2019-20 Departmental Plan
Supplementary Information Tables

Governance structures

The CBSA has endorsed the following policy statement:

The CBSA will make Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) an integral part of our policies, programs and initiatives to ensure an understanding of the impacts on gender and diversity, in order to make better decisions and achieve better results for all our clients, stakeholders and all Canadians.

To fulfill this policy, the Agency is currently using a distributed model of GBA+ responsibilities across the Agency, incorporating the following roles:

• The GBA+ Champion is responsible for promoting the understanding and use of GBA+ across the Agency, and for acting as the liaison at senior-level interdepartmental meetings and events.
  • The GBA+ Champion will institute a GBA+ Internal Working Group in 2019–20 to ensure that a healthy and viable network of GBA+ information and best practices is available to all employees.
• The GBA+ Responsibility Centre is situated within the Agency’s new Strategic Policy Branch and is responsible for supporting the implementation of the Agency’s GBA+ policy, including increasing GBA+ information resources and providing strategic guidance to the rest of the Agency as it mainstreams GBA+ principles into common work practices and considerations in its programs and operations.
  • The GBA+ Responsibility Centre will work collaboratively with the GBA+ Internal Working Group to provide advice on cross-Agency priorities or issues in the implementation of GBA+ and to identify emerging issues in the use of GBA+ within the CBSA and the Government of Canada’s (GC) broader efforts.
  • The GBA+ Responsibility Centre and GBA+ Champion will continue to work closely with initiative leads and offices responsible for reviewing submissions to central agencies in order to help enhance the analysis done when the Agency is completing mandatory GBA+ reviews.
• CBSA senior officials are responsible for ensuring ongoing implementation of GBA+ across the Agency, as well as for supporting employees by providing the proper resources to normalize GBA+ into the Agency’s everyday work practices.
• CBSA employees are responsible for familiarizing themselves with their GBA+ responsibilities, which include undertaking basic training and understanding how to incorporate gender, diversity and inclusiveness considerations into their normal work processes in order to achieve equitable outcomes.
• The CBSA Co-Champions for Women are responsible for leading the Women’s Advisory Committee (WAC) which promotes the CBSA as a workplace of choice for women in leadership within the GC.
  • An action plan is currently being developed by the WAC in support of its mandate to identify processes that either help or hinder the progress of women in the workplace, advocate for women’s leadership at all levels, foster awareness regarding gender parity, and promote the representation and interests of women.
  • The Co-Champions for Women also promote Women in Defence and Security (WiDS) which encourages and supports the advancement of women in careers related to Canadian defense and security industries.

The CBSA routinely provides reporting to the Department for Women and Gender Equality and/or the Treasury Board Secretariat on its various GBA+ activities.

Human resources

Two employees directly support the work of the GBA+ Champion and GBA+ Responsibility Centre, along with numerous others on advisory committees and other governance bodies; however, an accurate count of full-time equivalents (FTEs) cannot be provided as no employees are solely dedicated to GBA+ activities.

Several CBSA officials have been provided with a tailored course on incorporating GBA+ into policies and programs, and how to support their employees in this process.

Planned initiatives

In 2019–20, the CBSA will continue to advance efforts to remove implementation barriers and build institutional capacity for GBA+ through a variety of initiatives, including:

• Continuing to review Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board Submissions to ensure that GBA+ perspectives are fully considered;
• Updating the GBA+ repository and building a more comprehensive electronic library of resources;
• Further leveraging specialized GBA+ training developed by the Agency and Public Safety Portfolio partners; and
• Enhancing communication and understanding of the advantages of GBA+ so that it becomes ingrained as a regular business process across the Agency.

A summary of specific initiatives under each of the Agency’s core responsibilities is provided below.

Core Responsibility: Border Management

Reconciliation

• The CBSA remains committed to supporting the GC’s reconciliation efforts and to being a leading organization that engages, respects, cooperates and partners with Indigenous peoples to provide integrated border services that support national security and public safety priorities, while facilitating the free flow of admissible people and goods.
• In 2018–19, the Agency announced the formation of an Indigenous Affairs Secretariat (IAS) to provide Indigenous perspectives and guidance on all matters relating to the four guiding elements of the CBSA’s Indigenous Framework and Strategy (IFS): people, policies, operations and engagement.
• In 2019–20, the IAS will continue to implement the commitments outlined in the IFS, including an innovative approach to co-develop strategies using design thinking and facilitation with Indigenous partners. In partnership with other government departments and Indigenous stakeholders, this initiative will seek to address the issues identified in the Report on First Nation Border Crossing Issues.

