Unions decry Treasury Board’s changes to ‘Other Leave With Pay’ provisions used by public service employees as ‘last resort’ in pandemic
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many public servants who required more flexibility to attend to caregiving, who could not perform their work remotely when offices closed, or who either became infected with the illness or were required to quarantine, accessed ‘Other Leave with Pay,’ or ‘Code 699,’ a once obscure provision that precluded […]
Tunney’s Pasture daycare closing after 32 years
Garderie Tunney’s Daycare, a non-for-profit Ottawa daycare centre with a long history of serving federal public servants, has closed its doors amid both falling enrolment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as skyrocketing rent that comes following the expiry of a series of rent subsidies that have kept the centre afloat for […]
Feds inch closer to Phoenix replacement as Heritage Canada tapped for exploratory phase of Next Generation HR and pay system
The Department of Heritage has been selected for the first exploratory phase of the Next Generation HR and Pay project—or NextGen, for short—which is meant to eventually replace the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system that has left thousands of public servants overpaid, under paid, or not paid at all. Heritage was selected as the department for […]
Centre Block renovation estimates likely to land in new year, PSPC says work on track despite COVID-19
Cost estimates and timelines for the Centre Block building’s renovation, and for construction of the final phase of the underground parliamentary welcome centre, could finally come before MPs early in the new year, based on recent comments from the department charged with overseeing the project. MPs across party lines have repeatedly requested information on spending […]
Feds should focus on gauging ‘wariness’ of COVID measures, says strategist, after public opinion research spending dip in 2019-20
The Liberal government spent $11.3-million on public opinion research studies in the last year, but those efforts didn’t capture much of the public’s reaction to COVID-19 spending, and in turn, experts say Ottawa’s efforts should now shift to gauging Canadians’ evaluation of its relief efforts. The feds commissioned a total of 121 projects spanning 30 […]
Feds must act now, or risk losing generation of entrepreneurs
With the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 on the horizon and borders restricted, federal and provincial governments have called for the establishment of domestic supply chains and doubled down on support for Canadian innovations, opening up new procurement opportunities and funding programs. While these efforts will help mid- and large-size companies survive, what […]
Feds must act now, or risk losing generation of entrepreneurs
With the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 on the horizon and borders restricted, federal and provincial governments have called for the establishment of domestic supply chains and doubled down on support for Canadian innovations, opening up new procurement opportunities and funding programs. While these efforts will help mid- and large-size companies survive, what […]
Tech sector eyes procurement as way to stimulate business
As Canada’s tech sector grapples with the fallout of COVID-19, more nimble federal procurement practices are being eyed as a lever to stimulate the sector’s recovery, particularly among small- and medium-sized businesses, and to drive innovation in the public and private sectors. The market Documents released to the House Standing Committee on Government Operations and […]
Feds recognize ‘there’s more work to be done on diversifying the public service,’ says Liberal MP Alghabra
“Glaring” underrepresentation of visible minorities in the upper echelons of the federal public service—Canada’s largest employer with more than 280,000 employees—continues to be something the Liberal government is looking to address, according to Liberal MP and parliamentary secretary for public service renewal Omar Alghabra, with Canada’s first African Canadian appointed to the Senate calling for […]
Oversight for ministers’ regional offices changes hands from PSPC to PCO
Some internal restructuring has taken place within government, with oversight of the 16 ministers’ regional offices having been transferred from Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand to the Privy Council Office at the end of June. “The transfer, which occurred in June 2020, is in keeping with the mandate letter for the Deputy Prime […]
