Employment Equity Annual Report 2020-21

CNSC Employment Equity Annual Report 2020–21 (PDF, 31 pages, 1.18 MB)

1 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission: General overview
- The CNSC’s work
- Organizational structure
2 The CNSC’s approach to employment equity, diversity and inclusion
3 Workforce representation data analysis
4 Continued implementation of the Diversity and Inclusion Plan 2019‒22
5 Additional inclusion efforts
6 Conclusion
Appendix A: Workforce representation data tables as of March 31, 2021
Appendix B: President’s response to the Privy Council Office’s Call to Action on Anti-Racism and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service

1. Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission: General overview

The CNSC’s work

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the environment; to implement Canada’s international commitments on the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and to disseminate objective scientific, technical and regulatory information to the public.

The CNSC was established in 2000 under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA), which sets out its mandate, responsibilities and powers. Through the NSCA and its associated regulations, the CNSC oversees:

nuclear power plants
uranium mines and mills
uranium processing and fuel fabrication facilities
nuclear research/testing facilities and non-power reactors
nuclear substance processing facilities
radioactive waste and waste management facilities
hospitals and cancer treatment centres
decommissioning of heavy water production plants
use of nuclear substances and radiation devices
packaging and transport of nuclear substances
import and export of nuclear substances and equipment

The CNSC also carries out environmental assessments for nuclear projects in accordance with the Impact Assessment Act.

Organizational structure

The CNSC is an independent, quasi-judicial administrative tribunal and federal regulatory agency. As a departmental corporation under Schedule II of the Financial Administration Act, it reports to Parliament through the Minister of Natural Resources. The CNSC is led by a president, employs more than 850 Canadians, and maintains 12 offices across Canada. These include 2 headquarters offices and a laboratory in Ottawa, Ontario, as well as 4 regional offices in Laval, Quebec; Mississauga, Ontario; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Calgary, Alberta. There are also offices at each of the 4 Canadian nuclear power plants – Point Lepreau in New Brunswick, and the Darlington, Pickering, and Bruce Power generating stations in Ontario – and at Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario.

Since March 2020, the CNSC has been operating almost entirely remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As working habits were impacted by the pandemic, the CNSC quickly started thinking about the future of work at the CNSC. In doing so, the organization established the following “Return to the Workplace” principles:

The health and safety of employees will remain the number one priority of CNSC management
The CNSC will ensure that it delivers on its mandate
As a federal employer, the CNSC will base its decisions on guidance from public health agencies and central agencies such as the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) and Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS)
The CNSC will factor in best practices from industry and government
The CNSC will proceed with a gradual phased and measured approach
The Return to the Workplace (RTW) strategy will ensure a consistent implementation, all the while being adaptable to unique building, regional and site considerations
Work from home will be maximized. Employees who can work from home will continue to do so
Flexibility will be provided where needed (i.e., individual reality is considered)
Employees who are sick or present any symptoms must stay home
Engagement with managers and employees is as essential as preparing the physical space
Consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Group (NUREG) union and the Policy, Health and Safety Committee (PHSC) committee will take place

Many CNSC employees felt more productive at home and, with greater flexibility, felt they could better balance work and life commitments.

2. The CNSC’s approach to employment equity, diversity and inclusion Continued workforce diversification

Continued workforce diversification

The CNSC is committed to creating a safe, diverse and inclusive work environment for all its employees and has renewed its pledge to respect and value the perspective of every employee. The CNSC is working to strengthen its culture of diversity and inclusiveness, which is the hallmark of a truly healthy and successful organization. Showing leadership and taking action – collectively and individually – is a priority.

The following steps have been identified to encourage individuals to embrace diversity and inclusiveness more fully.

Learn to listen better. Listening is a basic but powerful step in knowing more about the people around us and paying them the respect that comes with being heard. When people listen, they may also earn the trust of colleagues by having them share the sting of racism and intolerance they have faced. Making these connections is another way to strengthen trust and inclusiveness, and that benefits everyone.

Be an ally for those who face discrimination. Individual actions such as educating ourselves on systemic racism and standing up to everyday prejudice people encounter in their lives is critical. Gestures to support even 1 person can have a powerful impact on people’s lives and their role and place in the workplace, and even on the workplace itself.

To create change, there must be uncomfortable conversations. When people open up and share thoughts and feelings, and examine assumptions and biases, it creates a space for others to do the same. There is need to allow vulnerability and to demonstrate evaluation of individual questions and beliefs.

Conversations can be held without reaching immediate resolution. In the workplace, a natural reflex is to find solutions to problems. But there are no easy answers to the complex issues of racism and other forms of discrimination. So, resolution cannot always be expected – it’s an open, ongoing dialogue.

While employment equity (EE) ensures representativeness and corrects past and current employment-related disadvantages experienced by designated groups, the CNSC recognizes that it must also commit to creating a positive and inclusive work environment that embraces all forms of

diversity. With this in mind, the CNSC’s human resources management policies and practices aim to eliminate any systemic barriers to the full employment participation of any employee group and support the inclusion of everyone within the CNSC. Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is a

fundamental element of the CNSC’s regulatory safety culture, defined as shared attitudes, values and behaviours that influence how regulatory responsibilities are fulfilled.

