Report of Vice-President Norma Domey

REPORT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT NORMA DOMEY

Presented to the 102nd Annual General Meeting

Dear Members,

It has been a truly inspiring and exciting time for me as your Full-time Vice-Presidents at PIPSC, with many challenges and opportunities to serve you. I am honored that you gave me the opportunity to work on your behalf, and I continue to work hard for YOU!

I wish to thank those members, colleagues and staff of the Professional Institute who helped and supported me over the past year.

In this report that follows, I have tried to capture the key highlights in my “state of the union address” with respect to those portfolios under my responsibility, namely:

One Big Union

Science

Scientific Integrity Implementation Committee

Science Advisory Committee

Women in Science

Federal Election

Federal Black Employee Caucus

Psychological Health Standard Implementation

Staff Bargaining

Canadian Labor Congress (CLC) Coordination

CLC Women's Advisory Committee

More details on these issues can be found in my reports and briefing notes submitted to the Executive Committee, and Board of Directors or I invite you to contact me directly with your questions and or concerns at norma@pipsc.ca

As I write this, I am cognizant that by the time you read my report it will already be out of date as per our recent election and cabinet shuffle, and the Institute and our members may be dealing with a new reality. Having said that, many of the same challenges will persist for our members and the Canadian public.

Given the new/same government, and whoever our members elect as their new leaders, I remain committed to assisting our Institute to work on behalf of our members to promote healthy workplaces and to restore a federal public service that can make us all proud!

In solidarity,

Norma

Current Climate

With respect to Science, I believe Evidence for Democracy said it best …

Canada’s 44th federal election has now come and gone. 

Blink, and you may have missed the campaign — it was, after all, a mere 36 days. Blink, and you may also miss Canada’s 44th session of Parliament — there is already talk of the 45th election. Blink again, and well, you would be forgiven for mistaking our 44th Parliament for the 43rd — the result was largely the same as the 2019 election. 

So while the world is nothing like the one that surrounded Canada’s last federal election in 2019, the House of Commons has managed to (ahem) largely shelter in place this round. As you can expect from us at Evidence for Democracy, we are thinking about what this new (yet familiar) government composition might mean for science and evidence in Canada. 

But first, let’s talk about what this new government (likely, probably) doesn’t mean. Given the limited shelf life of minority governments, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where significant advances are made on critical science issues, such as improving Canada’s investments in fundamental science or developing a national science strategy. (That being said, minority governments have been good for Canada in the past.)

If we return briefly to the Liberal Party’s election platform, we find a mish-mash of schemes for science and innovation. Among them, there is a plan to mobilize a Canadian version of one of the global north’s biggest research success stories, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the darling giant of American research and development. Again, given the size and scope of such an endeavour, it feels aggressively optimistic to imagine the Canadian riff (cutely named CARPA) will grow legs to stand on in the next 18-24 months.

Let’s focus on where science and evidence might be able to make some gains in Canada’s favourite new political fabric that is minority government. And why not start where we left off, in our 43rd session of democracy? 

In late May of this year, and before the House of Commons broke for summer, Parliamentarians unanimously voted in favour of creating a new Standing Committee on Science and Research. While the mandate of this Committee exists only in our hearts and minds right now, the motion text mentions that it “shall include [...] the review and report on all matters relating to science and research, including any reports of the Chief Science Advisor.” Presumably, the mandate of the Committee will be refined as it takes shape through its members and matters of the day, and is an important opportunity for all parties to weigh in. 

And lo! Did someone mention the Chief Science Advisor? While the Office of the Chief Science Advisor (OCSA) was renewed for a second two-year term in September 2020, it is still not protected by any official measure to withstand changes in government. Despite extraordinary strain on the relationship between science and government over the course of the pandemic, this should be of concern for advancing an evidence agenda. Solidifying the OCSA as a permanent feature of the federal government is an opportunity for all parties in this minority government to make a gesture of good will to the evolving role of science in their decisions. 

Of course, there are several other facets to explore when it comes to advancing the role of science and evidence in this session of Parliament, too many to cover here. For example, what about follow-through on the science-related investments in Budget 2021?

This summer, professor Ruth Morgan remarked that “the role of science has traditionally been reserved for enabling developments [...]. But science will need to become more than this if we are to make the breakthroughs in the global issues we currently face.” This is one of the monumental shifts that must happen to change the trajectory of the crises that loom large — by our elected officials, public servants, scientists and researchers, and critically, by voters everywhere. 

It makes little difference as to whether that change makes meaningful strides under a minority or majority scenario. The same holds true for political banners. It simply must come to be. Future proofing the country to absorb the shocks of the coming decades requires a bolder commitment to using science and evidence in Ottawa — and, in Victoria, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Quebec City, Fredericton, Charlottetown, Halifax, St. John’s, Iqaluit, Yellowknife and Whitehorse. 

Climate during my 2020 Report to You

In order to properly update our membership let’s first reflect on the 2020 Speech from the Throne, and key announcements which have had a direct impact on our union representing more than 20,000 public service scientists …

On September 23, 2020 Governor General Julie Payette delivered a particularly important Speech from the Throne that outlined the government’s priorities and plans for the critical months ahead.  In the Speech, the government made a number of statements on issues of great importance to our members and to all Canadians. Most notably:

1. It said explicitly that this was no time for austerity.

Music to our ears. With the pandemic, Canadians need a strong and reliable government and public service more than ever.  Given the current circumstances, our goal is to demonstrate the importance of public science to the Canadian public and government in order to ensure continued support for our work.

We will highlight photos and stories of our scientists from across the country on the PIPSC website and social media. We want to acknowledge the strength you have shown not only in the face of crisis, but also over the past many years.

We want to ensure that we reflect the diversity of our membership. We invited you to reach out to workers in your networks – especially those who identify as Indigenous, Black and racialized, LGBTQ2+, and people with disabilities – to invite them to share their amazing stories.

2. It will modernize the government’s IT infrastructure

The government definitely needs to update its outdated IT systems and PIPSCs has been advocating for this work to happen sooner than later. But we need to ensure that these projects are done right. The disastrous Phoenix pay system is only the most obvious and far-reaching example of the government’s numerous technology failures over the past decade. The wholesale outsourcing of megaprojects to the private sector has led only to costly failures. Instead, let’s rely on our public service professionals to do the job right and cost-effectively. 

