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

23 December 2019

What the Federal Government’s Ministerial Mandate Letters Mean for Our Members

On December 13, 2019 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released the mandate letters for his Cabinet. These documents outline his expectations and priorities for his ministers and for the organizations that they lead.

23 December 2019

Productive meeting with Federal Pay Equity Commissioner Karen Jensen

On December 11, 2019, I met with Canada’s first Federal Pay Equity Commissioner, Karen Jensen. She was appointed in September 2019 and is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the new Pay Equity Act.

19 December 2019

2019: A year of results

2019 saw new collective agreements for 14 groups, new scientific integrity policies, Phoenix compensation and progress on the new pay system. Together, we made this all happen.

12 December 2019

Post-Election Government Relations off to a Good Start

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.

20 November 2019

PIPSC Welcomes the New Federal Cabinet

On November 20, 2019 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the composition of his new Cabinet.

18 November 2019

Bed bugs in government offices

As you are certainly aware given the extensive media coverage over the past few days, at time of writing bed bugs have been found in at least 8 government buildings located in the National Capital Region. They have also been reported in federal government buildings in Montreal and Winnipeg. There may be other affected locations across Canada that have yet to be formally identified.