Employment equity records

The CNSC maintains employment equity records. All new employees are asked to complete a self- identification questionnaire that is entered into the human resources information system. In addition, the CNSC conducts an annual self-identification campaign that enables employees to refresh their employment equity status or to self-identify if they have not previously done so.

Historically, new staff were provided with self-identification form within their first week during their in-person meeting with their Compensation Advisor. Due to the transition to virtual onboarding in light of the pandemic, new staff members now receive an updated version of the form that can be signed and submitted electronically to facilitate the CNSC’s continued collection of this data.

The CNSC initiated the work to update its HR systems and other HR forms in 2019‒20, and is currently awaiting guidance from the TBS and OCHRO to determine the best path forward. The CNSC continues to explore disaggregating EE data to better understand impacts of certain EE sub groups.

Based on employee feedback and with a view to being a more inclusive employer, the CNSC updated the “gender identity” section of its self-identification form to include a third option called “gender fluid, non-binary, and/or two-spirit”.

Monitoring and reporting

In accordance with the Employment Equity Act, the CNSC submits this annual EE report to the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer. The report details the status of the 4 employment equity designated groups in the CNSC workforce, as well as the activities and events carried out to comply with the legislation and support D&I government initiatives.

The CNSC continues to actively participate in the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), specifically monitoring employees’ views on questions related to a healthy, respectful and inclusive workplace. The PSES results are used as a key measurement tool by senior management to gauge how the CNSC is doing as an employer. With a response rate of 82.6% for the 2020 survey, results were promising:

89% of CNSC employees felt that the organization treated them with respect
81% of CNSC employees believe that the CNSC respects individual differences
78% (73% in 2019) of CNSC employees believed that every individual in their work unit is accepted as an equal member of the team
85% (82% in 2019) of CNSC employees feel that the CNSC implements activities and practices that support a diverse workplace

The CNSC is also monitoring responses specific to other D&I-related questions from the PSES and is seeing positive trends on these key indicators. The results also show that the organization is ahead in most of these categories in comparison to the overall federal public service.

3. Workforce representation data analysis

Representation of employment equity designated groups

The data used to calculate labour market availability (LMA) comes from the 2016 Census of Canada and the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability. National LMA data were used to calculate the LMA for all employment equity designated groups (EEDGs) and employment equity occupational groups (EEOGs).

Based on consultations with TBS in 2020, the CNSC had adjusted its reporting methodology to align with labour market methodology and EE reporting standards by excluding students and employees on leave without pay from calculations. For EE reporting purposes, the employee population includes indeterminate employees and term employees with three months of service or more.

As of March 31, 2021, the CNSC had 857 employees. The following pages highlight the representation of the 4 EEDGs at the CNSC as of March 31, 2021.

Representation of employment equity occupational groups

CNSC employees are represented in 6 of the 14 EEOGs:

Senior managers
Middle and other managers
Professionals
Semi-professionals and technicians
Administrative and senior clerical personnel
Clerical personnel

Table A: Comparison of CNSC employee representation with LMA, 2019–20 vs 2020–21
Employment equity designated group	Workforce Availability (LMA)*	2019-20		2020-21
	Workforce Availability (LMA)*	CNSC	Representation as a percentage of LMA*	CNSC	Representation as a percentage of LMA*
	%	%	%	%	%
Women	48.2	49.3	102.4	49.9	103.6
Aboriginal Peoples	4.0	2.1	53.4	2.3	58.3
Persons with disabilities	9.1	4.3	46.9	4.2	46.2
Members of visible minorities	21.3	19.9	93.6	19.4	90.9

* Representation calculated using the LMA based on 2016 Census of Canada data and the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability

In 2020–21, the CNSC observed lower representation in 3 of the 4 EEDGs compared to the LMA 2016 census data. There was a slight increase in representation of Aboriginal Peoples, but this number remains below the LMA. Although women continue to exceed the LMA, there was a slight increase in representation.

Specifically:

The representation as a percentage of LMA increased from 102.4% to 103.6% for women, who make up 49.9% of the CNSC’s total workforce
The representation as a percentage of LMA increased from 53.4% to 58.3% for Aboriginal peoples, who make up 2.3% of the CNSC’s total workforce
The representation as a percentage of LMA decreased slightly from 46.9% to 46.2% for persons with disabilities, who make up 4.2% of the CNSC’s total workforce
The representation as a percentage of LMA for members of visible minorities decreased from 93.6% to 90.9% who make up 19.4% of the CNSC’s total workforce

See table 1 in the appendix for detailed data on the representation of the 4 EEDGs at the CNSC, and table 2 for their distribution by regions and provinces.

