It is with great sadness that the Institute has learned of the untimely passing of our friend and colleague André Lortie.

As a long-time and highly-respected Institute Negotiator, André worked tirelessly over the years to defend the interests of tens of thousands of PIPSC members, notably with the CS, NUREG and University of Ottawa Groups. He was held in high esteem by both his colleagues and his Employer counterparts.

The Institute would like to extend its sincere condolences to André’s family and to his many friends. It was a pleasure and a privilege to know him. His commitment to PIPSC members was unwavering and he will be truly missed.

PIPSC members and staff who wish to pay their final respects to André are invited to do so on his memorial page.

Congratulations to our winners of our first National Public Service Week contest! Every day, PIPSC members go to work to protect and serve Canadians in a hundred different ways – and our 5 winners are no different.

Cory Graham (Manitoba Association of Government Engineers, Warren, MB) works to create change and improve environmental conditions at former mine sites. Cory is proud to be a PIPSC member because the union promotes fairness for all. Cory has served as a PIPSC steward since 2014.

Chung Yip (Sunnybrook Radiation Therapists, North York, ON) works as a radiation therapist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Through Chung’s connection to the union, he understands the labour rules in his workplace and has been able to maintain full-time employment through the pandemic.

Josée Varner (Health Services, Calgary, AB) works as a nurse for Veterans Affairs, and is proud of her work supporting clients while working from home during the pandemic. Josée is proud to be a PIPSC member because she feels supported and heard by the union.

Laila Jiwani (Audit, Financial and Scientific, Scarborough, ON) was inspired by the smiling, positive seniors she helped connect to virtual support during the pandemic. Laila knows that her work and the union will continue to make a difference in shaping a stronger Canada.

Sangeeta Gharge (Computer Systems, Kanata, ON) received an award for going “above and beyond” at work this year. Sangeeta is proud to be a PIPSC member because she knows the union has her back.

PIPSC extends heartfelt thanks to these 5 incredible people and all PIPSC members for their amazing work this year. You’ve been there for Canadians – and for each other. And it’s that extraordinary spirit that will continue to inspire us each and every day.

PIPSC is your ally for building a welcoming and inclusive workplace for LGBTQ2S+ workers

Our LGBTQ2S+ community has overcome incredible obstacles. While we can be happy that we legalized same-sex marriage in 2005, and that we’re making it easier to express gender identity on official documents, there’s still a lot of hatred and discrimination throughout Canada that we must eliminate. LGBTQ2S+ individuals still fear violence following a gruesome homophobic attack in Toronto, Pride flags being burned, and daily microaggressions.

Canada has failed the LGBTQ2S+ community many times

When queer bars and bathhouses, regarded as LGBTQ2S+ safe spaces, were raided in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver by local police, LGBTQ2S+ Canadians knew their rights were under attack. How can the community feel safe when being queer is criminalized by the people tasked with protecting us?

LGBTQ2S+ Canadians working in the public service are still healing from the public service purges that went on from the 1950s to the 1990s. A special department was created in the federal government to root out homosexuals from the public service, forcing LGBTQ2S+ workers to live in fear. The government finally apologized for this purge, which still haunts past and present public servants and community members.

And today, men who have sex with men are still barred from donating blood. Although all blood is rigorously tested for any diseases after it’s collected, blood collection policies are still rooted in the 1980s. A straight man can have sex with as many partners as they want, and still donate blood without question. This is nothing short of discrimination.

The Canadian labour movement has a key role in supporting LGBTQ2S+ communities

The Canadian labour movement is supporting a massive reinvestment LGBTQ2+ communities. LGBTQ2S+ community initiatives are hugely important in building a network of solidarity for individuals who come out of the closet, who need access to services, and who want to build a culture of resistance against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.

We’ve also called to eliminate Canada’s discriminatory blood donation policies that force gay men to be abstinent before donating blood while heterosexual men can have as many sexual partners as they like.

Normalizing diversity of gender identity and sexual orientation in the world of work

It’s hard for LGBTQ2S+ Canadians to be comfortable in a heteronormative workplace. Questioning individuals fear their attire under a new gender identity will be considered unprofessional. LGBTQ2S+ people want their colleagues to see them as more than just sexual orientation or gender identity.

We’re proud to support normalizing diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity at work, marking an important departure from heteronormative culture. The “Free to be me” campaign at the Government of Canada is a great initiative, just like Instagram displaying personal pronouns next to user names.

How can I take action?

