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

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27 October 2017

Treasury Board agrees to negotiate better birth control coverage for public service employees

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Words to Live By

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3 October 2017

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

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

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.