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Updates from the HRC – May 31, 2024

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Human Resources Council (HRC)

Empowering HR for Success!

Join the HRC GCXchange page, by following these steps, and access a wealth of HR tools and information, such as:

  • HR Functions Handbook: This job-aid explores the different HR disciplines and how they are connected throughout the employee lifecycle.
  • HR Resources Centre: One-stop-shop platform for finding legislation, policies, contacts, best practices, trends and tools related to the human resources function. Makes day-to-day work much easier!
  • HelloHR: Online toolbox of self-directed informational and developmental resources for all members of the HR community.
  • HR Learning Lounge: Suggested learning resources aligned with the HR competencies to enable HR professionals to develop their skillsets.
  • HRC SmartShops: To access recordings of recent Smartshops and find out about upcoming ones!

If you encounter any issues or have questions about GCXchange, please email support-soutien@gcx-gce.gc.ca.

Reminder – The Experienced Former HR Professional Inventory is Now Available!

The Experienced Former HR Professional Inventory is now available to support short-term hiring needs of organizations across the public service!  

Seize this valuable opportunity to leverage the expertise of retired HR professionals who are eager to help upskill your HR team and address complex people management files. 

Visit the HR Council’s GCXchange page to explore the inventory in 3 simple steps: 

  1. Review anonymous profiles to find retired HR experts who match your opportunity across six role types: 
  • Advisory support to senior management 
  • Community-building and horizontal projects 
  • HR administrative support 
  • Coaching and mentoring 
  • Workshop and training facilitation 
  • HR subject matter expertise 

2. Submit a referral request by e-mail to the HR Council and include the reference numbers of the profiles you’re interested in. Once we receive your request, we’ll provide you with their contact information. 

3. Work with your HR advisor to engage with HR retirees and follow your organization’s staffing process. 

Please note: the inventory remains open for applicants to submit their profiles. On a weekly basis, the newest profiles will be identified as “NEW” at the top of each page for ease of reference.  

Should you have any questions, please contact the HR Council.  

HRC SmartShop Recordings Now Available!

The May 9, 2024 HRC SmartShop on the Budget Tool for the Performance Management Program (PMP) for Executives may be accessed in:

Previous HRC SmartShop recordings and documents are available on the HRC’s GCXchange page.

Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO)  

Official Languages: Everything you’ve always wanted to know

Non Imperative Staffing

Section 30(2) of the Public Service Employment Act states that official languages proficiency is an essential qualification that needs to be met for an appointment to be based on merit.

Generally, bilingual positions are staffed by candidates who meet the language requirements of the position at the time of appointment. This is called imperative staffing and is the standard for staffing all bilingual positions.

In exceptional staffing situations, and under certain circumstances, a bilingual position may be staffed with a candidate who does not meet the language requirements of the position at the time of appointment. This is referred to as non-imperative staffing.

Examples of exceptional staffing situations are included in the Directive on Official Languages for People Management as follows:

  • when the potential applicant pool is very limited due to the highly specialized nature of the duties and knowledge required for a position;
  • when the institution would receive an insufficient number of applications from members of one or the other official language community.

Non-imperative staffing may also be used under the following circumstances:

  • external appointment processes (“open to the public”) for indeterminate positions: such positions may be staffed on an imperative or non-imperative basis and internal candidates are granted the same privileges as external candidates;
  • EX-02 to EX-05 positions (or their equivalent) if the candidate has previously received an exclusion for medical reasons and has the exclusion granted by the Public Service Commission for the specific appointment.

The provisions of the Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order as well as the Public Service Official Languages Appointment Regulations are applied when a non-imperative staffing process is used.

In addition, institutions are required to put in place measures to fulfil the tasks and functions linked to the position while the person occupying the position does not meet the language requirements.

For more information on non-imperative staffing, please consult the following tools :

Changes to the Public Service Supplementary Death Benefit Regulations

Recent changes have been made to modernize the public service Supplementary Death Benefit. As of June 1, 2024, if you currently have coverage under the death benefit, you will be able to name up to 5 beneficiaries, including minors.

What is the Supplementary Death Benefit?
The death benefit is similar to a decreasing term life insurance benefit paid to your beneficiaries when you die. It’s a lump-sum benefit equal to twice your annual salary, rounded up to the nearest $1,000. The death benefit applies to most public servants who contribute to the public service pension plan. Deductions are taken directly from your pay or pension.

