In May 2002, the Government of Canada signed a declaration designating May as Asian Heritage Month. Adopted by the Senate in 2001, this was proposed by Vivienne Poy, the first Canadian Senator of Asian Heritage. This Month is meant to recognize and acknowledge the various achievements and contributions of Asians in Canadian Society. Along with this, it is also a celebration of their rich and diverse cultural practices and traditions, Asia being the largest continent and comprised of about fifty-four countries.
There is a long list of Canadians of Asian descent who have excelled in the fields of politics, economics, science, sports, medicine, education, music and service but it is fitting to add all Canadians of Asian heritage to this list. When they came to Canada, they were determined to strive and work hard to achieve their goals and realize their dreams. There were a lot of challenges and struggles but in their own diverse little ways, directly or indirectly, they have contributed to the growth and development of their communities, their workplaces and of Canadian society.
Asian Heritage Month is an opportune time to learn and experience the rich and diverse culture of Asia. Join and celebrate. Check out the activities and festivities that have been organized by Asian Heritage Month Societies or other Asian groups in your communities. Check out this link as well from the Asian Heritage Society of Manitoba.
Appreciate and learn more about the diverse cultures of Asia by listening to music, watching a film, reading a book, doing some craft, exploring different tastes and flavours and indulging yourself in Asian culinary delight.
As we mark this year’s Asian Heritage Month, it is also important to take note of what is happening in our surroundings that is greatly affecting Canadians of Asian heritage. They are facing challenges and fear, and some are struggling to live in harmony and peace. This is because of the ongoing hate crimes and racial discrimination that are becoming more prevalent especially during this time of pandemic. Discrimination and hate crimes may come in different forms. It is our duty as Canadians to be aware of these acts of injustice and the plight of Asians and become allies especially in communities where their voices are not being heard.
Happy Asian Heritage Month!
Shirley Torres Regional Vice-President, B.C. and Yukon
During this Mental Health Week, the first question that comes to my mind is, will this pandemic—despite all the negativity that it causes—sensitize society and the public to the problems of mental health? When I hear the most common prejudices like “schizophrenic people are violent”; “depressed people lack drive”; “anxious people are weak-minded”; “bipolar people are hard to manage”, all these prejudices lead to stigmatization and discrimination and show a lack of information on the subject.
I believe that as an advanced and progressive society, we have to start at the start, i.e. education. We say that to have good mental health, the key to success is to lead a balanced life—yes, but the greatest hurdle is that no one is the same, we are all different people, we all have our own histories, and during a global pandemic, what exactly does a balanced life look like? It would be a good idea to focus specifically on the needs of those among us who are vulnerable. Let’s learn to notice changes in behaviour in our loved ones, our colleagues and our friends. Let’s try to understand what mental illnesses are, to differentiate between anxiety disorders, panic attacks and agoraphobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression, bipolar disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, mood disorders and others.
Anyone of us can have mistaken perceptions, but people struggling from mental illnesses have more problems with their thoughts and perceptions. Very often, those close to them are confronted with this reality and their own thoughts and behaviours are greatly affected by it.
Discrimination against people suffering from mental health problems or addictions is often linked to prejudiced attitudes, negative stereotypes, as well as the generalized stigmatization of mental problems and addictions.
The best present that you can give to someone with a mental health problem is to listen to them, recommend that they consult with someone, support them, and show them a great deal of empathy. As you can see, this proves the necessity of increasing education and communication on this subject, in order to fight against taboos, fake news and concerns about mental health. Even nowadays, mental illnesses evoke fears and shame in some people. These behaviours reflect mistaken beliefs, misunderstandings, and ignorance regarding mental illnesses.
We must lead the way as union leaders in helping our community adopt a healthy and positive dialogue and demonstrate that it’s possible to render this topic less taboo, so that people can talk about it freely, without any concerns.
In closing, take care of yourselves and those close to you, and keep in mind that a positive mental attitude leads to positive feelings, which in turn results in positive outcomes.
