As the PIPSC Vice-President responsible for the implementation of the Canadian Psychological Health Standard in our members’ workplaces, I encourage you to attend the upcoming Canada School of Public Service webinar, Bill C-65 and Its Impact on Workplace Harassment, Violence and Safety, which will be held on November 16^th from 1:30 pm to 3pm (Eastern).

Register for this important virtual event and don’t miss this excellent learning opportunity for members at all levels and occupations.

In these challenging times, our mental health must remain a priority. Be sure to look after yourself or reach out if you need help!  

Norma Domey
Vice-President, PIPSC

Our union and our members’ employers must actively seek systemic change, foster inclusion for Black members, and build the capacity of anti-racist allies.

In May 2020, police in the United States killed George Floyd which triggered global protests in support of Black Lives Matter movements. The American experience forced a similar recognition of anti-Black racism in Canada. There is now a renewed focus that has encouraged organizations to proactively fight anti-Black racism.

PIPSC is taking up this call, with the leadership of the Black Caucus, a sub-committee of the Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

The Black Caucus envisions an anti-racist PIPSC and anti-racist employers.

The Black Caucus will lead and implement strategies for combating anti-Black racism at PIPSC and with our employers by advising the Human Rights and Diversity Committee on issues and policies that directly relate to anti-Black racism. It will work toward advancing equity for Black members through identifying and eliminating barriers to create environments for members to reach their full potential.

Black Caucus short-term objectives are:

• develop a three-year strategic plan in line with broader PIPSC’s strategy and the Human Rights and Diversity Committee’s work
• advance research, programs, and policies to facilitate the full participation of Black members in PIPSC union activities
• align and centralize existing work on anti-Black racism in the federal public service (research projects, committees, advisory boards) into a centrally accessible and connected mechanism or network

Black Caucus long-term objectives are:

• lead and implement policies and programs to support PIPSC Black members in their union and workplace
• engage with anti-racist allies to build capacity across the union and within workplaces

Jennie Esnard, PIPSC NCR Executive Director and Human Rights and Diversity Committee Chair says, “We should be leaders, working proactively to end anti-Black racism in our union and our workplaces”. She said “I’m proud to have worked with Din Kamaldin and Samah Henein to spearhead this initiative and I am proud to receive the full support of our union. I want Black members to be heard and lead our work to end anti-Black racism.”

Black members will be invited to participate as members of the Black Caucus by submitting an application (soon to be available) to the Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

We are proud to have participated in the CLC’s first Indgenous Lobby Day in April 2019. While this event isn’t possible this year, you can listen to our own Greg Scriver speak on its impact and importance.

Greg co-led this event and was interviewed recently on CBC Unreserved’s From the House to the Red Chamber: How Indigenous people make their voices heard on Parliament Hill.

LISTEN TO GREG (minute 30:00)

This event was an important part of moving forward with truth and reconciliation – a key opportunity for Indigenous people and allies from coast to coast to coast to speak directly with elected officials.
Advocates called for the federal government:

• to take action on Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and girls
• to ensure clean drinking water
• to create a national registry for survivors of residential schools
• and to make September 30 a national holiday for education on residential schools and Truth and Reconciliation

Advocates brought attention and awareness to these issues, shared their own lived experiences and directly impacted our elected officials.

On June 21 we will mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, an occasion for us all to celebrate the cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

Summer Solstice is the time of year when many Indigenous groups celebrate their culture and heritage. It’s an opportunity to deepen our understanding and awareness of the unique adversities that Indigenous Peoples face and have overcome.

We encourage you to take action at home now to support Indigenous Peoples:

• Research whose land you are on: the Whose Land tool will show you which colonized land you are occupying.
• Support Indigenous businesses and services: find a local business where you can shop online or in person, following social distancing rules.
• Attend virtual National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations: with family, friends and colleagues, check out summersolsticefestivals.ca for some great ideas.
• Research Indigenous Peoples history and cultures: learn about their unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.

Canada has committed to a process of Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, this requires that we all do our part.

If you’d like to learn more please contact Greg Scriver, Canadian Labour Congress Indigenous Representative at gscriver@pipsc.ca.

Each year on March 20, we join with francophones around the world to celebrate the importance, beauty and diversity of the French language and cultures!

As an organization representing thousands of French-speaking public servants, we strongly support a worker’s right to work in their language of choice. And we continue to advocate for language training in the federal public service.

