From the President’s Desk
Dear Members,
I hope all of you enjoyed this exceptionally warm Summer and had the chance to take some time off from work to disconnect and spend time with friends or family whether at home or travelling. I would like to acknowledge that this is a time of heightened uncertainty and anxiety for our membership. The political situation south of the border is continuing to cause some economical and political instability in Canada and across the world. Moreover, the announced budget cuts are certainly cause for concern as they will almost certainly result in a reduction of the work force, the magnitude remains to be determined. Finally, the recent announcements by the Government of Ontario and shortly after the City of Ottawa of the end of all telework provisions for their employees is a huge step backwards and was purely political.. It has nothing to do with improving workplace productivity. We know that the hybrid workplace is the model of the future at it benefits both the employee by improving work-life balance and the employer by reducing costs associated with maintenance of office space.
The Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) that was announced last July is supposed to result in up to 15% reduction in the operating expenditures over the next three years for most Departments, including PSPC. The exact details of the cuts will likely only be known with the tabling of Budget 2025 this Fall. It seems inevitable that the Department will go through a Work force adjustment process, PIPSC is calling on PSPC to have a voluntary departure program before any employee is declared surplus.
In anticipation of a future announcement, PIPSC believes that members should be well informed of their rights if they were ever affected by a Work force adjustment (WFA) or interested to take part in a voluntary departure program. This is why we have put together some great resources including flow charts, FAQs and webinars to explain the process. I encourage all members to review the website and contact a Steward if you have any questions. If you become affected by a WFA, please contact a Steward immediately to review and understand your options.
Back by popular demand, the Sub-Group will be hosting two virtual retirement planning webinars offered by the Retirement Planning Institute. This 2.5 hour seminar will offer you an overview of what you need to know about retirement, including pensions and savings. I recommend this session to every member whether you’re about to retire or just started your career in the public service. See information below in the newsletter about dates and time.
Finally, our most important event of the year, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on Tuesday December 2, 2025 in a virtual format from 12 to 1 PM. Our guest speaker will be Katie Francis, Full-Time Vice-President of the Institute. All eleven positions will be up for election and we are actively looking for new members to join the executive. If you are interested, please make sure to submit your nomination once the notice of AGM is sent out. If you would like to know more about what the role entails, feel free to reach out to myself or any current member of the sub-group executive.
In those uncertain times, I hope that everyone takes good care of themselves takes advantage of resources such as the Employee and Organizational Assistance Program
In Solidarity,
Charles Nellis (he/him), PMP, LEED Green Associate cnellis@pipsc.ca
(613) 793-4099
Upcoming Sub-Group Events
You Sub-Group Executive is very excited to present of series of events this coming year. Separate invitations will be sent by email for each of them, please ensure to check your inbox and register.
- Retirement Planning Information Session – Virtual – Monday October 20, 6:00 to 8:30 PM (French) & Monday October 27, 6:00 to 8:30 PM (English)
- Annual General Meeting (AGM) - Virtual – Tuesday December 2, 2025, 12 to 1 PM
If you have any ideas for events that you would like to see or help organize, let us know.
NR Group News
NR Sub-Group Presidents Meeting
The annual Sub-Group Presidents Meeting took place in Ottawa on June 7. This meeting allows all the NR Sub-Group presidents from across the country to meet with the NR Executive to exchange over priorities of the membership and ideas to improve member engagement and participation. The guest speaker this year was Vice-President Eva Henshaw who discussed her portfolio of contracting-out. There was a good exchange with participants. The conversation focused on the significant waste of public resources due to contracting out in this era of cost reductions. The NR Executive also announced that a NR Contracting out Committee will be formed.
New NR Bargaining Team
Thanks to all the NR Members that put their name forward, the new NR Bargaining Team is now officially formed. Five out of the ten team members are from PSPC and two of them are from the PSPC NR Sub-Group. Over the next months, the Bargaining Team will focus on getting trained and preparing for bargaining with Treasury Board for our next Collective Agreement. The current one expires on September 30, 2026.
PIPSC News
Understanding work force adjustment (WFA)
A work force 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.
PIPSC has prepared the following FAQ to help understand WFA.
PIPSC 2025 Pre-Budget Submission: Keep the promise, stop the cuts
Now is the time to invest in, not dismantle, Canada’s public service infrastructure. While the new government promised “caps, not cuts,” it has simultaneously introduced a directive to cut as much as 15% over three years.
As the world navigates economic and environmental uncertainty, Canadians need public services they can rely on – services that have been the backbone of national strength and stability for generations.
We’re calling on the government to keep its promises and take steps to strengthen the public service because Canadians need security and stability now more than ever.
Reject cuts
Past austerity measures have undermined health care, environmental protections and public safety. Repeating those mistakes today will jeopardize critical public services, raise unemployment, and weaken our country’s ability to respond to crises, from inflation to climate disasters. Cutting so much so quickly would add another destabilizing shock to our country, but unlike the others, this one would be a deliberate choice.
The government can find savings by decreasing reliance on external consultants and getting rid of unneeded office space by expanding flexible telework arrangements.
Focus on long-term problem solving, not band-aid solutions
The government repeatedly applies short-sighted band-aids to deep structural issues. Instead, it must address the underlying structures, processes and culture flaws that enable issues to grow out of control in the first place. We’re calling for reforms that empower professionals and reward innovation and agility over risk avoidance.
Adopt AI responsibly
AI should support, not replace, public sector jobs. We’re proposing a Canada-wide strategy for regulating AI, protecting worker rights and maintaining democratic integrity.
Rein in outsourcing
The 2025–2026 budget estimates show spending on outsourcing professional services is on track to hit a record high. That’s unacceptable from a government that pledged to curb outsourcing, let alone one that is cutting full-time public sector jobs. We’re demanding real accountability: transparency measures to track and rein in outsourcing, smarter hiring practices, and renewed investment in upskilling the existing workforce. Cuts must start with consultants—not the public servants who deliver for Canadians.
Rebuild scientific capacity and integrity
Years of political interference and underfunding have taken a toll on public science. We need renewed investment in research, gender equity in STEM, and strong scientific integrity policies to ensure evidence-based decision-making at all levels of government.
Read the full report for PIPSC’s detailed recommendations and analysis.
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.
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 your 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 your PSPC email address, please consider to change 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.
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.