CIPO's ability to deliver excellent IP services and play a pivotal role in the innovation ecosystem hinges on the expertise and dedication of its employees, sound governance practices and responsible financial stewardship. CIPO is committed to offering employees a modern, healthy and inclusive workplace, and recruiting and developing a skilled workforce that is representative of the diversity of the Canadian population we serve. As we operate in an ever-evolving intangible economy, it is critical that Canada's IP system remain agile and efficient to support innovation.
On this page:
- Establish a modern and healthy workplace
- Recruit and develop a diverse and skilled workforce
- Pursue management excellence
Establish a modern and healthy workplace
At the onset of the pandemic, CIPO moved quickly to equip employees to work remotely. Telework has long been a part of CIPO's work model, with most of our examiners already working from home prior to the pandemic and some as far back as 1993. In the summer of 2022, following Government of Canada direction for a hybrid work model, CIPO employees that worked onsite prior to the pandemic began to return to the office 2 or 3 days a week. With employees having returned to the office on a part-time basis, CIPO has begun to reduce its office footprint and modernize its workspace to create a stimulating environment that fosters collaboration, productivity and innovation. CIPO is committed to providing employees with a modern and dynamic work environment that supports their well-being and enables them to provide a high level of service.
The past couple of years have highlighted the importance of mental health. CIPO's mental health champion has maintained regular communication with employees on the subject, encouraging employees to participate in events discussing well-being, mental health and empathy. As part of Mental Health Week in May 2022, CIPO co-hosted a virtual learning event with the Canada School of Public Service titled #GetReal for Mental Health Week: Preventing and Managing Burnout at Work. CIPO also offered its employees a Mental Health First Aider course, where participants learned how to recognize the signs of mental health decline, discuss and reach out to professionals or others for support, assist in a mental health or substance use crisis, and even use the knowledge and tools to maintain one's own mental health.
Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) are key aspects of a healthy and productive workplace. Beyond simply showing respect, EDIA encourages creativity, elevates team spirit, fosters a sense of belonging, and attracts highly skilled individuals. Throughout the year, CIPO promoted EDIA through a number of communications, initiatives and learning activities that raise awareness and celebrate diversity. CIPO encouraged employees to include their preferred gender pronouns in their email user profile. Using someone's preferred pronouns is a simple way to show respect for their gender identity. Specifying one's pronouns allows others to address oneself according to one's preference, and creates a safe space for colleagues and members of the public with gender-diverse identities.
In 2019, the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) came into force, with an objective of achieving a Canada that is free of barriers by 2040. The ACA seeks to effectively eliminate obstacles and provide more opportunities for individuals with disabilities in Canada. Additionally, the ACA requires federal employers to make efforts to remove all obstacles that prevent employees from fully and equally participating in the workplace. In 2022–2023, CIPO made great strides in eliminating barriers relating to circulation, door access, as well as reception desk and service counter heights. Further, CIPO appointed a number of accessibility ambassadors who were trained to support their colleagues in practicing accessibility through document verification, coaching and information sharing on different accessibility topics.
Recruit and develop a diverse and skilled workforce
As the IP landscape evolves, CIPO recognizes the importance of recruiting and nurturing a diverse and skilled workforce. Having the right skills and competencies, in the right place, and at the right time is crucial to adapt and excel in an ever-changing environment. CIPO is making a conscious effort to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce by giving top priority to EDIA in its recruitment and development strategies.
In the past year, CIPO has updated its people management strategic plan, which sets out the organization's priorities, plans and activities for managing its workforce over the next 3 years. By strategically aligning resources to operational and service needs, CIPO can better focus its efforts on attracting, developing and retaining a skilled, productive and agile workforce, and support the objectives identified in its 2023–2028 Business Strategy. CIPO's people management strategic plan is closely aligned with its EDIA strategy, which aims to create a workplace culture that promotes well- being, health, mental health and security through collaboration, inclusion and respect. Our EDIA strategy identifies key focus areas to help us achieve greater representation, particularly among key employment equity groups where gaps must be addressed.
