If you’re a PIPSC member in the core public administration, you should take paid leave from work to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as you’re eligible in your province or territory.

You can request up to 3.75 hours of leave using code 698, which covers the time required to travel to your vaccination appointment and to get your shot.

Then, repeat the process for your second dose!

Getting vaccinated is an important part of the government’s effort to end the COVID-19 pandemic. If possible, try and schedule your vaccination appointment to minimize absence from work. However, managers should be flexible to allow you to get the earliest possible appointment, regardless of whether that’s during your regular work hours or not. Each province and territory is responsible for vaccine roll-out, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with your local vaccination timeline.

WHERE TO GET VACCINATED

If you have any COVID-related questions, we’re here to help. Whether you’re a parent juggling work with your childcare responsibilities, an employee working from home without an ergonomic setup, or someone feeling the isolation blues, there are resources for you. We are here to help you navigate these never-before-seen times.

COVID-19 FAQs

We’re working with separate employers to ensure that, if you’re outside the core public administration, you can take paid leave for your vaccination as well. You should ask your manager about how to access time off for vaccinations.

The vaccination is our best shot at getting out of this pandemic, and we can’t keep our federal frontline health care workers waiting any longer.

Unfortunately, many federal frontline health care workers are falling through the cracks of provincial vaccination calendars. In some jurisdictions, workers are waiting for vaccines to be available based on their age category, without consideration for their job’s risk factor.  In others, federal workers are being excluded from provincial priority vaccinations for essential workers. Outside of health care, critical federal professionals that must congregate around specialized equipment, like our meteorologists who faced a COVID-19 workplace outbreak last year, were not even included on the government’s priority list. The Treasury Board needs to take responsibility for the safety of their frontline workers by ensuring that they are quickly vaccinated.

PIPSC President Debi Daviau wrote to the President of the Treasury Board, Jean-Yves Duclos, to express these concerns about federal nurses, physiotherapists and other frontline health care workers who are still excluded from their local vaccination programs.

READ THE LETTER

We urge the Treasury Board to take the required leadership to ensure that frontline federal health care workers are vaccinated as quickly as possible. Protecting the health and safety of workers is a responsibility that cannot be passed off to provincial or territorial health agencies. As an employer, they must take responsibility for their employees’ vaccinations if they are in regular contact with clients, colleagues, or the public, or if they are critical for frontline operations.

We are exploring different options to resolve this issue. If you have concerns about the vaccination timetable for your age group and region, contact your PIPSC steward, or use our COVID-19 help form.

GET COVID-19 HELP 

1. Historic childcare announcement

The government’s announcement of increased access to affordable childcare is a huge win for working families. This will be transformative for parents, and for the women who systematically shoulder the majority of childcare responsibilities in Canada.

Program details will require consultation with the provinces to define, but an ambitious $10 per day target was established, appropriate money was allocated, and the work will start in the current fiscal year. The announcement got a resounding endorsement from leading advocates such as Child Care Now.

We must remain vigilant to see that this vital initiative is implemented properly.

2. Federal leadership in public health is the new normal

The response to COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of a robust and well-resourced public health infrastructure. In a federation like Canada, that requires national coordination from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada.

Budget 2021 reasserts the importance of these organizations in fighting the pandemic but also signals their broader importance by tapping them to address issues such as domestic violence, mental health, diabetes, autism and long-term care.

3. Gender, diversity and inclusion become a national priority

The negative impacts of COVID-19 have not been felt uniformly by all Canadians. Systemic discrimination was the reality before the crisis and, whether from increased exposure to health risks or economic precarity, COVID-19 has only increased its destructiveness.

Budget 2021 recognizes a “she-cession” and addresses issues faced by women in the world of work. It collects data, analyzes problems, and targets solutions based on those who need them most.

