The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
Log in

Letter to the Chief Human Resources Officer about the PSES

October 15, 2018

Nancy Chahwan
Chief Human Resources Officer
OCHRO, Treasury Board Secretariat
219 Laurier, Ottawa ON K1P 5J6
By email: nancy.chahwan@tbs-sct.gc.ca

Dear Ms. Chahwan,

I am writing today about the contracting-out to Advanis, a Canadian market and social research firm, of the administration of the 2018 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES). As you know, previous surveys had been administered by Statistics Canada on behalf of your Office.

Because the Institute firmly believes that informed data should be used to effect change, I supported our members’ full participation in the 2018 PSES. That said, I believe that outsourcing the survey to Advanis represents a missed opportunity on the Treasury Board’s part to demonstrate its full commitment to Canada’s professional public service.

I am sure you are aware of the grave concerns repeatedly expressed by public service employees over the continued outsourcing of their work to the private sector. At a time of growing demand for government services, over-reliance on contractors has taken its toll on the professionals who deliver these services to Canadians. Morale, accountability and productivity are all seriously impacted by the contracting-out of work best performed “in-house”. In addition, outsourcing costs the federal government billions of dollars annually, money that would be better invested in improved public services.

I therefore urge your Office to return the administration of future Public Service Employee Surveys to Statistics Canada, a first-rate organization mandated “to provide statistical information and analysis about Canada’s economic and social structure to develop and evaluate public policies and programs (and to) improve public and private decision-making for the benefit of all Canadians”.  Given the Department’s mandate and amply demonstrated expertise in its field, I would be quite interested in understanding the reasoning behind the decision to contract out its work to Advanis.

I look forward to your response and thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

Debi Daviau
President,
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

Published on 15 October 2018

5 April 2017
Member

PIPSC President Debi Daviau’s comments on April 5, 2017 Phoenix technical briefing

PIPSC President Debi Daviau’s comments on today’s technical briefing regarding the Phoenix Pay system and news suggesting that performance payments may have been awarded to department executives overseeing the system
30 March 2017

Vacation, Compensatory, Lieu Days, Lieu Hours and Lay Day Leave Cash-out of March 31, 2017

We have received a notice regarding the vacation, compensatory, lieu days, lieu hours and lay day leave cash-out of March 31, 2017 for the Core Public Administration.
24 March 2017
Parliament Hill

Budget 2017: Staying the course is not "Real Change"

The release of Budget 2017 has generated a variety of lukewarm reactions: “Stay the course,” “wait and see,” “lots of words, few dollars.” All of these phrases describe a situation where an ambitious Budget 2016, coupled with an uncertain economic climate, has led to an uninspiring final product
13 March 2017
Stop C-27!

Stop Bill C-27! Send this postcard to your Member of Parliament.

Help protect the retirement security of all Canadians! Download and print this postcard and send it to your Member of Parliament or order your pre-printed copies by email from bettertogether@pipsc.ca
2 March 2017
Day of Action

PIPSC Members Participate in Phoenix Day of Action

Last Friday marked the ‘sad’ first anniversary of the Phoenix pay system’s implementation. The first year of Phoenix can only be characterized as an abject failure. It has meant prolonged anxiety and pay problems for federal public service professionals across the country.
2 March 2017

Blowing the Whistle on Canada’s Whistleblower Law

Last week I had the opportunity to appear as a witness at the Standing Committee on Government Operations for their review of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, commonly referred to as whistleblower legislation.