Pay-related grievances at labour relations board triple post-Phoenix
The number of pay-related complaints at the federal bureaucrats’ labour relations board has dropped from its 2016-17 peak, but the number of grievances for the past two fiscal years is at least three times higher than before the Phoenix pay system was launched. In the 2017-18 fiscal year, which ran from April 1, 2017, to […]
PIPSC election candidates allege union committee censored their bios
As the national election campaign for the second-largest federal public service union heats up, at least two candidates are alleging they have been censored by the union’s elections committee. The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, which represents 57,000 government IT workers, scientists, and other professionals, will hold its national election on Nov. […]
Environment minister’s COP23 delegation victims of $30,000 hotel lobby theft, documents show
The social media team that tailed Environment Minister Catherine McKenna to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Germany in November 2017 were victims of a hotel lobby theft involving $30,000 in camera and electronic equipment. According to documents and emails obtained by The Hill Times through an access to information request, a thief made […]
‘Kind of an asinine comment’: opponents react to Poilievre’s claims of ‘zero’ Phoenix pay problems under Conservatives
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre’s recent newsletter sent to his constituents, in which he states twice that there were zero “public servants with Phoenix pay system problems under the Conservative government,” has attracted some negative criticism. “First, thousands of public servants have had pay problems, since Justin Trudeau implemented the Phoenix pay system four months after […]
Liberal government spent $11.9-million on public opinion research within last year, slight drop from previous year, Health Canada posted highest bill
The Liberal government spent $11.9-million on public opinion research within the last year, a slight drop from the previous year, according to a recent report posted on the Public Services and Procurement Canada’s website. Though the figure has dipped from the previous fiscal year, from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017, when it spent […]
Bureaucrats on the move: ESDC DM leaves, feds get new chief HR officer
The highly respected deputy minister of Employment and Social Development Canada is leaving to become Canada’s representative at the International Monetary Fund. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) announced on Aug. 31 that Louise Levonian, who has been in her current role since May 2016, was recently nominated by Finance Minister Bill Morneau (Toronto Centre, […]
Diplomacy first, but new PBO says he’s not afraid to take departments to court
Canada’s new parliamentary budget officer says he’s ready to do what needs to be done to deliver government financial information to Parliamentarians and the public, even if it means going to court or putting him at odds with bureaucrats he’s worked with before. “I might be characterized as somebody who will be very demanding of […]
Feds to decide on next pay system in spring, says official in charge
The government is set to decide on how to replace the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system in the spring, with a new procurement process that could see the system purchase made by then, if need be, according to Canada’s chief information officer, who is tasked with coming up with it. Alex Benay said no pay-system option […]
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 […]
