Departmental Plan 2019-2020 - Supplementary Information Tables

2019–20 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

April 2019

1. Context for the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

Although the CRTC is not bound by the Federal Sustainable Development Act and is not required to develop a full departmental sustainable development strategy, the CRTC adheres to the principles of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) by implementing the Policy on Green Procurement.

The Policy on Green Procurement supports the Government of Canada’s effort to promote environmental stewardship. In keeping with the objectives of the policy, the CRTC supports sustainable development by integrating environmental performance considerations into the procurement decision‑making process through the actions described in the “FSDS goal: low-carbon government” table in section 2.

2. Commitments for the CRTC

FSDS goal: low-carbon government
FSDS target	FSDS contributing action	Corresponding departmental action(s)	Support for UN Sustainable Development Goal target	Starting point(s), target(s) and performance indicator(s) for departmental actions	Link to the department’s Program Inventory
Reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from federal government buildings and fleets by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, with an aspiration to achieve it by 2025.	Support the transition to a low‑carbon economy through green procurement.	The CRTC bought a hybrid vehicle to replace its existing gas only vehicle. Delivery is scheduled February 2019.	Not applicable	Not applicable	Internal Services

3. Integrating sustainable development

In addition to the departmental actions listed in the above table, the CRTC continues to implement environmentally conscious strategies and best practices to reduce the carbon footprint of the CRTC. Below are examples of implementation strategies and best practices that are in place.

Toner cartridges recycled at end of life
Encourage employees and co-workers to bike, walk or take public transit to work or to telework
Maximize the use of video and teleconference services for internal and external meetings including the participation of Canadians in our public hearings
Turn off computers and other equipment at the end of your work day
Multifunctional printers are programmed to print, by default, on both sides in order to reduce the volume of paper.
Implement "one device per user" where each employee uses one primary source of technology, such as a laptop or tablet
Automation and elimination of paper-based processes
Reduce, consolidate and modernize IT infrastructure and server room equipment and processes to maximize efficiencies and reduce power consumption
Participate in the Computers for Schools program which provides a second life to computers
Disposal of furniture and materials (metal and plexiglass) is done through Buyandsell.gc.ca prior to landfill disposal.

A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for policy, plan or program proposals includes an analysis of the impacts of the given proposal on the environment, including on the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) goals and targets. The results of these SEAs are made public when an initiative is announced. The purpose of the public statement is to demonstrate that when there are environmental effects, including impacts on achieving the FSDS goals and targets, of the approved policy, plan or program that they have been appropriately considered during proposal development and decision making. The CRTC is an administrative tribunal that regulates and supervises Canadian broadcasting, and telecommunications in the public interest, as well as contributes to protecting Canadians from unsolicited communications. Given its mandate, the CRTC does not have plans, programs or policies subject to strategic environmental assessments.

Gender-based analysis plus

The Government of Canada defines the term “gender-based analysis plus” (GBA+) as an analytical approach used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people may experience policies, programs and initiatives. The “plus” in GBA+ acknowledges that the gender-based analysis goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences. We all have multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who we are; GBA+ considers many other identity factors, such as race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

The table below sets out general information about the status of the CRTC’s GBA+ implementation plan.

