Ottawa
Unions representing federal public servants say the government needs to do more to address dissatisfaction in the workforce after a recent report found some employees are unable to feel pride in their work.
Employees report being unable to feel pride in their work
Robyn Miller · CBC News
· Posted: Feb 07, 2024 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: February 7
People enter the federal government’s C.D. Howe Building in downtown Ottawa on Jan. 11, 2024. (Francis Ferland/CBC)Unions representing federal public servants say the government needs to do more to address dissatisfaction among the workforce after a recent report found some employees are unable to feel pride in their work.
“It’s more difficult now to be proud to be a public servant because of people’s perceptions of the institution and because of Canada’s role on the global stage,” said one participant who testified as part of the Deputy Ministers’ Task Team on Values and Ethics Report.
The report was published in late December by members of a task force assembled by Privy Council Clerk John Hannaford.
It’s the first major values and ethics review since an earlier report titled A Strong Foundation was released nearly 30 years ago.
Alex Silas, a regional executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said the union supports the recommendations in the report but wants to see action.
“What we’ve seen historically, unfortunately, is that the values and ethics proposed by the federal government are not implemented in the workplaces of the federal government,” Silas said.
Feds have spent more than $7.8M fighting class-action filed by Black civil servants Public servant paid to keep quiet about discrimination on the job According to the report, it drew its findings from more than 90 conversations with public servants and external stakeholders starting in September 2023.
Alex Silas is regional executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada for the National Capital Region. (Olivier Plante/CBC)What the report heardThe report notes “public servants must provide frank and professional advice, without partisan considerations or fear of criticism or political reprisals.”
It includes accounts of racism and discrimination and a perceived double standard from unequal application of the government’s Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.
“The higher up the food chain you go, the less accountability seems to exist,” said one participant.
“I am still finding a lack of cultural competency when it comes to engaging with Indigenous Peoples,” said another.
Indigenous staff press ahead with lawsuit against on-reserve oil and gas agency Few federal employees taking part in Indigenous training sessions In a statement, the president of the department responsible for the federal public service said the team is reviewing the recommendations and will soon discuss next steps.
“Every public servant deserves a safe and healthy work environment, period. Officials receive training on respect in the workplace and are encouraged to report any behaviour that goes against the Code,” said President of the Treasury Board Anita Anand.
Some participants noted a feeling of censorship that “includes having a social media presence that is aligned with values and ethics principles.”
“How does the non-partisan stance that public servants are supposed to demonstrate mix with [values and ethics] when it comes to world events and crises?” one participant asked.
“Public servants should have a policy for social media use that outlines what we can say on a public platform and we should not say on a public platform,” another participant noted.
The president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada said the report’s recommendations did not answer those specific questions.
“Which makes it very hard for us as unions to provide guidance and to serve our members and for the public servants to know what is and isn’t OK,” said Jennifer Carr, adding she hopes it wasn’t merely a “performative exercise.”
Jennifer Carr is president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. (Matthew Kupfer/CBC)Report recommendationsThe report said “the pandemic dramatically changed how the public service works, impacted citizens’ trust in public institutions, increased their expectations and diminished their overall satisfaction with government services.”
Its 15 recommendations include asking senior leaders to continue “the engagement with equity-deserving communities and networks,” and that central agencies “update guidance for social media use as required.”
Wayne Wouters, the former clerk of the privy council appointed by Stephen Harper in 2009, said it’s an excellent start because of the importance of values and ethics to the public service.
“They have far-reaching implications for governance, for public trust and for the well-being of our society and Canadians as a whole,” Wouters said.
“It is our foundation, it is the basis of public trust.”
Public Service Alliance of Canada members on the picket line at the Tunney’s Pasture government complex in Ottawa last spring. This photo was taken using a drone. (Michel Aspirot/CBC)Wouters, now a strategy and policy adviser at law firm McCarthy Tétrault, said if he was still clerk today he would continue the dialogue.
“I’m biased, very biased, but it is still one of the best public services in the world. We’ve just got to keep modernizing our system and ensure that [staff] can be the most productive and add the most value they can in serving Canadians,” he said.
A spokesperson for the office of the privy council said the observations and recommendations in the report will help identify next steps.
“Clerk Hannaford has also asked deputies to play a pivotal role in continuing to broaden conversations within their organizations, and to report to him and the Deputy Clerk on their progress,” the statement said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robyn Miller is a multi-platform journalist at CBC Ottawa. She has also worked at CBC in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
With files from Avanthika Anand and Radio-Canada’s Estelle Côté-Sroka