Table B: Comparison of CNSC employee representation in 2020–21 with the 2019–22 Diversity and Inclusion Plan projected representation
Employment equity occupational group March 31,2021	Women		Aboriginal peoples		Persons with disabilities		Members of visible minorities
	2020–21	Projected Rep. based on 2019–22 D&I plan	2020–21	Projected Rep. based on 2019–22 D&I plan	2020–21	Projected Rep. based on 2019–22 D&I plan	2020–21	Projected Rep. based on 2019–22 D&I plan
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Senior managers	47.6	48.2	0.0	1.1	*	4.8	*	13.5
Middle and other managers	49.1	49.3	0.0	1.1	*	5.5	*	11.8
Professionals	42.4	45.6	2.0	2.7	4.0	4.2	23.0	22.3
Semi- professionals and technicians	32.5	38.1	*	6.9	*	8.9	17.5	17.4
Administrative and senior clerical personnel	88.3	87.0	*	2.6	*	4.1	10.7	11.7
Clerical personnel	79.5	76.9	*	6.4	0.0	2.3	*	9.8

The projected representation (hiring goals) takes into consideration the current representation gap for EEOGs and the availability of qualified persons in the Canadian workforce, as well as the anticipated growth or reduction of the CNSC’s workforce and the anticipated turnover of employees. The projected representation are updated on an annual basis with new available data. As seen in table A, the CNSC met or surpassed (indicated in green) 41% of the 2019–22 projected EEOG representation objectives.

The Employment Systems Review conducted in 2020 recommended reviewing the CNSC’s employment equity projected EEOG representation objectives (hiring goals) in an effort to improve our workforce representation across all occupational categories and the 4 EE groups. The CNSC will create an employment equity hiring goals advisory committee, consisting of employee volunteers from various REG levels, branches, preferred official language as well as employment equity groups. The purpose of this group will be to provide recommendations on proposed adjustments for the hiring goals and generate ideas on the implementation and communication of these hiring goals to the rest of the organization. Results and new goals of this advisory committee will be shared with the Executive Committee for approval and incorporated into an updated D&I plan.

The CNSC will continue to work on developing plans to increase employment equity representation in all EEDGs.

Table C: Representation of EEDGs by EEOG
Employment equity occupational group March 31, 2021	Total employees		Representation
Employment equity occupational group March 31, 2021	Total employees		Women		Aboriginal peoples		Persons with disabilities		Members of visible minorities
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Senior managers	21	2.5	10	47.6	*	*	*	*	*	*
Middle and other managers	53	6.2	26	49.1	*	*	*	*	*	*
Professionals	596	69.5	253	42.4	12	2.0	24	4.0	137	23.0
Semi-professionals and technicians	40	4.7	13	32.5	*	*	*	*	7	17.5
Administrative and senior clerical personnel	103	12.0	91	88.3	*	*	*	*	*	*
Clerical personnel	44	5.1	35	79.5	*	*	0	0.0	*	*
Total	857	100.0	428	49.9	20	2.3	36	4.2	166	19.4

* Data suppressed to protect confidentiality of information by using residual suppression, or when the representation number was from 1 to 5.

As seen in table C, the professionals group is the predominant EEOG at the CNSC, representing 69.5% of all employees. It is primarily in this group that the CNSC hires specialized employees in the nuclear field. As indicated in tables 4 to 7 (see appendix), members of visible minorities are almost fully represented in the professionals group (99.1%), while women, Aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities are under-represented (77.2%, 83.9% and 45.2% of the LMA, respectively).

Representation in hiring, promotions, departures and salary range

Hiring

The CNSC hired 65 new employees in 2020–21.

The overall hiring rate for women of 61.5% is higher than the LMA of 48.2%, demonstrating that the CNSC is continuing to increase its representation of women. The hiring rate for women exceeded the LMA in three EEOGs: middle and other managers, professionals (55.8% vs 55%) and administrative and senior clerical personnel (100% vs 82.4%). The hiring rate for women was lower than the LMA in: senior managers (0% vs 27.6%), semi-professionals and technicians, and clerical personnel. Throughout this section, certain percentages were supressed since the hiring numbers per occupational group were 5 or less and therefore not disclosed.

The overall hiring rate for Aboriginal peoples is lower than the LMA (0% vs. 4.0%).

The overall hiring rate for members of visible minorities (9.2%) is lower than the LMA (21.3%). The hiring rate for members of visible minorities exceeded the LMA in one EEOGs: clerical personnel. It is lower than the LMA in all other EEOGs: senior managers, middle and other managers, professionals, and administrative and senior clerical personnel.

As for hiring persons with disabilities, the overall rate is lower than the LMA (3.1% vs. 9.1%). The hiring rate for persons with disabilities exceeded or met the LMA in two EEOGs: semi- professionals and technicians and administrative and senior clerical personnel. The hiring rate of persons with disabilities is lower than the LMA in the following occupational groups: senior managers, middle and other managers, professionals and clerical personnel.

For more detailed data on hiring rates, see table 8 in the appendix.

Promotions

Promotions at the CNSC are formal hiring processes. The organization seeks to diversify its candidate pools by grounding all its hiring decisions on merit. A total of 79 employees were promoted within the CNSC in 2020–21, compared with 71 in 2019–20. Promotions occurred in all four EEDGs.

Overall, 52 women were promoted. The rate of promotion for women exceeded internal representation (65.8% vs. 49.9%). Women were promoted in all occupational groups, with the majority of these promotions (30) occurring in the professionals occupational group.

