Management response and action plan to the Review of Decisions and Correspondence of the Social Security Tribunal (SST) for Accessible and Inclusive Language

1

Respect the suggested alternative terminology [in the report] to render the SST’s language more accessible and inclusive, including avoiding courtesy titles.

Accepted

The SST’s decision and correspondence templates were initially written with inclusive and accessible language in mind. But as these are reviewed periodically for updates, we will apply an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) lens to identify where the language can be refined further.

The SST’s style guides provide guidance on the use of inclusive language. The SST will continue to enhance alternative terminology when updating the style guides.

Vice-chairpersons

Director, Registry Operations

Director, Corporate Management

Ongoing

2

A fundamental principle of inclusive language - whether one is referring to gender, disability, or any other aspect of a person’s identity or lived experience - is to employ terms and descriptions that respect the expressed preference of individuals regarding how they identify themselves. Therefore, one can conceive of situations where an individual identifies themself as a victim, a survivor, or queer, or any of the other “terms to avoid” listed in the report. In these instances, written materials can use such language. However, the document should make clear that this is being done at the preference of the individual, either by using quotation marks to show that the term is a direct quote, or by stating that, for example, “the appellant described themselves as a survivor of sexual harassment.”

Accepted

Tribunal members will be encouraged to employ terminology in their decisions that the SST otherwise avoids when the individual in question identifies with that term. In these situations, members will be encouraged to make it clear that the language was used by the individual.

Vice-chairpersons

Fiscal year 2024 to 2025

3

Moving forward, the SST needs to identify the process that will be used to:

1. systematically train its members regarding the use of accessible and inclusive language, and
2. monitor the overall compliance with it through periodic reviews of correspondence and decisions, or other methods of monitoring.

Accepted

Newly appointed members already receive training on writing in accessible and inclusive language. The findings of this report will be used to augment that training. Monitoring will be achieved through periodic reviews of decisions and templates as part of existing processes, such as performance reviews and Linguistic Services reviews.

With regard to SST Secretariat staff, information sessions will be developed to address the needs of those who have responsibilities for writing in accessible and inclusive language to public audiences.

Vice-chairpersons

Executive Director

Ongoing

4

Particularly, in regard to the use of gender in French, the SST should adopt guiding principles that cover all circumstances, and that establish preferred options depending on each circumstance (e.g., generic references in a guide as opposed to references to specific individual appellants).

Accepted

The SST’s style guide in French already provides guidance on the use of gender in French. The SST will review the style guides and identify opportunities to build on existing guidance and promote its use within the SST. Further, the SST’s Linguistic Services unit actively and continuously seeks to stay abreast of plain language and inclusive language developments. This allows them to recommend updates to the style guides accordingly.

Director, Corporate Services

Ongoing