Naming beneficiaries
Your current beneficiary is still valid. If you wish to keep your current beneficiary, no action is required on your part.

A beneficiary can be an individual, your estate, and/or a registered charity.

Active members
You will soon be able to electronically name, view, and change your beneficiaries online. By July, you’ll receive communications from the Pension Centre with more information about accessing the updated portal. Only designations made in the portal will be displayed. Paper designations will not be displayed.

Alternatively, as of June 1, 2024, you’ll be able to complete and mail the updated Naming or Changing Your Beneficiaries (PWGSC-TPSGC 2196) designation form.

Retired members and members of Crown Corporations
As of June 1, 2024, if you wish to name or update your beneficiaries, you’ll be able to complete and mail the updated Naming or Changing Your Beneficiaries (PWGSC-TPSGC 2196) form.

Payments to your beneficiaries
Upon your death, the benefit will be divided equally among your named beneficiaries. Each beneficiary will be notified only of the amount they’re entitled to receive. They won’t be informed of the total benefit amount or if other beneficiaries exist.
It’s important to keep your beneficiaries up to date to make sure all benefits are paid correctly and in a timely manner.

Questions should be directed to the Government of Canada Pension Centre.

Public Service Commission (PSC)

Review of the Public Service Employment Regulations

In order to keep stakeholders informed of developments and next steps in the review of the Public Service Employment Regulations (PSER), the following update is provided:

  • The Commission has reviewed the results of the recent re-opening of consultations with stakeholders in respect to lay-offs. The drafting of the proposed regulations continues to advance and is nearing completion.
  • Please note that the scope of the PSER review has recently been revised. Despite proposed amendments shared in previous consultations, acting appointment provisions in the PSER will not be modified at this time, apart from minor revisions.
  • This change affords the Commission additional time to consider the potential impacts of evolving HR initiatives such as the modernization of the Employment Equity Act, Next Generation HR and Pay and Bill C-13. This does not preclude acting appointments from being reviewed in future regulatory initiatives.
  • Once the proposed regulations are approved by the Commission, they will be pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for a 30-day period, during which time stakeholders may provide written comments via the Gazette’s online commenting features. Organizations will be informed of this consultation period, which may occur in late summer 2024.
  • In terms of final steps in the regulatory process, following the pre-publication period, stakeholder comments will be analyzed, and if necessary, modifications may be made to the proposed regulations prior to their final approval by the Commission, publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II and coming into force.

Recovery of Fees for Exclusion requests on Medical Grounds

Under the Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order, persons may be excluded from meeting the linguistic profile of a bilingual position in a non-imperative appointment when they have a medical condition that prevents them from learning their second official language or from achieving the linguistic profile for their bilingual position. The Public Service Commission (PSC) has the exclusive authority to approve exclusions from meeting official language proficiency requirements on medical grounds for organizations subject to the Exclusion Approval Order.

To allow the PSC to render a decision, medical expertise is required to conduct an independent review of an individual’s medical file to determine whether the individual can learn a second official language. The PSC has put in place a contract with an independent medical review officer (MRO) to replace the services previously provided by Health Canada.  

As of July 1, 2024, the PSC will begin to recover the fees charged by the MRO from organizations requesting an exclusion on medical grounds. More information on the mechanism and procedures will be communicated shortly. 

Questions regarding this change can be addressed to the dedicated generic inbox  cfp.delo-eao.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca.

Modification to the Cancellation Policy for the Second Language Evaluation – Oral Language Assessment

Currently, organizations need to advise the Public Service Commission (PSC) at least 2 working days in advance if they wish to reschedule or cancel a Second Language Evaluation (SLE) test administered by the PSC. If this timeframe is not met, the organization is charged a test administration fee. This cancellation policy applies to both core and extended jurisdiction clients.

As of July 1, 2024, organizations will need to advise the PSC at least 4 working days in advance if they wish to reschedule or cancel a SLE-Oral Language Assessment test.

This change does not apply to the Reading Comprehension or Written Expression tests administered by the PSC. Organizations need to continue to advise the PSC at least 2 working days in advance if they wish to reschedule or cancel a SLE – Reading Comprehension or Written Expression test.