Daniel Toutant National Vice-President for Human Rights
After months of waiting, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has rejected our request to review the taxability of Phoenix damages. This is directly due to Treasury Board’s refusal to provide CRA with a joint statement of facts which corrects CRA’s understanding of the purpose of our damages settlement agreement.
In an April 27 letter from the CRA, the Agency states:
As discussed in our meeting on February 3, 2021, we consented to reconsider our position only if the Employer and PSAC provided us with an agreed-upon statement of facts. As this did not happen, we have not considered any of the assertions in your draft statement of facts.
After numerous requests for Treasury Board’s cooperation, and direct appeals to Minister Duclos, they have refused any and all cooperation on the matter.
“It’s clear they’re still angry that PSAC forced them to deliver a better deal for our members,” said PSAC President Chris Aylward.
“They’re frustrated that they have to honour the top-up clauses signed with the other unions to match our general damages agreement, and now they’re taking it out on PSAC members by sabotaging attempts to get a positive tax ruling.”
Our union carefully worded the agreement to reflect a wide range of impacts suffered by PSAC members, including for “stress, aggravation, and pain and suffering” and for the late implementation of collective agreements. There is a strong precedent of damages for those purposes being deemed non-taxable by CRA. The tax treatment of the general damages should reflect the purpose of that compensation as outlined in the agreement.
It is unacceptable that Treasury Board refuses to affirm these facts. Instead they informed CRA that the agreement’s purpose is to resolve a policy grievance between the employer and the union – something that may be true for other unions, but not for PSAC’s damages agreement.
We will not let this stand without a fight.
While we continue to explore every legal avenue to appeal CRA’s decision, please take a moment to join our efforts by sharing your outrage directly with Minister Duclos and the Prime Minister.
Our goal is to ensure all PSAC members receive the full compensation they deserve and that we avoid any time consuming and complex tax disputes for individual members. We are also pushing Treasury Board to expedite the availability of the claims process for all former members and retirees who are still waiting to receive their Phoenix general damages.
We will provide additional updates to members about this ongoing work as we move forward.
PSAC members from the PA, SV, EB and TC groups came together for the first-ever virtual National Bargaining Conference April 26-29 to discuss the bargaining issues that will drive the next round of Treasury Board (TB) bargaining.
The pandemic has had a profound impact on the way we live and work, exposed glaring inequalities for marginalized workers and raised other major issues that we need to address through collective bargaining.
Over the last few months, we’ve asked Treasury Board members to send us their feedback about how the pandemic has impacted them and put forward their proposals to help reshape the federal public service in the wake of COVID-19.
At the conference, delegates prioritized their proposals for the next round of bargaining that kicks off this summer and elected their respective bargaining teams.
Key bargaining issues discussed at the conference include:
Remote work
We believe that provisions governing remote work will be most effective when they are negotiated into collective agreements. We must also ensure that remote work is free from remote surveillance and unreasonable performance expectations, that employers cover associated expenses, and that concerns relating to accommodations, ergonomics and health and safety are addressed.
Technological changes
New and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence are poised to play a bigger role in supporting government decision-making and the delivery of public services. We must be properly notified and consulted on these changes, and ensure that any impacts on members are addressed.
Fair wages
In every round of bargaining it is imperative that we maintain our hard-fought gains – and that includes making sure that we secure increased wages that reflect the rising cost of living, and our members’ hard work and dedication.
Many PSAC members are also experiencing a widening wage gap compared to their private-sector counterparts. To continue attracting strong candidates for public service jobs, we must negotiate compensation in line with that of workers in similar occupations in industry.
Contracting out and privatization
Contracting out and privatization of public services increases costs and risk to taxpayers, reduces quality of services, erodes the internal capacity of the public service, creates precarious work, and undermines initiatives that address pay equity and systemic racism.
We must tackle the alarming increase in contracting out of government work, including through temporary staffing agencies.
Work-life balance
With the shift to remote work, we must secure the right of members to disconnect from electronic work devices outside of working hours. We must also expand leave provisions (e.g. 699 leave, family-responsibilities leave, sick leave) to improve work-life balance, which is especially critical for women, caregivers and those with disabilities.