The overall rate of promotion for Aboriginal peoples slightly exceeded the internal representation (2.5% vs. 2.3%). These promotions were in the professionals’ occupational group.

A total of 7 persons with disabilities were promoted. The overall rate of promotion for persons with disabilities exceeded the internal representation (8.9% vs. 4.2%). Most of these promotions were in the professionals’ occupational group.

A total of 15 members of visible minorities were promoted. The overall rate of promotion for members of visible minorities was slightly lower than the internal representation (19.0% vs. 19.4%). The promotions were distributed among 5 of the EEOGs with 6 promotions of visible minorities took place in the professionals’ occupational group.

For more detailed data on promotions, see table 9 in the appendix.

Departures

A total of 59 employees left the organization in 2020–21 a large decrease from 2019–20 (114). Departures occurred in all 4 EEDGs. The departure rate was higher than the internal representation for women and Aboriginal peoples.

The CNSC had an increase in the departure rate in Aboriginal peoples from 5.1% compared to internal representation of 2.3%. Those that left were from three EEOGs: professional, semi- professionals and technicians, and administrative and senior clerical personnel. Of the Aboriginal peoples who left an indeterminate position, they left for retirement as well as to take a job in another organization.

The overall rate of departure for women was higher than its internal representation (59.3% vs. 49.9%). Out of the 35 women who left the organization, most were in 2 EEOGs: professionals (21) and administrative and senior clerical personnel (7). Of the 34 women who left an indeterminate position, 44% left to take a job in another organization while 32% left for retirement, 9% left for outside employment and the remaining left for personal reasons.

For members of visible minorities, the overall rate of departure was lower than this group’s internal representation (15.3% vs. 19.4%). All 9 members of visible minorities who left the organization in 2020–21, were in the professionals EEOG and left the organization, to either take a job in another organization or left for retirement.

The departure rate for person with disabilities leaving the organization in 2020–21, was slightly above the internal representation rate (5.1% vs 4.3%). Data suppressed to protect confidentiality.

For more detailed data on departures, see table 10 in the appendix.

Remuneration

As CNSC has highly specialized professionals throughout the organization, roughly 53% of employees earned $100,000 or more annually compared to 56% in the previous fiscal year. With the exception of visible minorities, all other employment equity groups had a lower percentage of earnings.

Of those employees who earned $100,000 and over:

39.5% were women
30.0% were Aboriginal peoples
44.4% were persons with disabilities
57.8% were visible minorities

For more detailed data on salary range, see table 11 in the appendix.

4. Continued implementation of the Diversity and Inclusion Plan 2019‒22

In 2019, the CNSC officially launched and implemented a Diversity and Inclusion Plan (2019–22). This report identifies the CNSC’s goals for building a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace, and outlines the expected results, proposed activities and performance indicators for achieving D&I goals.

As the CNSC entered the second year of the three-year plan, it had always understood that employment equity and diversity are necessary but not sufficient conditions for a respectful, inclusive and trusting workplace. The organization chose to focus efforts in the following areas:

Inclusive leadership: clarifying expectations and integrating them into performance management, committing to recruitment strategies to close gaps, creating safe spaces for conversation
Workplace design: engaging the employee networks in decision-making and GBA+ workplace design
Building D&I capability: building racial literacy, challenging assumptions, reflecting on bias and developing skills to identify and address microaggressions in the moment
Empowerment and accountability: equipping employees and managers to be confident and ready to navigate situations that create mistrust and undermine an inclusive workplace

This plan is updated annually to ensure the CNSC builds on its success and continues working on key areas for improvement. The organization implemented the following activities for the 2020–21 period:

Piloted a blind application screening process in the most recent collective director recruitment process, to remove any unconscious biases at the initial screening phases
Conducted employee surveys on key themes supporting a safe and respectful workplace (e.g., fear of reprisal, management, impacts of COVID-19), analyzed results, created baselines for trend analysis and established an action plan to address priority areas for improvement
Reinforced an inclusion component of the CNSC’s regulatory safety culture in performance management contract objectives for management
- has already been incorporated into the corporate commitments for FY 21–22
Conducted targeted sourcing activities (e.g. job boards or virtual career fairs geared towards EE designated groups)

5. Additional inclusion efforts

Regulatory safety culture

At the CNSC, regulatory safety culture is expressed by the shared attitudes, values and behaviours that are demonstrated in meeting mandated responsibilities. Safety culture is the assembly of characteristics and attitudes in the organization and its workers that enables and supports safety as a key value, and establishes that protection and safety issues receive the attention warranted by their significance.

D&I is a fundamental element of the CNSC’s regulatory safety culture. The following traits underpin and support the desired regulatory safety culture and inclusive environment that the CNSC strives to achieve:

leadership for safety
continuous learning and improvement
personal accountability
questioning attitude
safe environment for raising concerns
communication and collaboration

The CNSC recognizes the importance of its own culture for safety and has recently completed a regulatory safety culture self-assessment against international principles of safety culture for nuclear regulators. Through participation in national and international fora, the CNSC continues to leverage international best practices with regards to safety culture and share its knowledge and expertise on this important topic.