Indigenous Student Employment Opportunity (ISEO) and Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities (EOSD)

The 2024 summer programming for ISEO and EOSD has been released!

Kick-off events will take place on June 6, 2024, for Indigenous students and on June 11, 2024, for students with disabilities.

To be eligible for the programs, individuals must identify as Indigenous or having a disability and be hired as student workers for the summer.

Registration is required, which can be done by students themselves, their managers or HR specialists.

This year, both programs will be piloting a matching component to help participants be paired with a mentor that matches their needs and interests. New mentors are welcome!

For any questions or to sign up as a mentor, please send an email to:

Canada School of Public Service (CSPS)

Learning Paths and Tools

Equipping on Values and Ethics

In support of prioritizing the implementation of Values and Ethics, OCHRO and the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) make the following resources accessible to all HR professionals:

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety  

Please consult the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: Healthy Workplaces to obtain information, tools and resources to help employers, workers and practitioners participate in making their workplaces psychologically healthy and safe.  

Preventing and Addressing Workplace Harassment and Violence

The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC ) has recently published the following  documents intended to help federally regulated employers in developing a human rights-based approach to preventing and addressing workplace harassment and violence, and to meet their obligations under the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA), the Canada Labour Code (Code) and its related Regulations : 

  1. Preventing and addressing workplace harassment and violence: A guide for federally regulated employers
  2. Human rights-based approach to workplace investigations: Guidance and good practices
  3. Policy template – Preventing and addressing workplace harassment and violence

New CHRC resource publication on environmental sensitivities and scent-free policies

On the occasion of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Awareness Month, the CHRC is sharing the Environmental sensitivities and scent-free policies recently published guide that provides guidance for employers on their human rights obligations with respect to developing a scent-free policy and accommodating workers with environmental sensitivities.

Workplace Accommodation

  • Developing a Workplace Accommodation Policy Template for Federally Regulated Employers – A good accommodation policy is key to building an inclusive workplace that respects the unique needs, perspectives and potential of all their team members.

Efforts to advance 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in the federal public service

The Public Service Pride Network recently shared a significant update on its efforts to advance 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in the federal public service. It is essential that we stand together to create an environment that embraces diversity, respect, and equality.

For further information, please refer to the Follow up to the 2023 Open Letter to deputy ministers to take action to support our transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse colleagues in the federal public service.

GC Tools Update

The Government of Canada is updating its digital collaboration tools. GCconnex is expected to be removed from service most likely in 2024/25 (timeline to be confirmed). The principal reason is that GCXchange is a better platform for GC-wide internal collaboration using MS 365 technologies. The popular feature Career Marketplace, will be moved and the platform will be available via “read-only mode” for a determined period.

GCWiki is also planned to be removed eventually. GCpedia will undergo a database upgrade to improve navigation and search features and enhance user collaboration and GCcollab will become more user-friendly and accessible.

Today, all core GC Departments are participating on GCXchange. If you require help for onboarding, check out the Answers, Tips and Tricks Corner, attend one of the Ask Me Anything Session where the GCXchange support team can answer questions live or email GCXchange-GCEchange@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

APEX Newsletter

Please stay apprised of APEX news via their monthly Newsletter.  

National Managers’ Community (NMC)

The National Managers’ Community (NMC) May Newsletter is now available!

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What’s Coming Up

HRC

HRC SmartShop

Addressing Workplace Barriers: Key Messages and Resources

Join us for a panel discussion with experts from the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer and the Office of Public Service Accessibility, Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), to explore how various considerations related to Occupational Health and Safety, Duty to Accommodate, Accessibility and Labour Relations play a role in ensuring a barrier free workplace.

Registration

Audience: HR Community, more specifically Labour Relations, Occupational Health and Safety, Disability Management and other Duty to Accommodate Specialists

Presenters: Specialists from OCHRO and OPSA, TBS

Documents: Will be posted on the HRC GCXchange page.

