‘Quietly competent’ public service during COVID-19 notable, says union president, as stakeholders take stock of bureaucracy’s future role
It’s been an “important year for the public service” and “interesting to see” how Canadians have instinctively turned to the public sector for help, says former top federal bureaucrat Michael Wernick, with the president of Canada’s second largest public sector union saying there are “silver linings” that can come out of how the federal bureaucracy […]
As union members face COVID-19 pandemic ‘head on,’ PSAC calls for feds to return to bargaining table
With union members “facing the pandemic head on” at our borders, in federal penitentiaries, and by processing millions of financial support claims under tight timelines, the head of Canada’s largest federal public service union is calling for the federal government to return to the bargaining table to reach an elusive contract settlement for more than […]
The scramble for PPE: ‘This country has never seen procurement like it is occurring now’
From face masks, to medical gowns, testing kits, ventilators, and beyond, the federal government has been working to secure millions of pieces of medical and personal protective equipment needed in the fight against COVID-19 in a massive, cross-ministry and -jurisdictional collaborative effort that’s been described as “unprecedented” and “24/7” for those involved. “Since the Second […]
PSPC further scales back construction projects, but work on Centre Block continues
Public Services and Procurement Canada has further scaled back ongoing construction work on a range of federal projects since Ontario announced its moratorium on construction in the province, but renovations to the historic Centre Block building continue to crawl ahead. “Based on our own assessments, we had started to demobilize some sites ahead of the […]
Finance Minister Morneau names press secretary
Finance Minister Bill Morneau and team have been busy of late, with the 2020 federal budget delayed as the federal government works to see through economic relief and other measures announced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now helping the minister communicate with the public and media alike is new press secretary Maéva Proteau. […]
Inside the Campaign: new book offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of elections
Most Canadians are familiar with the final products of political campaigns, from party platforms to political ads, but much goes on behind the scenes to get those wheels in motion—and keep the wheels of government turning in the meantime—the details of which only a comparative few understand, and which a new book seeks to demystify. “The […]
Senators laud performance of public service amidst pandemic, and Harder calls for greater ‘risk taking and innovation’ by bureaucrats
As Canadians now enter the second month of self-isolation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal public service is winning accolades for its efforts to help citizens while the fast-changing crisis has strained the civil service’s front-line capacity. Lori MacDonald, senior associate deputy minister of employment and social development and chief operating officer for Service Canada, […]
‘Essential’ Hill workers told to bring ID, permission slip in wake of Quebec border crackdown
Hill workers crossing the bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., are being told to bring ID and a form proving they have a right to cross the provincial border for work after Quebec’s April 1 order banning all non-essential travel to the province as it broadened efforts to stamp the deadly spread of coronavirus. The […]
Chief HR officer works to quell confusion, asks departments to identify, update ‘critical’ services lists
The federal government has offered up some clarity to departments and public service unions after confusion over what constitutes “critical” versus “essential” work arose following an initial directive to all public service departments to allow staff to work from home where possible. On March 13, President of the Treasury Board Jean-Yves Duclos (Québec, Que.) issued […]
Construction work continues on Parliament Hill, with new precautions
Parliament is adjourned amid heightened self-isolation measures to try to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19’s spread, but construction work, including work related to the Centre Block building’s massive renovation, continues, albeit with some health and safety modifications. On March 12, all Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) staff, along with all employees working on current […]