Though this is an important priority, the government has a lot of work to do as an employer to ensure gender equity. In recent months we’ve devoted significant energy to issues such as harassment prevention, access to 699 leave, and discouraging outsourcing to contractors with sometimes questionable labour practices. These issues all disproportionately impact women and the budget gave no explicit indication that change is coming. We expect the government to do better.

4. Tax fairness: lots of sizzle, not much steak

Given the extent to which the ultra-rich and web giants have profited throughout the crisis, we can’t let them off the hook as we rebuild.

After years of advocacy, the government has been slowly reinvesting in the Canada Revenue Agency after years of ill-advised cuts. Budget 2021 adds $534 million over 5 years to “strengthen CRA” and enhance efforts to tackle tax avoidance and evasion.

Other important initiatives were announced including a digital service tax for companies like Netflix and Amazon, as well as closing loopholes for “excessive deductions of interest,” a new tax to discourage real estate speculation by foreign entities that leave properties vacant and a new tax on luxury cars, boats and planes.

Budget 2021 announced the creation of a publicly accessible beneficial ownership registry. This initiative has been championed by auditors at CRA as an effective way to discourage illegal behaviour that occurs when ownership relationships are unclear. While the announcement is welcomed, the delay before a full implementation in 2025 is unnecessary.

All these measures are welcomed, but the expected return is small ($3.5 billion per year) when compared to the scale of the recovery response. There is still incredible potential to increase tax revenues by implementing other tax fairness measures.

5. Research and Development within federal departments needs attention

Innovation, research and development will be an important part of the post-COVID recovery process. The government provided further details about the $7.2 billion Strategic Innovation Fund as well as the $360 million National Quantum Strategy.

Increased funding for the National Research Council and the Canada Space Agency, and new money for Statistics Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada to create a Census of the Environment is also good news.

Unfortunately, most of the other core government departments received relatively small research and development amounts, which will likely continue the longstanding trend of internal R&D in the federal government diminishing compared to the private sector and universities.

6. A green recovery plan is important and public services must be protected

Positive economic performance in the fourth quarter of 2020 means the total deficit is expected to be less than expected last fall ($354 billion instead of $382 billion).

Canada’s crisis-response deficit is in line with the average of other OECD countries. The International Monetary Fund’s Fiscal Monitor from April 2021 shows Canada’s federal net-debt is expected to be one-third of the G20 average for 2020 and 2021.

The strength of the federal government’s financial position before the crisis combined with low levels of debt and low interest rates means it can protect Canadians now, invest in green technology to stimulate a full recovery, be ready for unforeseen events in the future, and maintain the public services Canadians rely on. The risk of the government doing too little outweighs the risk of it doing too much.

7. IT infrastructure and the Phoenix backlog

We were pleased to see the critical investment in the government’s aging IT systems. $300 million over 3 years was provided to Shared Services Canada to repair and replace IT infrastructure. A further $453 million was announced for SSC and the Communications Security Establishment to improve cyber security. This work must be conducted internally by public service professionals in information technology (IT).

$46 million was allocated to Public Services and Procurement Canada to eliminate the backlog of Phoenix pay system transactions by December 2022. This system continues to plague our members and we hope this funding can resolve all outstanding Phoenix pay issues.

8. $15 minimum wage

The federal minimum wage of $15 announced in Budget 2021 is a major victory for the labour movement and working people. The announcement will directly benefit 26,000 workers currently earning less than the new minimum in federally regulated private sector employers such as banks, telecommunications companies and airlines. It is now imperative that provinces follow suit and adopt a livable minimum wage for all Canadians.

To our surprise and disappointment, we were advised that retroactive payment for civilian members is not expected to be completed until July 28, 2021. When we inquired about why there is a delay, we were advised that the guidance from the Treasury Board to the RCMP is to complete implementation within 180 days.

President Debi Daviau wrote to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, urging her to intervene so retroactive payments can be processed as soon as possible, and no later than 90 days from the date the collective agreement was signed.