HRC Meetings

  • June 11, 2024 – HRC Executive Committee Meeting
  • June 18, 2024 – HR Council Meeting
  • June 20, 2024 – HR Community Talent Management Steering Committee
  • June 26, 2024 – HR Community Engagement Hub Meeting

PSC

On June 19, 2024, the Public Service Commission, in collaboration with the Canada School of Public Service, will be presenting a 1-hour online information session entitled: “Supporting Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Through Staffing”. This informative event for human resources specialists will explore staffing options under the Public Service Employment Act that support the organizational diversity and inclusion objectives of the Employment Equity Act.

APEX

Stay apprised of upcoming APEX events and resources from previous events.

CSPS

Upcoming Events

  • June 3, 2024 – Key Considerations in Procuring Professional Services: This informative event will present best practices and strategies for navigating the procurement process in the federal government, as described in the Manager′s Guide: Key Considerations When Procuring Professional Services.
  • June 5, 2024 – Ensuring Accessible and Equitable Artificial Intelligence: This event features Jutta Treviranus, PhD, Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre at Ontario College of Art and Design University, who will present her research and share her insights into what AI reveals and what it obscures, especially for people with disabilities.
  • June 11 to August 13, 2024 – Departmental Showcase: Summer 2024: Every Tuesday throughout the summer, the Federal Youth Network and its partners will showcase a different government department, allowing new public servants to hear about cool jobs, understand common role responsibilities, and debunk misconceptions.
  • June 28, 2024 – New Measures to Reinforce best HR and Pay Practices: This informative event will provide managers with an overview of the new measures to help increase the accuracy and promptness of pay for employees and prepare the Government of Canada for the future state of HR and pay.

National Managers’ Community (NMC)

Upcoming Events

Stay apprised of NMC events and activities!

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HRC Meeting – May 21, 2024

Item 1: Opening Remarks

Renée de Bellefeuille, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Senior Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), Human Resources, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and member of the HRC Executive Committee began by extending a warm welcome to the newly appointed Head of HR: Eric Gagnon, Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS); Joanna O’Reilly, Health Canada (HC) and Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Jasmin Breton, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

She announced that the HRC has received 68 nominations across all ten categories of the HR Excellence Awards. She extended a heartfelt thanks to everyone who submitted these outstanding nominations. Due to unique circumstances, the HRC might receive more nominations in the coming days. The recipients for each category will be announced during the Award Ceremony on the afternoon of October 17th.

Renée de Bellefeuille also highlighted the value of the HRC Experienced Former HR Professional Inventory, which is proving to be valuable in addressing temporary HR needs.

The following upcoming events were highlighted:

  • May 21 to 24: Indigenous Awareness Week.
  • May 26 to June 1: National AccessAbility Week, celebrating the contributions and leadership of Canadians with disabilities, and the work of people, organizations, and communities removing barriers towards a more accessible, inclusive Canada.
  • June: National Indigenous History Month, celebrating the rich and varied stories, achievements, and resilience of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
  • June to September: Pride Season, a series of events celebrating the resilience, talents, and contributions of the 2SLGBTQI+ communities and their allies.  
  • June 9 to 15: National Public Service Week.

Item 2: Hybrid Work Model in the Public Service

Dwayne McDonald, Executive Director, Strategic Direction and Digital Solutions, Christopher LeBrun, Senior Director, People and Culture (PC), and Patricia Phee, Senior Director, Employee Relations and Total Compensation (ERTC) at the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) at Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) provided an update on the revised Direction on prescribed presence in the workplace for the Federal Public Service. They also assessed the implementation’s progress and addressed questions from various organizations. 

The current Direction requires all federal public servants in the core public administration (CPA) eligible for a hybrid work arrangement to work on-site a minimum of 2-3 days per week. By September 9, 2024, this requirement will be refined to 3 days of on-site work per week.  To ensure leadership and effective support for their teams, executives are expected to be on-site a minimum of 4 days per week also beginning in September 2024. Separate agencies and federally regulated employers are strongly encouraged to implement a similar plan. 

Requiring a minimum of 3 days on-site per week reflects the benefits that consistent in-person interactions offer. These include more effective collaboration and onboarding of new talent, as well as building a strong culture of performance that is consistent with values and ethics of the public service. This approach is consistent with many provincial and territorial governments and private sector organizations. 

