PSAC concerned about plan to privatize heating plants serving the Hill, 80-plus federal buildings in National Capital Region
The Public Service Alliance of Canada is pressuring the government to drop its plan to contract out work on five heating plants that serve more than 80 buildings in the National Capital Region, saying that the proposed public-private partnership compromises health and safety, promotes precarious work, and could cause environmental issues. About 30 union members […]
Preserve Centre Block as ‘cathedral of democracy,’ say MPs, with some modern tweaks
When British Columbia MP Mark Strahl returns to Centre Block at least a decade from now, he hopes it will be like coming home—that he can walk in and say “they haven’t changed a thing.” Whether the Conservative Member of Parliament for Chilliwack-Hope is still representing his riding or returning as a visitor to the […]
Feds hit the road to seek user feedback for Phoenix replacement
The team behind the replacement for the troubled Phoenix pay system is kicking off a round of informal consultations with public servants across the country in an effort to learn what features the bureaucracy wants in a new human resources and pay system. The Next Generation pay system team, or NextGen for short, is starting […]
Fighter jet fiasco best example of procurement system that’s cumbersome, bureaucratic, and beset by political interference
Canada was a founding member of the Joint Strike Fighter program—the U.S.-led consortium with Lockheed Martin to develop the F-35 fighter jet—back in 1997. The government of Australia joined the program five years later. On Dec. 10, 2018, two F-35s arrived at the Royal Australian Air Force’s Williamstown base. They go along with eight other […]
Canada has the worst military procurement system in the Western World
Canada has experienced a disappointing history with defence procurements, dating as far back as Confederation (and even before). Canadians may be inclined to take comfort that, while their country’s defence procurement history has been such a disappointment, it is unremarkable when compared to other western countries. However, a closer of examination of the history shows […]
Unions praise Brison, optimistic about ‘results-oriented’ Philpott heading Treasury Board
Newly minted Treasury Board President Jane Philpott will have big shoes to fill following Scott Brison’s tenure, say public service observers, but they seem confident she is up to the task. Ms. Philpott (Markham-Stouffville, Ont.) was named to the job in a cabinet shuffle Jan. 14, following Mr. Brison’s (Kings-Hants, N.S.) resignation from cabinet and […]
Vice-Admiral Norman’s case takes another revealing turn
OTTAWA—Last month, a witness at the pre-trial hearing of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman dropped a bombshell when he told the court that senior Department of National Defence officials had deliberately omitted Vice-Admiral Norman’s name from key documents in order to avoid a paper trail. This testimony certainly supports the assertion of Vice-Admiral Norman’s legal team, headed […]
Canada needs to step up its assistance to Yemen, play a leadership role in addressing the humanitarian crisis, says former Liberal justice minister
In spite of the $130-million that the Canadian government has set aside to fight the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, more needs to be done, says a former Liberal justice minister and the NDP. The civil war in Yemen has been ravaging the Arabian peninsula nation of nearly 28 million people since 2015 as the Hadi […]
PSAC declares bargaining impasse, calls for commission as prelude to potential strike vote
The largest public sector union is one step closer to strike action for four groups representing 90,000 public servants, after declaring a bargaining impasse over the government’s latest contract offer. In response to the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s (PSAC) opening proposal of a 3.75 per cent raise in October, Treasury Board countered with a […]
House officers’ union walks away from table amid ongoing labour standoff with PPS
Labour talks between the House of Commons security officers’ union and the Parliamentary Protective Service that employs them recently dissolved, with the officers walking away from the bargaining table, alleging bad faith negotiations. Roch Lapensée, head of the Security Services Employees Association (SSEA), which represents more than 200 House security officers, said the employer, the […]
