From the President’s Desk
Dear Members,
I hope all of you enjoyed the Holiday period with family and friends and were able to get some rest. As we enter 2026, I know many of you feel a high level of anxiety with the ongoing Comprehensive Expenditure Review, coupled with a potential increased mandated office presence later this year. All this occurring amidst a global economic and geopolitical situation that is increasingly unstable, unpredictable and frankly, very worrisome.
The best way to prepare for Workforce Adjustment is to be fully informed about the process and what your options are if you become affected. You will find in this News Bulletin a section with a collection of key links to resources I invite you to review. I strongly encourage everyone (employees and managers) to complete the Understanding Workforce Adjustment (COR123) online course offered by the Canada School of Public Service. It’s also always a good practice to keep your résumé and template cover letter up to date. Finally, Stewards remain available to answer any questions or support members if the Workforce adjustment provisions of our collective agreement are not being adhered to by Management.
On December 2, 2025, your Sub-Group hosted it’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in a virtual format with Vice-President Katie Francis who addressed the assembly. The elections saw most of our current executive members be re-elected in their position. I would like to thank Jérémie Maillet-Leblanc, who chose to not solicit another mandate, for his service and volunteer engagement with PIPSC. We still have one vacancy to fill on the Sub-Group Executive. If this is of interest to you or if you would like to discuss what the role entails, please contact me.
The NR Group recently held its annual election that saw a good mix of experienced members as well as new members elected to the NR Executive, you can review the full details in the News Bulletin. Our NR PSPC Sub-Group Executive looks forward to continuing the ongoing collaboration with our National NR Executive in 2026.
The NR Bargaining Team is continuing the preparation work ahead of the next round of bargaining. The next step being the Bargaining Survey that will go out this Winter. Please make sure to fill this survey as help the team establish priorities that reflect the membership.
I would like to thank the Sub-Group Executive and the membership at large for their continued support in my leadership as President of the NR PSPC Sub-Group as this will be my third year in this position. I
I hope to see all of you at an upcoming event and don’t hesitate to come and greet me if you see me in the workplace. Feel free to write to me, I would love to hear from you.
In Solidarity,
Charles Nellis (he/him), PMP, LEED Green Associate
cnellis@pipsc.ca
(613) 793-4099
Vacancy on NR PSPC Executive
There is currently a vacancy on the NR PSPC Executive for a one-year term. If you are interested, please submit a short statement of interest to cnellis@pipsc.ca. The Sub-Group Executive will appoint a candidate after reviewing received statements of interest.
NR PSPC Sub-Group AGM & Elections
The PSPC NR NCR Sub-Group Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place on Tuesday, December 2, 2026, virtually on the Zoom platform with approximately 30 participants. Our Guest Speaker was Katie Francis, Vice-President of PIPSC (Full-Time), who discussed the work done on her assigned portfolios including Phoenix, Return to Office and Equity/Diversity/Inclusion/Accessibility. Katie also discussed the ongoing Workforce Adjustment and what PIPSC is doing to support members. Gary Corbett, President of the NR Group, was also present and addressed the assembly.
During the AGM, we also held our Elections that were chaired by Robert Porter who graciously accepted to volunteer in that capacity. The following individuals were acclaimed:
- Cameron Smith (2 years)
- Jean-François Leboeuf (1 year)
- Joseph Wong (2 years)
- Charles Nellis (2 years)
- Martin Benoit (1 year)
- Thuc Van Quan (1 year)
- Luc Généreux (2 years)
- Alexander Elgin (2 years)
- Ved Proag (2 years)
- Brian Boyd (1 year)
On Thursday, January 15, 2026, the Executive members elected the officer positions of the Sub-Group Executive for the upcoming. The following individuals were acclaimed in their respective positions:
- President: Charles Nellis
- Vice-President: Cameron Smith
- Treasurer: Thuc Van Quan
- Secretary: Alexander Elgin
The PSPC NR Sub-Group Executive is looking forward to a productive year working on behalf of our members. You can find out contact information for all members of the Sub-Group Executive here.
NR Group News
NR Elections Results
The NR election committee has verified the results for the 2025 elections and 327 ballots were cast in the election. The following candidates have been elected to the NR executive, and will take office immediately:
- Aaron Thompson – Ontario Representative (2-year term) Acclaimed
- Hugo Buttau – Prairies Representative (2-year term) Acclaimed
- Luc Thibodeau – Quebec Representative (2-year term) Acclaimed
- David Young – NCR Representative (2-year term)
- Yves Cousineau – NCR Representative (2-year term)
- Sana Abou-Shaaban – NCR Representative (2-year term)
Congratulations to the newly elected executive committee members and a big thanks to all the nominees. Our group relies on the contributions of volunteers to advance the interests of members like you.
