The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
Log in

Contracting out of IT Work at IRCC

April 26, 2021

The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship 365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON K1A 1L1
By email: Minister@cic.gc.ca

Dear Minister Mendicino,

I am writing on behalf of hundreds of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Information Technology specialists represented by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) regarding the contracting out of the work performed by members of our Computer Systems (CS) Group.

Our representatives have prepared the attached report, “Contracting Out of IT Work at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada”, an analysis of the policy grievances submitted against IRCC between January 2018 and March 2020 for outsourcing of government work that could have been done internally.

The data within demonstrates how the Department is not following Article 30 of the CS Collective Agreement, which stipulates that the employer must make a reasonable effort to use existing employees or hire new full-time or term employees as needed before contracting out work to private companies or consultants.

This report demonstrates that IRCC is the worst Canadian government Department with regards to adherence to Article 30. The length of time and the sheer number of contractors at IRCC in a position to do work that is established as permanent is staggering. In particular, our research shows a high amount of contracting out involving application support. This is important and non-temporary work that should undoubtedly be performed by public service professionals.

This is an issue of critical importance not only to our members and their public service colleagues, but to the Canadians they serve on a daily basis. Outsourcing results in higher costs, lower quality services, less transparency, less accountability and the loss of institutional knowledge and skills.

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

Debi Daviau,
President, PIPSC

cc : Catrina Tapley, DM, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (catrina.tapley@cic.gc.ca)

Published on 30 April 2021

6 October 2017
Fix Phoenix

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
Fix Phoenix

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
Fix Phoenix

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
Fix Phoenix

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.
21 July 2017
PIPSC Logo

Fixing Phoenix

Recently, I sent an opinion piece to the Globe and Mail about our members’ ongoing problems with the Phoenix pay system and what I consider to be one of the root causes of the debacle: outsourcing.
12 June 2017

Outsourcing 2.0 isn’t worth the upgrade

The recent recommendations of yet another consultants’ report on Shared Services Canada (SSC) demonstrate that, when it comes to federal government outsourcing, there’s no shortage of private sector advice.