General information
Governance structures	Not applicable: The CRTC does not have a formal GBA+ implementation plan. GBA+ is part of the CRTC’s decision-making processes. All regulatory policies and decisions are made via public processes that are open to all Canadians and these take into consideration GBA+ matters that are put forward by individuals and stakeholders. In addition, GBA+ considerations are built in to the CRTC’s legislative mandate. The Broadcasting Act specifically requires that the Canadian broadcasting system should “through its programming and the employment opportunities arising out of its operations, serve the needs and interests, and reflect the circumstances and aspirations, of Canadian men, women and children, including equal rights, the linguistic duality and multicultural and multiracial nature of Canadian society and the special place of aboriginal peoples within that society.”
Human resources	Not applicable: The CRTC does not plan to assign dedicated full-time equivalents (FTEs) exclusively to GBA+ implementation in 2019-20. Many Human Resources program initiatives will directly support the CRTC’s inclusion and diversity agenda. These activities will include examination of the effects and potential unintended impacts of existing policies, programs and initiatives on the diverse groups within our workforce. More specifically: In November 2018, the CRTC reinvented its Inclusion and Diversity Committee. Its vision is to create an inclusive work environment that fully reflects the multicultural and diverse community in which we live so that all CRTC employees feel at home and have opportunities to achieve their potential. Together with bargaining agent representatives, the CRTC has recently established a Joint Sub-Committee on Mental Health in its efforts to ensure a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Training on how to undertake a workplace psychological hazard analysis is scheduled for April 2019. Once trained, sub-committee members will work to identify and evaluate programs, policies and workplace practices that may affect psychological health and safety, including those linked to GBA+ considerations. As part of its Harassment Action Plan, the CRTC has explored options for the creation of an Ombuds-type function as part of a larger Values and Ethics Office. This is being developed in partnership with other small organizations. The Ombuds function is expected to provide further insight into GBA+ issues in the organization. Public Service Employee Survey results as well as those of the CRTC’s internal survey, Introspect, are being closely examined to identify and address problem areas. Both an Employment Equity and a Human Resources Plan are in the implementation phase with strategies to make the CRTC workplace inclusive, barrier-free and safe. These include continued efforts to explore means to attract and hire more diverse candidates in order to foster innovation, creativity and better represent Canada’s population.
Planned initiatives	The CRTC will apply GBA+ considerations to the following initiatives in 2019-20: Women in Production: On 13 December 2018, the CRTC hosted the “Women in Production Summit” at which the presidents of Canada’s largest English- and French-language public and private-sector broadcasters discussed lasting solutions to ensure more women play leading roles in the Canadian film and television production industry. On 8 March, 2019, the CRTC and the participating broadcasters (Rogers Media, Groupe TVA Inc. Bell Media, Corus Entertainment, DHX Media, Blue Ant Media and CBC/Radio-Canada) jointly announced that the broadcasters will each work on voluntary action plans tailored to their business and markets to address this important issue and will make these plans known in the coming months. In 2019-2020, the CRTC will ensure that the momentum continues. Indigenous broadcasting policy review: The CRTC will launch a review to ensure that its Indigenous broadcasting policy framework is effective and reflects the realities of radio stations serving Indigenous peoples. As such, a renewed framework should contribute to diversity and inclusiveness by helping ensure that Canadian broadcasting is properly reflective of the cultures, languages, and perspectives of Indigenous peoples across Canada. “Canadian programming expenditures” (CPE) review: The CRTC will launch a proceeding to update the definition of CPE in light of the digital environment. The updated definition will enable broadcasters to more clearly demonstrate their investments in Canadian content, while also enabling the CRTC to track how these investments contribute to gender equality, diversity and inclusiveness in Canada (for example, by monitoring metrics related to women in key creative positions and to productions made by and for Indigenous groups). Accessibility Since it established its 2009 policy on accessibility of telecommunications and broadcasting services, the CRTC has made additional strides in increasing the accessibility of communications services for persons with disabilities, including, but not limited to, the development of quality standards for closed captioning and the launch of IP Relay, video relay service (VRS, which enables people who use sign language to communicate with voice telephone users), and Text with 9-1-1. This work will continue in 2019-2020 with the following: The CRTC plans to issue its decision on a new quality standard for closed captioning of live English-language TV. The CRTC plans to initiate a review of the regulatory framework for VRS. Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) programs The CRTC participates in WCT programs that seek to empower women as leaders and contributors to Canada’s digital economy: The Dr. Roberta Bondar Career Development Program for Young Women in Science and Technology: This program aims to inspire women engineers, researchers, scientists, computer scientists and electrical engineers to move forward in science and technology fields, and to eventually transition into scientific and management leadership in the Canadian science and technology fields. The Jeanne Sauvé Career Development Program: This program is open to women on management track in government communications policy and the communications and technology sectors. Its two-week rotation offers new perspectives, insights and direct access to industry, public policy and regulatory decision makers. The Broadcasting Act The Broadcasting Act is one of the enabling instruments of the CRTC. It requires the CRTC to help ensure that the Canadian broadcasting system: Reflects the circumstances and aspirations of Canadians via programing (i.e., on screen) and employment opportunities arising from broadcasting system operations (i.e., behind the camera); and Serves the needs and interests of Canadians. As set out in the Broadcasting Act, meeting these requires consideration of the following: Equal rights for women Linguistic duality The multicultural and multiracial nature of Canadian society Indigenous Canadians Access to broadcasting content by Canadians with disabilities The CRTC’s “Ethnic Broadcasting Policy” (1999) and “Native Broadcasting Policy” (1990), for example, also take into account certain GBA+ considerations.

Date modified:: 2019-04-11

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