If you have any questions about the election, please contact Mike Pauley at mpauley@pipsc.ca.
NR Bargaining Update #2
In early September 2025, the NR Bargaining Team attended the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) Bargaining Training in Gatineau, Québec. The next focus will be on developing a NR Survey that will include questions to our members.
We strongly encourage all NR members to complete the survey. Doing so will ensure that the Bargaining Team has an accurate snapshot of the entire membership.
Survey results will inform our priorities for the next bargaining round. To ensure you receive the survey, please confirm that PIPSC has your personal email address. You can update your contact information on our website.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact NR Bargaining team at nr_barg_team@pipsc.ca.
NR 2025 Year-End Newsletter
The NR Group Newsletter is available for you reading pleasure.
PIPSC News
The government said it would reduce its use of external consultants, but the budget tells another story
The following op-ed by PIPSC President Sean O’Reilly was published in the Ottawa Citizen on Dec 18, 2025.
Six weeks after the federal government unveiled Budget 2025, its implications for the public service are becoming clearer and more troubling.
At the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, we’ve heard from members that fighting outsourcing remains a top priority.
During the spring election, the Liberals promised to reduce the government’s reliance on external consultants, but it’s obvious that the budget moves Canada in the opposite direction. What was pitched as a plan for discipline, modernization and efficiency is instead accelerating a decade-long shift toward outside consultants and away from in-house expertise.
Rather than strengthening the public service, the federal government has chosen once again to double down on outsourcing — the practice of hiring private consultants to do work the public service can and should be doing. This is a bad habit that’s been quietly draining billions of dollars from federal coffers for years, all while weakening the very systems Canadians rely on.
Budget 2025 even claims it will “cut back” on private consultants, but the government’s own numbers tell a different story. Outsourcing has doubled since pre-pandemic levels, and spending on professional services is projected to hit $26.1 billion this year — a 37 per cent increase from last year and a record high.
Even if the government somehow achieves its promised 20 cent reduction, outsourcing would still be roughly double what it was a decade ago. Private contractors cost taxpayers up to 26 per cent more than public servants.
It’s not even close. At best, it’s a premium price tag for duplication, delay and dependency. At worst, it weakens the very systems Canadians rely on, such as food safety, emergency response, digital security and environmental protection.
The budget makes matters worse by cutting around 30,000 public service jobs in addition to about 10,000 that were lost last year. Replacing skilled, permanent staff with contractors isn’t efficiency — it’s erosion. Fewer public servants and more outsourcing will leave departments stretched thin, less resilient, and increasingly dependent on private-sector firms to perform core government functions.
We’ve seen this play out before. Phoenix was sold as a cost-saving reform and became one of the largest administrative failures in federal history. Billions were wasted. ArriveCAN began as a modest digital contract and ballooned into a $60-million fiasco. Both were built by outside firms. Both continue to cost Canadians.
Contrast that with what happened when emergency struck during the COVID-19 pandemic: it was public servants — not consultants — who designed and delivered the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) system in just six weeks. There were no million-dollar contracts, no glossy branding and no chaos. That’s what real efficiency looks like.
If the government wants to balance the books, it should reduce contractor waste before cutting scientists, analysts and inspectors. Build capacity before buying another quick fix. Canadians want a government that works for them — not one that looks “efficient” on paper while paying more to get less.
If we want real results, we need to look at who’s actually doing the work. It’s not consultants in corporate boardrooms; it’s the public servants in labs, offices, and control rooms who keep the country running.
Budget 2025 was a chance to rebuild public capacity and chart a smarter, self-reliant course. Instead, it repeats the mistakes of previous governments.
Outsourcing doesn’t make government leaner — it makes it weaker. You can’t cut your way to competence, and you can’t outsource efficiency.
PIPSC Legacy Foundation
The Legacy Foundation is committed to supporting the next generation of professionals. The foundation’s sole purpose is to support the education of deserving young people across Canada.
The mission of the Legacy Foundation is to promote the intertwined values of professionalism and service, both to community and to country. This mission is accomplished by awarding scholarships for post-secondary education.
The pursuit of knowledge is a cornerstone value for PIPSC. We have always understood the importance of education to our members and to Canadian society.
Through the generous donations of our PIPSC community and corporate sponsors, the foundation has generated more than a million dollars in scholarships for young Canadians.
Consider making a donation to the Legacy Foundation or find out more on how your children or grand-children can apply for this scholarship.
