Ottawa, February 20, 2023 – Federal employees began their mandatory return to the office on January 16 . Since then, more than 1,100 public servants represented by the Professional Institute of the Public Service Canada (PIPSC) have reached out to their union looking for support as they navigate the challenges created by this “one-size fits all” government order.

The concerns raised by PIPSC members range from workplace safety, availability of office and basic equipment, network capacity, breach of work agreement, accommodation issues, before and after school child care availability, and more.

One major issue is that, in spite of having been issued a return-to-office order, many federal employees no longer have dedicated offices to return to. 

“As we feared, we are now living with the logistical nightmares created by this hastily-implemented policy. Many departments and agencies were wholly unprepared for the practical realities involved in this government order,” said PIPSC President Jennifer Carr. “As a result, some of our members are returning to buildings that are now doubling as construction sites. Others are having to bounce between various federal government co-working spaces, which often means staying up until midnight to secure a space close to home.”

These logistical problems are not only bad for morale, they are hindering federal employees’ abilities to keep the country’s most important institutions operating smoothly and productively. 

“The same people who built CERB from home are now wasting time every day setting up and taking down makeshift workstations in the cafeteria,” explained Carr. “Or they're trying to have crucial video meetings from buildings with unreliable Wi-Fi – often with team members on separate floors of the same building.” 

For workers who are parents, there is the additional challenge of suddenly needing before and after school care on a moment's notice – at a time when these types of programs are long-since booked solid. 

“Like all parents, I know the stress created by a last-minute childcare emergency,” added Carr. “Think of the panicked scrambling you have to do on a snow day – then imagine having to suddenly figure this out two to three days a week.”

It is time for the federal government to acknowledge that they made a mistake, sit down to consult with the people affected, and present a reasonable plan that works for employees while delivering the services Canadians rely on.

“We take no joy in having been right about what a mess this was going to be,” Carr concluded. “The good news is, it’s not too late to work together to build a better solution.” 

PIPSC represents over 72,000 public service professionals working for the federal government as well as some provincial departments and agencies. 

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For more information: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile), jfillion@pipsc.ca

Ottawa, February 7, 2023 – The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, on behalf of its Audit Financial and Scientific (AFS) Group members, has filed a bad faith bargaining complaint against the Canada Revenue Agency. The complaint concerns the Agency’s recent decision to impose a “one-size-fits-all” return to office edict rather than continue to negotiate telework at the bargaining table.

PIPSC members and the CRA have been in negotiations since October 2022, where telework has been established as a top priority for AFS members, and where PIPSC and the employer have both exchanged proposals on the issue. Yet at the January 17-19, 2023 bargaining meeting, the CRA said it no longer had any intention of including any telework language in the collective agreement.

“You cannot just remove a core issue from the table – which has been established as a top priority for members – and call it anything other than a bad faith maneuver,” said PIPSC President Jennifer Carr. “The CRA's about-face subverts what has already been accomplished at the table and delays or even prevents the conclusion of an agreement. Keep in mind this is the same government that promised a new era of collaboration with members of the public service – but has chosen again to shut the door on negotiating, in favour of imposing a wildly unpopular edict.”

The CRA expects all of its employees to return to the office for 2 days a week as opposed to continuing to telework on a mostly full time basis, as AFS members have been doing safely and productively since March 2020.

“Given our demonstrated dedication to Canadians, public service delivery, and our employer, it would be reasonable to assume that the CRA would be willing to recognize our rights to fair consideration in telework requests,” said AFS Group Bargaining Chair, Doug Mason.

The CRA’s edict mimics the Treasury Board's December directive – a “one-size-fits-all” approach to telework that PIPSC has opposed since it was announced.

“From the beginning, we’ve been clear that bulldozing through a directive like this in the middle of bargaining doesn’t bode well for good faith negotiations, and will cause more problems than it solves,” said Carr. “The proof is now in the pudding. We are looking to the government to stop barreling towards an unnecessary confrontation and bring this issue back to the table, where it belongs.”

