Introduction to GBA Plus

Gender-based analysis is a key part of the 1995 Federal Plan for Gender Equality, which Canada adopted following the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the launch of the Platform for Action. The Government of Canada committed to conducting GBA on all future legislation, policies and programs.

The 2009 audit of by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada reviewed GBA practices in nine departments, and found uneven implementation of GBA and little evidence of its influence on decision-making.

In October 2009, as a result of the audit, Status of Women Canada, along with the Privy Council Office and the Treasury Board Secretariat, tabled the Departmental Action Plan on Gender-based Analysis with the Public Accounts Committee.

The Action Plan defines the roles and responsibilities of departments and agencies, Women and Gender Equality Canada and the central agencies in implementing frameworks to support the sustainable use of GBA Plus across government.

In February 2016, the Auditor General released the Fall 2015 Report ‘Implementing Gender-based Analysis’ which pointed to the need to do more to fully implement GBA Plus as a rigorous practice across government.  It recommended that Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), the Privy Council Office (PCO) and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) work with all federal departments and agencies to identify the barriers to implementing GBA Plus, and to periodically assess and report on progress.

In response to the Auditor General’s report, in April 2016, Women and Gender Equality Canada, the Privy Council Office and the Treasury Board Secretariat released the GBA Plus Action Plan (2016-2020). The plan details actions to support the implementation of GBA Plus across government under the themes of identifying barriers, building GBA Plus capacity, strengthening monitoring and accountability, and reporting on outcomes.