• Use our Pride Zoom background for your video calls
• Add your pronouns to your screen name in your email signature and social media profiles
• Add your personal pronouns to your work email signature
• Donate to a local LGBTQ2S+ organization in your community

Significant progress has been made, yet the struggle continues. Within our union, the public service and across the country, we have work to do to fight stigma, stop harassment and build the welcoming and inclusive environments everyone deserves.

Trivia contest winners

Congratulations to Larisa and Michael for winning our Pride Trivia contest!

After leaving a series of hints and clues on our Facebook page, PIPSC members joined a virtual trivia contest on July 27 and 28, 2021. Canadian Labour Congress Vice-President Larry Rousseau was our featured guest host.

Shop from Canadian LGBTQ2S+ merchants

Contest winners took home $250 Etsy gift cards, and are encouraged to support Canadian LGBTQ2S+ merchants in the Etsy virtual marketplace.

1. GRRRL Spells (Toronto, ON) – A queer non-binary & POC owned shop that specializes in queer art and accessories
2. little rainbow paper co (Calgary, AB) – Hand-drawn original digital and watercolour art produced on LGBT cards and prints
3. Yas Petit Poulet (Montreal, QC) – LGBT+ owned small business with the slogan “where pride meets art meets science,” with products focused on exploring queer identities through the lens of science
4. L’Amour Propre (Toronto, ON) – Queer and sex-positive accessories, including key tags, pins, pet tags and other custom and engraved products
5. NeebingAndMary (Canada) – Queer flags, pop culture, and protest swag
6. YasakwDesigns (Haida Gwaii) – LGBTQ2S+ Indigenous owned clothing and accessories
7. Lovestruckprints (Montreal, QC) – Clothing, accessories, illustration and cute stuff screen printed in Montreal
8. WerksByAshley (Windsor, ON) – Pop culture-inspired illustrations and products
9. ShatteringTheCeiling (Montreal, QC) – Shattering the norms by making fun, sassy and inclusive art
10. HandandThistleShop (Toronto, ON) – Beautiful boho-chic crafts to make your space cozy

Public Service Pride 

Members of the federal public service are encouraged to join Public Service Pride, happening from August 23 to August 27, 2021. Learn more.

We were dismayed by the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown’s move to lock out its employees from UNITE HERE Local 40. Most of the affected staff are women and racialized workers.

It’s completely unacceptable that the hotel is accepting COVID wage subsidies from the government while firing workers and refusing to bring back the ones that were laid off.

Nearby at the Pacific Gateway Hotel, which continues to be used by the federal government as a quarantine site, workers allege that men’s jobs were more likely to be protected than women’s.

Effective immediately, PIPSC will boycott the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown and the Pacific Gateway Hotel. Along with our labour movement colleagues, we will take our business somewhere that respects workers. We urge PIPSC members and the public to do the same, in solidarity with the affected hotel workers.

If you are in the area, be sure to not cross the picket lines of striking workers. This boycott will send a clear message to hotel management: lockouts and discriminatory layoffs will not be tolerated. Management needs to listen to the reasonable demands of workers who simply want to make a living.

Thank you to the PIPSC BC/Yukon Region who passed a resolution supporting the boycott at their Regional Council meeting.

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General Questions

Every day you go to work to protect and serve Canadians in a hundred different ways. Whether you work for the federal government, an agency, or are on the front lines delivering health care, the public service moved mountains this past year.

You’ve been there for Canadians – and for each other. At PIPSC, we have each other’s backs.

Read some inspiring member stories, and then enter to win a $250 gift card to Canadian Tire or Apple AirPods by filling out a short survey.

Celebrating YOU! National Public Service Week survey and contest.

Your union celebrates everything you do for Canadians. By completing the brief survey below, you’ll be entered to win your choice of either Apple AirPods or a $250 Canadian Tire gift card. 

Submissions must be received by midnight on Sunday, June 20, to be eligible to win. All PIPSC members are eligible. Winners will be selected through a random draw. Only contest winners will be contacted. Any questions regarding this contest should be directed to bettertogether@pipsc.ca.

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We are heartbroken by the discovery of the remains of 215 children in a mass grave at a former residential school in British Columbia. It is an unthinkable number, and represents the unmitigated and profound injustice inflicted upon Indigenous families in this country, which remains unresolved.

Children often faced physical, sexual and emotional abuse in these residential schools. Thousands died of disease and severe neglect.