CNSC management strongly believes that an organization that actively fosters a healthy safety culture can have a powerful influence on employee attitudes and behaviours, and consequently on individual and corporate safety performance.

It is important for the CNSC to remain abreast of the current state of its regulatory safety culture and, in particular, to monitor the effectiveness of new and ongoing programs, policies and processes. To this end, the CNSC regularly monitors staff and management perceptions using a variety of mechanisms, including the PSES, town hall meetings and focused management discussions. In addition, Management Committee meetings continue to be open to all employees, who can observe virtually.

There were 8 town hall meetings held in 2020–21. These town hall meetings represent an opportunity for employees to ask questions, bring forward ideas for improvement and raise issues in a public forum. Some of the topics discussed at these meetings included gradual return to the workplace, psychological resilience in the face of the pandemic, COVID-19 vaccinations, and updates to the CNSC Values & Ethics Code.

The 2020 PSES results showed a 10% increase compared to the previous year; 80% of employees believe that the CNSC is undertaking the right initiatives to improve its safety culture. The results have also shown an 11% increase in employee trust in senior management, placing the organization at an encouraging 70%.

Policies and processes designed to support a respectful and inclusive workplace

As part of its safety culture, the CNSC recognizes the importance of creating an environment in which employees feel free to raise issues without fear of reprisal. To this end, the CNSC offers employees many avenues for raising an issue or lodging a complaint. CNSC tools supporting this approach include the following:

Inclusive Workplace Policy
Respectful Workplace Policy
Policy on Informal Conflict Management System
Policy on Science in a Regulatory Environment
Open Door Policy
Non-Concurrence Process
Differences of Professional Opinion Process
Publishing and posting of technical papers and journal articles

Workplace wellness

The CNSC works to ensure a physically and psychologically healthy work environment to help all employees perform at their best. Continuing its various awareness and learning activities in support of its respectful and mentally healthy workplace, the CNSC:

Delivered the virtual “Working Mind” mental health training program to managers (see Learning and Development for more information)
Conducted onboarding meetings with new managers to brief them on their new work environment from a labour relations perspective and to answer any questions or concerns related to personnel management
Completed the review of the hazard prevention program to identify/address all hazards in the workplace including psychological safety
Launched the new mandatory training on workplace harassment and violence prevention for employees, managers, OHS committees and designated recipient
Launched a workplace assessment on harassment and violence in the workplace
Created weekly mental health kits to help employees and managers maintain a good mental health
Launched new virtual ergonomic assessments, work-at-home furniture reimbursement program and new intranet page on ergonomics
Promoted policies, programs, resources and tools available to support employee mental health and well-being (Employee Assistance Program, LifeSpeak digital wellness platform), Informal Conflict Management System)
Promoted wellness through various internal newsletter articles
Promoted monthly wellness break sessions
Participated in the Bell Let’s Talk Campaign
Held a virtual health fair
Launched 2 wellness challenges
Hosted multiple guest speaker sessions on different topics related to wellness
Promoted healthy workplace workshops, seminars, webinars, training, resources and tools available in the broader public service or other sources

Organizational competencies

To effectively manage talent across the organization, CNSC Key Behavioural Competencies (KBCs) continue to be a requirement for all jobs, regardless of level. These KBCs underpin organizational performance and are embedded in all human resource management processes. To reinforce desired leadership and management behaviours, the CNSC also continues to use the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Key Leadership Competencies (KLCs), which form the basis of executive talent management. Deloitte’s inclusive leadership behaviours have also been mapped to those KLCs to ensure that executive assessment for selection and candidate feedback is grounded in the inclusive leadership behaviours that the CNSC expects.

Employment systems review

In accordance with the Employment Equity Act, the CNSC is required to conduct a periodic Employment Systems Review (ESR). To complete this requirement, an external consultant was hired to conduct an Employment Systems Review (ESR) in 2019–20. The ESR identifies potential systemic barriers and recommendations to improve the work environment for employment equity designated group members, and for all employees at CNSC. The final ESR report was submitted to CNSC on January 30, 2021 due to delays caused by the onset of the pandemic.

The ESR was carried out using multiple sources of evidence, to review employment systems, policies and practices and obtain information about the representation and distribution trends, to identify potential systemic barriers, and to form the basis for recommendations for future improvement. The sources of evidence included the following:

Review of background documentation
Review of written human resources policies and selected procedures
Demographic analysis
Consultation through one-on-one interviews and group meetings
Employment Equity ESR Advisory Committee input and feedback
Review of staffing files for advertised STEM positions

Highlights of findings

What the CNSC is doing well	Where the CNSC needs to improve
Workforce analysis – For 2019–20, the CNSC met its employment equity targets with respect to the representation of women in the organization. 2018- 19 promotion data indicates that women have obtained over 61% of all promotions, while representing 50.3% of the population. Education and awareness – Promotion of training (unconscious bias, Fierce Conversations, The Working Mind, prevention of harassment and violence in the workplace), assessing inclusive leadership behaviours in executive assessment, open learning sessions, Town Hall and Safe Space Series on racism and discrimination as well as mental health. The CNSC’s human resource management policies did not appear to pose barriers to any member of the employment equity groups. Recommendation to review and update for gender inclusive language. Employee networks grew and are gaining momentum; at the end of 2019, CNSC had two employee networks (Women in STEM and Young Professionals). By summer 2020, 2 additional networks had been created: Black Employees Network, and Indigenous Network.	Workforce Representation – Increase representation for the under-represented equity- seeking groups: Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities. Low awareness and understanding of employment equity - There is low awareness and understanding about employment equity throughout the organization. Workplace environment – Employees consulted in the ESR process reported inappropriate behaviors from colleagues and managers, and a fear of speaking up, which does not appear to be related to membership in an equity seeking group. However, the presence of this experience and fear impacts employee safety and sense of belonging. Processes for accommodation appear to be unknown and there is a reluctance to self- identify – In both the ESR and GBA+ survey on return to the workplace, persons identifying with both physical and cognitive disabilities expressed challenges with the requirements and processes related to accommodation.

What the CNSC is doing well

Where the CNSC needs to improve

Workforce analysis – For 2019–20, the CNSC met its employment equity targets with respect to the representation of women in the organization. 2018- 19 promotion data indicates that women have obtained over 61% of all promotions, while representing 50.3% of the population.
Education and awareness – Promotion of training (unconscious bias, Fierce Conversations, The Working Mind, prevention of harassment and violence in the workplace), assessing inclusive leadership behaviours in executive assessment, open learning sessions, Town Hall and Safe Space Series on racism and discrimination as well as mental health.
The CNSC’s human resource management policies did not appear to pose barriers to any member of the employment equity groups. Recommendation to review and update for gender inclusive language.
Employee networks grew and are gaining momentum; at the end of 2019, CNSC had two employee networks (Women in STEM and Young Professionals). By summer 2020, 2 additional networks had been created: Black Employees Network, and Indigenous Network.

Workforce Representation – Increase representation for the under-represented equity- seeking groups: Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities.
Low awareness and understanding of employment equity - There is low awareness and understanding about employment equity throughout the organization.
Workplace environment – Employees consulted in the ESR process reported inappropriate behaviors from colleagues and managers, and a fear of speaking up, which does not appear to be related to membership in an equity seeking group. However, the presence of this experience and fear impacts employee safety and sense of belonging.
Processes for accommodation appear to be unknown and there is a reluctance to self- identify – In both the ESR and GBA+ survey on return to the workplace, persons identifying with both physical and cognitive disabilities expressed challenges with the requirements and processes related to accommodation.

Actions and next steps

While the CNSC has made strides in building a more inclusive workplace that is representative of Canadian society, more needs to be done in order to foster an inclusive workplace.

To realize the employment equity recommendations set out in the ESR report, the CNSC will develop a management action plan by end of Q1 (2021–22) that will include findings from other related reports (GBA+ survey). Actions could include items like the following:

Review human resource management policies to ensure gender-neutral language
Develop a plan to address employment equity gaps in designated groups
Establish hiring goals, in consultation, to improve and close workforce representation gaps
Continue to promote diversity and inclusion throughout employee centric communications and activities
Apply innovative resourcing methods to improve the diversity of qualified applicants to CNSC job postings
Build D&I capability of both managers and employees – in particular, how to spot and address with respect micro-aggressions or other inappropriate behaviours. These specific behaviors will build trust and relationships within the organization and promote better transparency, accountability and better communication
Connect employee networks’ strategic plans to the organizational strategy to promoting the idea of inclusion ambassadors

Employee networks

Following the development of the governance framework for the employee networks, the Human Resources Directorate (HRD) supported CNSC staff with the launch of three new employee networks – the WISTEM Network, the Black Employees Network (BEN) and the Indigenous Network (IN).

During 2020–21, HRD helped these 3 networks create respective Terms of Reference. The employee networks were supported in conceptualizing 3-year strategic plans to set clear objectives, determine supporting activities, and plan for budgetary needs. The CNSC anticipates the launch of LGBTQ2+ and a Persons with Disabilities employee networks in the following fiscal year.

WISTEM Employee Network

The WISTEM Network aims to build relationships, to share tools on how to navigate all stages of one’s STEM career and to promote discussion of STEM topical areas. The network was successfully launched during a virtual event in early October 2020 hosting over 130 CNSC participants. In 2020–21, the network hosted a number of events including a follow-up discussion about the Women in Nuclear (WiN) 2020 Annual Conference, the first Women of the CNSC feature promoting the idea that “if you can see her, you can be her.” The network was proud to lead a team of participants in the Run/Walk for Women by Shoppers Drug Mart raising funds towards women’s mental health initiatives at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, and looks forward to making it a tradition.

Black Employees Network (BEN)

Since its inception, the BEN has facilitated 9 events featuring various guest speakers as part of their Safe Space Speaker Series. These events provided an open forum for staff to ask questions and learn more about the challenges that Black Canadians face, and covered various topics such as anti-Black racism, policing in Canada, and the long-term impacts of discrimination. The BEN also organized the CNSC’s first official Black History Month celebration, which included weekly activities, guest speakers, and learning resources for staff. The CNSC Library, in close collaboration with the BEN, started a virtual Diversity and Inclusion section featuring many e- books and audiobooks that touch various topics and is available to all staff.

