On April 24, 2017, the Joint Union-Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion launched an online survey to gather ideas to identify contributing factors to an inclusive workplace and barriers to inclusion faced by employees.

A link to the online survey will be emailed to all employees, including PIPSC members, who work in 30 Departments/Agencies (listed below).

The Institute encourages PIPSC members who receive the invitation to participate in this survey, which is open from April 24 to May 31, 2017.

The online questionnaire contains 5 questions and will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. If you require an alternative format (e.g. paper copy), please send your request to the Diversity and Inclusion electronic mailbox. The survey is confidential and the names of the employees responding to the survey will not be disclosed to management.

Your views are vital to help the Task Force define and establish the case for diversity and inclusion in the public service and to recommend a framework and action plan.

We are pleased that PIPSC Diversity and Inclusion Champion Waheed Khan is Co-Chair of the Task Force Technical Committee. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact him by e-mail at diversity@pipsc.ca. Representatives from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), and the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) are also represented on the Task Force, along with an equal number of management representatives.

By promoting diversity, unions cultivate a culture of inclusiveness and solidarity within our ranks and a positive outreach in the broader society. While gains have been made in creating a more diverse and representative public service, significant challenges remain in creating a public service that is representative of the evolving Canadian population that we serve.

Diversity and inclusion—these are the things that have made Canada strong. Let’s demonstrate that we are better together and do everything we can to promote our values of diversity and inclusion.

“Public service professionals serve all Canadians. All Canadians must see themselves included in our public service. PIPSC is proud of the leading role we have played in the establishment of this initiative. I’m counting on this joint task force to remove the remaining barriers in the way of our public service truly reflecting the diversity of Canada.”
Debi Daviau, President, Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

For more information:
PIPSC takes leading role in the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion in the Public Service
Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion
Task Force to examine diversity and inclusion in the public service
Name-Blind Pilot Initiative, Debi Daviau Interview on CTV Power play - April 21, 2017
Demographic Snapshot of Canada’s Federal Public Service, 2016

Departments/Agencies

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Revenue Agency
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Correctional Service Canada
Employment and Social Development Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Finance Canada, Department of
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Global Affairs Canada
Health Canada
Heritage Canada
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Infrastructure Canada
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Justice, Department of
Library and Archives Canada
National Defence
Parks Canada
Public Health Agency of Canada
Public Safety Canada
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (civilian employees)
Shared Services Canada
Statistics Canada
Status of Women
Transport Canada
Treasury Board Secretariat
Veterans Affairs Canada

Change the Game

Ed Broadbent

The Progress Summit theme was to “Change the Game” for a better country, for justice, democracy, and sustainability. Canadians need to fight racism, fight for well paid full-time employment; this is a call to action.

The NUREG Bargaining Team met with CNSC Management on April 10th and 11th, 2017. We bargained until late afternoon on Tuesday when CNSC broke off negotiations.

CNSC MANAGEMENT REFUSED TO NEGOTIATE A FAIR DEAL AT THE TABLE.

Your NUREG bargaining team is very disappointed with the CNSC Management for a number of reasons:

Dear Members,

Over the last several months PIPSC has been actively opposing Bill C-27, An Act to amend the Pension Benefits Standards Act. To ensure we succeed in ensuring the government knows that this type of degradation of our pension security is unacceptable, we encourage you to use this sample letter and write to your Member of Parliament. We have a government that says it wants to listen so the time is right now to have our opinion heard.

Please use the following link to find your Member of Parliament’s email and cut and paste the letter below into an email. Send a copy to the Finance Minister and Prime Minister (emails below) to make sure they all know you oppose Bill C-27.

Thank you for your time and support.

Debi Daviau


Dear Member of Parliament,

I am writing to you concerning Bill C-27, An Act to amend the Pension Benefits Standards Act.

Bill C-27 would potentially pave the way for federally regulated employers to erode pension security and shift risks from employers to employees by replacing defined benefit pensions plans with target benefit plans. It sets a dangerous precedent for the well-being of defined pension plans —and their beneficiaries – in the future.

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents some 55,000 members, including myself, in the federal and provincial public sectors has previously expressed its concerns about this legislation.

I strongly oppose this Bill and ask that it be dropped. I encourage your government to focus its energies on creating a legislative and economic environment in which defined benefit pension plans can thrive.

Thank you for your time and attention to this critical matter and I look forward to your timely reply.

Sincerely,

Cc: Minister Bill Morneau, Bill.Morneau@parl.gc.ca
CC: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca

After too long a wait, we finally met with the employer to discuss the terms of the next collective agreement. The previous collective agreement expired on June 20, 2014. Now that the employer has finally received a clear mandate from Treasury Board, the two parties have agreed to move things forward and reach a negotiated agreement as quickly as possible. Some proposals were exchanged. We should be able to present the terms of the tentative agreement to members soon. Once it is translated, the members can vote on it. We will notify you as soon as possible.

The BCFNHA group executives are seeking individuals from the general membership who are working in the Vancouver area and who would be interested in becoming part of the bargaining team for the next round of collective bargaining (negotiations) with the employer. If you are interested in joining the bargaining team or would like more information, then please contact the Sharon Trasatti-President of the BCFNHA group at: 250-338-7528 or email trasatti@telus.net by April 25, 2017.

Dear colleagues,

Our February RO/RCO newsletter included a bargaining update with the results of negotiations with other PIPSC science and research groups in the federal government. You can access the newsletter from our RO/RCO web page: