‘We need fairness, we need equity’: striking workers at AG’s office call on feds to implement wage grid
On strike for two-and-a-half weeks now, more than 160 employees in the Audit Services Group working at the Office of the Auditor General are calling on the government to address pay equity issues and establish a wage grid that would bring them in line with comparable groups within the public service. The group, which is […]
Can public procurement change the world?
Canada’s federal government recently took decisive action against modern slavery in China. Last month, the Canada Border Services Agency seized two large shipments of clothing linked to forced labour in China and blocked them from entering the country. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) also recently stopped sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE) from a major […]
Contrasting pre- and post-pandemic public service survey results
While the public service suffered less than many others during the pandemic, the May release of the Public Service Employee Survey diversity and inclusion tables allows us to assess the impact on the different visible minority and Indigenous groups and take steps to address the disparities between them. Overall, remote work seems to have been […]
It’s time to double down on Canada’s aerospace industry
The past 20 months have been devastating for Canada’s aerospace workers. Analysts agree that even though air traffic is slowly filling the skies again, the aerospace industry isn’t in the clear yet. Not by a long shot. The sector relies on a delicate ecosystem of careful long-term planning by governments and businesses to ensure a […]
‘No one-size-fits-all approach’: federal public servants’ return to workplace still a work in progress
Most federal public servants are continuing to work from home more than 20 months into the COVID-19 pandemic that saw physical workplaces in the National Capital Region and across Canada close to all but critical workers. But there has been some movement towards some employees returning to the workplace recently. Only a few weeks into […]
Peace Tower bells soon to fall silent as Centre Block reno reaches high-heritage spaces
Demolition and abatement work inside the Centre Block building has passed the halfway mark and reached the building’s high-heritage spaces, with the Peace Tower’s bells set to fall silent as early as January. “When I see the building coming apart, I see it as a positive thing and I see it as progress, and I’m […]
Canada’s Public Service Employee Survey: using advanced data analytics to focus workplace culture change
Since 2005, summaries of overall Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) results have been posted on the Government of Canada open portal. The summaries of overall results have facilitated the analysis of shortcomings in the culture of the workplace by human resource personnel, internal auditors, and researchers. Notably, two researchers, Andrew Griffith and Jake Cole have […]
PPS likely to have eyes on Hill vaccine mandate, with Senate leaders soon to meet
The Parliamentary Protective Service will likely be tasked with checking for proof of vaccination as part of the House of Commons’ new mandate, according to union heads, the details of which are still being ironed out as Senate leaders are soon to meet, with contemplation of a vaccination policy of their own on the agenda. […]
‘It just seems so rushed’: federal public service unions express concerns over government’s call for workers to be vaccinated by end of month
Three of Canada’s federal public service unions representing hundreds of thousands of employees have all expressed concerns over the federal government’s announcement on Oct. 6 that all public service workers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister […]
Indigenous public servants pursue class-action lawsuit against feds for harassment, discrimination in workplace
Systemic racism in federal Indigenous departments and agencies has led to human rights and Charter violations, allege two First Nations public servants—one current, one former—pursuing a multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuit against the federal government. A statement of claim—the opening salvo for a possible class-action suit—outlining the experiences of lead plaintiffs Yvette Zentner and Letitia Wells was […]
