Letter to the Minister of National Defence about allegations of misconduct in the Canadian military

March 2, 2021

The Honourable Harjit Sajjan
Minister of National Defence
101 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0K2
By email: DND_MND@forces.gc.ca

Dear Minister Sajjan,

I am writing today regarding recent allegations of misconduct at the very highest level of the Canadian military. As you know, these are not the first such charges involving current or former Chiefs of the Defence Staff (CDS) to become public over the past few years.

While these allegations are currently being looked into from a military leadership perspective, little if any mention has been made about the needs of the over 25,000 public service employees who support the Forces on a daily basis. I am sure you recognize that their confidence in Department of National Defense (DND) leadership has been seriously eroded by these recurring events. If CDS themselves are not held accountable to departmental Sexual, Violence or Harassment policies, it is fair to ask how DND employees can expect fair hearings when they bring such cases forward.

The damage caused by these incidents to their morale and confidence is such that I urge you to immediately issue a statement of support for our 5000 members employed by the Department. Please be assured that we are ready to work with your office towards the development and implementation of a detailed, transparent roadmap outlining how DND plans to restore our members’ faith in their senior leadership.

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

Sincerely,

Debi Daviau,
President, PIPSC

Published on 10 March 2021

7 February 2023

McKinsey contracts: just the tip of the contracting-out iceberg

On January 30, 2023 PIPSC President Jennifer Carr, accompanied by Jordan McAuley, our specialist on outsourcing, testified before the House of Common Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) about the now-infamous McKinsey contracts awarded by the federal government.

16 January 2023

Op-ed — Return-to-office policy puts Canada's public servants at risk

Any return to office policy must “consider the nature of each department’s work and the services they provide to Canadians.” Those are Treasury Board President Mona Fortier’s own words, and we urge her to heed them, said presidents of PIPSC and CAPE in an opinion letter published in The Ottawa Citizen.

4 January 2023

Jenn’s New Year’s Message to Members

The New Year is here and I want to take this opportunity to sincerely wish you all the very best in 2023. Our challenges can definitely lead to positive outcomes for our members.

3 November 2022

First meeting between President Carr and Revenue Minister Lebouthillier

On October 28, 2022 President Carr met for the first time with Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier to discuss a number of important issues that affect our members, public services and Canadian taxpayers.

2 November 2022

Strong words for the Standing Committee on Government Operations about the government's reliance on outsourcing good jobs

On October 24, 2022 President Jennifer Carr appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) to discuss the nefarious effects of outsourcing on our members, public services and Canadian taxpayers.

1 November 2022

Stand up to Doug Ford’s attacks on labour rights

PIPSC President Jennifer Carr urges all Canadians to stand in solidarity with their fellow workers at CUPE.