In our recent submission on the proposed changes to the Official Languages Act, we advocate for:

• the protection of both official languages, as well as indigenous languages
• the rights of all workers to work in their official language of choice
• the obligation to provide services in designated government offices in both official languages
• the reopening of the Bilingualism Bonus Directive to better support the use of both official languages amongst federal government employees

We are, however, concerned that:

• the federal government is failing to uphold bilingualism by not properly funding language training
• tools used for the daily activities are not always available in both official languages
• inequality in the evaluation of the second language abilities and language requirements on positions are leading to problems
• lack of a coordinated, well-funded language strategy for the federal public service is having a negative impact on our members’ career opportunities

We are committed to not only celebrating, but protecting and fighting for the French language in Canada! In its diversity and richness - On célèbre le français!

Our Task Force on Official Languages leads this important work and they welcome any questions or comments at gtlo_tfol@pipsc.ca.

In February 2020, the Auditor General released a report that found significant levels of harassment, discrimination and workplace violence at Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Correctional Service Canada (CSC) workplaces.

These concerning findings require immediate action from CBSA and CSC. We insist that the recommendations of this report be implemented now.

No strategy for harassment, discrimination and violence

Neither organization has a strategy to address harassment, discrimination and violence in the workplace. There is no framework to measure and report on harassment, discrimination and workplace violence. Employers are unable to effectively track or monitor these issues.

Inconsistent treatment of complaints

Harassment, discrimination and workplace violence complaints are handled poorly and inconsistently:

• employees are not always informed about informal dispute resolution mechanisms
• the employers do not always evaluate complaints before deciding if they will be accepted or dismissed

The complaint process is based on inconsistent decision-making and is vulnerable to personal bias. The Auditor General found workplace violence complaints that had not been investigated by the employer and had received no initial assessment.

No action taken to end harassment, discrimination and violence

For two years, CBSA has had a communication plan on its informal conflict management system and a respectful workplace strategy – which has not been implemented. CSC has completed assessments in 18 of 148 workplaces to develop a strategy in each unit, leaving 130 units without an assessment or strategy. A CSC department-wide respectful workplace campaign has been launched but without a strategy or measures to monitor the effectiveness of this work, it is impossible to track.

CBSA and CSC, like all federal employers, are obligated to provide their employees with respectful workplaces.

Neither CBSA or CSC have met their obligation to provide a respectful workplace.

In our 2019 round of central bargaining with the Treasury Board, we won historic language on harassment. For the first time in the Canadian public service, our collective agreements enshrine the right of a worker to a workplace free of harassment and violence.

We are building on this significant win and pushing the Treasury Board to end harassment, discrimination and violence in all workplaces. We demand safe and healthy workplaces for all. We demand the immediate implementation of all Auditor General recommendations from this report.

Auditor General report recommendations:

1. CBSA and CSC should develop and implement comprehensive strategies to address harassment, discrimination and workplace violence. Each strategy should be based on risks and be supported by action plans with clear accountabilities and performance monitoring for continual improvement.
2. CBSA and CSC should always inform employees of informal processes available for resolving complaints of harassment and workplace violence.
3. CBSA and CSC should complete and document the results of their analyses to support decisions when handling harassment, discrimination and workplace violence complaints

Our members at CBSA and CSC are dedicated to their work and deserve safe and healthy workplaces as well as employers that take these obligations seriously.

We know that compounding this is understaffing in these agencies. PIPSC President Debi Daviau and Steward Éric Massey, Nurse at the Archambault Institution in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec made this clear to the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights. Understaffing at CSC has left our members who provide healthcare especially vulnerable to workplace violence. This must be corrected.

Human Rights Day is celebrated around the world to commemorate the proclamation of “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on December 10, 1948.

The UDHR is a milestone in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, it sets out a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations.

For the first time it recognized that fundamental human rights – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status – must be universally protected.

Women shaped the Declaration

Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady for the United States, served as the first Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights and played an instrumental role in drafting the UDHR. Many other women also played an important role and these include Begum Shaista Ikramullah (Pakistan), Bodil Begtrup (Denmark), Evdokia Uralova (Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic), Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux (France), Minerva Bernardino (Dominican Republic), and Hansa Mehta and Lakshmi Menon (India).

Youth stand up for human rights

This year, we are called to "Stand Up for Human Rights" and to celebrate the potential of youth as agents of change, amplify their voices and engage a broad range of global audiences in the promotion and protection of rights. This year's campaign is designed to encourage, galvanize and showcase how youth all over the world stand up for rights and against racism, hate speech, bullying, discrimination, and climate change.

