Status of Women Canada

Info Source

Sources of Federal
Government Information
2008

Status of Women Canada

General Information

Background

In 1971, the federal government created the Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women within the Privy Council Office. In 1976, the Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women was removed from the Privy Council Office. It was named a department under Order-in-Council P.C. 1976-779 and became known as Status of Women Canada.

Responsibilities

Status of Women Canada ensures that the federal government carries out its commitment to women's equality in all spheres of Canadian life.

Legislation

Order in Council, P.C. 1976-779

Organization

Communications and Consultations Directorate
This Directorate is the focal point for the external and internal communications advice and planning, preparing speeches and responding to media and public enquiries. It also produces promotional materials for commemorative events, produces and advises on publications and specials projects and carries out media analyses. The Directorate is also responsible for the consultation function within the Department, planning and managing activities with stakeholders such as small, informal roundtables as well as larger, more formal consultations.

Corporate Services Directorate
This Directorate ensures statutory accountability and delivers such services as financial and human resources management, informatics and telecommunications, security, assets, facilities and material management, as well as contract and procurement administration.

Executive and Information Services Directorate
This Directorate is responsible for corporate planning, evaluation and reporting, coordination services and executive support to the Co-ordinator and the Minister responsible for Status of Women, including ministerial services. It provides translation services and information management services including records management, distribution, and library services, which support all aspects of the department's work. It also manages the access to information and privacy programs.

Gender-Based Analysis Directorate
The Gender-based Analysis Directorate assists other federal departments and agencies to set up their own processes to ensure that gender-based analysis is incorporated into all of their policy and program development activities.

Policy and External Relations Directorate
The Policy and External Relations Directorate reviews and conducts gender analysis of existing and proposed federal government policies, legislation, programs and initiatives. It develops recommendations and strategies, and works in cooperation with other federal departments to promote gender equality. It undertakes developmental activities to address policy gaps on issues of concern to women. It also collaborates with various stakeholders, including provincial and territorial governments, civil society and non-governmental organizations, international organizations and other governments on policy-related activities.

Research Directorate
The objective of the Research Directorate is to enhance the public policy debate on current and emerging issues from a gender perspective by identifying and targeting significant gaps in knowledge, responding to these gaps by funding gender-based policy research, and promoting the use of research findings in policy development.

Women's Program and Regional Operations Directorate
The Women's Program (WP) objectives are 1) to promote policies and programs within key institutions that take account of gender implications, the diversity of women's perspectives and enable women to take part in decision-making; 2) to facilitate the involvement of women's organizations in the public policy process; 3) to increase public understanding in order to encourage action on women's equality issues; and 4) to enhance the effectiveness of actions undertaken by women's organizations to improve the situation of women. To do so, the WP provides assistance to women's and other equality-seeking organizations working to remove barriers to women's full participation in Canadian society, at local, regional and national levels. Through the Regional Operations component, the Directorate is also responsible for ensuring the regional implementation of the department's mandate. Regional operations consist of 35 staff located in 15 points of service across the country which provides Status of Women Canada with a direct link to communities and stakeholders.

Information Holdings

Institution-Specific Classes of Records

Communications and Consultations
Description: Contains information relating to communications, consultations procedures, guidelines and other general information, media relations and special events.
Document Types: Communications products, consultations, media relations, Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case, International Women's Day, National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, Women's History Month.
Record Number: SWC 2000

Gender-Based Analysis
Description: Contains information on Gender-Based Analysis and gender mainstreaming in the Government of Canada, international institutions and foreign governments.
Document Types: Implementation strategy, evaluations, methodologies, presentations, tools, training, gender mainstreaming.
Record Number: SWC 3000

Policy Analysis, Development and External Relations
Description: Contains information on organizations and administration internal to the Policy Analysis, Development and External Relations Directorate. Information related to the substantive work of the directorate is found under Gender Equality / Women's Issues, and under the International, Federal, Provincial and Territorial sections.
Document Types: Structure, work distribution, planning, retreats and guidelines and protocols related to working methods, conference participation.
Record Number: SWC 4000

Research
Description: Contains information related to the Research Directorate, the Policy Research Fund and funded Research projects.
Document Types: Calls for proposals, policy Research projects, external committee, and evaluations.
Record Number: SWC 5000

Women's Program and Regional Operations
Description: Contains information concerning the promotion of women and financial assistance to voluntary associations working to improve the status of women in Canada.
Document Types: Funding guidelines, funded initiatives, accountability framework, grant and contributions management, regional organizations by province.
Record Number: SWC 6000

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Government Organizations and FPT Relations
Description: Contains information on federal government departments, agencies, boards, commissions, corporations and councils, including correspondence related to their mandates, structures, priorities, etc., that is corporate or general in nature and not issue-specific.
Document Types: material relating to federal-provincial / territorial relations, including status of women and other cooperation and liaison activities; information on individual jurisdictions that are relevant to Status of Women's work and mandate.
Record Number: SWC 7000