3. It wants to remain agile

Public servants recently showed how agile they can be with the quick and successful set-up of CERB. This is not a good time to shake up the public service and slash programs Canadians depend on and the people who deliver them.

4. It plans to address Systemic Racism

The government says it’s dedicated to increasing the diversity and representation in public service hiring, appointments and leadership development.

This is a positive development but we need to acknowledge there’s more work to be done.

5. It will take action on child care

We are encouraged to see it is paying more attention to this issue, which affects so many of our members. This pandemic has clearly demonstrated the need for reliable, high-quality and affordable childcare for Canadian women and families. 

6. The Throne Speech mentioned plans to limit stock option deductions - one of the worst tax loopholes - and address corporate tax avoidance by digital giants operating in Canada. The government also plans to introduce automatic tax filing, which will be good for all Canadians if it frees up Auditors to focus on big corporate and individual tax cheats. PIPSC has been advocating for these much-needed measures for a long time, and they were included in the recent AFS Group survey on how new kinds of software technology are affecting our members’ jobs.

7. The plan promised a full-court press on the pandemic, guided by science, until a vaccine is available. 

2018-19 and 2019-20 data provided by Statistics Canada: Federal expenditures on science and technology by major departments and agencies are stated as $12259 and $12709 million, respectively, in terms of total spending on scientific research and development activities.

However, to overcome a pandemic requires the work and resolve of every order of government, every community, and every one of us.  We don’t decide when hardship comes, but here in Canada, we have decided how we wanted to address it. We have adapted in remarkable ways.  We Canadians did our part. We changed our habits, postponed our plans, switched to teleworking or had to completely reinvent our work, all this, while caring for one another. 

We owe an immense debt to those who served and still serve on the frontlines, to health care personnel and essential workers, women and men in uniform, volunteers and leaders, everywhere in the country.  There has been a lot of suffering and we all mourn those who have passed.  We trust science to lead the fight until a safe and effective vaccine becomes available.

The fact that the 2020 Throne Speech emphasizes so many of the issues that matter to our members shows that our advocacy efforts and our work with our partners are paying off!  All that the say, the Speech from the Throne: steps in the right direction, still more to be done!

As the union representing more than 20,000 public service scientists, PIPSC is ready to help.

One Big Union

PIPSC wants to ensure we serve ALL our members … not only those in core regions.  To that end, the One Big Union initiative was born and I’ve been asked to travel to remote/less frequented areas of Canada to connect with our members.  Unfortunately, the pandemic put a halt on all such plans.  In the past couple of years, we had:

• Worked with Board colleagues to promote the One Big Union initiative.
• Lead or participated in events, presentations or other activities related to this initiative
• Reported on the outcome of such activities.

Science

We can be very proud of the leading role PIPSC has played within the labor movement in fighting back and to a great extent reversing the effects of the former Harper government’s unabashed attacks on Canada’s public service.

Most notably, in the science area we can point to:

• The hiring of some 1500 government scientists to replace those previously lost through cuts to Canada’s public science infrastructure;
• The enshrinement in their collective agreements of our science members’ right to speak freely about their work.
• The introduction and implementation of Scientific Integrity policies and guidelines in federal departments and agencies.
• The establishment of a Science Advisor Network:

Sarah Gallagher Science Advisor to the President Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

Shawn Marshall Departmental Science Advisor Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Pascal Michel Chief Science Officer Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

Vik Pant Chief Scientist & Chief Science Advisor Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

Paul Snelgrove Departmental Science Advisor Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)

Cara Tannenbaum Departmental Science Advisor Health Canada (HC)

Danial Wayner Departmental Science Advisor The National Research Council (NRC)

Science & EDI:

Jan. 2021 - Pleased to have been invited panelist discussing…

Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Sciences with the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)

This event was a special panel discussion in celebration of EDI in the sciences.  We were joined by four talented guest panelists and champions of EDI:

• Adrian Chan, Professor, Department of Systems and Computer Engineering; Director, Research and Education in Accessibility, Design and Innovation, Carleton University (@AdrianDCChan on Twitter/LinkedIn/Website)

• Norma Domey, National Executive Vice President, Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC); Chair, National Science Advisory Committee (PIPSC) (@DomeyNorma on Twitter/LinkedIn/Website/Facebook)

• Nancy Hamzawi, Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada (now Assistant Deputy Minister, COVID-19 Testing, Tracing and Data Strategy, Health Canada) (@NancyHamzawi on Twitter)

• Catherine Mavriplis, Professor, Mechanical Engineering; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, University of Ottawa (@CWSE_ON on Twitter)

Objectives of the evening, which were three-fold:

1) Initiate a dialogue on the importance of equity and inclusion within our Ottawa community

2) Increase awareness of current issues around EDI in science 

3) Inspire CHANGE in EACH OF US to MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Though impossible to cover the full breadth and depth of EDI over the course of one evening, there were some key takeaway messages:

1) There is a continued need to create the space to have conversations regarding EDI in the sciences. EDI should be integrated into all of our conversations and become a consideration in everything we do rather than a “special” conversation we have occasionally.

2) Following the consideration of EDI and identification of areas for improvement, action must be taken whenever and wherever possible – this represents a commitment to inclusion.

3) ALLIES can show their support by speaking with the under-represented person, not for them; and allies have a DUTY TO CALL OUT DISCRIMINATION !!!

Feb. 2021 - Privileged to be an invited Panelist to Science Forum: Day 4 Plenary Session…

SYSTEMIC RACISM IN SCIENCE PANEL –

Session Host: Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, Associate Deputy Minister

Session Moderator: Dr. Colin Harrison, Georgia Institute of Technology

Session Panelists:

• Dr. Audrey Kobayashi, Professor at Queen’s University

• Norma Domey, Vice-President of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

• Dr. Mohamed Lachemi, President & Vice-Chancellor of Ryerson University, Member of Canada Research Chairs’ Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

• Dr. Sean Hillier, Assistant Professor at York University

• Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Professor, University of Saskatchewan

Special Guests:

• Dr. Dana Riley, Program Lead, Canadian Institute for Health Information

• Daniel Quan-Watson, Deputy Minister, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

The objectives of the Panel discussion were to:

1) Raise awareness: systemic racism does exist and it does affect scientists as professionals and as persons

2) Educate: racism in science has root causes, enablers, and a terminology to describe its characteristics

3) Give tips: professionals (racialized or not) can all learn about principles of allyship and anti-racist science

4) Give hope: racism in science is not a fatality; we can learn from it, eradicate it, and even prevent it !!!