Recourse

• The CBSA’s Recourse Program plans to review whether additional data elements relating to GBA+ may be collected when complaints are submitted and to include a consent and privacy notice statement advising complainants of this data collection. These data elements could then be used for statistical and/or trend analysis which, in turn, could inform decision-making on the Agency’s policies, programs and operations impacting service delivery.

Gender Identity

• The CBSA, working in collaboration with its GC partners, will advance work on its policies and programs involving gender identity requirements for official government documents, such as passports.

Core Responsibility: Border Enforcement

• The CBSA affirms its role in the GC’s commitment to preventing and combatting human trafficking, and to supporting victims and survivors.
• The CBSA will review its immigration enforcement policy framework to identify ways in which‎ the needs of vulnerable individuals, including those subjected to gender-based violence, could be better reflected throughout the immigration enforcement continuum.

Internal Services

Recruitment

• In 2018–19, the CBSA launched a new recruitment process for border services officers and began applying a GBA+ lens to this process. Based on the findings of a study conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the CBSA made several adjustments to its own processes incorporating best practices for recruitment. The development of the Agency’s new Officer Trainee Entrance Exam also included the application of a GBA+ lens.
• The Agency is currently working with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer to secure the services of an expert in GBA+ analysis. This expert will assist in conducting a comprehensive analysis of the challenges associated with officer recruitment and in identifying possible solutions.
• The Agency’s recruitment initiatives are regularly reviewed to ensure that they capitalize on opportunities to participate in events tailored toward historically underrepresented groups such as young women in the fields of public safety and law enforcement. In addition, the Agency continues to work closely with the GC’s security and intelligence community on targeted recruitment events for women, placing focus on how branding is perceived from a GBA+ perspective.
• Efforts are also ongoing to ensure balance within the Agency’s management cadre. For example, in 2018–19, the Agency launched an employment equity targeted selection process for management positions at groups and levels immediately below executive rank. These efforts will help increase representation, including women, in the feeder groups for the executive cadre.

Training

• Through the implementation of a design checklist including GBA+ considerations, the CBSA will ensure that GBA+ is incorporated within the instructional design and development of courseware, and that training products are responsive to and representative of the diversity of learners and clients.
• Furthermore, a new section within the CBSA’s Basic Instructional Techniques course, which is mandatory for training delivery, has been designed and will be piloted in 2019–20. The new section includes classroom inclusivity strategies and GBA+ considerations, serving to equip instructors with tools on how to incorporate gender, diversity and inclusiveness considerations into training curriculums.

Mental Health

• Although there are no new initiatives directly related to GBA+, the CBSA’s Mental Health Strategy remains in effect to create a culture that enshrines psychological health, safety and well-being in all aspects of the workplace through collaboration, inclusivity and respect.
• The Mental Health Strategy is all-inclusive and designed to engage and benefit all employees, regardless of gender. The strategy strengthens the Agency’s commitment to take action in instances of incivility, harassment or discrimination and to create and maintain an inclusive, healthy and respectful workplace. To this end, two mandatory courses are in place for all employees, reinforcing the importance of inclusivity and respect in the workplace.
• Additionally, specific tools have been adopted to ensure that a mental health lens is applied to the development and review of CBSA policies. These tools ensure that policymakers continue to consider psychological factors impacting mental health such as diversity and inclusivity.

Diversity

• The CBSA participates in the Deputy Minister Task Force on Diversity and Inclusiveness (TF-D&I), as well as two sub-committees. The TF-D&I examines and formulates advice on how to promote inclusion and ensure that Canada fully benefits from the participation of all Canadians in our economic, social, cultural and civic life.
• The CBSA will continue to leverage its diversity advisory committees to refine the development of programs and activities specific to their respective communities, thereby contributing to the overall advancement of diversity and inclusion within the Agency.
• In collaboration with the LGBTQ2+ Advisory Committee, the CBSA piloted a Positive Space training product in 2018–19, with national deployment planned for 2019–20.
• In 2018–19, the LGBTQ2+ Transgender Protocols Working Group developed transgender protocols for the CBSA. These protocols are currently under review by the LGBTQ2+ Advisory Committee Champion, as well as by various areas of the Agency that will be impacted by the implementation of the protocols.
• Together with the RCMP, Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard, the CBSA is participating in a Uniform Modernization Working Group. Following discussions in 2018–19 regarding inclusive clothing procurement in the federal public service, the CBSA has undertaken a review of uniform policy and the development of a related action plan.

Performance Measurement

• While formal plans for performance monitoring have yet to be established, the Agency will look into identifying performance metrics for the above-mentioned initiatives in 2019–20.

