The intent of GBA Plus is to ensure that various intersecting identity factors are considered throughout the policy design process, from initial problem identification through to implementation and evaluation. Its purpose is ensuring that none of the diverse people encountering Canadian federal policies and programs are unintentionally harmed by or excluded from government policy and programs.  This session will provide thoughtful and thought-provoking comments on Committee findings and observations including:

• Strengths of GBA Plus and success stories
• Significant barriers that continue to limit implementation in the federal government
• 15 recommendations to support a more fulsome intersectional analysis
• Questions about Data Gaps
• Measuring outcomes and evaluating progress
• Perceptions and resistance

• Impact of government programs on immigrant communities in Canada
• Who should be consulted with respect to the impact of programs on immigrant communities?
• Various needs and important differences in different communities
• How can GBA+ improve positive impacts and reduce unintended consequences?

This presentation will provide participants with an opportunity to learn about the evolution of GBA Plus in the Government of Canada over the past 30 years and hear about work currently underway to improve on tools and approaches for more responsive and inclusive government initiatives. The Government of Canada’s experience with GBA Plus has allowed for ongoing improvements including to the scope and scale of its application as well as in the comprehensiveness of the analysis. Today, GBA Plus is:

• Embedded as an integral part of the government’s decision-making processes so that legislation, policies, programs, and initiatives, regardless of their primary intent, serve to advance equality and close gaps between populations.
• Increasingly intersectional in its design and application so that structural factors and systemic discrimination that have impeded equality in Canada (e.g., colonialism, racism, ableism, heteronormativity, capitalism, and heteropatriarchy) are considered alongside identity and other factors because of how they work together to influence people’s experiences and their access to opportunities.

Neurodiversity is a concept that describes the natural diversity in how all our minds and brains operate. Some people function in ways that aren’t normative. Neurodivergence intersects with every marginalized community in Canada’s Wheel of Privilege and Power.

Careful consideration must be made at every stage of the process when designing, developing and implementing public policy and programs.

These neurodiversity experts will challenge you to explore and consider these curious questions while you learn to incorporate neuro-inclusion into your practice as you advance your diversity, equity and inclusion plans.

• What factors contribute to missing some of the population who should have benefitted from a policy or program? What didn’t you consider?
• What strategies and approaches should you use to ensure all voices are included and all factors are considered thoughtfully when making policy or program decisions?
• If you discover that an implemented policy or program has excluded some people, how should you approach and correct the situation? What could you learn from it?

• What we have learned in our journey
• Advocating for inclusion of GBA+ across city services and boroughs
• Strengthen knowledge of GBA Plus issues among municipal departments using strategic capacity building initiatives,  learning circles and resource and toolkit development
• Spearheading the institutionalization of GBA+ experimental knowledge through targeted initiatives