May 2021 – Pleased to contribute to the following article:  Canadian government must act to end anti-Black racism in public service, advocates say - National | Globalnews.ca

Martin Potvin, Treasury Board of Canada

Chris Alyward, President, Public Service Alliance of Canada

Nicholas Marcus Thompson, Public Service Alliance of Canada

Norma Domey, Vice President, Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada....

... addressing PS #antiblackracism

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2021.

As always, more work remains to be done.  The government must restore funding for research and development in public science.

It is an honor to act as your senior liaison between the Board and members who are active on science-related matters.

Scientific Integrity Implementation Committee

We are pleased to learn that the Government of Canada has reappointed Dr. Mona Nemer as the government’s Chief Science Advisor (CSA).  PIPSC also urged Parliament to enshrine the Chief Science Advisor’s position and mandate in legislation as soon as possible. This would ensure continued evidence-based decisions in support of government policies, ensure Canadians understand the importance of their public scientists’ work, and prevent ideological attacks on science by future governments.

Dr. Nemer is particularly proud of our joint work on the Model Policy on Scientific Integrity, which provides a framework for science-based decision-making in the federal government, and guidelines for the unmuzzled public discussion of the research our members are conducting.

A Scientific Integrity Implementation Committee continues to work with CSA and Consultation Team Presidents and SI Departmental Focal Point Leads on the implementation process. Currently, 20 of the 25 implicated departments and agencies now have a scientific integrity policy (SIP) in effect, with two more pending approval, while SIPs are currently in development for the remaining two departments. In addition, the following guidelines have been issued/under development*:

• Communication and dissemination of science
• Breaches
• Employee Training
• Attribution and acknowledgement of science contributions
• *Report and performance
• *Indigenous acknowledgement

Science Integrity Course is also under development on SI & the Right to Speak as EROs/Stewards will need to know how to deal with SI cases and Right to Speak cases. Discussions were initiated with the Canada School of the Public Service as a means of collaborating on SI training. 

In January 2020, working in conjunction with the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, the OCSA conducted an initial compliance assessment of the policy’s non-discretionary provisions. The survey showed that compliance was high across most departments, in part because many of them already had policies and guidelines in place (such as policies on the open communication of science and research) that directly supported SIP objectives. Individual departmental policies closely resemble the model, with variation largely arising from the need to tailor elements of the model policy to a department’s specific circumstances. The model policy’s adoption provides a more integrated approach, allowing for greater sharing, coordination, and tracking of outcomes. The assessment also identified three key opportunities for improvement:

1. The creation of mechanisms for soliciting the advice of an organization’s scientists and researchers on its capacity to meet current and future scientific challenges.
2. The provision of training, education and professional development opportunities for all staff to learn what scientific integrity is, and what its implications are for employees that conduct, manage, communicate or use science.
3. Developing clear expectations for external contractors and collaborators with respect to compliance with departmental SIPs.

In February 2021, the OCSA released a report, titled The Status of Federal Scientific Integrity Policies, which explored progress in implementing departmental scientific integrity policies and procedures. As per this report, 20 federal departments and agencies have scientific integrity policies in effect (out of a total of 25). The report also stated that:

“...all 20 departmental policies currently in effect closely resemble the model, and many are virtually identical. Most substantive changes represent cases where departments have eliminated certain non-discretionary model provisions because, in their view, the provisions do not apply or are redundant given existing departmental processes and procedures.”

The PIPSC has continued to monitor the implementation of scientific integrity guidelines. As a part of this work, PIPSC invited Evidence for Democracy (E4D) to conduct a comparative policy analysis of the available procedures for investigation of breaches of scientific integrity, using OCSA’s Science Integrity Policy Guidelines: Breaches Of Scientific Integrity as a reference.

E4D carried out a section-by-section analysis to compare the procedures for investigation of breaches of scientific integrity from the following six federal departments and agencies … In brief, it was found that at:

● Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: the procedures retain many aspects of the OCSA Model Policy, but with some changes to the investigation procedure — namely that the Head Of Response plays a larger role in fact-finding and formal investigation, rather than relying on appointed committees.

● Canadian Space Agency: the procedures are significantly condensed, with several details omitted, making it difficult to identify details or compare the steps involved if an allegation of a breach of scientific integrity were to be investigated.

● Impact Assessment Agency of Canada: the procedures are detailed, and retain almost all aspects of the OCSA Model Policy, with changes in the structuring of the investigation process (i.e., there are now Investigation and Reporting Stages).

● Health Canada, and Public Health Agency of Canada: the procedures for the investigation of breaches of scientific integrity are very detailed, with changes to the investigation process that largely reflect and expand the OCSA Model Policy (i.e., there is now a preliminary assessment, an investigation, outcome and decision, and learning).

● Fisheries and Oceans Canada: the procedures retain many aspects of the OCSA Model Policy, but with some changes to the investigation procedure — namely that there is a single Formal Investigation Committee now, and that a formal investigation of alleged breaches should, in general, be recommended only for the most severe breaches of scientific integrity.

● Environment and Climate Change Canada: a comparative policy analysis was not possible as these procedures are not modelled after the specific breach investigation guidelines in the OCSA Model Policy. Overall, this policy outlines a total of four formal and informal mechanisms that ECCC employees can use to report allegations of breaches.

A Working Group has been struck to develop the initial draft of the s.7.7 of the model SIP Performance Measurement Strategy.  This working group consists of half a dozen DDAAs, charged with delivering the draft.  In forming the working group, we encouraged broad representation from large, traditional SBDAs as well as smaller, non SBDAs. In addition, there is a PSES initiative to include questions on scientific integrity in the PSES survey:

Potential for leveraging this mechanism for performance data.

