Unions swamped by Phoenix; hiring staff to keep afloat
Several public sector unions say they’re struggling to deal with the fallout of the Phoenix pay system, needing to bring on more staff to help manage the workload brought on by their members having pay issues for more than two years. Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) national president Chris Aylward said in an emailed […]
Military supply shortage is embarrassing, but nothing new
OTTAWA—In the past few weeks, one of the news stories buzzing about in Canadian defence circles has been the official plea for soldiers to turn in their spare gear. It turns out that the Canadian Army has a chronic shortage of rucksacks and sleeping bags. Any soldier who has more than one of these items […]
Clerk’s comments ‘not providing leadership’ to change public service culture, say opposition MPs
Canada’s top bureaucrat should have accepted comments made by the auditor general in his scathing report on the Phoenix pay system, say opposition MPs, as his refusal undermines the credibility of the auditor general’s work and shows that the systemic cultural issues noted are alive and well in the bureaucracy’s upper ranks. Liberal MPs, meanwhile, […]
This just in: lobbying czar Bélanger tables her first annual lobbying report
Lobbying Commissioner Nancy Bélanger tabled her first annual lobbying report on June 7, making a bid for the government to provide more money for office technology upgrades. Ms. Bélanger’s report for 2017-18 says an increase in funds is “required to ensure the [lobbyists’ registry] remains current and up to date with rapidly evolving IT standards.” The […]
Inside West Block, the House Chamber’s home for the next decade
With seven years of renovations nearly complete, the media got a tour on June 15 inside the West Block building, the interim home for the House of Commons Chamber for at least a decade once Centre Block closes in 2019. It was the first peek for the press inside the space, along with the new […]
Looking for Canada’s best federal agencies to work for? One is supreme
Canada’s latest Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) was carried out in 2017, with results released earlier this year. Such surveys have been held every three years since 1999, and provide employee feedback on a number of workplace issues. Treasury Board reports on the results, but does not reveal the relative ranking of departments or agencies […]
Hill-union contract talks to pick up over summer, fall
As the core public service tries to nail down new contracts with the federal government, many of Parliament Hill’s unionized employees are also getting ready to exchange demands with their employers through the summer and fall. With most collective agreements between the House of Commons, the Senate, and their respective unions expiring this year, the […]
Policy-makers ought to heed AG reports, change culture to stop another Phoenix from rising
Well isn’t that a headline: “Auditor general to public service: stop ignoring my reports.” It’s one policy-makers ought to read and take to heart. On the heels of releasing seven spring performance reports, auditor general Michael Ferguson told CBC News recently: “We always get the department agreeing to our recommendation but then somehow we come […]
‘Bad, bad, bad’: Public service culture could lead to another Phoenix, say experts
A culture in the public service that encourages meeting budgets by any means necessary is being blamed as the true root cause of the Phoenix pay system failure, and experts say those cultural elements that have cost the government $1.2-billion and counting are still there. Former bureaucrat turned Queen’s University professor Andrew Graham, who has […]
Phoenix building and implementation an ‘incomprehensible failure, says auditor general
In a scathing report released on Tuesday, Auditor General Michael Ferguson concluded the department responsible for building and implementing the Phoenix pay system knew about all of the expected issues, lacked an adequate contingency plan, and still gave the project the green light. Calling it an “incomprehensible failure of project management and oversight,” the report […]