Your Human Rights & Diversity Committee

PIPSC is actively involved in protecting and promoting the human rights of its members and has established a Human Rights & Diversity Committee, to advise the Board of Directors on human rights, employment equity as well as diversity and inclusion. Learn more about their work in the Human Rights & Diversity Committee Report.

"The UDHR empowers us all. The principles remain as relevant or more today. We must stand up for our own rights and those of others every day. I encourage you to champion human rights in our workplace." encouraged Waheed Khan, PIPSC Chair of the Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

Read the PIPSC Pocket Guide on Human Rights and be a champion of human rights in your workplace. Take part online using #HumanRights and #StandUp4HumanRights on social media.

Unions across Canada have joined together to call for a national child care plan.

We are calling the federal government to make affordable high-quality early learning and child care available to all families. This will grow our economy, promote gender equality, increase women’s labour force participation and enhance children’s well-being.

National child care is a tried and tested policy that is long overdue in Canada.

All children – regardless of where they live, their ability, family circumstance or culture ­­– deserve access to affordable high-quality child care.

Child care in Canada is underfunded, too expensive and hard to find. The financial burden on families and the losses to our economy are too great to ignore – we need child care for all, now!

Take action today:

Sign the petition

The Department of Employment and Social Development is considering amending the labour code to provide menstruation products in federal workplaces. This would benefit about 480,000 public service workers.

Currently, under Part II of the Canadian Labour Code an employer is required to provide supplies including toilet paper, soap, warm water and a means to dry hands. This proposed change would add pads and tampons to this list.

Menstruation products are a basic necessity and essential to the health of women and people that menstruate. We responded to the federal government’s notice of intent and made clear that we support having a variety of menstrual products available in federally regulated and federal government workplaces.

Read our submission

We agree that menstrual products such as pads and tampons are essential to the health of Canadians, allowing them to participate fully in the workforce and society. Including menstrual products in workplaces is a concrete action that the federal government can take to move toward gender equity. Providing these supplies will decrease the menstruation stigma that is pervasive in our society and support better health outcomes.

It will take 18 to 24 months to complete the regulatory process of changing the Canada Labour Code, well beyond the federal election expected this October. This decision will be made by the next parliament.

On June 18, 2019, PIPSC President Debi Daviau had the honour of addressing members of the Federal Black Employee Caucus (FBEC), an organization dedicated to combatting career obstacles in the public service such as racism, harassment, and under-representation.

Black employees, and other visible minorities, continue to face barriers after being hired in the public service, even though the educational qualifications of visible minorities are often higher than those of the average population.

That’s why PIPSC is proud of the fact that some outstanding visible minority candidates were recently elected to its Board of Directors. In particular, we saw the first Black woman elected to the Board, NCR Regional Director Jennie Esnard, and the first Black woman elected to the PIPSC Executive in its almost 100 year history, Vice-President Norma Domey.

The inclusion of underrepresented groups in the PIPSC leadership structure ensures that decisions, strategies, projects and member engagement reflect the needs of all our members.

The Institute values the diversity of the Canadian population and the unique talents and strengths that are inherent in a diverse workforce. Diversity makes our union stronger and we will continue to work toward increased active involvement and improved representation of visible minorities in Institute leadership roles. If we do not reflect our workplaces and communities, we will not survive as a union.

We are committed to working with our employers to create workplaces that are inclusive and barrier free. As a union, we have an active role to play in identifying and removing barriers that prevent any member from fully participating in all workplace activities and fulfilling their personal and professional dreams.

One key strategy pursued by PIPSC to achieve these objectives was to actively participate in the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, which consulted with over 12,000 public servants and invested over a year in drafting its report. NCR Regional Director Waheed Khan was co-chair of its Technical Committee.

The Task Force provided 44 recommendations to promote diversity and inclusion in the public service. We need to ensure, however, that this important report doesn’t just gather dust on a shelf. PIPSC is keeping a close eye on developments on this front, and was pleased when the government announced the establishment of a Centre of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness, which is similar to the Centre of Excellence recommended by the Task Force. The Institute will be happy to work with the Treasury Board to ensure that the proposed Centre is action-oriented and that all employees, particularly Black employees, benefit from tangible results.

In addition, PIPSC supports the key “Asks” that the FBEC has identified.

We agree 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.

We also believe that the federal government should assign Champions in each of its Departments.

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

We have communicated our support for this Caucus’ objectives in a letter to Treasury Board President Joyce Murray.