Description

CARM is a multi-year initiative to modernize and optimize the CBSA’s commercial assessment and revenue collection processes and systems. When fully implemented, CARM will provide:

• new and streamlined ways for commercial trade chain partners to interact with the CBSA; and
• a modernized financial management regime focused on providing self-serve, client-based services and processes.

The CBSA collects over $30 billion in duties and taxes from importers each year. Ensuring the accurate and efficient assessment, collection and reporting of this revenue is key to ensuring that the CBSA upholds its financial stewardship responsibilities.

By simplifying the processes associated with the assessment and collection of duties and taxes for commercial clients, compliance with trade-related rules and regulations will also improve for commercial clients. Ultimately, doing business in Canada will be easier with the implementation of CARM.

Project outcomes

The transformation of the CBSA’s assessment and revenue management functions through CARM is intended to produce the following business outcomes:

• Reducing administrative burden for Canadian importers and other trade chain partners, streamlining trade, and shifting Canada’s global trade enablement ranking, thereby improving Canadian economic competitiveness and meeting stakeholder expectations;
• Increasing GC revenues by enabling improved fairness and consistency in the treatment of all imports, reducing missed opportunities to apply taxes and/or duties, and increasing revenues once complete; and
• Improving CBSA efficiency by enhancing services and reducing administrative overhead. A reduced internal administrative burden will improve service delivery efficiency while also increasing levels of service and improving CBSA capacity to support open government and improved trade-related reporting.

Industrial benefits

The CARM project will benefit commercial trade chain partners and Canadian businesses by:

• Reducing barriers that limit trade and commerce, including reducing the administrative burden on small and medium enterprises:
  • Increasing digitization of processes for submitting and tracking trade information and payments;
  • Introducing electronic options for payment of duties and taxes;
  • Providing the ability to enroll and register for programs, obtain information, view financial transactions (e.g., assessment and credits), and manage account information online through a secure portal;
  • Harmonizing the collection and dissemination of trade information;
  • Reducing duplication in submission of trade information.
• Establishing new and improved service delivery options and new service performance standards:
  • Implementing client-based accounting processes that improve the range and responsiveness of services provided by the CBSA to commercial clients;
  • Ensuring a level playing field for all trade chain partners by improving the accuracy and timeliness of processes and data, enabling consistent and transparent assessment and collection of revenues for all trade chain partners nationwide;
  • Ensuring business continuity and availability of systems by replacing outdated systems with modern, integrated applications and platforms.
• Supporting forecasting and decision-making by increasing digitization of processes for submitting and tracking trade information and payments, and enabling more frequent reporting on a greater number of metrics.

Sponsoring department

Canada Border Services Agency

Contracting authority

Public Services and Procurement Canada

Participating departments

Public Services and Procurement Canada
Shared Services Canada
Treasury Board Secretariat
Canada Revenue Agency

Prime contractor

Deloitte Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Major subcontractors

Accenture, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Project phase

CARM Phase 1 was completed with the implementation of the Accounts Receivable Ledger (ARL) in January 2016.

CARM Phase 2 – Planning Phase (Design Stage) is in process and is expected to be completed in early 2019–20, at which time the Implementation Phase will begin.

Major milestones

Accomplished:

• May 2014: CARM Smart Procurement Start (Industry Day)
• January 2015: CARM Phase 1 ARL Contract Award
• January 2016: CARM Phase 1 ARL Implemented
• June 2017: CARM Smart Procurement Proposals Received
• November 2017: Treasury Board Approval for Design Stage of CARM
• February 2018: CARM Smart Procurement End (Contract Award)
• March 2018: CARM Vendor Onboard and Design Stage Start
• November 2018: Enterprise Architecture Review Board Approval

Planned:

• March 2019: CARM Design Stage Complete
• March 2019: CARM Decision to Proceed
• March 2019: Seek authority for remainder of CARM
• March 2021: CARM Implementation Complete

Progress report and explanation of variances

In November 2017, CARM received Treasury Board approval to complete the Design Stage. In March 2018, vendor onboarding and the Design Stage were initiated. CARM is on track to complete the Design Stage by March 2019.

CARM is a key priority for the CBSA and is being managed through a dedicated Vice-President and Branch working closely with industry and the system integrator. Independent reviews have been conducted and support the project’s health and overall readiness to proceed from detailed design to implementation.

The CBSA will be returning to Treasury Board in the spring of 2019 for approval to proceed with the implementation of CARM. CARM is scheduled to be completed by July 2021 within scope and within its approved project authority.