“The pandemic forced governments to modernize labour practices, and these practices need to be embedded into employee contracts. It protects everyone. It’s just good labour practice.”

PIPSC represents over 70,000 members across Canada, and over 14,000 AFS members employed at the CRA.

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For more information: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile), jfillion@pipsc.ca

Ottawa, December 8, 2022 – The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada – a union representing over 70,000 federal and provincial public sector workers – has launched billboards in key locations to urge the Ford government to respect frontline workers and repeal Bill 124. Locations include Sylvia Jones’ riding – the Health Minister who has championed Bill 124 in the face of widespread public opposition and now, a court ruling that finds the law unconstitutional. 

The billboards went up in response to the November 29 ruling by the Ontario Superior Court striking down the legislation. The Court found that the Ford government’s bill capping wage and benefit increases for registered nurses, nurse practitioners, healthcare professionals and other public-sector workers at 1% was a “substantial infringement” on the collective bargaining rights guaranteed under the Charter of Rights.

“This is a decisive judgment from the Court”, said Jennifer Carr, President of PIPSC. “It represents a historic victory for public sector workers and reinforces that our rights to free and fair collective bargaining cannot simply be legislated away by governments that don’t want to negotiate or give their burned out frontline staff respectable wages.”

PIPSC, along with other unions and the Ontario Federation of Labour that together represent hundreds of thousands of members impacted by the unconstitutional law, are ramping up pressure on the Ford government in hopes of preventing them from appealing this landmark ruling.

“For too long, Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones have ignored the cries of overworked and underpaid healthcare professionals by bulldozing through Bill 124,” President Carr continued. “These billboards are a reminder that not only does the public stand behind frontline workers against this disrespectful, wage-slashing law – but now, so do the courts. Given the Court decision, the work frontline workers do to keep this province running, and the overwhelming support from Ontarians, the Ford government must forgo an appeal and repeal Bill 124. ”

PIPSC represents over 70,000 members across Canada. In Ontario, PIPSC represents hundreds of healthcare professionals working in cancer centres at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton, the Walker Family Cancer Centre in Niagara, the Windsor Regional Hospital and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. PIPSC also represents medical physicists throughout Ontario and IT professionals at the University of Ottawa that are impacted by Bill 124. 

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For more information: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile), jfillion@pipsc.ca

Ottawa, November 28, 2022 – In legislation introduced on November 24, the Blaine Higgs Conservative government is taking aim at public service workers and their rights to fair collective bargaining and to take job action. This bill enshrines unfair rules around job action notice, gives the government the ability to bring in non-unionized scab workers and more power to change the work schedules of essential workers.

“This legislation is a direct attack on public service workers,” said Jennifer Carr, President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). “These are the folks who have worked tirelessly to provide critical services to the people of New Brunswick, particularly over the last few years through the pandemic.”

This legislation comes just weeks after Ontario Conservative Premier Doug Ford pushed through and then quickly repealed controversial and constitutionally-questionable legislation in Ontario. Bill 28 attempted to erase the hard-won labour rights of CUPE education workers and to force them to accept an unfair deal.

“Conservative governments across the country are taking aim at the constitutional rights of workers, and they are starting with their employees in the public service. We know that any attack on one group of workers’ rights is a signal that more are coming,” said Carr. “We must stand up and speak up against this legislation, and push the government to abandon this anti-worker agenda.”

In New Brunswick, PIPSC represents Crown Prosecutors, Crown Counsel, Legal Aid Services employees, agrologists and agronomists, engineers, architects and land surveyors, as well as veterinarians and veterinary pathologists.  

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For more information: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile), jfillion@pipsc.ca

Eabametoong First Nation / Fort Hope, September 28, 2022 – Jennifer Carr, President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, is currently making official visits to nursing stations in remote First Nations northern communities.

President Carr has undertaken this tour to shine a light on the crisis currently facing nurses in these communities, as well as the impact on those seeking care. 

