Latest News

Call for Volunteers: Three Important CES Committees

Would you like to help CES serve its members, meet its strategic goals and develop our field? If so, we invite you to consider volunteering for any of the three groups below.

• Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability Standing Committee. This Standing Committee of the National Board of Directors supports CES’s leadership as it strives to model, advocate for, and implement practices, policies, and principles for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability. This is a permanent committee of the Board with membership renewed annually. For more information on the scope of this role, please see below.
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Working Group. This time-limited Working Group will explore how CES can build on its response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), and explore the implications of respecting the distinctions-based authority of First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples for the evaluation profession in Canada. The Working Group will invite guidance and wisdom from Indigenous knowledge holders, and develop recommendations to inform the updated CES Strategic Plan in 2024.For more information on the scope of this role, please see below.
• CES Ethical Guidance Working Group. CES has adopted revised Guidance for Ethical Evaluation Practice. The purpose of the Working Group is to define and oversee implementation of the Guidance among CES members. This is a time-limited Working Group with a two-year mandate. For more information on the scope of this role, please see below.

In all three cases, volunteer activities can be completed virtually and at a distance. We welcome the participation of English and French speakers from diverse locations.

This call is open to CES members only. All responsibilities will be carried in alignment with the renewal of CES’s Strategic Plan over the period January 2023 to June 2024.

For any general questions on this call for volunteers, please contact Natalie Kishchuk, CES Board Member and coordinator of this joint call, at natkishchuk@gmail.com.

The Board-approved Terms of Reference for the Standing Committee can be found here.

The purpose of the Standing Committee is to support CES as it strives to demonstrate leadership in the areas by modelling, advocating for, and implementing the adoption of practices, policies, and principles for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability. This committee is the continuation and evolution of several historical groups at CES that have been advocating and championing for change in the evaluation sector so that it can better align with broader social and environmental justice movements in society.

Roles and responsibilities

1. Work with other CES National Board Committees, CES entities (e.g., the e-Institute and its offerings, the Fellows, the PDP, and CES chapters) CES affiliates (e.g., CESEF, CUEE, CJPE) and CES members to develop and recommend to the CES National Board standards for enacting EDI&ES in the implementation of CES strategic priorities.
2. Support CES to foster a safe and welcoming environment for current and potential CES members.
3. Collect and analyse data to support Committee activities, working collaboratively with data collection activities of other CES committees and entities and undertaking new data collection efforts as necessary.
4. Work with the Professional Learning Committee to support education and learning as it relates to EDI&ES both internal to CES and in collaboration with CES external partners, stakeholders and affiliates.
5. Advocate for the inclusion of the EDI&ES principles in evaluation with CES stakeholders, evaluation practitioners and commissioners of evaluation, providing guidance as needed.
6. Building on the CES commitment to Reconciliation, identify opportunities for CES to support the implementation of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Operations

• The Committee will create an annual workplan outlining actions, timelines, collaborators, and responsibilities. The workplan will align with the CES Strategic Plan and be submitted to the Board for approval. The EDI&ES Committee meets virtually, usually prior to each Board Meeting and in person during in person Board meetings. The EDI&ES Committee may meet more frequently depending on the Work Plan of the committee. The Chair is responsible for coordinating meeting times and setting the agenda.

If you are interested in volunteering as a member of the EDI&ES Standing Committee, please fill in this confidential form, which will be sent to the CES Chair of Governance and Process.

The Chair and members of this Standing Committee will be nominated and approved by the National Board. CV’s may be requested of applicants at a later date.

If you would like more information or to discuss any aspects of this work, please contact CES Chair of Governance and Process Nick Petten at governanceprocess@evaluationcanada.ca.

---

More Information: United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Working Group

The Canadian Evaluation Society seeks to explore what the principles of UNDRIP mean for professional evaluation in Canada, and what actions are necessary. Attention to UNDRIP is intended to augment and strengthen implementation of CES response to TRC. The Board-approved Terms of Reference for the Working Group can be found here.