September 2021 – Concerning email/memo from OCSA (… describes a troubling shift away from OCSA’s current “proactive” role to a "purely consultative" one). VP Domey responded on behalf of PIPSC with key points as follows:

• PIPSC deeply values our relationship with and the work of OCSA on SI
• We are concerned that it appears TBS has downloaded functional responsibility for SI to OCSA without adequate role clarity and sufficient resources
• Our experience has been that DDAAs - for the most part - engage with the creation/implementation of SIPs only because they are required to, and they seem not to want to engage in good faith in the hard work of developing robust SI programs and instead expect OCSA to do most/all this work
• We believe TBS is abdicating its responsibility on SI. TBS has made no real efforts outside of OCSA's work to foster, maintain, and promote a culture that not only abides by SI provisions but instead believes in and fundamentally values how SI improves public sector research and science, and ultimately benefits the public.

PIPSC continues to monitor progress and provide ongoing advice to departments and agencies on all SIP-related issues.

Science Advisory Committee

Continuing to Champion the work of the committee and act as Chair. I’m happy to report on the activities of the committee.

The Science Advisory Committee continue to advise and make recommendations to the Board on how to address concerns or issues identified in the Workplace which related to science and public science issues, and the Institute’s efforts to present itself as an advocate for public science in Canada and for restoration of a science based departmental funding (A-base budgets).

To achieve this SAC endeavors to:

a) monitor issues in the field of science and technology related to the work of members and the Institute in this field, including issues of science workplace ethics;

b) coordinate and distribute information on public science within the Institute and help coordinate the Institute’s outreach through its communications to Canadians on these issues, under the goal of focusing the public discussion of science issues in the language of science, by scientists; and,

c) provide an ongoing forum where Public Science-related issues and the Institute’s interests in this issue can be discussed and studied.

PIPSC’s Science Advisory Committee (SAC) met four times in 2020 via zoom. During this time, the committee has been involved in the following:

Update on Science Activities

Science Member Survey

Analysis of the science membership survey conducted in early 2021 is complete and the research team is looking to provide a presentation on results to the Science Advisory Committee soon.  The policy and communications teams will be looking at the results to determine strategy going forward and will coordinate with any recommendations coming out of SAC.   

Women and Science Learning Lab

The advisory taskforce was established earlier this year.  A call for participants was sent in late May, with a deadline of June 14.  Once the call for participants phase has been completed, evaluation of applicants will begin.  The learning lab was held in October as a series of online sessions between October 18 and October 29. 

Scientific Integrity

The Scientific Integrity file has been progressing well, we expect a communication to go out soon from the Governance Committee clarifying some of the concern PIPSC has been raising at the Governance Committee regarding applicability of S.I. Policies to all employees in a department. 

Departments are slowly establishing breach guidelines in order to assist with PIPSC preparing a working paper on breach policies for science integrity and looking at best practices. 

The informal network of SI Focal Points has become established and continues to meet virtually approximately every 2 months to share experiences, solve problems and recommend action. 

Science Advisory Committee

Science Advisory Committee and PIPSC members brought a series of issues for discussion over the past year.  These included the following:

• The Impact of the Federal Budget on Science
• Diversity Statistics in ECCC and other federal departments
• Pension Buy Back Gap Issue
• A proposed AGM resolution on divestment from fossil fuels by the Public Service Pension Plan
• A report on participation in the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico City
• Updates on Motions 1 and 2 carried at Dec 2019 SAC Meeting:  Climate Emergency and PIPSC Carbon Footprint:  

Due to PIPSC Board decision no travel was permitted for the most part of 2020 and 2021.  Therefore, a reduction in PIPSC Carbon Footprint could not be established for 2020 or 2021 (i.e. motions proposed at least one SAC meeting to be virtual; in actuality all SAC meetings were virtual due to the pandemic)

• Collaboration in Scientific Research: Understanding the factors that influence effective collaboration and teamwork
• Science and Government Relations: Building a 2021-22 Plan for PIPSC

I would like to sincerely thank our Science Advisory Members/Friends: Michael Pauley, Pierre Morin, Katherine Beach, Violina Lozeva-Thomas, Krista Gill, Guillermo A Castilla, Sonia Roussel, Kevin Jacobs, Yuri Kim, Deborah Danoff, Paolete Soto, and Ningsun (Simon) Zhou, as well as, our staff resources Michael Urminsky, Marielle Nadon, Eleanor McGrath and Yvonne James for their dedication, participation and hard-work.

Soooo proud of the boat-load of work done to date!!!  More work still lays ahead for the committee, as outlined in its second 3 year strategic and operational plan.

Further areas of interest and potential activity for the long term at SAC are the following: 

• Further embedding and replication of Woman and Science Learning Lab format and approach and development of more micro-projects to be implemented Nation-wide!
• Protecting Science research and regulatory programs should austerity become part of the government agenda
• advocating and following up on challenges to scientific integrity in departments with grievances and support to consultation teams.

Women in Science

As Champion for the work of the Women in Science initiative and Chair of the Science Advisory Committee, I’m happy to report on our progress in this area.

The results of a 2017 survey of federal scientists and engineers who are PIPSC members reveal challenges that are holding women back from fully contributing their unique perspectives and expertise to federal public science. The following is an overview of the resulting report Women in Public Sector Science: From Analysis to Action.  More details on the report may be found at:  https://pipsc.ca/sites/default/files/comms/womeninsciencefullen.pdf

Under-representation in Science Groups

In general, women are under-represented in the Institute’s core science groups. There is a low availability of women in scientific professions, and beyond this, the number of women in two major science groups (RE and NRC-RO/CO) is lower than the number of qualified women in the workforce. Also, in many cases, there is a diminishing proportion of women to men occupying higher-level positions. Fewer women than men hold government science positions, fewer women scientists are in the labor market, and fewer women apply to high-level science jobs. It’s 2019 – why is this still the case?

Diminishing Concern for Women’s Rights

Members under 30 were twice as likely as older members to believe that men are favored and get better treatment in recruitment and selection processes. Older generations may perceive less gender bias today compared with their past experiences. The belief that gender discrimination has declined more rapidly than data shows can cause diminishing concern for women’s rights and fewer resources allocated to alleviating gender inequality.

Gender Bias and Equality

Overall, 42% of women said that gender bias is a barrier to their career progression, and one in four women (27%) believed that men are favored in opportunities for leadership roles. In 2017, some 73% of those surveyed by the Joint Union-Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion in the Public Service identified bias as a top barrier to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. To mitigate bias, we need to critically reflect on the notion of ‘fit,’ and become cognizant of our desire for sameness.

