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Dear colleagues and friends,
As you know, Environment and Climate Change Canada is going through significant organizational changes. You received a message from the Deputy Ministers on January 17, 2025, which I have appended below.
We often do not know the impact of changes at the higher level, until we feel the impact on ourselves and our work. Changes in the workplace can also have a cumulative impact. For example, some of us are still adjusting to the Direction on prescribed presence in the workplace and Budget 2023 and the 2023 Fall Economic Statement - Building an Economy That Works for All Canadians which set out $15.8 billion in savings over five years with $4.8 billion ongoing. ECCC and other Departments/Agencies are currently implementing plans to achieve these savings. Some of you may have seen the impact on staffing, travel and programs.
Budget 2024 - Responsible Government Spending announced the next phase, tasking departments to identify additional savings of $4.2 billion from 2025–2026 to 2028–2029 and $1.3 billion annually thereafter. We do not yet know the impact of this initiative.
As a union representing around 80,000 members, largely employed by the Federal Government to serve Canadians, it is very important for us to ensure that any negative impacts of such changes are identified and prevented or mitigated in a timely manner. I regularly raise the concerns of our members with senior management at ECCC, and where appropriate, with the political leadership at PIPSC.
Many of our members do not know who to contact when they have concerns, observations or suggestions. If you have any concerns, observations or observations, please do not hesitate to share them with me in full confidence at Waheed.Khan@pipsc.ca
Stay safe, stay well!
Respectfully,
Waheed Khan
President, National Consultation Team
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Message from the Deputy Ministers: Changes to the organizational structure of ECCC
We are pleased to announce some organizational changes, which will be effective February 10. These changes are intended to improve operational efficiency and service delivery, strengthen partnerships, and enhance the strategic capacity of the department.
A new Program, Operations and Regional Affairs Branch, led by Michael Zinck, will bring together expertise and resources from teams across ECCC, fostering collaboration and creating a unified approach to achieving the administration and delivery of grants and contributions across the country.
The new Branch will build on the Department’s strong programming capacity and expertise, which have been cultivated over the past several years, bringing key elements from the Climate Change Branch, including the Programs Directorate, the Net Zero Advisory Body Secretariat, and Branch Planning and Management Services Division into this new team.
As well, the new Branch will build synergies among our engagement, reporting and advisory functions by including the Sustainability Directorate moving from the Strategic Policy and International Affairs Branch (SPIAB).
The Regional Directors General Offices for East & Central and West & North Regions will also join the Program, Operations and Regional Affairs Branch with an expanded role to ensure regional delivery of grants and contributions while enabling programming to respond to regional circumstances.
The Stakeholder and Partnership Engagement team from the Public Affairs and Communications Branch will also join the new Programs, Operations and Regional Affairs Branch. This team will help manage relationships with key stakeholders with the goal of building long-term partnerships that create lasting value. It will work in tandem with the Regional offices, which will continue to foster and maintain strong regional relationships on the ground.
As part of this organizational realignment, we are further strengthening our Strategic Policy and International Affairs Branch (SPIAB) under the leadership of Alison McDermott and Michael Bonser. Climate change is a priority that touches almost every aspect of our work. We acknowledge the tremendous efforts and accomplishments of the Climate Change Branch (CCB) since its inception in 2019 and its predecessor, the Pan-Canadian Framework Implementation Office, in bringing momentum, focus, cross-governmental coordination and success to Canada’s climate action. To ensure an integrated and strategic approach, the Horizontal Policy, Engagement and Coordination Directorate, the Climate Change Adaptation Directorate, and the Climate Change Secretariat of the Climate Change Branch will join SPIAB.
Katie Donnelly O’Neill will lead the Public Affairs and Communications Branch and will report directly to the Deputy Minister. The Branch will continue to lead all public facing and internal communications activities, including Communications and Marketing, Partnerships, Parliamentary Affairs, Access to Information and Privacy as well as Branch Planning and Management Services.
These changes are intended to improve synergies and enhance effectiveness. While they will result in the discontinuance of CCB, they do not eliminate any of their teams or functions. Thank you for your dedication and flexibility as we navigate these changes. Together, we can ensure a smooth transition and set the stage for your continued success.
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