Public Services to pitch next step for Phoenix pay fix in September
The office responsible for fixing the troubled Phoenix pay system is taking another step forward, hoping to cut the time it will take to get thousands of public servants paid properly. Problems with Phoenix have left public servants with too little or too much pay for almost two and a half years. Les Linklater, the associate […]
Action plan laid out in new PCO anti-harassment report encouraging, say union heads
Top-level managers are indicating they’re ready to get serious about rooting out harassment in the public service, suggesting in a new report actions with concrete timelines to better support victims and educate employees and managers on the long-standing issue. Safe Workspaces: Starting a Dialogue and Taking Action on Harassment in the Public Service, which was […]
How to build trust in government? Better spending management
Trust in government has been a longstanding discussion topic, and mismanagement of the public purse is the number one contributor to negative perceptions. Government organizations are accountable to the public and have a responsibility to spend wisely. In today’s growing climate of mistrust, these organizations cannot fly under the radar. They need to be proactive […]
Expect more deputy minister retirements as the pre-2019 transition machine rumbles to life, say insiders
With a little more than a year until the next election, civil service insiders say there will likely be an increase in deputy minister retirements in the coming months before the bureaucracy starts its process of preparing for a potential change in government in 2019. No one wanted to guess who was leaving or how […]
No new departments will be created in wake of cabinet shuffle: PCO
The government will not be creating any new departments in the wake of last week’s cabinet shuffle, Privy Council Office spokesperson Paul Duchesne has confirmed. “Arrangements have already been put in place to ensure nimble and cost-effective support for ministers,” he said in an emailed statement. The cabinet shuffle last week increased Prime Minister Justin […]
Feds silent on Phoenix damages, union members are ‘out of patience’
As the public service eagerly awaits a settlement on damages for the Phoenix pay system, Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada president Debi Daviau said she has been told the issue is on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s desk. “I hear that we’re waiting for a mandate, that the mandate’s with the prime minister […]
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 […]
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 […]
I covered the Liberals’ Laurier Club appreciation night, and didn’t even get to keep the lanyard
So there I was—a new(ish) Hill reporter, standing around with five or six other photographers and cameramen on June 18 at the War Museum at the Liberal Party’s Laurier Club Summer Reception and Garden Party. The massive orange media sign—which I’m told is standard procedure, although it was about half the size of a sheet […]
