varies from one year to the next due to the changing number of employees’ hiring and departures.

Indigenous consultation and accommodation training

Parks Canada’s Indigenous Affairs Branch continues to offer a two-day course on Indigenous Consultation and Accommodation to employees and managers across Canada on an as-requested basis. It presents tools, knowledge and leading practices on Indigenous consultations to contribute to a common understanding across Parks Canada on the Crown’s legal duty to consult, and to create, promote and sustain long-term relationships for the mutual benefit of the Agency and Indigenous partners. In 2020, the Indigenous Affairs Branch launched a Consultation Toolkit, accompanied by virtual national training sessions to support employees in their consultation work.

Parks Canada KAIROS Blanket Exercise

In an effort to support the Agency’s commitment towards reconciliation, the Indigenous Affairs Branch provides KAIROS Blanket Exercise training opportunities as a powerful learning tool to support team members’ understanding of the historic and contemporary relationships between the Crown and Indigenous peoples in Canada. By the end of 2019-2020, Parks Canada has trained over 1,775 employees through the KAIROS Blanket Exercise since the internal program was initiated in 2016. The KAIROS Blanket Exercise was placed “on-hold” for 2020-21 due to COVID-19 realities, while KAIROS developed an online offer.

Indigenous Employee Training Fund

In 2018-2019, the Indigenous Employee Training Fund was launched (IETF), in order to address the learning, development and career advancement concerns identified in the report Many Voices One Mind: A Pathway to Reconciliation. Indeterminate Indigenous employees were invited to apply for funding of up to $5,000 towards training outlined in an approved learning plan. In the beginning of the year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hindered the number of applications, but towards the end of the fiscal year the program was back running as usual with most trainings now available online instead of in classes. During the fiscal year 2020-2021, a total of 33 employees’ trainings were approved and funded through the Indigenous Employee Training Fund. The trainings requested included second language training, change management, and computer skills among others.

The response from Indigenous participants has been very positive, with some testimonials mentioning:

The application process was straight forward and is an amazing opportunity.

I appreciated knowing that through this funding I was being supported to grow as an Indigenous person, an employee and as an individual.

The IETF has been critical for me to advance my career at Parks Canada and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to have training funded via this program.

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VIII. Parks Canada programs, initiatives and activities

Highlighting Parks Canada women working in STEM

Women remain underrepresented in fields like Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics ( STEM). On February 11th, 2021, to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Parks Canada has highlighted through the intranet the careers and accomplishments of various women employees in different spheres of activities within the agency. This initiative follows previous similar efforts from the agency to broadcast the voice of its women employees across the country.

Elder in Residence Program

The Elder in Residence pilot program provided Parks Canada employees, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, an opportunity to have open and respectful discussions directly with an Indigenous Elder. This supports increasing knowledge and understanding of Indigenous peoples’ cultures, perspectives and realities; and, also provides Indigenous-specific emotional, cultural and psychological support. In response to COVID-19 public health orders, the pilot program was adjusted from its original in-person discussion format at 30 Victoria to a virtual platform. For 2020-21, five national sessions were organized on a variety of topics identified in collaboration with the Elder. Sessions averaged between 75-100 participants from across the country. These were complemented with one-on-one and small group sessions when needed.

Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities

For the first time last year, Parks Canada joined the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities (FIPCD) in partnership with the Public Service Commission. PCA submitted a total of six (6) applications and was awarded three (3) interns for FY 2021-22. FIPCD offers internships to Canadians with disabilities to develop their work skills and increase their employability. FIPCD is one of the government-wide recruitment programs that will help with achieving the goal of net hire 5,000 persons with disabilities by 2025 within the Public Service.

Through two-year internship placements, the program seeks to:

• Support increased economic inclusion for Canadians with disabilities;
• Ensure a more diverse federal public service;
• Allow Canadians with disabilities ranging from mild to severe, aged 16 to 64, to develop skills to increase their employability;
• Increase temporary and permanent employment, as well as retention, in the public service.

