POLICY - LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT
Canada’s child care ‘crisis’ should be ballot box issue, say advocates, economists
'It’s a crisis situation in many, many jurisdictions and provinces,' says Liberal MP Wayne Long.
Marta Morgan moves from heading Immigration to Foreign Affairs, while Gina Wilson, believed to be the highest-ranking female Indigenous federal public servant, is the new deputy minister of public safety.
Since the Liberals took power in 2015, the public service has grown from 257,034 to 273,571 people in 2018, with the biggest boost coming between 2017 and 2018.
Some employees have no designated desks, leaving little space for personal belongings or accessibility accommodations, say critics. But the government says the change is meant to design workspaces around client department needs and allow for flexibility.
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‘Imagine losing your job, getting fired, but you’re fired by basically your entire riding and your whole life has been serving these people, and there’s just a lot wrapped up in it,’ says Tory House leader Candice Bergen.
In a wide-ranging interview, Infrastructure Minister François-Philippe Champagne talks about the Liberals' $190-billion infrastructure plan, investment in Canada's North, and the SNC-Lavalin affair.
The government has pledged nearly $800-million to help employers expand work-integrated learning placements. That’s good news to employers, schools, and students alike. 
One-year contracts for Senators’ employees contribute to the high-pressure environment where harassment can occur, the Human Resources Subcommittee heard.
The Upper Chamber will switch over to a new payroll system provided by ADP Canada in the new year, after months of testing.
The Board of Internal Economy approved $2.49-million in new human resources funding to help MPs better respond to what HR chief Pierre Parent calls ‘evolving social expectations.’
Meanwhile, the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers filed for binding arbitration March 11 in hopes of striking its own pre-election deal.
The Feb. 21 response to a House Public Accounts Committee report highlighting deputy minister turnover lacks deliverables and specifics, says Conservative Pat Kelly, but NDP and Liberal MPs say they're generally impressed by the government's response.
Many of Canada’s hemispheric neighbours, from Mexico to Brazil, are coping with disillusioned citizens, entrenched economic uncertainty, and radical populists.
The Human Resources Subcommittee recommends completely redoing the Chamber’s policy, last updated in 2009, with greater focus on independent oversight.
Results from the 2018 Public Service Employee Survey also indicate harassment stats in the public service are relatively flat despite a PCO push for change.
The Accessible Canada Act is a good start. It should be passed, and changes made to the Disability Tax Credit, among other improvements. 
Canada’s ambition should be redirected into avenues that can likely bear fruit and that will successfully play to our competitive advantages. AI-enhanced government is one bright spot. 
Many low-level public servants don't understand how the government works more broadly, says co-author Alex Marland.
Canada’s challenge is that businesses have been slow to recognize the extent of the digital transformation, invest in software, and adopt new technologies. More policy stories
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