Amrit Boese is a research biologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada. She started her journey in science when she did her undergraduate degree in zoology. In her twenties, she worked at the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg where she did research on SARS.

She later did her doctoral studies on prion disease, which led to her work today with Dr. Darwyn Kobasa at the NML. Her work now focuses on studying special pathogens in Canada and around the world.

Her job is important to Canadians and, surprisingly, reminds her a little bit of what she wanted to be as a kid, an astronaut!

“When I was a child my dream job was to be an astronaut, and it’s interesting because I’ve heard people say that working at the level 4 microbiology lab is like ‘putting on an astronaut's suit.’”

She’s proud to be a Canadian scientist because biologists like her provide groundbreaking studies that contribute to important initiatives like vaccine development during pandemic crises.

In the past, Amrit has worked on the Zika outbreak as part of an emergency response team, and she has worked on the Ebola virus in variant sequencing. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck Canada, she became deeply involved in sequencing the first clinical isolate. 

“There is never a dull moment when you work with special pathogens. The last ten years have shown several viral outbreaks including Zika, SARS-COV-2, there was the Ebola outbreak in 2014 to 2016 – there are ongoing outbreaks and those are the pathogens we work with, so there is never a dull moment.” Amrit says. “You’re always learning!”

Amrit's not just proud of her work as a scientist – she's also proud of being a mom. She knows that being a working mother is not always easy, but she feels it's important to show other women in science that they can have successful careers and be great mothers at the same time.

“It’s been quite challenging to stay on as a scientist during the pandemic. There was a big loss of women and I completely understand it. It was already a problem before the pandemic, but it made it much harder to hang on being a scientist.”

Being a PIPSC member, Amrit is grateful for the robust family leave that she can use when she needs it to help look after her family. She is also proud of the active collective bargaining that PIPSC does to ensure she and her family have the best mental health care possible, which was especially important throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

She says that science is a demanding career and it can be hard to keep up with everything, but being a member of PIPSC helps her feel more supported in her career.

“I’m most proud in my career for having made it through having children and staying in a scientist role without becoming part of the leaky pipeline.”

The “leaky pipeline” is the phenomenon of women leaving science careers at a higher rate than men, and it’s something that Amrit feels passionate about changing. As a scientist and a mom, Amrit encourages other young women in science to never give up on their dreams, both in their work and their family lives.

“If you’re delaying having children because you’re worried about getting tenure or you’re worried about one morepaper, or one more grant, I would say to just do it, and everything will fall into place.”

Looking into the future, Amrit hopes all women in science will feel supported at work. Job security is more important than ever to ensure all people, no matter their gender, can contribute incredible ideas to different fields of study because “we need all kinds of voices in science.”

In this video, our experts from the PIPSC Compensation Team will walk you through: 

• A review of your current healthcare plan 
• An overview of the major changes and how they came to be
• Ways to get the most out of your benefits
• What the change means to you and how to navigate it
• And more!

Watch the webinar

Ottawa, August 10, 2023 – The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) was eager to build and deliver an extensive training on pay equity to educate federal employers who are beginning to establish their pay equity plans.

On July 18-19, 2023, PIPSC led an two-day training with the help of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), and the Association of Canadian Financial Officers (AFCO) to educate federal employers, Treasury Board, separate HR agencies, and other unions about pay equity. The training focused on building a common understanding of the new pay equity process and its legal requirements following the welcomed update to the Pay Equity legislation.

PIPSC classification agents have been working tirelessly to close the gender wage gap in the federal public service. For years, they have been driving pay equity projects and representing our priorities to the federal Pay Equity Commissioner and the employer.

Gender-based pay disparities in the federal public sector have heavily contributed to the gender wage gap. It leaves workers who identify as women, underpaid and undervalued. 

With the support of other unions, we have made important strides towards correcting this gender wage gap.

Here’s how:
In August 2021, the Pay Equity legislation was established to combat the gender wage gap. It required employers to proactively build a pay equity plan by September 4, 2024 to ensure equal pay for equal work. 

Earlier this summer, in July 2023, the federal Pay Equity Commissioner ruled in favour of all the unions, including PIPSC, that opposed Treasury Board's June 2022 request for a multiple pay equity plan. Treasury Board’s proposed plan would have put major limitations on the correction of the gender wage gap.

PIPSC and its partner unions are thrilled to have put a stop to Treasury Board’s proposal. Now that we’ve gained momentum and support from the commissioner, we’re continuing to work together to close the gender wage gap. 

“PIPSC has been leading the advocacy for pay equity for years,” said PIPSC president, Jennifer Carr. “we’re happy to bring other unions aboard. This important training session is just the beginning. We’re ready to set equity standards across the public service and close the gender wage gap once and for all.” 

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For more information: Shedly Jolibois, sjolibois@pipsc.ca 

On July 26, 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new cabinet. This highly anticipated shuffle is Trudeau’s largest one since October 2021, and a new Treasury Board President has been appointed.

PIPSC is eager to welcome the Honourable Anita Anand as the new Treasury Board President. There’s a lot to get done, and we’re ready to get to work. We are looking forward to a more collaborative approach from the employer.

PIPSC members have been working tirelessly to support this government during the most unprecedented times but they have also been continuously undermined. We urge Minister Anand to commit to collaborative efforts with unions, and to work to build a more modern and inclusive workplace within the federal government.

PIPSC represents over 72,000 public service professionals working for the federal government as well as some provincial departments and agencies. We are better together and we are ready to work with all newly appointed ministers to rectify the key issues our members are dealing with. As they settle into their new roles, we hope to continue making strides on the following points:

• Prompt correction of on-going pay errors due to Phoenix, which have plagued our members for 7 years
• A review of the return-to-office (RTO) orders to focus on 'presence with purpose’
• Pay rates that reflect the value of public servants’ work and the skyrocketing cost of living
• Recognition and respect for expertise and professional roles our members play
• Reducing outsourcing within the federal government
• Address critical shortage of health care professionals including Northern nurses
• And more

Although we’ve had some setbacks with the hasty return-to-office order and witnessed the largest strike in Canadian history, we wish the Honourable Mona Fortier well in continuing to serve her constituents in Ottawa–Vanier.

PIPSC thanks all the ministers for their impactful work in their previous roles. We are looking forward to also working with Ministers Jean-Yves Duclos (Public Services and Procurement) and Marie-Claude Bibeau (National Revenue) as they transition into their new roles.

On Canada Day (July 1st), Canada Life took over from Sun Life as the administrator of the employer-sponsored Public Service Healthcare Plan.This plan covers most active and retired federal public service workers,  as well as their families.  At the same time of the changeover, a number of plan improvements and changes were implemented. This transition has resulted in Canada Life’s customer service centre and web portail being overwhelmed - with members reporting excessive wait times and crashed websites. While some hiccups during such a large-scale transfer are expected, it appears that the plan administrator and Treasury Board did not dedicate sufficient resources to facilitate this transition. Canada Life is taking remedial actions to improve plan member experience and the Administrative Authority continues to monitor the situation to ensure Canada Life meets its contractual obligations.

While Canada Life continues to address these issues, plan members are asked to exercise an abundance of patience.  If your concern is not urgent, we suggest waiting a couple weeks before reaching out. Most plan provisions remain unchanged, meaning that members will continue to benefit from the same or improved coverage for most medical products and services. Many issues can be corrected retroactively. Information on the updated plan, including an explanation of the legacy protections for medication, is provided in the PIPSC PSHCP member handbook and FAQs. Plan members with legacy protections do not need to contact Canada Life to maintain eligibility for reimbursement.

PIPSC is eager to begin the long awaited review of the Public Service Dental Plan (PDSP) in collaboration with our National Joint Council (NJC) partners. This endeavour reflects our ongoing dedication to the well-being and satisfaction of our members.

Our NJC partners’ Dental Plan covers most workers in the federal public service. But, it has not been reviewed since 2018. It requires important updates to secure its value to members.  

Health benefits are not negotiable under the Treasury Board’s interpretation of federal public section labour legislation. However, the Government has adopted a collaborative approach to reviewing the benefit plans. We continue to call on Minister Fortier to issue a mandate to review the PSDP. We are hoping to enter into a plan review this year.

Most members of the Core Public Administration and members at separate agencies are covered by the PSDP. The NJC dental plan is reviewed concurrently with the identical, but separate, PSAC dental plan (which only covers PSAC members).

The NJC Dental Plan union representatives believe changes to the plan are needed to:

• reflect the increased cost of dental services and include advances in preventative dental care
• ensure the plan can meet the needs of members in difficult life situations and remain competitive in comparison to other major dental plans
• adequately protect members from unneeded treatment
• extend coverage to certain conditions (i.e. provide care for bruxism)

PIPSC is proud to participate in collaborative efforts with the government through the NJC and our plan sponsor. We recognize the important role that good oral health plays in overall well-being, and the significance of comprehensive coverage for our members.

We know our members expect evidence-based plan enhancements that maximize plan value and member health. This includes improving preventative care and expanding treatments for plan members with certain challenging health conditions. 

We also appreciate the impact that recent inflation has had on Canadian's pocketbooks. We know that dental services continue to rise along with the cost of living.

By pooling our expertise and resources, we can explore new opportunities and strategies to improve the PSDP for our members. This approach enables us to leverage the collective knowledge and insights of our organizations, producing a more comprehensive and robust dental benefits package.

If you have new suggestions for changes to the plan beyond coverage rates and caps, we invite you to email pensionsbenefits@pipsc.ca with your specific suggestions.

In a long-awaited and unequivocal decision, the federal Pay Equity Commissioner has ruled in favour of all the unions that opposed Treasury Board's June 2022 request for a multiple pay equity plan.

The pay equity exercise for some 252,000 employees will have to be carried out by comparing all female-predominant job classes with male-predominant classes, regardless of whether the job is within the same bargaining unit or not.

Originally, Treasury Board had requested authorization from Commissioner Straznicky to divide job categories into three distinct plans:

• Public Service Alliance of Canada
• The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
• All other unions and unrepresented employees.

Had it been granted, such authorization would have limited the comparison of the female job categories represented by the Institute to the male job categories also represented by PIPSC.

It should be remembered that the purpose of pay equity legislation is to correct the wage gap between men and women by ensuring that the total remuneration of predominantly female jobs is compared with equivalent predominantly male jobs. 

By forcing Treasury Board to create a single-pay equity committee, the committee will be able to ensure that it is not limited in its choice of male comparator jobs, and select those that are most appropriate, regardless of its original accreditation.

This is a major victory for the recognition of work performed mainly by women, and the first step towards closing the wage gap that still persists!

It’s with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our friend and colleague, Martine Lacroix.

Martine passed away on June 11, 2023 at 61 years old.

Martine was a dedicated union member. Before her retirement, Martine worked as a nurse within Correctional Services Canada (CSC) and was a steward for many years.  During those years, she contributed to the dynamism and vitality of the union as a member of the Quebec Regional Executive and of the Regional Training Committee. She was also an active member of the CSC union-management consultation team. 

Martine will be dearly missed. The Institute extends its condolences to Martine’s family, friends, colleagues, and fellow union members. 

The Lacroix family welcomes you to pay your respects on Sunday, July 2, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Magnus Poirier Funeral Home located at 2480 Boul. du Curé-Labelle, Prévost, QC J0R 1T0.

Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society will be collected in Martine's honour. 

Sympathy wishes can be sent online.

A reminder for all members of the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) about the transition to the new plan administrator, Canada Life on July 1, 2023.

You should have received an invitation to complete positive enrolment from Canada Life, either by email or mail. If not, check your junk email folder. If you cannot find your invitation, call the Canada Life PSHCP Member Contact Centre at 1-855-415-4414 as soon as possible. 

Our Pensions & Benefits Team has developed a guide to walk you through your plan and its changes.

PIPSC Guide to the PSHCP

Positive enrolment and consent to have claims processed by Canada Life must be completed before July 1, 2023, to ensure there are no disruptions in processing and reimbursing your or your covered dependants’ claims. This is particularly important as you will not be able to complete positive enrolment and send in a claim on the same day. Therefore, complete enrolment by June 30, 2023, to avoid being out of pocket for health claim expenses as of July 1. 

