Each year the Treasury Board undertakes the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) of employees across the federal public service. You now have the opportunity to provide feedback on engagement, leadership, workplace well-being, harassment, compensation and other important areas.

Because informed data is useful to effect change, we support the full participation of our members in the 2019 PSES.

The 2019 PSES will be conducted from July 22 to August 30, 2019. The survey will be administered by Advanis, on behalf of the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada. Responses will be treated in a confidential manner.

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This data is useful in our work advocating for you. For example, consistently survey respondents indicate that there are high levels of harassment in the workplace, this data was very useful for us in the last round of collective bargaining negotiations. You may be interested to review the results of the 2018 survey.

PIPSC welcomes the landmark class action win for current and former employees who experienced harassment, assault, and discrimination while working at the Department of National Defence, Canadian Armed Forces, Non-Public Funds or Canadian Forces.

We hope this class action will bring closure and acknowledge the pain and suffering of all those who experienced a toxic work environment. This is a strong reminder that we must continue advocating for workplaces free from harassment and violence. This case is one step forward in recognizing that all workers should be treated with respect at work.

This class action lawsuit may affect you if:

• You are a current or former employee of the Department of National Defence, a current or former member of the Canadian Armed Forces or Staff of the Non-Public Funds, Canadian Forces.
• You have experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault or discrimination based on your sex, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation in connection with your military service or employment.

For more information or to find out if you’re included in the proposed settlement:

Visit: https://www.classaction.deloitte.ca/en-ca/Pages/CAF-DNDsexualmisconductclassaction.aspx

Email: cafdndmisconduct@deloitte.ca

Call: 1-888-626-2611

The Institute is saddened to report the untimely passing of our friend and colleague Christine Lemay.

Christine’s commitment to Institute members was deep and unwavering. We will miss her very much.

A loyal and hard-working member of the AFS Group, Christine liked to come to the aid of her colleagues. Christine helped members deal with issues such as difficult work situations, getting answers to their questions and obtaining information concerning issues that affect them.

Christine served Institute members with distinction in a number of capacities over many years, notably as a union steward in the Laval, Sherbrooke, and Montréal Tax Services offices of the Canada Revenue Agency.

Christine was president of the AFS Laval Sub-Group and vice-president of the Laval Branch.

For many years, Christine served as a delegate to the PIPSC AGM.  She also served on the Professional Recognition and Qualifications Committee and on the Elections Committee.

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

More information can be found on this web page.

Together with the Canadian Labour Congress and other unions, President Debi Daviau wrote to the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food with respect to last month’s decision by the Chinese government to halt imports of Canadian pork and beef.

We urge the Canadian government to work quickly and diligently to restore exports to China.

The letter calls the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to ensure that food safety inspectors, veterinarians and food scientists are adequately staffed and resourced to restore trust and confidence in the high quality of Canadian exports.

Support must be provided to workers impacted by this ban. We are calling on the government to work with unions to prepare employment benefits and labour adjustment measures to protect affected private-sector workers in the event of a protracted dispute that results in plant closures and layoffs.

READ THE LETTER

The Canadian Labour Congress has also submitted specific recommendations to the federal government to inform their response to this ban. It is essential that work-sharing, extension of EI benefits, training and employer assistance services and industry assistance all be employed to support workers and impacted communities (especially newcomers and Indigenous Canadians).

After years of collaboration between governments, employers and workers, the International Labour Organization adopted a new framework to end violence and harassment in the world of work. This will be a global minimum standard to prevent and address violence and harassment in the world of work.

Governments that ratify the treaty will be required to:

• develop national laws prohibiting workplace violence
• take preventive measures
• require employers to have workplace policies on violence.

The treaty also obligates governments to monitor situations of harassment and violence as well as provide complaint mechanisms for those who experience it. Additionally they must create protections and services to workers experiencing harassment or violence.

The Canadian Labour Congress’ Secretary-Treasurer Marie Clarke Walker served as Worker Vice-Chair for the negotiations. We are proud of the Canadian labour movement’s contributions to this historic work. We continue to fight to ensure safe and healthy workplaces for all of our members.

Previously, there was no international standard specifically addressing violence and harassment in the world of work. In 2018, the World Bank found that 59 out of the 189 countries studied had no specific legal provisions covering sexual harassment in employment.[i]

The new ILO convention and recommendation provide an opportunity to shape a future of work based on dignity and respect, free from violence and harassment.

The convention will enter into force one year after at least two countries have ratified it.

Leaders in gender equality from across the globe gathered in Vancouver to attend the 2019 Women Deliver conference, including 12 PIPSC representatives from the Board of Directors, Human Rights Committee and staff team. Joined by a host of other Canadian union activists, the Canadian Labour Congress kicked off the conference with the Union Deliver pre-event.

The theme for this year's Women Deliver conference was Power. Progress. Change. A fitting theme for PIPSC, as we are committed to focusing our power on progressing policies that deliver meaningful change in the lives of all our members.

President Debi Daviau and Vice President Norma Domey were two of PIPSC's representatives at the event. This conference was an opportunity for our leadership to reflect on how gender equality can strengthen our union and the labour movement.   

“We have made significant progress to support women’s rights in the workforce; from leading the way on policies for family leave, to paid leave for victims and survivors of domestic violence — gender equality is a top priority,” Debi Daviau, PIPSC President, said.

Throughout the conference, PIPSC delegates heard from global leaders including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde, and the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate Gilmore.