This 3-day minimum requirement also applies to groups of employees in organizations who had been permitted to temporarily continue working remotely based on specific work models (for example, call centre employees). It also applies to those information technology (IT) employees that had been exempted from the direction. As the transition to the 3-day minimum requirement may require more time for these employees and organizations to adapt, organizations may choose to begin phasing in the common hybrid work model in September 2024, with full implementation expected by September 2025. Deputy Minister or Assistant Deputy Minister-approved exemptions for individual employees are still permissible and remain applicable. 

With the aim of continually improving how the common hybrid work model is implemented, OCHRO, TBS continues to work with bargaining agents and organizations to implement the negotiated letters of agreement to establish departmental review panels. The OCHRO also continues to work with bargaining agents and organizations on the review of the Directive on Telework, which establishes how we do telework. These activities are distinct from the requirements of the Direction on Prescribed Presence in the Workplace, which are the prerogative of the employer. Implementation plans on the Direction must be developed by departments and shared for information with joint departmental union-management committees.

This Direction is also to be:

  • Applied in accordance with existing Legislation, Policies, and Directives, including the Policy on People Management, the Directive on Telework, the Directive on the Duty to Accommodate, and the Canada Labour Code. Managers must consider individual circumstances on a case-by-case basis, including human rights obligations such as the duty to accommodate, and evaluate reasonable explanations for absences from the designated workplace, such as illness, family care obligations, or compliance with COVID-19 self-isolation protocols.
  • Implemented in compliance with existing collective agreements and other terms and conditions of employment.
  • Executed in a manner that ensures a barrier-free public service, as per the requirements under the Accessible Canada Act and the Accessible Canada Regulations.
  • Carried out in alignment with the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.
  • Applied to all core public administration employees (indeterminate, full-time, part-time, term), students, and casual workers (Schedule I and IV of the Financial Administration Act).

Information on Departmental verifications and exceptions may be found in the Direction on prescribed presence in the workplace.

Departmental corporate services may reach out to OCHRO, TBS for questions on:

Item 3: Update on Pay Equity

Marcel Page, Executive Director and Matthew Millar, Senior Director, ERTC, OCHRO, TBS provided a status update on the progress of pay equity and outlined the upcoming steps.

The Pay Equity Act, which was passed by Parliament and receiving royal assent on December 13, 2018, came into force on August 31, 2021. Its goal is to achieve pay equity for employees in jobs commonly held by women by addressing gender-based discrimination in employers’ pay practices and systems.

As the employer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat collaborates with bargaining agents and non-unionized representatives to develop two pay equity plans: one for employees in the core public administration (CPA) and another for members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Separate agencies and federally regulated employers are required to create their own pay equity plans.

The Pay Equity Act defines a process to develop pay equity plans that all employers must follow, with a deadline of three years from the act’s coming into force on August 31, 2021. This process involves several steps that must be agreed upon by a pay equity committee comprising representatives from the employer, bargaining agents, and non-unionized employees. These steps include identifying job classes within the workplace, determining whether these classes are predominantly female or male, assessing the value of work performed in each class, calculating the compensation for each predominantly female and male job class, and comparing these compensations to ensure that female-predominant job classes receive equal pay for work of equal or comparable value.

The Treasury Board Secretariat, along with the 17 bargaining agents representing CPA employees and non-unionized employee representatives, continues to make steady progress on establishing a pay equity plan for the CPA. Similarly, the RCMP, with its five bargaining agents and the TBS, is working towards a pay equity plan for its members.

However, the September 2024 deadline to develop these plans will not be met. TBS will apply for an extension with the Pay Equity Commissioner in the next couple of weeks. Employees will be notified, and the Pay Equity webpage will be updated accordingly. Additionally, a message will be sent to all Heads of HR to disseminate this information.

For more details about the context and rationale of pay equity, please refer to Item 4: Update on Pay Equity from the HRC Meeting on December 21, 2023, and the Pay Equity webpage.

Item 4: Classification Program: Oversight Strategy and Talent Management Placement Initiative

Marcel Page, Executive Director, and Danielle Simard, Senior Director, Organization and Evaluation of Work, Employee Relations and Total Compensation (ERTC), at OCHRO, within TBS, presented the Oversight Strategy and introduced a new approach to achieve greater enterprise outcomes.

The OCHRO is leading the implementation of the Classification Program to meet government business requirements and the needs of managers and employees by working with departments on classification oversight to provide deputy heads with the information they need to exercise their delegated classification authority.

