There’s no one-size-fits-all sex-ed policy
OTTAWA—Ontario’s hot, steamy summer just got warmer, as Ontario Premier Doug Ford fulfilled his campaign promise to cancel the sex-education curriculum that was introduced in 2015 and to revert to a dated, 20-year-old version. That reversal lasted one entire weekend because as of Monday the Ford government had flipped to a 2014 plan. The Ford […]
High-level bureaucrat’s public sector exit prompts shuffle among Phoenix fixers
Assistant deputy minister Danielle May-Cuconato has left the federal public service, forcing a bureaucratic shake-up in the team tasked with fixing the troubled Phoenix pay system. Ms. May-Cuconato left the public service in late June after a long career as a political staffer and public servant. Among other jobs, she was vice-president of corporate services […]
Pay your copying bill, or pay a much bigger bill
In a recent op-ed in this paper, Glenn Rollans from the Association of Canadian Publishers called on government to encourage educators to come back to the negotiating table for copyright licensing. One simple change at the Copyright Board would go a long way toward that outcome —an increase in statutory damages. Nothing encourages payment like […]
A dozen MPs won’t run again in 2019, starting ‘snowball effect’ with more to come, say insiders
NDP MPs David Christopherson, Hélène Laverdière, and Conservative MP Bev Shipley all announced in the last week they will not seek re-election in 2019, adding to a list that has now reached a dozen, and political insiders expect this is the start of a “snowball effect” of MPs calling it quits in the months to […]
Where’s Wernick? Unions say PCO clerk should be more involved in Phoenix fix
The two largest federal public service unions are frustrated about what they say is Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick’s lack of involvement in fixing the Phoenix pay system, adding that his absence is particularly apparent in light of his recent comments about loosening the rules to fire public servants. But one expert says the top bureaucrat’s role […]
Parliament should consider U of O model to support staff
I have read many articles in your publication about a lack of resources or knowledge of resources for parliamentary and political staffers to help them with problems regarding their roles, health, workloads, goals, harassment, professional responsibilities and relationships, stress, and other important matters. While obviously a different context, I wonder if it might be worthwhile […]
PS unions target Phoenix as next round of bargaining heats up
The Phoenix pay system is at the forefront of the minds of Public Service Alliance of Canada representatives as they ramp up the latest round of contract negotiations with the government, tabling four main demands so far related to the two-year-old payroll disaster. PSAC, which represents about 140,000 federal workers and is the largest public […]
Improve, then use, name-blind recruitment to boost Senate staff diversity: committee
A name-blind recruitment project could help improve Senate staff diversity, but only if done properly, according to the head of a Senate group studying employment equity in the Upper Chamber’s administration. In a report tabled June 21 with the Senate’s Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration Committee—a powerful group of Senators that handles the Chamber’s legal […]
Amidst chaos, G7 Summit unleashed a quiet, yet powerful force
Families ripped apart, children detained: these tragic images are flooding our timelines and televisions. Halfway around the world, a boat of migrants travelling from Libya is turned away by Italy. One after the other, more boatloads of people in search of safety are left lingering on the open seas, in limbo and unsure if or […]
Like Phoenix, the Social Security Tribunal is another cost-cutting fiasco
The recent exchange between the auditor general and the clerk of the Privy Council regarding the Phoenix fiasco and its implications has raised a number of important issues when it comes to accountability within the civil service. Many have aptly noted that the prime culprits for the botched pay system reform have been left unscathed […]