Workforce Adjustment (WFA) Tools & Resources
A workforce adjustment (WFA) situation arises when the service of an employee is no longer required because of:
- Lack of work
- Discontinuance of a function
- A relocation of a work unit where the employee does not wish to relocate
- An alternative delivery initiative
In some situations, only specific positions are involved in a WFA, while in other cases the adjustment may involve entire work sections, functions or departments.
The primary objective of WFA is to ensure continued employment.
- Continued employment does not necessarily mean continuation of work in the same or a similar position, or occupational group; accordingly, employees must not assume that their new job will be identical or similar to the vacated position.
Your Sub-Group has collated links to various resources about the Workforce adjustment process as well as tools to find other employment within the public service.
Workforce adjustment resources:
PIPSC Website on Workforce adjustment
PIPSC Webinar recording: Learn about Work Force Adjustments in the public service
Government of Canada Website of Workforce adjustment
Appendix E Workforce Adjustment of the NR Collective Agreement
Public service employment resources:
Government of Canada Jobs (GcJobs)
Career Marketplace on Gcxchange (Government of Canada network only)
PIPSC Alternation Connect (PIPSC Email required)
Treasury Board Alternation Application (Government of Canada network only)
If you have any additional questions after reviewing the available resources, please contact a Steward.
A reminder that the Employee and Organizational Assistance Program (EOAP) remains available if you feel the need. You can contact them at 1-833-540-3292 or tpsgc.paeorcn-eoapncr.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
ServicePlus
ServicePlus is your member benefits program where you can take advantage of preferential rates, discounts and savings on a variety of products and services available exclusively to members such insurance, retail, travel services, medical services, entertainment and many more. Make sure to check the website often as new partners and promotions appear regularly.
ServicePlus has partnered with an innovative Canadian company to bring you something that helps both today you and future you.
MedNow is a fully licensed online pharmacy with truly exceptional pricing, (we checked), service and a network of pharmacies that can usually get your medications to you the same day. They offer a secure, simple to use app and website for ordering, optional automatic refills and renewals and a proprietary PillSmart system at no extra cost to make daily medications easy to take and hard to forget.
“But why?” you might ask, your medications are covered by your health insurance through your employer.
Well, first of all, costs will go down with Mednow, which is good.
Rising healthcare costs affect us all, so beyond being the right thing to do, reducing overall plan costs on medication means that there can be more money available for other services.
Update your Contact Information
Have you recently moved or changed your phone number? Or just unsure if we have the most recent contact information? If so, please ensure to Update your Contact Information. If you receive communication from PIPSC on a professional email address, please consider changing it to your personal email. Our emails are often blocked by the employer’s email system.
If you have colleagues that are currently not a member of PIPSC or new employees within your team, please make sure to share this link to sign up with them. New employees are not automatically members of PIPSC, they must sign up.
More PISPC News
Stay current on the latest News & Issues that is of concern to PIPSC visiting this web page.
Upcoming Sub-Group Events
You Sub-Group Executive is very excited to present of series of events this coming year, both virtual and in person. Separate invitations will be sent by email for each of them, please ensure to check your inbox and register.
- Lunch & Learn with Dave Sutherland, Vice-President of PIPSC – Virtual – Tuesday April 1 (12 to 1 pm)
- Joint NR Event for the National Capital Region – In-person
- Annual General Meeting (AGM) - Virtual – December 1, 2026 (12 to 1 pm)
If you have any ideas for events that you would like to see or help organize, let us know.
We need your help!
We always need help to organize events and conduct other initiatives for the Sub-Group. Members can also attend our monthly Executive Meetings as observers to learn more about Union Business and contribute to their Sub-Group. If this is of interest to you, please reach out to cnellis@pipsc.ca
We are also always looking for Stewards to join our team to support members in the workplace. We are especially looking for Stewards that come from equity seeking groups including women, visual minorities, persons with disabilities, Indigenous individuals, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community. If this is of interest to you, please consult this link and don’t hesitate to reach to a fellow Steward to get a better understanding of the role and determine if it suits you.
We are also in need of volunteers to become members of local Occupational Health & Safety Committees as PIPSC Representatives. This is a great way to become more familiar with an important aspect of the workplace and contribute improve the safety of the workplace in collaboration with management. Please note that you can only become a member of the Committee of your official place of work. Training is available and offered by the Employer. Please reach out to cnellis@pipsc.ca if interested.
Your Feedback
If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact anyone on the sub-group executive. We also look forward to your suggestions for lunch-and-learns, or any other type of event that would benefit the members of our sub-group.
If you require representation services or would like some advice on a situation arising in the workplace, please contact one of our stewards as soon as possible.