Evidence-Based Character Assessments for Leadership Selections and Promotions

Government Institution

Department of National Defence (DND)

Government official responsible for the PIA

Rizak Abdullahi
Director, Directorate of Military Executive Services

Head of the government institution or Delegate for section 10 of the Privacy Act

Anne Bank, Executive Director
Directorate Access to Information and Privacy

Standard or Institution Specific Class of Record

DND CSA 520
Careers

Standard or Institution Specific Personal Information Bank

DND PPE 820
Evidence-Based Character Assessments for Leadership Selections and Promotions

Description of program or activity

Leaders of good character are critical in protecting the health and welfare of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, and in instilling confidence in the credibility and operational effectiveness of Canada's military. Accordingly, it important for senior military leaders to embody the values the CAF seeks to impart and those of contemporary Canadians.

In 2020-2021, recognizing the above, DND/CAF began developing processes and procedures to improve the evaluation of its senior-most leadership candidates. Its goal was to develop more evidence-based assessments of those seeking promotions or appointments to senior military positions, and to more objectively assess the character of leadership hopefuls.

Why a privacy impact assessment (PIA) was conducted

To develop more evidence-based assessments of those seeking promotions or appointments to senior military positions, and to more objectively assess the character of leadership hopefuls, the CAF will require that all prospective senior officers undergo psychometric and/or confirmatory assessments. Psychometric assessments (i.e., the standardized assessment of a candidate' abilities, personality traits, and aptitude), when used in conjunction with other evaluation tools, are expected to provide a more accurate and complete measure of a candidate's suitability for leadership. These assessments are evidence-based and rely on established principles and methodologies to ensure their accuracy, reliability, and validity.

To conduct Evidence-based Assessments of Character DND/CAF needs to collect information about candidates for promotion and/or evaluators. Whereas personal information is to be used as part of a decision-making process that may directly affect CAF members, and where Evidence-based Assessments of Character may involve the contracting out evaluation or assessment services, the conduct of a PIA was considered necessary.

Scope of PIA

The PIA centered on the Chief of Military Personnel's (CMP) proposed use of Evidence-based Assessments of Character for promotion-selection and appointments for leadership ranks up to General Officers and Flag Officers (i.e., CAF's executive ranks). It included a review of CMP's request for proposal and statement of work for the third-party vendor to be hired to conduct Evidence-based Assessments of Character, as well as a review of current and planned practices surrounding Evidence-based Assessments of Character and the handling of personal information therein. The PIA did not include an assessment of the broader collection, use, disclosure, and retention of personal information in relation to Selection Board and Supplementary Selection Board processes, or the personal information handling practices of other supporting HR practitioners.

More information

The results of the PIA suggest that privacy risks associated with the performance of Evidence-based Assessments of Character by DND/CAF are likely to be moderate to low. Several risks were identified as part of the PIA – all of which have been fully addressed by the DGMC in the course of the PIA process. To ensure that privacy risks associated with the use of Evidence-based Assessments of Character are properly mitigated, DND/CAF will ensure that:

• It is open and transparent about the purpose for which personal information and evaluation results will be used with affected members and the public.
• Its collection of personal information from members is limited to that which is needed for assessing candidate suitability.
• Evaluations are used exclusively for the purpose of promotions and not for unrelated purposes.
• There are strict controls within the Department on who can access evaluation results, limiting access to authorized departmental officials.
• Clear retention schedules are established for raw personal information and evaluation results.
• Evaluation methods and test results are evaluated prior to use, and from time to time thereafter, to help ensure that they are accurate and free from bias.
• Robust security measures are implemented to protect data from loss, theft, and unauthorized access or use.
• Members are informed about their rights regarding their personal information and that during the evaluation process candidates are given access to their personal information, including evaluation results.
• Members are provided with an opportunity to correct inaccuracies in their personal information.
• Psychometric tests administered and analyzed by third-party vendors are subject to strict privacy and security measures to ensure the protection of candidates' privacy.