Letter to the Minister of National Defence about allegations of misconduct in the Canadian military

March 2, 2021

The Honourable Harjit Sajjan
Minister of National Defence
101 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0K2
By email: DND_MND@forces.gc.ca

Dear Minister Sajjan,

I am writing today regarding recent allegations of misconduct at the very highest level of the Canadian military. As you know, these are not the first such charges involving current or former Chiefs of the Defence Staff (CDS) to become public over the past few years.

While these allegations are currently being looked into from a military leadership perspective, little if any mention has been made about the needs of the over 25,000 public service employees who support the Forces on a daily basis. I am sure you recognize that their confidence in Department of National Defense (DND) leadership has been seriously eroded by these recurring events. If CDS themselves are not held accountable to departmental Sexual, Violence or Harassment policies, it is fair to ask how DND employees can expect fair hearings when they bring such cases forward.

The damage caused by these incidents to their morale and confidence is such that I urge you to immediately issue a statement of support for our 5000 members employed by the Department. Please be assured that we are ready to work with your office towards the development and implementation of a detailed, transparent roadmap outlining how DND plans to restore our members’ faith in their senior leadership.

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

Sincerely,

Debi Daviau,
President, PIPSC

Published on 10 March 2021

3 November 2017

Phoenix and the status of retroactive pay

We have received several inquiries about the impact of the Phoenix pay system on retroactive pay for members who signed new collective agreements this year.

27 October 2017

Treasury Board agrees to negotiate better birth control coverage for public service employees

After years of advocacy, the Treasury Board has agreed to negotiate the addition of non-oral contraceptives to the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP).

6 October 2017

Words to Live By

Radio-Canada and the CBC have reported this week that Phoenix was “doomed from the start.” The reason? The business case prepared in 2009 under the previous government “lacked proper risk analysis and was politically motivated.” In the words of former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, “You look at this business case, you can drive trucks through some of the holes under the risk analysis.”

3 October 2017

PSPC releases latest Pay Bulletin

In light of the Phoenix fiasco and as part of a commitment made to bargaining agents to make it easier for their members to obtain information about their pay, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSCPC) has just released its Pay Bulletin for September.

2 October 2017

Institute files two new policy grievances over Phoenix

The Institute has just filed two new policy grievances on Phoenix-related issues, accusing the Treasury Board of failing to implement the terms of the AV and SP Group collective agreements within the specified timeframe (120 and 90 days respectively).

29 September 2017

The Phoenix Pay System’s Not-So-Golden Handshake

While much has been reported about the impact of the Phoenix pay system on current federal employees, comparatively little has been said about the harm done to retirees.