Dependent Care Responsibilities

Women were significantly more likely than men to identify dependent care responsibilities as a barrier to their career progression. Significantly fewer women than men believe they are able to satisfy both their job and family or personal responsibilities. Women continue to disproportionately bear the burden of dependent care. More could be done to evoke a cultural change, not only inside the workplace but in the wider community.

Mentorship and Leadership

One in four women (23%) said lack of access to mentors was a major barrier to their career progression. While female mentorship and role models are vital for encouraging young women to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers, men’s participation in mentorship programs for women is also critically important.

Recommendations

PIPSC is looking to influence change for women in science by: 

1. conducting advocacy and activism campaigns aimed at new or better workplace legislation;
2. collective bargaining for new and better workplace rights;
3. supporting consultation presidents at union-management consultation for new and improved human resources policies; and
4. developing and conducting awareness and education campaigns for PIPSC members.

The institute continues to action the Women in Science (WiS) report recommendations and build capacity more broadly in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion.  A strategic agenda and work plan for our WiS project was drafted and is currently underway.

This project consisted of learning lab held in October 2019 and October 2021 for approximately 16 members.  Interest was so high that a second round was considered. 

At the end of 2019 PIPSC’s Women and Science Learning Lab resulted in 5 member led micro projects that have produced member engagement and tools to advance equity in public sector science: 

1. a Women and Science Network is now active and continues to grow;
2. a “Toolkit for advancing equity in Public Sector Science” was launched March 8^th 2021 on International Women’s Day;
3. a survey on Modernizing Family Related Leave Policies was analysed;
4. an info graphic for members developed; and, 
5. a research project on gender bias in research funding was implemented.

This project proposal is part of a bigger effort between March 2019 and 2021 in which PIPSC will help to build sustainable efforts with our activists in the area of women and science to continue to embed the recommended areas of action.

The role of women in science is now a major focus for many stakeholders in Canada and around the world because diverse perspectives enhance research excellence and innovation.  “The Women Deliver Conference re-energized our PIPSC delegates and women globally to keep fighting to end gender-based violence, increase women’s economic empowerment, and ensure gender responsive health systems and services,” Domey said.

To that end, our bargaining update highlights historic wins:

• enhanced family-leave
• 10 days of paid leave to survivors and victims of domestic violence
• the first-ever harassment free workplace language in our collective agreement

These wins will help to support and empower women ensuring equal opportunities for everyone across the public sector.

There is still more work to do.  We are committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment in Canada.  We will ensure that the door for progress on these issues continues to remain open and that PIPSC is at the forefront of change.

The value of diversity in science extends beyond the benefits to diverse groups themselves; indeed “removing gender bias can open science and engineering to new perspectives, new questions, and new missions.” Diversity is a fact and inclusion is a choice, and PIPSC is prepared to work with the federal government to make the right choice.  PIPSC is proud to represent the many thousands of women working in STEM across the federal public sector and salutes their invaluable contributions to science and technology in Canada.

Advocating for Women in STEM

The Vice President is a strong advocator of diversity and inclusivity initiatives in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM), and is a highly sought-after guest, keynote speaker, presenter, and panelist on the issue of women in STEM. Among her recent engagements on the topic:

March 2019 & 2021, New York, New York:  VP Domey served as part of the biggest ever delegation of Canadian trade unionists, with 75 participants from 25 different unions including PIPSC  the Canadian Labour delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women . The theme was social protection, public services and sustainable infrastructure.  Blog respectfully submitted by VP Domey to UNCSW63...ENHANCING WOMEN'S ROLE IN NEGOTIATION PROCESSES AND BUILDING PEACE AND SECURITY www.https://unioncsw.world-psi.org/news/enhancing-womens-role-in-negotiation-processes-and-building-peace-and-security?lang=en

June 2019, Vancouver:  VP Norma Domey including 12 PIPSC representatives from the Board of Directors, Human Rights Committee and staff team were joined by a host of other Canadian union activists at the 2019 Women Deliver conference.  The theme was Power. Progress. Change. A fitting theme for PIPSC, as we are committed to focusing our power on progressing policies that deliver meaningful change in the lives of all our members.  This conference was an opportunity for our leadership to reflect on how gender equality can strengthen our union and the labour movement. 

September 2019, Halifax:  VP Domey delivered Day 2 opening remarks and session presentation, as invited guest of the Honourable Senator Wanda Bernard, at Nova Scotia Association of Black Social Workers 40th Anniversary Conference.

October 2019, Ottawa:  VP Domey gave opening welcome and career journey presentation at the first 3-day PIPSC Women in Science Learning Lab launch held at the Lord Elgin.

November 2019, Gatineau: VP Domey hosted a National Women’s Workshop at the PIPSC 100^th Annual General Meeting https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/scientific-integrity/2019-pipsc-agm-womens-workshop-big-success

February 2020, Ottawa: VP Domey reviewed and supported poster presenters at a symposium hosted by the National Research Council to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The highlight of the celebration was a scientific poster session, with an opportunity to view and discuss results from over 100 projects led by women in research-based departments and agencies across the Government of Canada.  Vice-President Domey was pleased to also network with PIPSC women involved in our Science Learning Lab which focuses on systemic solutions to remove barriers experienced by women in science across Canada.

February 2020, Ottawa: VP Domey served as panelist at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry panel discussion on Fostering Inclusion in Science and Engineering.  SETAC is planning to submit a write-up of this event to SETAC Globe, which is a newsletter sent out monthly to the international SETAC community. 

February 2020, Ottawa: VP Domey was a featured guest speaker at a symposium hosted by Health Canada to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

April 2020, Canada:  VP Domey advocated on behalf of women cross Canada in "EQUAL PAY DAY 2020 VIRTUAL RALLY" !!!

THE NEED FOR SECURITY!!! INCOME SECURITY; PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR FRONT-LINE WORKERS

Without Women's Work, Our Communities Don't Work … Close the Equal Pay Gap, NOW!!!  Happy to join allies from coast to coast to coast as we advocate for women's economic justice... Equal Pay Day draws attention to the gender pay gap - how much women's work is undervalued and underpaid relative to men's.  With women dominating jobs on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic - nursing, care work, cleaning, food prep and retail - our value is undeniable. With the crisis revealing the cracks in our social safety nets and the unique ways women are bearing the burden of physical distancing, our response must deliver real community care.  For more information visit the Equal Pay Coalition website at: http://equalpaycoalition.org/equal-pay-day/

June 2021, Canada:  ANTIRACISM SCIENCE ALLYSHIP Health Canada PANEL –

#215children Statement: Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Scientific Director CIHR for Indigenous Peoples Health

Dr. Cara Tennenbaum, Health Canada Departmental Science Advisor

Session Panelists:

• Norma Domey, Vice-President of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

• Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Professor, University of Saskatchewan

Closing Message:

Ian Skinner, Director Health Canada

Many thanks to the fantastic team of organizers!!!