As part of its trademarks recovery plan, CIPO hired 31 new trademark examiners in 2022–2023, with the objective of expanding examination capacity and enhancing productivity and efficiency. After completing an intensive 6-week classroom training, a 2-week practical examination period in a group coaching mode and a 3-month coaching period, these newly trained trademark examiners are already making a valuable contribution towards reducing our trademarks backlog and improving turnaround times. In addition, CIPO onboarded 9 new industrial design examiners and 21 patent examiners in the biotechnology, electrical and mechanical disciplines.
CIPO also welcomed 5 new employees through LiveWorkPlay, an organization that aims to facilitate the inclusion into society of individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism or a dual diagnosis; enabling them to live, work and play as valued members of the community. We also sought to increase student recruitment throughout the year and provided enriching work experiences to 72 students through the Federal Student Work Experience Program and the Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program. The recruitment of these new employees brings a variety of skills and perspectives to CIPO, which is essential for creating a strong and talented workforce that is prepared to face the future with confidence.
CIPO is dedicated to ensuring its employees have the necessary knowledge, skills and tools to provide high-quality and efficient services. In 2022–2023, as new practices, tools and online service offerings were introduced, CIPO expanded its training, coaching and continuous development opportunities. The training program for new trademark examiners was reviewed and now integrates adult learning concepts such as active learning, skills development and job-relevant learning. For example, a series of videos demonstrating procedural tasks were created to help trademark and industrial design examiners navigate IT tools. Furthermore, CIPO explored external learning opportunities, including events, podcasts and blogs, and collaborated with partners like INTA to provide trademark examiners with learning opportunities on various subjects, such as trademarks, communication and industry trends. For our trademark and industrial design managers, CIPO introduced a management development program consisting of mandatory training, coaching sessions and development opportunities for key competencies. Its goal is to equip managers with effective people management practices and provide communication and relationship-building training and support.
CIPO ensures that its services to Canadians are available in the official language of their choice, and fosters a workplace environment that values and supports bilingualism. In 2022–2023, we continued to enhance our bilingual capacity and encourage the use of both official languages in the workplace. CIPO's Official Languages Development Program (OLDP) is available to all employees interested in improving or maintaining their second-language proficiency. Throughout the year, 155 employees participated in the OLDP, amounting to 3,480 training hours. In addition, to address challenges in staffing bilingual managerial positions in our Trademarks and Industrial Designs Branch, we hired specialized second language trainers for an initial 2-year period to develop the language competency of our current and future managers.
Pursue management excellence
As a special operating agency of ISED, CIPO is entirely funded by revenues from client fees. With the exception of a revenue-neutral change for trademarks following Canada's adherence to international treaties in 2019 and some inflationary increases beginning in 2021, CIPO has not adjusted its fee structure since 2004. To account for inflation over the past 2 decades, CIPO has proposed a 25% fee increase for most services. To mitigate the impact of this fee increase on small entities, CIPO will maintain the current patent fees for small entities and expand the definition of a small entity. In April 2022, CIPO held public consultations to solicit feedback from clients and stakeholders on the proposed fee increase, and on , the proposed regulations were published in Part I of the Canada Gazette for a 30-day comment period. This fee adjustment will allow CIPO to continue serving clients with excellence and efficiency, while ensuring its long-term financial sustainability. In line with our commitment to management excellence and financial stewardship, CIPO's financial statements underwent an external audit ensuring responsible management of resources. In 2022–2023, CIPO received an unqualified financial audit opinion for its 2021–2022 financial statements, marking the 28th consecutive year that we receive this distinction.
Data plays a vital role in corporate planning at CIPO. Our research team continuously monitors domestic and international economic conditions affecting current and future IP trends, and updates its econometric models accordingly. Accurate information on future IP activity enables informed decision-making, a better allocation of human and financial resources and the provision of quality services to our clients. Additionally, as part of our trademarks recovery plan, CIPO collects and analyzes data on trademark processes to ensure fair examiner workloads, realistic production targets and an allocation of resources that is evidence-based. To better leverage our vast data assets, CIPO established a data working group dedicated to supporting ISED in delivering on the objectives outlined in its data strategy. Through the group's efforts, CIPO has further strengthened its ability to lead data science projects that serve both its research and operational needs, which will not only allow CIPO to maximize the value of its data assets, but also provide Canadians with the latest data and insights gained through its research.