Post-Election Government Relations off to a Good Start

Fellow members,

With the swearing-in of the new federal Cabinet and the election of close to 100 new Members of Parliament, I have been putting together a new government relations plan and building new relationships with elected officials. Given that we are in a minority government situation, it will be a busy time for us as we reach out to all the parties and work to get things accomplished.

The day after the announcement of the Cabinet, the new President of the Treasury Board, Jean-Yves Duclos, called to touch base and introduce himself. This bodes well for a good start to a productive relationship with the Treasury Board as we move forward on our member’s priorities.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to meet the newly appointed and newly elected Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, Anita Anand. It was a productive meeting and the Minister conveyed that she was very open to hearing from federal bargaining agents, and wanted to know our thoughts and concerns. She told us that her first request to her ministerial officials was to get a full briefing on the Phoenix pay system. She stressed that she sees it as her top priority to improve the situation, and personally feels very committed to the issue.

The meeting provided me with a chance to share with her the severe problems our members still face that are caused by the disastrous pay system. I took the opportunity to express, on behalf of our Civilian Members at the RCMP, their deep concern with being transferred to the Phoenix pay system upon deeming. I made it clear that we would continue to demand answers, and remain completely opposed to the transition of members onto Phoenix.

The meeting also provided me with the opportunity to express our members’ concerns over GC Workplaces and Open Offices. I conveyed to her that we wanted to make sure that the implementation needs to be about building healthier and more productive workplaces, and not about simply cutting costs and jamming people into smaller and smaller spaces. I assured her that we would be monitoring the situation closely.

Finally, Minister of Digital Government Joyce Murray is now responsible for Shared Services Canada. I have asked for a meeting to go over a number of issues with her.

Stay tuned for more news on the government relations front.

Better Together!

Debi Daviau

Published on 12 December 2019

5 March 2019

PIPSC continues to fight for pension protection at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

Protecting our members’ pensions remains a top priority for PIPSC. On February 26, 2019 CRPEG President Jonathan Fitzpatrick was joined by Canadian Alliance of Nuclear Workers (CANW) representatives Steven Schumann and Matt Wayland in a meeting with three members of the Opposition on Parliament Hill. The issue: the return of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories workers into a public service pension plan.

28 February 2019

Do Better than Phoenix: pay now, not later

The news this week that it will take a further three to five years to clean up the Phoenix backlog, and 10 or more years to stabilize the system, makes it obvious that on the third anniversary of the launch of the Phoenix pay system we should be laser-focused on implementing its replacement as soon as possible.

21 February 2019

Bringing PIPSC’s Priorities to the Hill – PIPSC Lobby Day 2019 a Huge Success!

On Tuesday February 5th PIPSC members were on Parliament Hill to discuss the importance of the critical public services we deliver to Canadians. A delegation of close to 30 members, representing a range of Groups and Regions, met with over 30 Parliamentarians. It was a unique opportunity to bring key priorities directly to the decision makers.

20 February 2019

PIPSC submits comments on draft legislative proposals related to salary overpayments

PIPSC recently submitted comments to Finance Canada’s public consultation into draft legislative proposals related to salary overpayments.

11 February 2019

PIPSC testifies before the Senate Human Rights Committee on working conditions in Canada’s penitentiaries

On February 6, 2019, PIPSC President Debi Daviau and Steward Éric Massey, Nurse at the Archambault Institution in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights to discuss the issues faced by our members at correctional institutions across Canada, in particular those of our health care services members (SH Group).

16 January 2019

Salary overpayments caused by Phoenix: the government finally takes a step in the right direction

The federal government has just announced that it is proposing new measures to help correct the wide-ranging issue of employees having to repay the gross instead of the net amount of a salary overpayment caused by system, administrative or clerical errors. This is particularly significant for PIPSC members: tens of thousands of you have experienced this problem first-hand thanks to the calamitous Phoenix system.