Last year, the focus was on data integrity. While OCHRO will continue to prioritize this, they are now shifting attention to three additional pillars: program policy, accountability, and transparency. The roles and responsibilities of OCHRO and Heads of HR remain unchanged from last year (refer to slide 3 of the PowerPoint presentation for more details).

The 2024-25 Oversight Priorities include reducing vacant positions by establishing a systemic elimination process every six months, targeting a 5% rate of vacant positions aligned with funding and planned staffing. The goal is to upload and maintain all jobs and decisions, addressing discrepancies in data error reports with a target of 100%. Additionally, the OCHRO will establish systematic flagging of inconsistent decisions and relativity issues in the Position and Classification Information System+ (PCIS+) as they are uncovered and use existing standardized job descriptions (SJDs) or interdepartmental standardized job descriptions (ISJDs) to reduce redundancies.

To better equip the HR community for internal oversight, the Talent Management Micro-Missions Initiative is being carried out to empower classification teams within organizations. To upskill the HR community, OCHRO is introducing stretch assignment opportunities: Accelerators for building tools faster for better results (3-8 weeks), Incubators for a strategy deep-dive for a new perspective (2-4 months), and Co-Creators for user-centered design (ad hoc working groups).

Heads of HR are invited to review the status of their respective organizations stand on the Classification Oversight Dashboard.

For further details, please refer to the PowerPoint presentation.

Item 5: EX-04 and EX-05 Oversight and Monitoring (2023-2024 Cycle)

Mélanie Laflèche, Executive Director, Leadership Policies and Programs, People and Culture (PC), and Lauren Dowler, Manager, Executive Group Organization and Classification Division, OCHRO, TBS provided an overview of the results of the 2023-2024 EX-04 and EX-05 Oversight and Monitoring activities including: Growth, and Policy compliance and quality of classification decisions.

As of July 8, 2023, Deputy Heads have the authority to create, review, reclassify, and abolish EX-04 and EX-05 positions without needing Treasury Board approval. New policy requirements for the creation and reclassification of these positions have been introduced. OCHRO is using the number of EX-04 and EX-05 positions in each organization as of this date as a baseline to measure growth. The data pertains to the core public administration (CPA) and does not include separate agencies’ data. The benchmarks are 325 permanent Treasury Board authorized positions and 49 employees exceeding these positions.

Since last year, 18 permanent EX-04 and EX-05 positions have been added through new classification activities or reclassifications. The differences between classified positions and employees at these levels are due to staffing flexibilities such as Special Deployments for Executives, double banking of positions, and acting roles. The gap between positions and employees at the EX-04 and EX-05 levels continues to widen.

Moving forward, OCHRO plans to share the 2024 Organizational Executive (EX) Group Classification Health Reports with Core Public Administration organizations in July and publish the 2024 EX Classification Program Dashboard in August. Additionally, OCHRO will provide expanded guidance on policy requirements and host open-door sessions with the EX-Classification Community in October.

Further information may be found in the PowerPoint presentation.

Item 6: Break

Item 7: The Future of Second Language Evaluation (SLE)

Jennifer MacInnis-Vettoretti, Acting Director and Vinh Du Nguyen, Director General, Public Service Commission (PSC) consulted with organizations and the HR community to get their feedback on how the PSC can better support them in the transition to a sustainable model for SLE.

Before 2020, all Second Language Evaluation (SLE) used tools approved by the Public Service Commission (PSC), with departments conducting in-person testing for reading and writing, and the PSC handling oral interaction tests centrally. With the introduction of the SLE-Online Assessment (SLE-OLA), the demand outpaced the PSC’s delivery capabilities.

In response, the PSC enacted a temporary measure in July 2023 to expedite staffing, authorizing organizations to use alternative methods for oral proficiency assessment by conducting their own oral language evaluations. This measure will stay in effect until the PSC can handle the baseline assessments and implement surge measures. Organizations will receive a three-month notice before the rescinding of departmental testing authorizations. The policy also considers the potential for managerial discretion in accepting oral language test results from other organizations for certain levels, aiming to maintain hiring flexibility. Meanwhile, organizations can continue assessing candidates for C-level positions internally or refer them to the PSC for evaluation.