“When the public thinks of federal public servants they likely picture an office worker in Ottawa,” said President Carr. “But over the last few days, I’ve seen and heard first-hand that hundreds of our members are trying to do exhausting life-saving work in truly perilous conditions.”

The travel these federal nurses take to these communities is long and arduous. And at the end of this journey, many nurses find themselves in places without consistent hot water or running water. Due to conditions like these, burnout rates are high. Several of these nursing stations are forced to operate without the nursing staff required to provide care.

“Many of us go to work every day knowing we won’t have what we need to offer our patients the best possible care,” said Lori Clace, CHN working in Gull Bay. "Even the most dedicated among us can reach their breaking point with these conditions, so understaffing is a chronic issue.”

It is not easy to find qualified candidates willing to accept the tough work, the distances and travel involved, the potential for accidents on the way to and from these communities, and the potential personal security issues that can occur.

“This crisis won’t be addressed until we see an investment in fully-funded, permanent public sector solutions,” added Carr. “I’m hoping the stories and images and perspectives we bring back with us will inspire the federal government to take real action to address this issue – and that doesn’t mean contracting out to private nurse employment agencies.”

“The conditions I have seen this week clearly demonstrate that Canada's colonial past has created a health care crisis for these communities,” said President Carr. “This week we mark the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation so we’d like to take this opportunity to remind the federal government of their treaty obligation to provide health care to Indigenous peoples.” 

Recommendation 18 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in part calls upon federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments “to recognize and implement the health-care rights of Aboriginal people as identified in international law, constitutional law, and under the Treaties”.

Approximately 4,300 health care professionals in Canada are represented by PIPSC, including close to 500 nurses who provide treatment to isolated Indigenous communities across the nation.

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For more information: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile), jfillion@pipsc.ca

Note for media – Photos and broadcast-quality video of the visit will be available and can be provided to the media upon request via jfillion@pipsc.ca.

OTTAWA, September 23, 2022 – From September 26 to 29, 2022, the President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), Jennifer Carr, will undertake official visits to nursing stations located in remote First Nations northern communities.

President Carr wants to see firsthand how the nursing stations are meeting the health-care needs of the communities while facing crisis-level staffing shortages. She hopes to learn from the nurses, represented by PIPSC, about the challenges they face in their practice.

“Nurses working in remote and isolated First Nations communities are some of the most resourceful, devoted and resilient health care professionals across Canada. They are unsung heroes,” says Jennifer Carr, President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. “In many First Nations remote and isolated communities, nursing shortages and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic are having exacerbated impacts on the health care delivery. I want to hear what we can do to improve the situation, to ensure First Nations communities and nurses have the support they need and the better health care.”

PIPSC represents approximately 4,300 health care workers across Canada in many professions that provide care in diverse settings, including close to 500 nurses at Indigenous Services Canada who serve remote Indigenous communities throughout the country.

Nursing stations provide a broad range of health care services to First Nation communities. Services provided at the nursing clinic include wound care, medication management, emergency services, and disease management.

What: Northern Nursing Stations Tour 

When: From September 26 to 29, 2022

Who: Jennifer Carr, PIPSC President

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For more information: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile), jfillion@pipsc.ca
Note for media – Photos and broadcast quality video of the visit will be available and can be provided to the media upon request via jfillion@pipsc.ca.

August 16, 2022 — Ottawa, Ontario, Traditional unceded Algonquin Territory — Indigenous Services Canada 

Nursing shortages are impacting health care delivery across the country, with frontline workers taking on tremendous workloads and burdens as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workforce continue. In many Indigenous remote and isolated communities, these impacts are exacerbated, posing challenges not only for staffing but for community health and safety as well. 

Nurses working in remote and isolated communities are some of the most resourceful and resilient health care professionals across Canada. In acknowledgement of their efforts and the current challenges in staffing, the Government of Canada and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada have reached an agreement to increase the existing recruitment and retention allowances for Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) nurses working in these locations.

This increase will take effect starting September 1, 2022, and continue through to March 31, 2025, or when a new collective agreement is reached—whichever comes first. It will be provided to both full- and part-time ISC nurses delivering critical services in remote and isolated First Nations communities in accordance with the terms of the agreement. 