Indigenous Network (IN)

The IN focused its efforts on developing its Terms of Reference and three-year strategic plan, as well as identifying a network champion. Capitalizing on the CNSC’s presence in many Canadian regions, the IN arranged for a special land acknowledgement segment as part of the organization’s virtual year-end event. Each land acknowledgements spoke of the land and territory that the CNSC’s offices across the country occupy. The network has done extensive work to raising awareness within the organization in a manner that reflects the Indigenous community, and organizing various activities for the 2021–22 fiscal year.

Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+)

Applying GBA+ to the CNSC’s work is an ongoing and important effort towards creating and maintaining inclusive and accessible programs, policies and services. Because COVID-19 affects diverse groups of people differently, the CNSC undertook a GBA+ assessment in its efforts to support employees working from home and in its return to the workplace plans. The goal of the assessment was to ensure that the CNSC has policies and plans tailored to support everyone so that they are safe, healthy and comfortable during this period. This was the first GBA+ initiative of this magnitude for the CNSC.

Through surveys, online forms and focus groups, CNSC staff had the opportunity to share their individual experiences anonymously. The results of this assessment highlighted that in the current work-from-home environment, employees with disabilities are disproportionately experiencing negative impacts. In order to better support these employees, the CNSC has committed to an action plan to address the findings of the assessment, which includes:

holding learning sessions on disabilities/neurodiversity for all staff on how to seek accommodations (including during a staffing process)
providing information the managers to help them better support their employees in seeking accommodations

Learning and development

The CNSC continues to invest significantly in employee learning and development, spending an average of 2% of payroll per year on learning activities, which is significantly higher than other government departments and industry. All employees are encouraged to pursue personal and professional development initiatives at all stages of their careers.

Due to the challenges presented by the pandemic and remote work environment, the CNSC secured a contract with an external vendor to conduct second language evaluations in response to ongoing staffing needs. This allowed the CNSC to continue with its operational activities as it pertains to second language testing – with little to no service interruptions – while the Public Service Commission tried to find ways to restore full service to its clients.

CNSC employees continue to benefit of the online learning offered by the Canada School of Public Service. The top 10 online courses for Q1 of 2020–21 (excluding leadership programs) are:

Understanding Unconscious Bias (W005)
Preventing Harassment and Violence in the Canadian Workplace (W011)
Cultural Self-Reflection: What I know and What I don’t know (K099)
The Uncomfortable Truth (K100)
Security Awareness (A230)
First Nations in Canada (K101)
Métis in Canada (K102)
Inuit in Canada (K103)
Selection of Candidate using an objective eye (C139)
Vocabulary and Verb from acquisition exercises in French as a Second Language (E432)

The Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) courses, Understanding Unconscious Bias (for employees) and Overcoming Unconscious Bias in the Workplace (for managers) were identified in the previous year (2019–20) as required training for staff and managers.

In January 2021, with the introduction of Bill C-65, two courses – Harassment and Violence Prevention for Employees (staff and management) and Harassment and Violence Prevention for Managers and Committees/Representatives (management) – became mandatory. This replaced the Preventing Harassment and Violence in the Canadian Workplace course.

In September 2020, the CNSC Library created a Diversity & Inclusion section available to staff using the online platform, Cloud Library, which includes both e-books and audiobooks in both English and French. The D&I section and garnered a total of 95 checkouts by staff for 2020–21, and featured the following titles:

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph
Apocalypse Never by Michael Shellenberger
Black Matters by Afua Cooper
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Brown by Kamal Al-Solaylee
Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings
Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
In the Black by B. Denham Jolly
Intolerable by Kamal Al-Solaylee
Le Canada : un pays divers by Hélène Harter and Serge Jaumain
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
NoirEs sous surveillance. Esclavage, répression et violence d'État au Canada by Robyn Maynard
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Our Story by Thomas King, Tantoo Cardinal, and Tomson Highway
Policing Black Lives by Robyn Maynard
Proud by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Sapiens - Une brève histoire de l'humanité by Yuval Noah Harari
Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 1 by Yuval Noah Harari
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
The Hanging Of Angelique by Afua Cooper
The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole
Things Are Good Now by Djamila Ibrahim
Unapologetic by Charlene Carruthers
We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders by Linda Sarsour
When at Times the Mob Is Swayed by Burt Neuborne
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples® by Bob Joseph and Cynthia F. Joseph
You Can't Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson

The CNSC continues to offer Fierce Conversations training to staff, providing them with the tools to have respectful dialogue that questions assumptions, provoke learning, tackle tough challenges and enrich relationships. When equipped with the tools to have these “fierce conversations”, the CNSC creates a culture where employees are comfortable raising issues, expressing differences of opinion and providing feedback. The training was updated to be delivered in a virtual format and 16 of sessions were delivered to 156 employees.

In its efforts to prioritize diversity and inclusion within the organization, the CNSC became an employer partner with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion in November 2020. The national not-for-profit organization provides the CNSC and its staff unlimited access to countless resources including webinars, research, reports, and toolkits, with a focus on issues related to diversity, inclusion, equity and human rights management.

