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

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

Fellow 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.

We have examined the letters that apply to a number of departments whose activities have a significant impact on our members: Treasury Board, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Digital Government, Revenue, Innovation, Science and Industry, and Finance.

The Prime Minister’s overall directions to his ministers include references to the need for a strong and resilient public service and actively engaging with unions.

The letters also specify several key government objectives that are directly relevant to the work of our members:

  • Eliminate the Phoenix backlog;
  • Introduce the Next Generation Pay and Human Resources System (and actively engage major public sector unions);
  • Ensure that the public service recruits and retains talented people;
  • Reduce staffing public service timelines in half (which could lead to reduced outsourcing);
  • Commitment to scientific integrity:
    • Government science available to the public;
    • Unmuzzled government scientists;
    • Evidence-based decision-making.
  • Regular reports from the Chief Science Advisor on cross-government science priorities;
  • Bargain in good faith with public sector unions;
  • Implement the Pay Equity Act within the public service;
  • Increase the number of women in senior decision-making positions across government;
  • Increase the government’s digital capabilities;
  • Implement lessons learned from previous information technology projects;
  • Review government spending;
  • Ensure that wealthy Canadians do not benefit from unfair tax breaks;
  • Modernize anti-avoidance tax rules and close corporate tax loopholes.

With these directives, the Prime Minister has raised high expectations of the public service.  Together with our 60,000 members, I look forward to collaborating with his office and his Cabinet and to a strong relationship with Canada’s decision-makers.

Better Together!

Debi Daviau,
President

Published on 23 December 2019

22 January 2018
Separating

Statement on Unifor’s withdrawal from the Canadian Labour Congress

The news that Canada’s largest private-sector union, Unifor, has decided to withdraw its membership from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has taken many by surprise.
12 January 2018
Phoenix

Phoenix: Problems with Reporting Overpayments?

It has come to our attention that many of you who are trying to report overpayments by the January 19, 2018 deadline cannot get through to Contact Centre staff because of busy signals or being put on hold for extended periods.
20 December 2017
Announcement

President’s New Year Message 2018

Predictions are rarely 100% accurate. But some offer better-educated guesses than others. Here then are my forecasts (and a few resolutions) for the coming year.
24 November 2017
Phoenix

Don’t Blame Bargaining for Phoenix Failures

Earlier this month, PSPC Minister Carla Qualtrough asked me if I would be willing to negotiate simplifying some of the pay rules bargained over decades that, some claim, contribute to the dysfunction of the federal pay system.
8 November 2017
Announcement

PIPSC supports changes to Canadian bankruptcy and insolvency laws

Canadians should not have to worry about their retirement. But actions taken by the federal government raise questions about its commitment to enhancing retirement security for Canadians – a key promise in the last federal election.
7 November 2017
Message

PIPSC Salutes its Medical Radiation Therapists on MRT Week

Medical Radiation Therapist (MRT) Week, which recognizes the essential role these professionals play in Canada’s healthcare system, runs from November 5 to 11, 2017.