Moving forward, the agreement provides the following:

• Triple the initial recruitment allowance, from $2,250 to $6,750
• Triple the allowance provided after twelve months of employment, from $3,250 to $9,750
• Triple the annual retention allowance, from $5,500 to $16,500

This agreement applies to the 50 remote and isolated communities where ISC nurses are located: Ontario (24), Manitoba (21), Alberta (4), and Quebec (1). 

It is essential now more than ever to ensure nurses are available and accessible to Indigenous Peoples living in remote and isolated locations. We recognize the effects that staffing challenges at health centres and nursing stations in remote and isolated communities can have on First Nations communities. As such, ISC continues to work closely with Indigenous partners, communities and leaders to pursue timely solutions to raise staffing levels and maintain the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples.

For more information on applications for nursing positions in communities, please visit Indigenous Services Canada's website at Apply for nursing jobs in First Nations communities. 

Quotes

"All of us rely on the care of nurses and frontline health care workers. Over these past two years, they have worked so hard to get us through the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the country, health care workers are tired, and the health sector is struggling. The impact of the health care worker shortage can often be greater in remote and isolated First Nations, impacting not only health care delivery, but overall community health and well-being. We need to recruit and retain these amazing workers who serve so many Indigenous communities. The Government of Canada is providing a significant increase to compensation for Indigenous Services Canada nurses in remote and isolated communities through to 2025. This is an important step forward as we work to make sure we have a robust health care workforce for rural and remote nursing in Indigenous communities." 

The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services

"Nurses work relentlessly to keep remote communities healthy under the most challenging of circumstances. We applaud this step forward to recognize and fairly compensate them for their dedication, and continue to advocate for improved working conditions and pay for all frontline workers."

Jennifer Carr
President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)

"We are pleased to have worked collaboratively with the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada to help address challenges with the recruitment and retention of Indigenous Services Canada nurses. This will improve critical services in remote and isolated First Nations communities as well as encourage recruitment of nurses who wish to make a positive impact in First Nations health care."

The Honourable Mona Fortier
President of the Treasury Board

"As the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for Indigenous Services Canada and a registered nurse for 32 years, I know that nursing holds a unique place in our country's health care systems. After years of witnessing the impact nurses have had on the safety and well-being of First Nations communities, I am more than pleased to announce these increases to our recruitment and retention allowances. These increases provide an additional tool to encourage nurses to join our incredible team in one of the most challenging and rewarding nursing roles in Canada."

Leila Gillis
Deputy Chief Nursing Office, Indigenous Services Canada 

Quick facts

• This increase will take effect starting September 1, 2022, and continue through to March 31, 2025, or when a new collective agreement is reached. 

• Communities impacted by the agreement are located in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and Quebec.

• On a daily basis, approximately 223 nurses are required to meet established operational levels. The majority of ISC nurses in remote and isolated locations work on a part-time rotational basis.

• As of June 30, ISC directly employed 839 nurses working in frontline community positions in our two hospitals and in management and practice support roles across the country.

• ISC has a Nursing Health Human Resources Framework aimed to comprehensively bolster recruitment and retention through implementing plans established under five specific commitments:

  1. Talent Acquisition and Management
  2. Modernize the Practice Environment
  3. Ensure the Well-being of the Workforce
  4. Become a Labour Workforce Influencer
  5. Maintain a Nimble and Agile Surge Response

Associated links

• Apply for nursing jobs in First Nations communities

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Alison Murphy
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services
Alison.Murphy@sac-isc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Indigenous Services Canada
819-953-1160
media@sac-isc.gc.ca 

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Telephone: 613-369-9400
Toll-free: 1-855-TBS-9-SCT (1-855-827-9728)
Teletypewriter (TTY): 613-369-9371
media@tbs-sct.gc.ca

Elizabeth Berman
Media Relations
Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)
613-400-1633
eberman@pipsc.ca

Stay connected

Join the conversation about Indigenous Peoples in Canada:

Twitter: @GCIndigenous
Facebook: @GCIndigenous
Instagram: @gcindigenous
Facebook: @GCIndigenousHealth

OTTAWA, July 6, 2022 – Today, NDP Critic for Tax Fairness and Inequality, Niki Ashton (Churchill – Keewatinook Aski), along with Canadians for Tax Fairness economist and lead researcher, DT Cochrane, and Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada President, Jennifer Carr, called on Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to act for more tax fairness in Canada. They are calling on the government to end its unfair tax system and make the rich pay their fair share of taxes. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that Canada lost up to $25 billion in 2018 alone due to tax evasion and avoidance by the rich and large corporations. The NDP is urging the Liberals to close the tax gap, identify loopholes in Canada’s tax code and give the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) the tools it needs to ensure that billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.    

“While working people are struggling to make ends meet, it is unacceptable that the rich and powerful are being let off the hook,” said Ashton. “We are losing billions of dollars due to tax evasion and avoidance that could be invested in social services that Canadian families need, particularly as the cost of living soars. Justin Trudeau must act now to make things fairer for Canadians, and to give the CRA the tools it needs to make the rich and powerful pay their fair share.”   

Just recently, Canadians learned that the Liberals collaborated with accounting firm KPMG to keep them from paying their fair share of taxes. While hard-working people are struggling to get by, they watch in disbelief as their government caters to big businesses and billionaires. Since the Liberals came to power seven years ago, they have allowed big corporations and billionaires off the hook when it comes to paying their taxes. The NDP is fighting to change this.  

"It is our job to make tax fairness our priority and to close loopholes that let the rich and powerful off the hook,” said Ashton. “It's time for action. Liberals must change the law that lets the richest avoid paying their fair share. We also need greater scrutiny including a special committee focused on tax fairness. It's time to make sure those at the top are paying their fair share.”   

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Quotes by validators:

"Taxes deserve the careful consideration of parliamentarians if we’re going to get the fairer system that Canadians expect and deserve."

- Canadians for Tax Fairness economist and lead researcher, DT Cochrane
 

"We can’t afford to not invest in the CRA. It's not just about money for public services, it's about fairness. Everyone, including the ultra-rich and corporations, need to pay their fair share. It is everyone’s responsibility to contribute to the society that has made them successful. It is not about going after the average Canadian that works hard and plays by the rules. It’s about making sure they aren’t the only folks contributing to our tax system and the public services we all rely on."

- Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada President, Jennifer Carr
 

For more information, please contact: 

NDP Media Centre: 613-222-2351 or media@ndp.ca

View release in your browser:
http://www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-calls-action-make-rich-and-powerful-pay-their-fair-share 

OTTAWA, April 7, 2022 – Jennifer Carr, President of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), welcomed progress in Budget 2022 on a fairer economic recovery, including new investments in CRA going after tax cheats, providing mental health help for Black public service workers, and expanding the Public Sector Pension Investment Board to include union representatives. But Carr expressed serious concern over the government’s Strategic Policy Review.

“Today’s budget makes some welcome progress, especially on investing in CRA to go after tax cheats, increased tax fairness and mental health support for Black public service workers,” said Carr. “But public service professionals have serious questions for the government on what exactly they plan to cut and hope the government doesn't plan to balance the budget on the backs of members of the public service.” 

“We were pleased to see a budget that moves forward on affordable housing and dental care while taking steps towards fairer taxation and implementing pharmacare,” said Carr. “But after public service professionals developed new programs and delivered emergency help to people in record time, it is disappointing the government continues to spend billions a year and rely on advice from costly consultants instead of Canada’s professional public servants.”

“Remote work has helped make progress on creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable public service. But we have concerns about whether the federal government has learned the right lessons from the past two years,” said Carr. “We were hoping to see a more consistent and coherent approach to policies around return to work and creating safe workplaces.”

Additionally, Carr hoped to see new investments in training and upskilling the public service and the restoration of critical science funding.

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For more information: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile), jfillion@pipsc.ca