Mandate and Authority

The UNDRIP Working Group is mandated by the CES Board to provide direction to the CES Board on how to uphold the principles of UNDRIP and to contribute to the implementation of UNDRIP.  The Working Group is mandated to:

• Respect distinctions-based authority of First Nation, Inuit, and Metis Peoples to determine on how UNDRIP principles should be adopted and implemented,
• Review UNDRIP and consider the implications for CES and evaluation theory and practice in Canada,
• Review CES progress on supporting the advancement of TRC, and consider how attention to UNDRIP can augment and strengthen this progress.
• Review materials related to UNDRIP, including any guides or applicable recommended practices related to implementation of UNDRIP.
• Develop recommendations for the CES Board on advancing UNDRIP through a proposed plan of action, which may include draft wording for a motion to be brought forward at the 2023 CES AGM, and may inform renewal of the CES Strategic Plan.
• Support CES National Board to interpret and develop a response to recommendations.

Operations

• A commitment of 3-8 hours per month through to the end of the mandate is anticipated.
• Meetings will be held monthly by videoconference.
• Members will be expected to take collaborative responsibility for specific aspects of the Working Group's work plan.
• First Voice authority of Indigenous Working Group members will be prioritised.
• Indigenous Advisors will guide the working group through ad-hoc participation in meetings or input on documents.
• Members may express themselves in English or French, with in-session translation by the bilingual Co-Chair. Documents will be authored in English for translation by CES.

If you are interested in volunteering as a member of the UNDRIP Working Group, please fill in this confidential form, which will be sent to the Working Group Co-Chairs, Debbie DeLancey and Andrealisa Belzer, CES President.

The members of the Working Group will be selected by the Co-Chairs. Additional information may be requested of applicants at a later date. Indigenous Advisors are being recruited through separate outreach.

If you would like more information or to discuss any aspects of this work, please contact Working Group Co-Chair Debbie DeLancey at ddelancey33@gmail.com.

---

More Information on the CES Ethics Guidance Working Group

The Board-approved Terms of Reference for the Working Group can be found here.

Roles and responsibilities

The role of the CES Ethics Guidance Working Group is to ensure that CES’s revised Guidance for Ethical Evaluation Practice is fully implemented among the CES membership. Its specific responsibilities are:

1. Update, after a solid review and clarifications where necessary, the Guidance for Ethical Evaluation Practise based on the results of member consultations, with special attention to the statements of CES values;
2. Identify and carry out the implementation strategy for the Guidance, which will include:

• A Theory of Change, along with a performance measurement strategy including output and outcome indicators;
• Tools and supports needed to ensure full implementation, including the budget and other resources necessary to develop and implement these. These will be at the national level as well as directed to supporting CES chapters, the CES Credentialing Board and CES partners such as CUEE as implementation facilitators. The Working Group will oversee: submission of funding requests to the Board; the design and production of these tools and supports, from conception to roll-out to the membership; and the tracking of performance indicators.
• Timelines and milestones for implementation.

3. Make recommendations to the CES Board of Directors for its role in ensuring implementation.

Operations

• A commitment of 3-8 hours per month through to the end of the mandate is anticipated.
• Meetings will be held monthly by videoconference.
• Members will be expected to take collaborative responsibility for specific aspects of the Working Group's work plan.
• The Working Group’s decisions will be made by consensus.
• Members may express themselves in English or French, with assurance that all discussion will be available to members in their language of choice through in-session translation by participants. Documents will be authored in English for translation by CES.

If you are interested in volunteering as a member of the CES Ethics Guidance Working Group, please fill in this confidential form, which will be sent to the current Working Group, chaired by CES Vice-President Beth Snow. We will be delighted to include as many members as possible: there are no selection criteria other than an interest in evaluation ethics.

If you would like more information or to discuss any aspects of this work, please contact Working Group member Natalie Kishchuk at natkishchuk@gmail.com.