We also need to negotiate flexible work options that allow members to shape their workday to match their personal and family responsibilities.
Classification and gender pay gaps
The outdated classification system used in the public service continues to be completely unresponsive to the work done by many PSAC members. It doesn’t meet the needs of this century’s workplaces and discriminates against work categories dominated by women. We must close the gender pay gap and move towards a gender-neutral classification system that properly measures the work that members do and fully complies with pay equity laws in Canada.
Systemic racism in the workplace
Systemic racism continues to prevent the public service from reaching its full potential. We must actively address the barriers and discrimination faced by racialized and Indigenous workers and ensure that all our members’ workplaces not only reject racism, but actively work to dismantle the structures that sustain it.
We also plan to call on the federal government to provide education to public service workers on the history of Indigenous peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Indigenous rights, Indigenous law, and Indigenous–Crown relations.
Job security
The current period of economic uncertainty emphasizes the need for a fairer workforce adjustment (WFA) process in case of layoffs. The current WFA process threatens more employees with potential displacement than is necessary and forces workers to re-interview for their own jobs, resulting in serious stress and other mental health impacts on affected members.
We must oppose all forms of precarious employment and ensure that all members have timely access to indeterminate employment.
Next steps
Over the next few months, the elected bargaining teams for the PA, SV, EB and TC groups will meet and discuss the bargaining issues prioritized at the National Bargaining Conference and will work on a final package of bargaining demands that will be exchanged with the employer over the summer.
Make sure to keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to receive all the latest updates as we prepare to negotiate your next contract.
Today is April 28, a day set aside by an Act of Parliament we honour and remember all the people who died or were hurt from work related illness and injuries on this National Day of Mourning.
In light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we encourage organizations, communities, and individuals to consider holding or supporting a virtual event, or simply pause at 11:00 am on April 28 for a moment of silence. These acts of remembrance help to honour the lives lost or injured due to workplace tragedy, while also acknowledging the sacrifices of frontline and essential workers who have died or become ill serving during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We also demand that employers in federal and other jurisdictions to respect the rules on workplace health and safety committees and urge them to collaborate more with those committee members to ensure safe workplaces.
In 2020, over 1000 workers died in workplace related accidents in Canada, a similar statistic as in 2019; which is about 3 workers a day; 3 workers a day too many.
We join with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety in their messaging:
We remember workers who have died, became injured, or have suffered from occupational disease while being on the job.
We commit to remember workers and preventing further workplace tragedies.
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat announced that their planned implementation date for Program and Administrative Services (PA) group’s new job evaluation standards is October 2022. This target requires department and system readiness, so it is subject to change.
Although the mapping of actual positions to sub-groups has not yet taken place, we still believe that the PA group will be restructured to five new sub-groups as per our previous update.
Your current rights will be protected regardless of the outcome of this process. This means no one will suffer a reduction in salary due to their classification potentially being converted to a lower wage level. You will be guaranteed to remain at your current salary (this is enshrined in the collective agreement as Salary Protection Status). This protection will apply until the position is vacated. In addition, as wages for your new classification exceed your current salary, your pay will be increased to the new classification level.
As the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination begins to gain momentum, PSAC would like to remind all federal employees that they can request paid 698 leave to attend their vaccination appointment.
With the 698 leave, employees have access to up to a half-day of paid leave to attend a medical or dental appointment. This includes an appointment for vaccination, and time to travel to and from the vaccination site.
The paid leave is possible under a Treasury Board policy covering medical and dental appointments, but PSAC has been in discussions with Treasury Board to ensure that employees who are getting a vaccine that require a booster are also entitled to paid leave for the second vaccination.
However, since 698 leave is only available to employees of the federal government, we ask that provincial and territorial governments follow the federal Treasury Board example and not penalize employees by docking their pay when they protect themselves and their community by getting the COVID-19 vaccine. All workers, regardless of their jurisdiction, should be able to get vaccinated without worrying about their paycheques.
If you have any questions about your rights on the 698 leave, reach out to your local shop steward, your Component, or the PSAC regional office for help and support.
PSAC welcomes the measures in the 2021 budget that respond to the needs of Canadians hardest hit by the pandemic.
Our union is also very pleased to see the historic investment in universal child care, a commitment to finally establishing a federal $15 minimum wage, and resources to battle systemic racism in the federal public service and beyond.
“This historic investment in universal child care is a lifeline for parents who are struggling to afford rising child care fees,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “This is a major victory for our union and child care advocates who have been fighting for affordable, accessible and universal child care for decades.”
The program is key to ensuring parents, especially women who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, re-join the workforce and help drive Canada’s economic recovery.
The government’s increased pandemic support, including the new Canada Recovery Hiring Program, recognizes PSAC members’ success in delivering these critical services to Canadians and underscores the important role of a strong public service.
“Now more than ever, Canadians need to be reassured that they’ll still be able to pay their bills even if they can’t work because of COVID-19,” said Aylward. “Public service workers stepped up when Canadians needed them most, and they’ll continue to deliver the financial aid workers depend on.”
It remains disappointing that the government failed to act on its commitment to create a national, universal pharmacare program. Canadians need pharmacare now more than ever as workers continue to lose access to prescription drug coverage because of pandemic job losses.
The government also continues to fund important community infrastructure by putting the profits of private companies before the needs of Canadians through the Canada Infrastructure Bank and increased Social Financing.
“Privatization of public assets and services costs more, provides poorer service and increases safety and security risks, all while leaving the government – and Canadian taxpayers – on the hook to foot the larger bill,” said Aylward.
PSAC is pressing governments to prioritize vaccinations for critical front-line workers across Canada to limit the spread of COVID-19.
PSAC represents thousands of front-line workers doing critical work at Canada’s borders, in federal penitentiaries, day shelters and group homes, community parole officers, firefighters, Coast Guard staff and employees on military bases, meat-packing plant workers, food inspectors and many more.
Their close contact with the public and other employees while performing their work puts them at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 and contributing to outbreaks in their communities. That’s why it’s crucial that all provinces and territories provide access to vaccinations for front-line essential workers as soon as possible, as per Stage 2 of the Government of Canada’s vaccine schedule.
“The federal government has an obligation to safeguard the health and safety of all its employees during the pandemic,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “Federal ministers must step in and mandate provinces and territories to accelerate vaccinations for front-line essential workers as soon as possible, as recommended in the federal government’s own vaccination schedule.”
PSAC and components, including the Customs and Immigration Union and the Union of Safety and Justice Employees, have been lobbying both the federal and provincial governments, including Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, to prioritize vaccinations for our members.
“Canada Border Services Agency personnel have continued to perform critical work despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jean-Pierre Fortin, CIU national president, representing more than 11,000 CBSA officers and workers across the country. “With a third wave now well underway and the growing threat of COVID variants, it’s imperative for frontline Border Services officers to be prioritized for vaccinations equally across the country, alongside other first responders and law enforcement personnel.”
Some provinces have prioritized vaccinations for front-line workers early on, while others still refuse to consider many front-line workers essential under their vaccination plans, creating a patchwork system that puts workers and the Canadians they serve at risk. Two workers, doing the same job and facing the same risk of exposure to COVID-19, could be vaccinated months apart under the current provincial arrangement.
“By not quickly moving to vaccinate all front-line staff who work day in and day out with federal offenders, we put thousands of Canadians and employees at continued high risk of COVID-19 outbreaks,” said Stan Stapleton, national president of the Union of Safety and Justice Employees representing all federal employees working in rehabilitative, parole, maintenance, food service and related support roles in federal minimum, medium and maximum security penitentiaries, as well as Community Correctional Centres and parole offices across Canada.
PSAC will continue to pressure the federal government to work collaboratively with provincial public health authorities and ensure all front-line workers are equally prioritized as part of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