Federal Election

PIPSC is a non-partisan organization and will not be endorsing one political party over another. Yet, we know that the decisions made by the political party in power can have direct and potentially harmful impacts on our lives as employees and union members.  

We published the results of our survey asking the four main federal political parties about their positions on public services:  https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/announcements/canadas-political-parties-weigh-in-on-your-election-issues

To help our members make an informed choice on September 20^th, we have sent a non-partisan survey to Canada's major political parties. We asked the Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party, the Green Party of Canada, and the Bloc Québécois where they stand on the issues important to our members.

We asked each party for their commitment to:

1. invest $95 million In NAVIGAR over 4 years, over and above existing training budgets, to ensure Canada’s public service is ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow.
2.  invest in training, new technologies and regional office audit and investigations staff to help the CRA:
   • catch wealthy tax cheats and hold large corporations accountable for what they owe
   • end corporate “profit shifting” and “transfer pricing” 

3.  increase federal public science spending by $800M in order to restore in-house science spending to fiscal 2010-2011 levels.

4.  reform the government’s outsourcing practices, reducing spending on contractors to 2011 levels and building an equal and equitable public service.

5.  not support any possible future legislation similar to Bill C-224, which was defeated in the last Parliament.

6.  provide public, universal prescription drug coverage (Pharmacare) for all Canadians.

We need to elect a government that protects public services and respects the people who provide them.  

Federal Black Employee Caucus (FBEC)

As PIPSC representative, I participated in the 2021 and 2020 Symposium of the Federal Black Employee Caucus, to discuss the priorities of Black public servants in the context of the International Decade for People of African Descent, which spans from 2015 to 2024.

2020 PIPSC sent a letter to Treasury Board President, Joyce Murray endorsing FBEC and its key asks:

· That data gaps must be filled and that a support network be created permitting Black community members to accomplish their professional goals, i.e. to obtain senior government positions.

· That the federal government should assign Champions in each of its Departments.

· And of course that the federal government continue to show respect for the International Decade for People of African Descent.

PIPSC encouraged its members to participate in a Survey: Black public servants’ experiences. The Federal Black Employee Caucus (FBEC) seeks to address public servants' concerns of anti-Black racism and lack of career progression. PIPSC has participated in these events and joined advocacy efforts to identify and remove barriers that prevent any public servant from fully participating in the workplace and fulfilling their goals.

FBEC was launching a survey to better understand the experiences of Black federal public service employees. The results will be used to inform the FBEC’s diversity and inclusion work pertaining to career progression within the federal workplace. I was pleased to promote the FBEC Survey, and represent our members in my work with the FBEC Union Advisory Committee.

This is the first time a survey focused on Black and African diaspora employees’ Experience within the Canadian federal public service.

The FBEC Union Advisory Committee met October 13, 2020 for the third time since its creation in December 2019.  We met with FBEC and other union leaders to identify ways in which we can foster inclusivity across the system.  FBEC’s Union Advisory Team has been developed to advise and provide strategic direction to the Federal Black Employee Caucus (FBEC) on labour management issues…

● The objective of the meetings will be to determine the scope of engagement as an inter-union advisory body to FBEC and the major unions within the federal public service.

● The group will focus on large-scale policy and legislative changes to improve the conditions of Black public servants (e.g. changes to the Employment Equity Act; determining how unions can better handle people when dealing with race based complaints).

● The advisory team will be comprised of union senior level staff, elected officials and employees.

● Continued engagement with unions will be key in garnering support for the necessary policy changes that would see Black employees recognized as a distinct group due to their historic realities in Canada – It is anticipated that this recognition will result in positive measures being implemented to address the issues that Black employees face in federal workplaces.

● The scope of work to be determined by the group members.

As a union, we believe that we have an active role to play in identifying and removing barriers that prevent any public servant from fully participating in all workplace activities and fulfilling their personal and professional goals. As such, we are committed to working with the federal government to create workplaces that are inclusive and barrier-free. We were therefore pleased when the government announced the establishment of a Centre of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness. The Institute will be happy to work with the Treasury Board and FBEC to ensure that the proposed Centre is action-oriented and that all employees, particularly Black employees, benefit from tangible results.

We look forward to working with you and FBEC and allies to achieve these objectives in federal workplaces across Canada.

Women’s History Month and Moving the FBEC Women’s Caucus Forward

Pleased to be Co-Chair of the newly formed FBEC Women’s Caucus!

Who We Are…

• Part of the larger FBEC constituency.
• Address issues of anti-Black racism and discrimination, as well as  intersectional issues of gender representation and disparity in the federal Public Service.
• Providing a supportive environment where Black women can address career development and other important issues within the federal Public Service.

Highlight of objectives…

• Dialogue and information sharing in a supportive space.
• Career support and learning opportunities that enhance professional development.
• Networking opportunities across professional categories, levels, regions and professional interests.
• Locating supportive networks,  sponsors and advocates.
  • Address work-life balance, stress, mental and emotional health etc.

As Women’s History Month draws to a close,  I want to take this opportunity to salute and recognize your presence and continued resilience as Black women working within the federal Public Service. Despite the many challenges that we have encountered.

I am excited by a number of accomplishments that are taking place for Black women throughout the federal Public Service.  Most notably, the Honourable Marci Ien Minister of Women and Gender Equality Canada, the appointment of Shalene Curtis-Micallef, earlier this fall, as Associate Deputy Minister of the Department for Justice and Paule-Anny Pierre - Assistant Deputy Minister, Diversity and Inclusion, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Right now, work is underway to build a social media presence where professional resources can be shared. A project is also underway to help us build our LinkedIn profile so that we can showcase our professional brand and tap into professional opportunities. FBEC Women’s Caucus needs:

• Social media writers and creative website developers
• Mentors
• Speakers
• Women with incredible networks

Your ideas and energy are needed to move the Women’s Caucus forward. Please email fbecwomen.femmescefn@gmail.com and let us know how you can contribute. The vision for the FBEC Women’s Caucus

Psychological Health Standard Implementation

I’m pleased to lead the Institute’s effort to contribute and provide leadership in implementing the Psychological Health Standard. 