READ PRESIDENT DAVIAU’S LETTER

This retro pay delay shouldn’t affect the new pay rates for RCMP civilian members in the Computer Personnel classifications, who should have received their new rate of pay on March 25, 2021.  

There is no justifiable reason for the RCMP to delay the payments to these members for 180 days. The pay increases were processed in a timely manner, so surely the retroactive payments could also be processed in a timely fashion.

Not only is this delay unreasonable and unjustifiable, it is an abuse of a process established as a direct consequence of Phoenix, intended only for public servants who are paid through the Phoenix pay system. RCMP civilian members were excluded from the extended 180-day implementation period and the corresponding payment of $500 as compensation for extended implementation.

If the RCMP requires 180 days to pay our members their retroactive payments, this should be on the same terms: pay the $500 as compensation.

Many of us were shocked to learn that the Public Service Pension (PSP) plan is the sole owner of Revera Inc. – a company that runs long-term care facilities for profit. These private facilities continue to see much higher rates of COVID-19 infection and death than public facilities.

We don’t want our pension to make money this way. We are calling on the federal government to facilitate talks between the PSP plan and provincial health ministries to move Revera long-term care facilities from private to public ownership to protect the lives of seniors.

Join PIPSC President Debi Daviau and President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, Linda Silas, to learn more about this important issue and how you can take action. 

Watch the video below or watch on Youtube.

Watch this informative webinar from the PIPSC Compensation Team to learn how your pension is calculated and where you can find the most accurate information about your personal plan.

This webinar is for members of the Public Service Pension Plan, which includes these PIPSC groups:

• Applied Science and Patent Examination (SP)
• Commerce & Purchasing (CP, formerly AV)
• Audit, Financial and Scientific – CRA (AFS)
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA-IN, CFIA-S&A, CFIA-VM)
• Canadian Museum of History (CMH)
• Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN)
• Computer Systems (CS)
• Engineering, Architecture and Land Survey (NR)
• Health Services (SH)
• House of Commons (HoC)
• National Energy Board (NEB), also known as Canada Energy Regulator
• National Film Board (NFB)
• National Gallery of Canada (NGC)
• National Research Council (NRC-RO/RCO, NRC-IS, NRC-LS, NRC-TR)
• Nuclear Regulatory (NUREG)
• Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)
• Research (RE)
• Senate Legislative Clerks (SEN)

The Institute is saddened to learn of the untimely passing of our friend and colleague Valérie Nguyen. Valérie’s commitment to Institute members was deep and unwavering. We will miss her very much.

A loyal and hard-working PIPSC member, Valérie liked to come to the aid of her colleagues.

Valérie was a member of the executive of the CP Gatineau Subgroup and the executive of the NCR Global Affairs Canada Branch. For many years, Valérie served as a delegate to the PIPSC AGM. 

Valérie helped organize local events and mobilized members in support of collective bargaining.

Professional Institute members extend their heartfelt condolences to Valérie’s family and to the many friends who were privileged to know her.

More information can be found on this web page.

When the Treasury Board created new discriminatory guidelines around the use of “Other leave without pay” code 699, we pushed back. You shouldn’t be forced to choose between work or caring for your children and loved ones. In exceptional circumstances, you may be unable to work due to school or daycare closures, equipment failure, or family obligations.

Although use of the special leave code has drastically declined since the beginning of the pandemic, the members who need code 699 the most were left out with the new guidelines. Our research demonstrates that women are disproportionately impacted, and we’ve filed a grievance on their behalf.

President Debi Daviau hosted this interactive webinar for International Women’s Day to discuss the impacts of code 699, how we can take action, and the ongoing struggle for adequate care leave for women public service professionals.

If you need assistance with your code 699 request, use our COVID-19 help form.

Public sector unions are coming together in solidarity to urge the provincial government to lead New Brunswick’s economic recovery by investing to improve public services. Together, our organizations represent 1 in 6 New Brunswick workers.