Parks Canada collaboration with Indigenous peoples

Working together with many Indigenous groups across Canada, Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples are partners in conserving, restoring, and sharing Canada’s natural and cultural heritage. Parks Canada is committed to a system of national heritage places that honours the contributions of Indigenous peoples, their histories and cultures, as well as the relationship Indigenous peoples have with their traditional territories. Some examples of the work that Parks Canada does in collaboration with Indigenous partners includes:

• Continuing to work with Indigenous partners through the Stories of Canada Program towards reconciliation by renaming the McDonald Campground in the Gulf Islands the Smonećten Campground in recognition of the area’s cultural history. Likewise, we have also renamed the day-use area in Point Pelee National Park from "Pioneer” to Madbin Jina.
• The agency is also celebrating a historic tripartite announcement as Prince Edward Island, Epikwitk Mi’kmaq and Parks Canada agreed to undertake a feasibility assessment for the proposed national park reserve in Pituamkek.
• Parks Canada also signed an agreement with the Mikisew Cree regarding Wood Buffalo National Park and the implementation of the respective Action Plan.
• Through the National Program of Historical Commemoration, Parks Canada worked with five Indigenous organizations and proponents on the commemoration of the histories and legacies of residential schools. They are: The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Long Plain First Nation, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’Kmaq, Muskowekwan First Nation, and Children of Shingwauk/Algoma University. Each consultation was a collaborative project, co-developing the historical significance of former residential schools and working on the history of the residential school system in Canada. Consultation opened the door for voices of survivors and their experiences to be heard and included in the commemoration of these topics. Funding provided to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation also enabled this organization to undertake engagement and outreach with Indigenous communities and Survivors on approaches for commemorating the designation of the Residential School System in Canada as a national historic event.
• Parks Canada worked with the Indigenous Heritage Circle to organize three regional engagement sessions, the Indigenous Heritage Engagement Sessions, to invite more than 40 Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, heritage practitioners and academics to give guidance and input on common concerns and areas for improvement related to cultural heritage at Parks Canada, including the Cultural Resource Management Policy.

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IX. List of commemorative events

The following events were promoted at Parks Canada in 2020-2021 to all team members:

• Autism Awareness Day – April 02, 2020
• Mental Health Week – May 04-10, 2020
• International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia - May 17, 2020
• Indigenous Awareness Week – May 19-22, 2020
• National Indigenous Peoples Day: Celebrating Indigenous Cultures at Parks Canada – June 21, 2020
• Public Service Pride Week – August 24-28, 2020
• World Suicide Prevention Day – September 10, 2020
• Gender Equality Week – September 20-26, 2020
• Orange Shirt Day –September 30, 2020
• Women’s History Month - October 2020
• Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) – October 04-10, 2020
• Transgender Awareness Week – November 08-14, 2020
• International Day of Persons with Disabilities – December 03, 2020
• Indigenous Peoples Day with APTN – December 21-25, 2020
• Black History Month – February 2021
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science – February 11, 2021
• International Women’s Day: Women in Leadership - March 8, 2021
• International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination – March 21, 2021
• National Indigenous Languages Day – March 31, 2021

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X. Diversity initiatives

Parks Canada goes beyond Employment Equity. It is important for the Agency to ensure a respectful and inclusive workplace for all team members.

Parks Canada has developed a Diversity and Inclusion vision that sees a workplace that is representative of Canada's diversity, where employees feel welcome, and can reach their potential. The Agency is currently developing a Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan in consultation with employee communities and networks, including employment equity networks. This Action Plan is focusing specifically on a work culture that values diversity and combats racism and addresses any and all barriers, including systematic ones; on nurturing leadership and people to reflect Canada’s diversity and promoting inclusion in the workplace; and, on ensuring that policies and programs, initiatives, and practices, in terms of their impact on all groups, particularly disadvantaged, are inclusive and free of systemic racism and barriers.

