Gender-based Analysis Plus

Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus governance and capacity

Governance

The CNSC has established a GBA Plus Responsibility Centre within its Corporate Planning Division. Throughout the year, CNSC staff participate in the GBA Plus Interdepartmental Working Group on Environment and Science, led by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The Director General of Strategic Planning is currently serving as the interim Departmental GBA Plus Champion.

Capacity

The CNSC will continue to integrate GBA Plus into work-related areas where the Government of Canada has established GBA Plus requirements. These areas are:

• the development, implementation and review of regulations 
• the conduct of evaluations 
• the development of Cabinet proposals (such as Treasury Board submissions and memoranda to Cabinet) 

The CNSC may expand the application of GBA Plus beyond the mandated areas to other activities where its application would be beneficial, such as policies that support a hybrid workforce, the regulatory framework, Indigenous engagement and communication activities. The decision to undertake a GBA Plus assessment on corporate projects is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus

The CNSC’s Corporate Planning Division serves as the CNSC’s GBA Plus Responsibility Centre. It acts as a centre of expertise by providing advice related to GBA Plus, liaising with other departments and agencies, and leading the integration, promotion, monitoring and reporting of GBA Plus activities. In 2024-25, the CNSC had 0.25 FTEs dedicated to working on GBA Plus.

Section 2: Gender and diversity impacts, by program

Core responsibility: Nuclear Regulation

Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Program goals: This program regulates facilities associated with the nuclear fuel cycle, specifically nuclear processing facilities, nuclear waste management facilities, and uranium mines and mills. The program regulates all the lifecycle stages of these facilities, including site preparation, construction, operation and decommissioning (or long-term management, in the case of some nuclear waste facilities). No GBA Plus outcomes or impacts have currently been identified for this program. 

Target population: All Canadians

Nuclear Reactors 

Program goals: This program regulates nuclear power plants and research reactors over all lifecycle stages, including site preparation, construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment (once operations are ended). No GBA Plus outcomes or impacts have currently been identified for this program. 

Target population: All Canadians  

Nuclear Substances and Prescribed Equipment

Program goals: This program ensures the safe and secure use of nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in Canada to protect the environment and the health, safety and security of Canadians. The results of regulatory activities associated with this program are communicated annually to the public and other stakeholders. Outreach and communication with licensees is an ongoing process. No GBA Plus outcomes or impacts have currently been identified for this program. 

Target population: All Canadians  

Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Program goals: This program provides assurance to both the Canadian public and the international community that the development, production and use of nuclear energy, nuclear substances, prescribed equipment and prescribed information are safe and comply with the control measures and international obligations to which Canada has agreed. No GBA Plus outcomes or impacts have currently been identified for this program. 

Target population: All Canadians

Key program impacts on gender and diversity

Targeted Engagement Program

The CNSC is working to build and sustain trust in its abilities as an informed and proactive regulator. Throughout 2024–25, the CNSC focused on maintaining long-term relationships — with nuclear host communities, and environmental non-government organizations — to ensure that diverse perspectives, values, concerns and issues are discussed, considered and ultimately reflected in the decision-making process. The CNSC is working toward establishing a lifecycle approach to engagement and collaboration, outside of its existing licensing processes.

Indigenous engagement

The CNSC is committed to building trust and advancing reconciliation by being a culturally sensitive and respectful organization that actively listens to and learns from Indigenous Nations and communities. In 2024–25, the CNSC continued to work with Indigenous partners and other federal departments and agencies to support the implementation of the Government of Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and Action Plan and related measures that intersect with its mandate. In consultation with Indigenous Nations and communities, industry and the public, the CNSC is working to update and modernize REGDOC-3.2.2, Indigenous Engagement. That document sets out requirements and guidance for licensees on engaging with Indigenous Nations and communities in support of the CNSC’s consultation and engagement obligations relating to their projects and facilities. Through the CNSC’s new Indigenous and Stakeholder Capacity Fund, which was launched in May 2023, the CNSC continues to help reduce financial and capacity barriers so that Indigenous Nations and communities can gain the capacity to engage in the full lifecycle of CNSC regulatory processes and activities and build long-term collaborative relationships and partnerships with the CNSC and the nuclear sector.

WISTEM

The CNSC’s Women in STEM (WISTEM) initiative was launched in 2019 to encourage girls and women to pursue a STEM education and career, to support women in STEM careers at the CNSC, and to raise awareness of women in STEM, in collaboration with interested partners such as government, industry and academia. In 2024–25, the CNSC planned and executed a multi-day STEM workshop for Indigenous girls in Saskatchewan to increase capacity and knowledge around STEM and the nuclear sector.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion

At the CNSC, equity, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to strengthening a healthy safety culture, encouraging innovation and collaboration, and supporting better decision making. To make sure that initiatives in this area thoughtful, inclusive and strategic, the CNSC developed a 4-year Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. This strategy strengthens our commitment to deploy the efforts required to make the CNSC a remarkable place to work and to provide outstanding regulatory outcomes for Canadians. Looking forward, the CNSC plans to continue leveraging the diversity of the Canadian workforce to ensure that the organization is well equipped with diverse perspectives to innovate and tackle the complex nuclear issues that it will face as a regulator in the coming years. By fostering inclusion in the workplace, the CNSC wants employees to feel respected, valued and safe to be themselves at work, and empowered to contribute and grow personally and professionally.

Accessibility Plan

The implementation of the CNSC’s Accessibility Plan is a starting point to addressing challenges known at the time of the plan’s inception. The CNSC has made important progress in implementing the actions laid out in the accessibility plan, but there is still work to be done. The CNSC Accessibility Progress Report 2024 provides an update on the status of the objectives set out in the Accessibility Plan. The CNSC will be updating and publishing the Accessibility Plan by December 2025 to reflect the work done so far and the new action items aimed at removing barriers. The CNSC continues to work towards addressing the varied, unique and nuanced barriers faced by persons with disabilities. This plan seeks to advance awareness and drive positive action towards making the CNSC a more accessible and equitable workplace for persons of all abilities. The CNSC continues to consult its staff, including employees with disabilities, to seek feedback on improving and advancing its Accessibility Plan and future progress reports.