Background:

The Employer as part of its commitment to address issues of mental health in the workplace and further to the work accomplished by the Joint Task Force on Mental Health (JTF), Treasury Board and the PSAC agreed to establish a Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace (COE).

As part of its ongoing mandate, the COE is responsible to continue to drive towards the implementation of the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard) and identify how implementation can best be achieved within the public service; recognizing that not all workplaces are the same.

We understand that the PSAC has recently signed in the PA collective agreement language which included the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between TBS and PSAC on mental health. The new MOU includes the work to be done by the Centre of Expertise on Mental Health. It includes an Advisory Board to the COE with joint representation from departments and bargaining agents.

1) Status of the Psychological Health Standard Implementation involving PIPSC participation

It is our understanding that the PSAC President, intends to reach out to the bargaining agents for a call of interest to serve on the Advisory Board. To that end, PIPSC advised the PSAC that VP Norma Domey has been appointed as the lead on its behalf – our Inaugural Meeting was held October 2021 with next scheduled for January 2022.

2) How best to contribute and provide leadership

I’ve talked to those involved from PSAC and TBS to further discuss PIPSC involvement and will continue to lead the Institute’s effort to contribute and provide leadership in implementing the Psychological Health Standard, as well as, current ongoing health and safety initiatives involving PIPSC.

3) Guarding Minds at Work 4.0 – Updates to Reflect Psychosocial Health and Safety

A presentation was made to the Service Wide Occupational Safety and Health Committee on the evolution of the Guarding Minds at Work tool.

The project began in 2009 to address the question: how do you decide where to start and where to spend limited resources when approaching psychological health and safety. In the early stages of the project, the focus was to help employees who already were diagnosed with a mental illness. It was noted that this has evolved to protect the psychological safety of every employee, similar to protecting the physical safety of every employee.

In 2020, a literature review was conducted by graduate students who researched every psychosocial factor by: reviewing peer-reviewed articles from the last five (5) years; identifying valid and generalizable conclusions that added to existing knowledge; suggesting descriptions that led to less overlap among the factors; and statements were reorganized by factor to support this distinction. There were statements that were modified and statements that were added to address inclusivity, exposure to trauma in the workplace, stress, and sexual harassment.  Ultimately, the goal of the revised Guarding Minds at Work tool was to become more effective. The suggested changes were reviewed by three (3) groups: the technical committee for the National Standard on psychological health and safety, the experts from the ISO 45003 committee for psychological health and safety, and the Workplace Safety and Prevention Services.

The report has been simplified with new calculations, the breakdown of the factors, and the new results display. For those interested, it was recommended to download a sample report to view these changes. If you had an account for the previous version of the Guarding Minds at Work tool, you would be able to access this information until the end of this year.

The presentation was given to the Joint Employment Equity Committee (JEEC) and that the members had indicated the importance of including demographic questions in the survey. It would be beneficial to conduct a national survey to include demographic questions in order to produce the data at a national level.  Examining how to overlap the data from this tool and that of the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) is critical in order for departments to understand how to use this information. The PSES questions have adapted a number of their questions to the Guarding Minds at Work survey questions

4) Development of training materials on the upcoming Workplace      

Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations

The Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) discussed the upcoming learning modules that will address the new Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations coming into effect January 1, 2021. There has been consultations with various public servant groups to develop this training, one of these being the SWOHS OHS Learning sub-committee and the CSPS.

An environmental scan has been completed to examine the various options currently available to develop this training and it was decided to work in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). The CCOHS had developed three (3) online modules to meet Bill C-65 training obligations with respect to the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations. It was explained that Module 1 was developed to train all employees and discusses the legislative requirements, risk factors, domestic violence, identifying and reporting occurrences, and supportive measures. Module 2 will focus on training for supervisors, managers, workplace committee members and representatives to discuss the responsibilities of the employer representatives, the legislative requirements for managers, workplace assessments, implementing recommendations from investigation reports, the resolution process, and reporting. Lastly, Module 3 will focus on training for the Designated recipient and other specialists.

The online modules are intended to be provided to departments prior to the new Regulations coming into effect. At the moment, the CSPS has ten (10) courses that will be updated to reflect the new Regulations. It was mentioned that a corporation, the Respect Group, provides training that incorporates Bill C-65 and the changes to the Regulations. It was asked if any members on the SWOHS Committee would be interested in examining the Respect Group training to provide input on the material and provide feedback as to whether the CSPS should incorporate this material into their training

Publications:

Building Success: Guide to Establishing and Maintaining a Psychological Health and Safety Management System in the Federal Public Service
Technical Committee Report to the Steering Committee on Mental Health in the Workplace – April 2016
Technical Committee Report to the Steering Committee on Mental Health in the Workplace – September 2015

PIPSC Staff Bargaining

It is fair to say that any labor act that governs the relationship between unions and employers is about creating rules that are intended to be fair to both sides. That being said, the following is an update on our 2020-2021 activities:

• Overall Goal:  Participate in staff bargaining with the Institute Bargaining Team. Work with the COO to inform the Board of tentative agreements and other bargaining developments.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UPDATE (UNIFOR Local 3011 & IAMAW-PIREC):

1. UNIFOR Local 3011 (National Office and NCR staff)

2. IAMAW (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers)-PIREC Local 907 (PIPSC regional office staff excluding the NCR)

I’m pleased to report that late 2020 the Institute’s Board of Directors ratified the tentative agreements between PIPSC and IAMAW/PIREC and UNIFOR Local 3011!  Highlights include annual wage increases, pension and benefits improvements, and several other monetary and language enhancements.  

The collective agreements were signed early in the 2021 new year.

Congratulations to the leadership of both the management and staff  committees for an excellent job in maintaining their focus during these very challenging negotiations!

The Institute’s offers to both unions are more than fair and reasonable and align with what we have been able to achieve for our membership.