International Governmental Organizations; International Events / Activities; International Non-Governmental organizations; International Relations and Foreign Countries
Description: Contains information on Canada's participation in, and the work of, international organizations that is relevant to gender equality, including their decision-making bodies, status of women entities, secretariats, human rights conventions and other agreements, and their conferences, summits and other special events. Also contains similar information on international relations generally that impacts Status of Women's work and information about specific countries, including geographic, demographic, policy and other information about a country that is hosting an international event or sending a visiting delegation to Canada.
Document Types: United Nations, Commonwealth, Organization of American States, Asia-Pacific Cooperation, Council of Europe, La Francophonie, International Non-governmental organizations, International Relations and Foreign Countries.
Record Number: SWC 8000

Organizations
Description: Contains information and correspondence relating to Canadian non-governmental Organizations, associations, centres, committees, groups, Organizations, and others that are relevant to Status of Women Canada's mandate and activities.
Document Types: Alphabetical list of all groups i.e. Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada, Assembly of First Nations, Business and Professional Women's Clubs of Canada, Caledon Institute for Social Policy etc. to YWCA's.
Record Number: SWC 9000

Gender Equality / Women's Issues
Description: Contains information on gender equality objectives, plans, mechanisms and statistics and human rights implementation in Canada as well as issue-based material within Status of Women's work and mandate, including Acts and legislation currently in force, information related to reviews of, and proposals for, Acts, regulations, policies, programs concerning an issue; relevant committee work, consultations and special events; issue-specific statistics, research, reports and other information from government and non-government sources, including comparative studies across countries.
Document Types: Government plans and priorities; gender equality government plans; gender equality human rights instruments; diversity, inclusion and demography; economic and fiscal issues; employment, labour market, education and training; health and environment; housing and homelessness; justice system, peace and security; media, arts, culture, recreation and sport; governance issues: politics, public service and voluntary sector; violence.
Record Number: SWC 9500

Standard Classes of Records

Please see the Introduction to this publication for the descriptions of Standard Classes of Records.

Access to Information and Privacy Requests

Accounts and Accounting

Administration

Administration and Management Services

Audits

Budgets

Building and Properties

Buildings

Business Continuity Planning

Classification of Positions

Cooperation and Liaison

Equipment and Supplies

Finance

Furniture and Furnishings

Hospitality

Human Resources

Information Technology Services

Occupational Health and Safety

Office Appliances

Official Languages

Pensions and Insurance

Personnel

Physical Security

Proactive Disclosure

Procurement and Contracting

Recruitment and Staffing

Relocation

Salaries and Wages

Staff Relations

Training and Development

Travel

Institution-Specific Personal Information Banks

Researchers' Database
Description: This electronic database includes the names of individuals, organizations that they work for, complete addresses, telephone numbers, facsimile numbers, e-mail addresses, education and work experience, organization's mandate or research experience, languages spoken, read and written, publications and areas of policy research interest.
Class of Individuals: Private Citizens and individuals working for organizations who have expressed an interest in doing policy research.
Purpose: To create a researchers list or inventory by areas of expertise.
Consistent Uses: To be used to send calls for proposals to conduct policy research as well as to send other information related to the Policy Research Fund. With the permission of the individual or organization, the information may also be shared with other research organizations.
Retention and Disposal Standards: The information is retained until the individual officially requests to be removed from the inventory or until such time as the information is no longer deliverable (returned mail).
RDA Number: 2005/003
Related Record Number: SWC 5000
TBS Registration: 005293
Bank Number: SWC PPU 010

Standard Personal Information Banks

Please see the Introduction to this publication for the descriptions of Standard Personal Information Banks.

Access to Information and Privacy Requests

Business Continuity Planning

Executive Correspondence Management Systems

Hospitality

Internal Disclosure of Wrongdoing in the Workplace

Personnel Security Screening

Relocation

Travel

Classes of Personal Information

In the course of conducting its activities, Status of Women Canada accumulates categories of personal information which are stored as part of the general subject files where records are not normally retrieved by name of individual or any other personal identifier. The Department handles policy and program issues but not personal program delivery matters. This form of personal information is normally retrievable only if specifics are provided concerning the issue of complaint, and the date and name of the complainant. All issues dealing with federal government legislation, policies and programs that impact on women are included. The retention periods for these classes of personal information are controlled by the record schedules of the general subject files in which they are stored.

Manuals

File Classification Plan, Status of Women Canada
Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) Policy
Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) Policy Training – Trainer's Manual
Guidelines for the Preparation of Preliminary Recommendations Regarding Invitations
Procedures Relating to Executive Correspondence
Training – Participant Handbook
Women's Program - Accountability Framework
Women's Program - Funding Guidelines
Women's Program - Outcomes Tool Kit
Women's Program - Procedures Manual

Additional Information

Please see the Introduction to this publication for information on access procedures under the provisions of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

For additional information about the programs and activities of Status of Women Canada, please contact:

General Inquiries
Status of Women Canada
123 Slater Street, 10th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1H9

Telephone: 613-995-7835

Reading Room

In accordance with the Access to Information Act, an area on the premises of this institution has been designated as a public reading room. The address is:

123 Slater Street, Ground Floor
Ottawa, Ontario

Status of Women Canada

Info Source

Sources of FederalGovernment Information2008