Over the past year, we have witnessed what was once unimaginable. For instance, who could have imagined that New Brunswick schools would have to completely rethink the delivery of public education? Who could have imagined that sporting arenas, hotels and convention centres would be converted into makeshift COVID-19 testing facilities and hospitals? Who could have imagined deploying rapid response teams to New Brunswick nursing homes and the Canadian military in nursing homes in some provinces?

The pandemic quickly turned into a global crisis. It has been relentlessly stress-testing public services and infrastructure all over the world, exposing cracks and gaps. And New Brunswick has not been immune.

The pandemic has reminded New Brunswickers of the importance of our public services and exposed the cracks and gaps in our public sector, but they come as no surprise to those working in the system. For many years, workers have been calling attention to these weaknesses and vulnerabilities. These same people have demonstrated a willingness to work with government to help make the necessary improvements.

Yet governments, both past and present, have ignored ideas for improvements, opting instead to privatize many public services. This is a cost to taxpayers in the long run, often reducing the quality of services. How often do we witness private investors cutting corners in an effort to turn a profit?

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, public sector workers across the province stepped up. They risked their health in order to keep the province running. Some took on jobs completely different than what they were hired to do because the province and our citizens needed it.

As the pandemic continues, so do the sacrifices of workers. What government has offered thus far in return is thanks for a job well done.

While our workers appreciate the thanks, what they would rather see is real action. No more clichés, no more plans that won’t start for another 5 to 10 years, no more giving away taxpayer money to corporate entities and their ideas which may or may not work.

Real change means acting on the ideas brought forward by public sector workers to improve services. It also means maintaining control of our public investments and not off-loading public services to the private sector. Finally, it means making significant investments in the public services to fix the cracks and gaps that are now apparent for all to see.

Real action starts with the upcoming provincial budget. Instead of asking public sector workers to do more with less and further cutting already bare-bone services, we are collectively requesting our Premier to heed the advice of economists and experts by making significant investments in our public services.

In the January 20, 2021, edition of the Telegraph-Journal, economist Richard Saillant wrote: “The key to a better tomorrow is not to achieve fiscal balance at all times, but to maintain sustainable public finances while making the investments that will underpin the future prosperity and well-being of all New Brunswickers.”

Saillant continues by saying in his January 20 column: “Although it should avoid profligacy – and with Premier Higgs at the helm, it certainly will – the government should recognize that it does have the fiscal flexibility to respond much better to the current crisis. Racing to balance the books in today’s context of acute need and extreme uncertainty runs counter to the global consensus and threatens our recovery.”

For too long governments have made cuts and expected workers to do more with less. Over time this has severely weakened our public services. And although New Brunswick has experienced some significant setbacks, we’ve managed to get through because our workers know how to persevere and are determined to maintain services even in the most challenging times.

Our public system has been holding firm in the face of immense pressure because of our workers – people who put New Brunswickers first. Yet, reports have pegged New Brunswick as the province that spent the least to help its citizens during the pandemic. Let’s hope that frugality was to set up strong investments in public services that will help our province recover and attract more people to our beautiful province.

New Brunswick workers are keeping this province going in unbelievably trying times. But at what cost to their own mental, emotional, and physical health? And how much longer can they continue without the support they need? If our decision makers truly want to say thanks for a job well done, then they must provide our public sector workers with the tools and resources that will help preserve, sustain and improve the services New Brunswickers need.

Debi Daviau
President, The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

Daniel Legere
President, New Brunswick Federation of Labour

Paula Doucet
President, New Brunswick Nurses Union

Brien Watson
President, CUPE New Brunswick

Colleen Coffey
Atlantic Regional Vice-President, Public Service Alliance of Canada

Susie Proulx-Daigle
President, New Brunswick Union

Rick Cuming
Co-President, New Brunswick Teacher’s Federation

Gérald Arseneault
Co-président, Fédération des enseignants du Nouveau-Brunswick

Ross Galbraith
Business Manager, IBEW Local 37