The “Working Mind” training program was offered virtually to CNSC management. Participants learned skills to reduce stigma and negative attitudes surrounding mental health in the workplace, offer help with resources and a strong support network, provide tools and skills to prevent stress, and promote good mental health. Two live online sessions were held in French and English respectively, and 14 members of management received their certificates of completion from the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

President and CEO Rumina Velshi has placed a focus on promoting gender equity, paying particular attention to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Diversity fosters agility and innovation in an organization – qualities that strengthens a safety culture. The CNSC WISTEM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiative promotes the balanced participation of women in STEM careers at the CNSC and in broader nuclear and scientific communities. A 3-year strategic plan, approved in 2020 by Management Committee, supports the CNSC’s vision of being a leader in Canada for gender equity in STEM and a supporter of STEM education. Within the CNSC, 4 main task forces are implementing specific elements of the plan:

Network
Research
Coaching and mentoring
Outreach

The Research Taskforce aims to build women’s capacity to take on STEM research careers by increasing the percentage of women going into research, publishing and/or presenting at conferences, occupying senior research positions in nuclear field without limiting them to that industry.

The CNSC is proud to sponsor Carleton University’s Women in Engineering (Science) and Information Technology Program.
Research pods – in November 2020 CNSC and Carleton University researchers formed research pods in health sciences, earth and environmental sciences, and engineering as a pilot project. These pods enable researchers to collaborate on research projects, provide research opportunities for women going into research, enable research career advancement, publishing opportunities, and so on.

The Coaching and Mentoring Task Force aims to help staff develop, improve and implement mindsets and behaviours, and give them tools and strategies to increase their confidence and competency in their STEM work life.

Through staff training in non-directive coaching, the task force has indirectly observed a rapport and community built between those who have participated in coaching training thus far. The development of relationships; real, open, honest and supportive, are being fostered within the CNSC. Those who are a part of this community have generalized feelings of greater well-being, people to turn to, and those they can talk to.
The task force has embarked on working to develop CNSC coaching circles and aim to have 50 CNSC staff participate in these circles by the end of fiscal 2021–22.

The Outreach Task Force is focusing on developing tools to guide staff who conduct outreach activities while continuing to promote WISTEM representation in said activities, as well as increasing strategic collaborations with STEM outreach organizations.

A survey of CNSC staff was conducted in March 2021 to determine employee experiences and needs when conducting outreach.
Benchmarking of external organizations was performed to determine best practices and lessons learned from WISTEM outreach and current CNSC outreach tools have been assessed to inform the planning of future ones.

The CNSC WISTEM Initiative supports major advocacy work led by President Velshi. In addition to leading the Driving for Advancement of Women in Nuclear (DAWN) Group and the International Gender Champions Impact Group, President Velshi provides leadership and guidance at various national and international events on the importance of diversity and inclusion, including:

Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Task Group on Improving the Gender Balance in the Nuclear Sector
NEA International Mentorship Workshops

Also in the spirit of supporting women in STEM, CNSC staff members attend various events, for example, Women in Nuclear conferences and the National Research Council Annual WISTEM Symposium.

These efforts are collectively aimed at increasing the percentage of women in STEM careers and the talent pipeline, within not only the nuclear industry, but also the wider scientific community.

Consultations

Representatives from the Nuclear Regulatory Group (NUREG) union meet regularly with CNSC management to discuss issues pertaining to employment practices, including diversity, equity and inclusion, through the Labour Management Consultation Committee (2 meetings per year or more, if required) and monthly bilateral meetings with the Human Resources Directorate.

Aside from regular consultations with the union, additional working committees were created to manage the pandemic as it applied to the CNSC’s workforce and workplace, and these included union representation. This meant that consultations and dialogue occurred weekly and often daily between the CNSC and the union; including pulse survey questions. Results from the EE annual report are shared with NUREG representatives.

6. Conclusion

In 2020–21, the CNSC overall workforce exceeded the LMA in 1 employment equity designated group: women. There is continued under-representation for Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities despite a slight increase for Aboriginal peoples. The under-representation of these groups was perpetuated by lower hiring rates for Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities and persons with disabilities, in addition to higher departure rates than internal representation for women, Aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities.

The CNSC is committed to increasing representation in all groups. To this end, the CNSC plans to update the D&I Plan and hiring goals for 2022–25. The upcoming D&I Plan will include measures to strengthen the organization’s ability to attract and retain members of employment equity groups.

In addition, the CNSC will be developing and implementing a management action plan to address to the findings from the ESR report, GBA+ report, Trust report, and the 2020–21 Pulse Surveys. This action plan will address under-representation, and promote respectful behaviour and inclusive practices. This work – together with employee networks, continued safe-space conversations on inclusion, race and the marginalization of other equity-seeking groups, and the assessment of future and current leaders on their demonstration of inclusive behaviours – will help not only to enhance representation of equity-seeking groups, but also create a respectful, inclusive workplace.

Appendix A: Workforce representation data tables as of March 31, 2021