The event was educational and inspired delegates to ignite greater participation and engagement of women in all unions. The experience will be vital to VP Domey's work contributing to the Committee on Human Rights and Diversity and the Women in Science project.

“The Women Deliver Conference re-energized our PIPSC delegates and women globally to keep fighting to end gender-based violence, increase women’s economic empowerment, and ensure gender responsive health systems and services,” Domey said.

Our latest bargaining update highlights historic wins:

• enhanced family-leave
• 10 days of paid leave to survivors and victims of domestic violence
• the first-ever harassment free workplace language in our collective agreement

These wins will help to support and empower women ensuring equal opportunities for everyone across the public sector.

There is still more work to do:

“We are committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment in Canada,” Daviau said. “We will ensure that the door for progress on these issues continues to remain open and that PIPSC is at the forefront of change.”

Canada’s unions are expressing solidarity with advocates in the United States who are fighting to protect reproductive rights.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) commits to protecting our own hard-won gains and to fill the gaps in access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada, including abortion.

We can’t take abortion rights in Canada for granted. There is an alarming and well-funded effort by anti-choice groups in Canada to elect politicians who support restrictions on reproductive health services and rights. As members of the CLC, we will resist any attempt to take us backwards and support the efforts to improve access.

Canada’s unions have a deep and longstanding commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Unions and labour activists joined the call to decriminalize birth control and abortion in the 60s and 70s. Since the 1988 Morgentaler decision, the labour movement has worked with feminist organizations and other allies to resist attempts to introduce new restrictions to abortion rights and access.

Canada’s unions have long called for public coverage of medical procedures and medication to allow people to decide whether and when to have children, promote maternal health, affirm their gender identity, and meet other sexual and reproductive health care needs. They have also called for better access to abortion services in regions where it remains difficult to obtain sexual and reproductive health care. Unions continue to support comprehensive sexuality education, access to health care for trans people, and protections for pregnant people in unsafe working conditions.

Access to abortion services remains a problem, especially in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, for young people, for those with precarious immigration status or who don’t have the means to travel. In some provinces, like New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island such services are virtually non-existent on account of provincial policies that restrict access or impose limits on funding. The lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care and rights has disproportionate impacts on people who experience various forms of marginalization, such as Indigenous women, Black and racialized women, women with disabilities, trans and non-binary folk, immigrant, migrant and refugee women.

Canada’s unions will not tolerate any attempt to roll back abortion rights.

This Indigenous History Month marks the release of Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Over three years the National Inquiry held Truth Gatherings where families and survivors shared their experiences with violence, their recommendations and their art in 1,484 testimonies. The commissioners also gathered information on institutionalized violence along with testimony from experts, Elders and knowledge keepers.

We, along with the Canadian Labour Congress, call for immediate action to end violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people.

We insist upon the implementation of the National Inquiry’s recommendations.

We continue our call for the federal legislature to pass Bill C-262 this session and ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

And, we ask our members to take action now on the Calls for Justice for All Canadians, to learn the true history of Canada and to become informed and active allies to Indigenous Peoples.

Suggested Resources for Learning:

• National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Our Women and Girls Are Sacred: The Interim Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Women and Girls.
• National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Their Voices Will Guide Us: Student and Youth Engagement Guide.
• Transcripts, testimonies, and public statements offered during the Truth-Gathering Process, available at http://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/transcripts/ and http://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/part-ii-and-part-iii-knowledge-keeper-expert-and-institutional-hearing-transcripts/.
• Canadian Labour Congress. Indigenous Lobby Guide.

Suggested Resources for Allyship:

• Amnesty International. 10 Ways to Be a Genuine Ally to Indigenous Communities.
• Dr. Lynn Gehl. Ally Bill of Responsibilities.
• Indigenous Perspectives Society. How to Be an Ally to Indigenous People.
• Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network. Indigenous Ally Toolkit.

National Indigenous History Month is an opportunity to honour Indigenous heritage and celebrate Indigenous contributions and cultures across this land.

PIPSC President Debi Daviau, BC/Yukon Regional Director Rob MacDonald and CLC Indigenous Representative Greg Scriver will be participating in the Whitehorse APTN Indigenous Day Live event on Saturday June 22, 2019.

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Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) is also hosting live events in Whitehorse, Winnipeg and Calgary.

We encourage all members to take action in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples:

• read the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
• send a letter to your Senator supporting Bill C-262, An Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• learn about the efforts of the Canadian labour movement to work as allies to Indigenous people
• educate yourself on Canada’s history and how to become an ally.

The Ontario Government held consultations with public sector employers and bargaining agents in early May. We attended to represent our members in the Ontario Provincial Group, and also submitted our comments in writing to the government.

While not stated explicitly, it was clear that the Ontario government was seeking feedback on possible wage constraints or wage caps for public service workers. We, along with our sister unions, made very clear that any wage adjustment would be considered unacceptable and would be vigorously opposed. Changes to wages must be negotiated at the bargaining table and our contracts must be respected.

The consultation also sought to identify additional cost cutting tools. We were able to unequivocally advise against outsourcing as an option. Based on our disastrous experience with Phoenix federally, we know how wasteful and ineffective outsourcing can be.

We will fight any wage cuts to Ontario public servants. We know that public servants provide high quality essential public services to Ontarians. These services must be maintained, and qualified, experienced public servants are required to do this work.