These children never made it home to their families. They were often buried in unmarked graves like the ones found in Kamloops, and their parents were never told what happened. While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) estimates that over 4,000 children died in these schools, we don’t know the actual number because deaths went undocumented. We also don’t know where other burial sites might be because so few are officially documented and even fewer maintained. 

This is why we support the calls from Indigenous leaders and the TRC report for the federal government to create an online registry of residential school burials, and to work with impacted groups to develop a plan for the ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance and commemoration of burial sites. The TRC requested $1.5 million in funding to search for unmarked graves in 2009, but that funding was denied by the federal government. It’s time for this funding to come through.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and anyone affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, and this year, PIPSC members across the country are mobilized for change.

As Canadian public service professionals, it’s important to recognize that Canada has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. We’re actively engaging in reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. And we’ll explore the issues that Indigenous peoples face in the workplace with an eye-opening webinar.

This year, we’re being mindful of the land we’re on, in respect of Indigenous peoples. We’re going to learn about Indigenous traditions, languages and art.

5 reasons that motivate us to take action for reconciliation

1. According to the language vitality criteria set by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at least 87 Indigenous languages in Canada are at risk of disappearing. The government must step up to support Indigenous language revitalization projects.
2. Although the federal government committed to end drinking-water advisories in First Nations reserves by 2021, the timeline has now been postponed until 2026. Considering the essential nature of clean drinking water, this delay is unacceptable to both Parliamentarians and Indigenous leaders.
3. Inuit across Nunavut are suffering from a severely underfunded Nunavut Housing Corporation. Housing is a human right and the government must intervene to resolve this health and housing crisis.
4. Systemic discrimination is still rampant in our country’s police system, with Indigenous people being 10 times more likely to be shot and killed by a police officer than a white person. We all have a role to play to end systemic racism.
5. Truth and Reconciliation Report recommendations are still not fully implemented.

5 reasons we’re inspired by the activism of Indigenous community leaders

1. The National Association of Friendship Centres is expanding their service offering, creating community hubs for Indigenous people everywhere.
2. Indigenous Health Centres are offering traditional healing services throughout the country.
3. Territorial acknowledgements are becoming more commonplace. It’s important to remember that settlers displaced Indigenous communities to build our cities and towns, and that we can work to make amends.
4. Canada has finally apologized to Inuit communities for forced relocations, family separation and sled dog killings imposed on Inuit from 1950 to 1975.
5. Arctic fashion is hitting the international stage at New York and Paris runways, bringing attention to northern Indigenous communities.

Take action

• Make a donation to the Legacy of Hope Foundation that has stepped up to provide services where governments continue to fail.
• Read President Debi Daviau’s statement on the discovery of the bodies of 215 Indigenous children at the site of the former Kamloops Residential School.

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR                                     TERRITORIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Register for the June 29 webinar with                                           Local love
Senator Kim Pate and Mocassin Joe                                            CAUT                                    
                                                                                                      

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY EVENTS                             FRIENDSHIP CENTRES

Quebec: Kahnawake Pow Wow                                                   National Association of Friendship Centres

              Gesgapegiag Pow Wow                                                 Wabano Centre

Ontario: Wikwemikong Pow Wow                                                Native Montreal

Nunavut: Rankin Inlet Square Dance competition

National: Indigenous Day Live                

On May 13, 2021, PIPSC President Debi Daviau appeared before the Senate Committee on Social Affairs (SOCI) to provide our feedback on how changes to certain provisions of Bill C-30, the Budget Implementation Act, 2021, may help eliminate the barriers that affect equity-seeking groups in the federal public service.

Our overall position is that the proposed changes represent an improvement on the existing Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) by recognizing the impact of biases and barriers on the selection and promotion of candidates from equity-seeking groups.

In late January, we participated in a National Joint Council Employment Equity Committee consultation on this issue, where we outlined a number of our concerns:

• we don’t have a lot of confidence in federal staffing processes
• the delegation of staffing authority to local managers has played a key role in creating the barriers to equity, diversity and inclusion our members encounter today
• the system pits employees against employees
• our members are frustrated about how positions are staffed and how promotions are handed out
• the “right fit” is often used to exclude better qualified candidates
• acting appointments are made and extended without any rationale through non-advertised processes

Decisive and immediate action must be taken to finally create a federal workplace that reflects the people of Canada and their values. The representation of equity-seeking groups in the federal workplace can’t improve in the current context. It’s time to stop putting in band-aid solutions to this critical problem.