Within the year 2020-2021, Diversity and Inclusion objectives have been integrated into the performance management process for all PCX employees. All executives are tasked with fostering Diversity and Inclusion through the following objectives:

• Continue efforts to increase the diversity of the workforce within PCA by targeting recruitment, creating forums of discussions on diversity.
• Foster the inclusion of a broad range of voices and views in governance and decision-making by engaging with the various sub-groups representing the various communities.

In its efforts for inclusiveness, the Agency has recently developed and adopted the Directive on Inclusive Sanitary Facility Design. It is important that all people have access to washrooms that they can use with ease and dignity. For employees, washrooms have important effects on their health, well-being and performance. This Directive focuses on the planning and design of sanitary facilities and allows Parks Canada to pay thoughtful attention to the needs of a socially and culturally diverse workforce. The implementation of this Directive is recognized as a priority by the Agency in its annual Departmental Plan.

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Workforce profile and employment equity designated groups representation – highlights 2020-2021

Workforce analysis

On March 31, 2021, Parks Canada employed 5,658 employees in 14 employment equity occupational groups. The Agency hired 1,133 external employees and had 1,164 separations, which were comprised of indeterminate and term (greater than three months) employees.

Semi-professionals and technicians continued to be the largest employment equity occupational group at Parks Canada, with a representation of 1,439 employees, followed by the Professionals category at 1,257 employees, Other Sales and Service Personnel at 589 employees and Other Manual Workers at 531 employees.

As a whole, the Agency is exceeding the Labour Market Availability (LMA) for women (49.9% compared to 47.0% LMA). However, representation continues to be low for visible minorities and persons with disabilities (5.3% for visible minorities and 3.2% for persons with disabilities) and remains well below the LMA s for these groups (12.2% for visible minorities and 9.0% for persons with disabilities). For the first time in years, the Indigenous peoples’ representation rate has fallen under the labour market availability (7.5% compared to 7.6% LMA).

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Women

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Indigenous peoples

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Members of visible minority groups

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Persons with disabilities

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The tables that follow denote Parks Canada’s findings and analysis on the representation of women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minority groups in the Agency’s workforce as of March 31, 2021, as well as their rates of external recruitment, separation and promotion and their earnings for the year.

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Conclusion

In 2020-2021, Parks Canada continued to nationally meet employment equity representation targets for women, but continued to lag in terms of visible minorities and persons with disabilities representation. Furthermore, the representation rate for Indigenous peoples has fallen lower than the labour market availability by just 0.1% this year when it remained above market availability in the previous years. In addition, there remains representation gaps in employment equity occupational groups for each designated group.

The Agency continued to engage in and promote various initiatives and networking activities that aim to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace for all team members. In 2020-2021, the Parks Canada made progress in the Diversity and Inclusion field notably by developing specific and higher targets for new and previous recruitment programs, revising the Champions structure, implementing programs including the Accessibility Passport, launching new employee networks and broadcasting diverse information to improve Parks Canada awareness, recognition and support of all the equity and diversity groups that form our workforce and the Canadian society. Parks Canada endeavours to continue in its efforts to recognize and celebrate differences and make the workplace and the services to the public more inclusive.

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Table A

Representation of designated group members in Parks Canada and Canadian labour market availability (LMA) by province, all types of employment

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Table B

Representation of designated group members in Parks Canada and Canadian labour market availability (LMA) by employment equity occupational group, all types of employment

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Table C(i)

Promotion of designated group members in Parks Canada by province, all types of employment

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Table C(ii)

Promotion of designated group members in Parks Canada by employment equity occupational group for all types of employment

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Table D(i)

Designated group external recruitment into Parks Canada, by province, all types of employment

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Table D(ii)

Designated group external recruitment into Parks Canada by employment equity occupational group, all types of employment

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Table E(i)

Separation of designated group members from Parks Canada by province, all types of employment

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Table E(ii)

Separation of designated group members in Parks Canada by employment equity occupational group for all types of employment

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Table F

Salary ranges of designated group members