Gender-based analysis plus 2024-25
CICS Departmental Plan 2024-25: Gender-based analysis plus General information: Institutional GBA Plus capacity Governance The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat’s (CICS) only program is to provide continuity of planning and archival services, and impartial administrative support, for federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) and provincial-territorial (PT) conferences of first ministers, ministers, and deputy ministers, throughout Canada. CICS does not work directly with the public, nor does it choose its clientele in any sense; it works in close collaboration to support its clients which are other federal, provincial, and territorial government departments. CICS is called upon to respond to decisions taken by governments to meet on key national or specific issues; decisions concerning the content, participants, and location of such meetings are all factors beyond the control of the Secretariat. Capacity CICS has included mandatory training on diversity and inclusion in all employees’ learning plans, in addition to training on unconscious bias, to ensure that GBA Plus and inclusivity is being considered in its service delivery and policy development whenever possible. In 2024-25, CICS will continue to promote learning and development opportunities to increase GBA Plus capacity, including promoting gender-neutral communication. Emphasis will also be placed on addressing accessibility barriers identified in our 2023-25 Accessibility Plan to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities to our conference and office environments. Highlights of GBA Plus results reporting by program Conference Services CICS’ program does not collect any data to enable it to monitor and/or report program impacts by gender and diversity (GBA Plus).
by Aaron Lampole
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Operating Context 2024-25
The number of conferences served by the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) has varied greatly over the last number of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the number of in-person conferences was reduced to 0 in 2020-21, we are now seeing a return to pre-pandemic levels, with 57 of these being held in 2022-23, and 59 to date (as of January 17th, 2024) in 2023-24. However, it is important to note that post-pandemic in-person conferences are vastly different than those held pre-pandemic, as we are now incorporating a virtual, or hybrid, component to almost all in-person meetings. This adds levels of complexity for logistics, technical requirements, and resource allocation. Interestingly, teleconference numbers have plummeted to 0 since 2022-23, a trend that will likely continue in the coming years. While videoconference numbers soared to record heights during the pandemic (95 and 135 served in 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively), these are seeing a decrease in recent years as the hybrid conference takes over as the preferred format by CICS clients. In 2022-23 and 2023-24, the videoconference to hybrid ratio has remained stable at 44% vs. 56%, respectively, showing a clear trend that hybrid meetings are now leading as the format of choice for intergovernmental conferences. As governments and senior officials change across Canada, it is important for CICS to maintain and renew its relationships with client governments to actively promote the organization and its services, as well as its neutrality. Communication efforts are continuing in order to sustain the number of intergovernmental conferences we serve while adapting to evolving meeting formats, including the hybrid approach. The attraction and retention of a diverse, talented and motivated workforce creates a unique challenge for a micro-agency such as CICS due to employees’ limited upward mobility within a small organization. The Agency continues to make use of the Federal Student Work Exchange Program and CO-OP Programs on a regular basis to encourage interest in a public service career. Sustained efforts will be exerted to maintain and improve employee retention by creating a healthy environment conducive to work-life balance, career development and job satisfaction, but also by providing a safe and respectful space, where employees feel comfortable to raise issues of concern, and a work environment that is inclusive, accessible, obstacle-free and non-discriminatory. There is a risk of personnel leaving due to retirement or career advancement, resulting in a loss of corporate knowledge and shortage of personnel, which could hinder CICS’ ability to meet demand for conference activity, and to sustain a knowledgeable workforce with the appropriate competencies. Having implemented a succession plan key positions–as well as developmental and mentorship opportunities for those employees with the desire and ability to progress within the organization–will continue to be a critical strategic priority. CICS has remained at the forefront of providing conference support services through the adaptation of our delivery model and the deployment of innovations (technical and administrative) to support the increasing demand for hybrid and video conferences. The sustained reliance on virtual conferencing methods will continue […]
by Aaron Lampole
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2024-25 Department Plan: At a Glance
The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat’s 2024–25 Departmental plan at a glance The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., K.C., M.P. Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs A departmental plan describes a department’s priorities, plans and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years. Vision, mission, raison d’être and operating context Minister’s mandate letter [Read the full departmental plan] [Print this page] Key priorities Ongoing support of Federal-Provincial-Territorial Government Priorities Achieve Service Excellence Build and Maintain a Healthy and Strong Workforce Efficient Management of Resources Refocusing Government Spending In Budget 2023, the government committed to reducing spending by $14.1 billion over the next five years, starting in 2023–24, and by $4.1 billion annually after that. While not officially part of this spending reduction exercise, the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) will respect the spirit of this exercise by doing the following: By the nature of its mandate, CICS works to provide economies of scale and an effective and competitive conference service model. The Secretariat maintains 75% of its total reference level as expenses for its program, intergovernmental conference services, and 25% for internal services. Additional favourable impact is expected to be achieved through reinforcing the conference model, promoting the hybrid format, creating an archive data retrieval tool, implementing a conference policy, and completing a comprehensive program evaluation to reduce any inefficiencies. The Secretariat has implemented technologies and processes to enable remote simultaneous interpretation for all in-person and hybrid conferences. This eliminates the travel costs associated with interpreters attending conferences, and contributes to CICS’ sustainable development strategy. CICS will conduct a Program Evaluation with the goal of learning about innovative conferencing technologies, finding efficiencies in processes, and optimizing resources utilization. The Secretariat will leverage insights gained to influence the future of conferencing in the Government of Canada, with the objective of helping reduce conference spending across the nation in the long-term. The Secretariat will continue to facilitate hybrid conferences, which are comprised of in-person meetings with virtual participation. Hybrid conferencing reduces travel costs and environmental impacts by allowing observers, presenters, and participants to connect remotely from anywhere in the world. The figures in this departmental plan reflect these reductions. Highlights A Departmental Results Framework consists of an organization’s core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve, and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results. Intergovernmental Conference Services Departmental results: Facilitate productive federal-provincial-territorial and provincial-territorial discussions through centralized planning and professionally supported conferences. Continuous innovation in process and service delivery to meet evolving client needs. Planned spending: $5,936,923 Planned human resources: 30 The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) is fully committed to delivering quality, cost-effective conference services to federal, provincial and territorial governments. Our impartiality, expertise in service delivery, and commitment to official languages make us the conference service provider of choice for senior-level intergovernmental conferences. We are determined to maintain this unique status. The agency is also committed to carrying out its role as official custodian of the information shared and discussed during federal-provincial-territorial and provincial-territorial conferences. To this day, the Secretariat is custodian to […]
by Aaron Lampole
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