Moving forward, the Public Service Commission (PSC) anticipates an increase in demand as the amendments to the Official Languages Act (C-13) are set to take effect in June 2025. There is a recognized need for greater flexibility in the delivery model to manage fluctuations in demand effectively. Additionally, maintaining rigor is essential to ensure that merit is respected and to enhance risk mitigation concerning unsupervised testing. There is also a focus on promoting diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Furthermore, advances in technology present opportunities to improve efficiencies.

The guiding principles for future developments include ensuring merit through valid and reliable results that uphold official language proficiency standards, promoting equity by making assessments inclusive and minimizing biases and barriers, and increasing efficiency through the portability of results which facilitates mobility. The principles also emphasize stewardship, which involves the effective and efficient use of funds associated with SLE testing, timeliness in service delivery, and innovation in exploring new assessment methods that provide the flexibility needed to address demand surges.

For additional details, please consult the PowerPoint presentation and the summary document.

Item 8: Modernizing the Federal Employment Equity Act Engagement with Heads of Human Resources

Natasha Parriag, Executive Director, OCHRO, TBS shared an update regarding the potential modernization of the Federal Employment Equity Act.

The OCHRO is currently developing a submission for the Labour Program consideration which aims to reflect the views of the employer, informed by core public administration departments. As part of this process, OCHRO is reaching out to Heads of Human Resources across the core public administration for their feedback on potential updates to the Act. The input received will inform the employer’s submission. 

The consultation process, set to continue for one month, will address four key areas: updating the purpose, designated groups and collection of survey data; supporting both employees and employers; strengthening accountability, compliance, and enforcement mechanisms; and improving public reporting.

A consultation call-out will be shared with Heads of HR by the end of May, encouraging departments to submit their feedback, approved by their deputy heads, by June 21, 2024.

Questions on the above may be submitted by Corporate Departmental Services to OCHRO at the following address:  eedi@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Item 9: Central Agencies and Partners Updates

Privy Council Office (PCO)

Germaine Chazou-Essindi, PCO, highlighted important elements in the reporting back, by June 7, 2024, on progress on the Call to Action and Values and Ethics exercises to ensure success for all:

  • Employee engagement is key prior to submitting the responses to PCO (employees should not be surprised by the content of your responses when they are published online).
  • Open and honest reporting – PCO is not seeking perfect responses but rather identifying challenges to be addressed collectively.

Important: Please ensure that all acronyms, in your submissions, are spelled out in full, followed by the acronym in parenthesis the first time they are used (ex. Call to Action (CTA); Public Service Employee Survey (PSES)).

OCHRO, People and Culture (PC)

Mélanie Laflèche, Executive Director, Enabling Talent Programs, PC, OCHRO, provided updates on the following items:

  • Joint Review of EEDI Training

On April 29, 2024 Heads of HR received an email from OCHRO requesting their collaboration to complete an online inventory of training courses related to Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) within their organizations. The EEDI training inventory will be reviewed jointly with the Public Service Alliance with a view to identify gaps and inform the next round of collective bargaining. The deadline to complete the inventory is May 31, 2024.

Separate employers have discretion to complete the inventory of EEDI training if they consider that any of their existing EEDI training could be made available to employees in the Core Public Administration.

  • Update on Special Deployment Guidance and Reporting

The Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) posted Frequently Asked Questions – Special Deployments for Executives on its Executive Management and Leadership Development GCpedia page and is hosting an open house on special deployments on June 4, 2024. The session is open to HR professionals in executive services within the Core Public Administration.

In June, OCHRO will contact CPA organizations to obtain information on special deployments within their departments. The request will be sent directly to heads of HR.

  • EX Performance Management Program (EX PMP) – a reminder of key dates:
    • May 31: deadline for completion of executive performance assessments.
    • July 12: deadline for organizations to submit their preliminary EX PMP report to OCHRO for review.
    • August 16: deadline to submit Deputy Head (DH) approved EX PMP reports and signed DH Attestation to OCHRO.
    • Mid-September: deadline for organizations to submit Payroll Action Requests (PARs) and Pay Annexes to the Pay Centre.

Please note that a completed performance assessment is an eligibility requirement for executive performance pay.

  • Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP)

The call-out for nominations of ELDP cohorts 14 and 15 (for EX-01s to EX-03s) was held last fall. In December, the selection of Cohort 14 was announced, and the learning activities for this cohort are underway. The announcement of the selection of Cohort 15 has been delayed and more information is expected by the beginning of the summer.

  • Update on the Language Training Framework

As mentioned in the February issue of the Updates from the HRC, TBS will be launching the Language Training Framework in June. The framework will include guidelines on second official language training, an implementation handbook and a series of learning paths. Please note that OCHRO consulted the HRC in March 2023 on the vision for this framework and the proposed key deliverables. A complete written update will be shared via a fall issue of the Updates from the HRC once the new tools are launched.

Office of the Public Service Accessibility (OPSA)

Clara Morgan, Director of the Office of the Public Service Accessibility (OPSA) at TBS, shared several updates concerning the office’s initiatives. OPSA has successfully secured funding for an additional two years, allowing it to continue its commitment to eliminating barriers within the Public Service (PS) and enhancing its accessibility strategy. The office has fulfilled its current funding mandate and plans to release a final report, which includes results and recommendations, in the coming weeks.

Significant advancement has been made with the Government of Canada (GC) passport; the updated version will soon be available on Canada.ca, and the implementation guide is being refreshed. Additionally, the digital passport initiative is progressing well, currently in a pilot phase with four organizations. OPSA extends its thanks to Shared Services for their crucial testing efforts.

With regards to the hybrid work model for employees, there is no requirement to review existing duty to accommodate measures currently. However, there are concerns about the availability of sufficient quiet spaces in the workplace. It is essential that we ensure these needs are met and that managers are equipped with the necessary support and tools to foster an accessible and supportive work environment.

APEX

Josée Lafontaine provided the following APEX updates:

  • The 2024 Leadership Summit and Award Ceremony hosted over 1200 guests, including 25 aspiring directors. APEX thanks all that have contributed to making this event a success.
  • The 2025 Summit will take place on June 3 and 4, 2025.
  • The Executive Work and Health Study will be launched on May 27, with a questionnaire sent directly to each executive, to be completed by July  9, 2024.

Item 10: New Measures to Reinforce Best HR and Pay Practices and Improve Data Quality and Consistency

Pankaj Sehgal, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), OCHRO, TBS, Annie Champagne, ADM, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Theresa D’Andrea, ADM and Chief Data Officer and Kim Steele, Chief Technology Officer, from PSPC highlighted collaborative efforts between PSPC and TBS-OCHRO to roll out seven new HR measures. These measures are intended to improve HR and pay processes, reduce manual labor, address high volumes of actions and thus, prepare the Enterprise for the future state of HR and pay.

The first 4 measures must be implemented by July 1, 2024, and are as follows:

  1. Maximize the use of Phoenix’s self-serve functions for Pay Centre organizations, which enables employees, managers, and timekeepers to manage entries or approvals for compensations like extra duty pay, allowances, and leave without pay of 5 days or less.
  2. Align core employee information in departmental HR systems to predefined standards, which enhances efficiency, supports data-driven decisions, and improves experiences for employees transferring between departments.
  3. Hire new term employees for a minimum of seven months, when operational and financially feasible – aims to streamline processes, and reduces subsequent adjustments related to benefits.
  4. Set HR actions to commence the day after a payday helps minimize the risks of under and overpayments and reduces the need for manual recalculations.

Progress on these measures will be tracked through Q2 reports.

The subsequent set of measures are to be implemented by the end of the fiscal year:

  • Apply TBS-OCHRO guidance of what constitutes substantially performing the duties of an EX position for a non EX employee (these actings require manual labor),
  • Updating and maintain employee contact information in departmental systems, and
  • Implement notifications in HR and pay applications.

PSPC will share a toolkit by the end of May to assist departments in the implementation and communication of these measures, providing a roadmap and links to best HR practices.

For further details, please refer to the PowerPoint presentation and the fact Sheets for employees, managers and Deputy Ministers & Assistant Deputy Ministers.

Item 11: Closing Remarks

Renée de Bellefeuille, Head of HR, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and member of the HRC Executive Committee thanked presenters and attendees and mentioned that the next HRC meeting will be held in person at 90 Elgin and is scheduled for June 18, 2024.

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