Should you have any questions, more information on the transition to Canada Life can be found here: Preparing for the Public Service Health Care Plan transition to Canada Life - Canada.ca

Our PIPSC bargaining teams are pushing hard at the negotiation table and fighting for a better deal for our members. You can find bargaining updates from each Group on their individual Group pages.

The PIPSC Central Table Bargaining Team held our fourth meeting with Treasury Board representatives on May 23 – 25, 2023. The Central Table negotiations aim to bargain common language to be integrated into group collective agreements, ensuring consistency and fairness, while Group tables negotiate specific language around pay and working conditions for each of the occupational groups represented by PIPSC.

This is where things currently stand on some of our key issues. 

Return To Office (RTO):

Some of our members are needed on the frontlines to provide essential services – but many others are now able to do their best work from their own homes.  Forcing employees back to workplaces without rhyme or reason really demonstrated a lack of trust and respect – and we have been advocating against the government’s one-size-fits-all policy since it was abruptly implemented. 

We have seen some movement on this issue from the employer with other bargaining agents, like PSAC and CAPE. PIPSC has consistently maintained that the implementation of  'presence with purpose' is best sorted out at the bargaining table, and we will continue to pursue that goal. We also conducted an online survey of members in May, and have been amplifying those responses in the media and to Treasury Board.

PIPSC believes that a fair, flexible remote work policy can help create a workplace built on accessibility, equity, and respect. We hope the federal government is willing to collaborate with us to make that happen. 

PAY:

It is crucial that our members are paid at a rate that reflects both the value of their work and the skyrocketing costs of living. One of the ways an employer can truly recognize its employees is through better compensation.  

PIPSC continues to fight for improved compensation for its members, especially in light of painful inflation. However, other bargaining agents have now set a pattern for general economic increases which will be hard to resist.  

PIPSC continues to look for creative ways to bargain gains for our members, especially given the unique nature of our work.

EQUITY:

The Pay Equity Act and related regulations have been in effect since September 2021, but there is still so much work to be done before Pay Equity is a reality in the public service.

PIPSC is taking an active leadership role in support of pay equity, a role which has major significance given the overwhelming resistance to the pay equity process from many employers. 

But equity extends beyond pay. This government has made equity a pillar of their mandate – and they must ensure this is extended to their employees. Everyone deserves to feel like they belong at work. 

For some, this means working from home. For others, this means being able to show up as our true selves without having to worry about harassment or social exclusion.  Our union is also a community – we fight to ensure no worker is left behind. Equity, in all its variations, is a huge part of what we do – both in bargaining and beyond.

IMPACT OF PSAC STRIKE

PSAC and PIPSC negotiate with a common employer, the federal government. It was essential for PIPSC to show solidarity when they took their strike action in April. 

We know that when fellow bargaining agents, like PSAC, reach a tentative agreement, the government will attempt to establish a pattern for wage increases for other groups still in negotiations. 

However, as PIPSC members, we have circumstances that are unique to the professional work that we do.  We will continue to fight for “market adjustments” to make sure that our groups and classifications are meeting the same market rate value as their counterparts in provincial governments or in other agencies – as well as compared to the private sector. 

JOIN THE FIGHT FOR A BETTER DEAL

At every stage of the process, members are vital to collective bargaining. When we work together, we show the employer the strength of our union and the power of our united voices.

Often, simple actions can be the most effective. For example, if you know that your bargaining team is at the negotiation table with Treasury Board, you can wear a PIPSC t-shirt or put PIPSC buttons on your jacket or backpack.

You can also get active on social media by sharing or commenting on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts. This will help ensure our message is getting in front of more folks within your network – which is really important to building support. You can also send your Group’s bargaining team a quick message to wish them luck when they’re heading into bargaining – this lets them know you have their back, and can be a helpful boost to the team.

But the best way you can support the fight for a better deal is to keep up to date with what’s happening – be engaged, read all your emails and newsletters, follow us on social media, take online actions like sending an email, and attend local meetings and activities.