Canadian Labor Congress (CLC) Coordination

Our Objectives are to:

• Lead and report on the activities of Institute members and staff on committees, campaigns and other activities related to the CLC.
• Work with the President to ensure Professional Institute strategic participation and representation at the Canadian Labor Congress and ensure the best value for our members through our engagement;
• Contribute to the Institute Key Result area of “Influential Leaders”, build stronger relationships with affiliates of the CLC.

Pleased to Chair 2 CLC Caucus Meetings for our PIPSC delegates in preparation for the 3-day 2021 Canadian Labor Congress Convention held June 16-18 #clc2021! 

Meeting #1: Highlights

• Opening remarks by VP Norma Domey

• VP Norma Domey Presentation:

     o What is the CLC Convention

     o Agenda of the CLC Convention

     o Your role as a delegate

     o Technical matters

• Question period

Meeting # 2: Highlights

• Opening remarks by VP Norma Domey

• Candidates corner

     o All candidates had 2 minutes to present themselves and what they represent

     o All candidates had 45 minutes in a breakout room to answer any questions from our delegates.

• VP Norma Domey Presentation:

     o Overview of the CLC Convention portal 

     o Presentation of the resolution submitted by the CLC Canadian Council

     o Overview of the composite resolution on Artificial Intelligence submitted and approved by our PIPSC Board of Directors that covers ESP-005,, ESP-063, ESP-071, ESP-200

• Question period //

To organize these 2 caucuses for you there have been many hands involved...

Many thanks to Emily Watkins, our President’s Advisor, Pierre Villon, Agent des affaires publiques, Sylvie Desforges, Adjointe de direction à la présidente, Christine Angers (onjour), Adjointe de direction à la présidente/VP, nos traductrice et traducteurs de l’institute et LMB, David  Myers, Technicien de l'informatique et Jason  Duguay

Administrateur de systèmes audiovisuels … Un merci special à nos invites.  Au plaisir de vous revoir!

PIPSC has Leads on the following CLC Committees:

Aboriginal Worker Caucus

Disability Rights 

EI Ad Hoc Committee

Environment Committee

Health & Safety Committee

Human Rights

Legal Challenges Coordinating Committee

Pension Advisory

Political Action

Solidarity & Pride

Training & Technology

Tripartite Roundtable on International Labor Issues

Women’s Advisory Committee -

VP Norma Domey (PIPSC Lead) –

See my report under separate heading below … CLC Women's Advisory Committee

Workers of Color

Young Workers Advisory Committee (YWAC)

As outlined in my last report, I initiated and Chaired our Inaugural CLC Meeting with most of our PIPSC committee Leads.  Discussions centered on:

• a possible PIPSC webpage for CLC committee reports, actions, representatives, issues, links to other unions’ websites, CLC website, campaigns, information, posters
• how best to take advantage of all CLC has to offer (training, education, relevant campaigns, resources)
• mechanisms for strengthening our relationship with the CLC and affiliated unions

As you may know, PIPSC Lobby Days have been held annually since 2017 on Parliament Hill here in Ottawa, where we have held discussions with hundreds of Members of Parliament and Senators. These meetings have proven to be a very effective way of communicating our members’ concerns to the nation’s decision makers.  Due to the pandemic the 2020 and 2021 PIPSC Lobby Day was not held.

However, we participated in 2020 CLC Lobby Day as part of the Canadian Labor Congress’ efforts to raise awareness of issues of great importance to all Canadians, such as the introduction of a national Pharmacare plan and the protection of retirement security.

In general the CLC does very good work and we would benefit greatly by leveraging what they are already doing.  They have a big voice and we can use that strength on some of our advocacy.  I was very impressed by what I saw at the women’s committee and would like to do even more with them on their projects to leverage our projects.

CLC Women's Advisory Committee

Our objective is to represent the Institute on the committee and report regularly on the committee’s activities.

Initial topics of discussion at our 2021 Meeting were the CLC’s analysis on the federal budget, the recent United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), Beijing +25 and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW65), and work on developing the International Labor Organization (ILO) standard on harassment and violence, the rise of right wing governments, their coordination and growing voice in both domestic and international fora, and the normalization of hate.

Update – Progress on Convention Resolutions and Policy Papers

• Updates on the key convention resolutions and policy papers related to the Women’s Advisory Committee’s work.
• Progress has been made with many resolutions. The CLC is working on how to best implement the mental health resolution.
• CLC provided updates on resolutions and ally Campaigns were discussed, Gender-based Violence, Child Care Now - Affordable Child Care for All, to name a few. 

For the second briefing session on March 3 2021 please click here to view the minutes of the CLC Women's Advisory Committee meeting.  

United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW65) 

Cancelled due to the pandemic in 2020.  For the second briefing session on March 3 2021 please click here to view the minutes UNCSW65 meeting.

The annual UNCSW event looks at women’s issues, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Each year focuses on a specific theme and reviews the outcome of a previous discussion. Member States discuss the issues and negotiate an outcome document by consensus.

It is a unique opportunity for women labor leaders to engage on issues in the global context and to access provincial, territorial and federal ministers who will also be in attendance.

There are three layers of engagement: the official events (organized by Member States and UN agencies), the official side events and the NGO parallel conference.

CSW and the Generation Equality Forum 

The Generation Equality Forums are two global conferences that were supposed to happen last year in France and Mexico to mark the 25th anniversary of Beijing Platform for Action, but were postponed due to the pandemic. It was meant to gather together governments, civil society and other stakeholders, outside the CSW and UN, to talk about how to accelerate the actions in the Beijing Platform for Action. They are now happening virtually. 

The Mexico forum is took place right after the CSW, from March 29 to 31. The France forum took place June/July. Mexico focused on policy and building a feminist agenda, as well as growing the six action coalitions and global compact on the following themes:

∙ Gender-based violence 

∙ Economic justice and rights 

∙ Bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) 

∙ Feminist action for climate justice 

∙ Technology and innovation for gender equality 

∙ Feminist movements and leadership 

∙ Women’s peace and security and humanitarian action (the global compact) 

As you have read and seen, it has been a truly inspiring and exciting time for me as one of your Full-time Vice-Presidents at PIPSC, with many challenges and opportunities to serve you. I am honored that you gave me the opportunity to work on your behalf, and I am thrilled to continue to work hard for YOU!

Respectfully submitted,

Norma Domey, B.Sc., M.Sc., DTM

National Vice President, PIPSC

Better Together!