Public Service Modernization

PSAC Response to Bill C-25

For details on the PSAC response to Bill C-25, including our recommended amendments, you may refer to our submission to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (PDF Document). Here is a quick summary of our main concerns:

C-25 waters down the merit principle by allowing only one person with the “essential” qualifications of a position to be considered for the job and removing “relative merit” from the Public Service Employment Act. This means that a manager could easily appoint one of his/her favourites to a position.

C-25 limits the grounds for complaints in the staffing process to abuse of authority and language of choice. Whether or not a candidate was tested in their language of choice will be easy to prove, but abuse of authority is almost impossible to prove. This means that very few individuals will be able to successfully challenge any staffing decision that is made.

C-25 broadens the definition of essential services and gives the employer the exclusive right to determine the level and frequency of service during a strike. This means that the right to strike will be severely curtailed, if not removed completely.

C-25 gives the employer control of the designations process in a way that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to know which employees are designated and which are not. This means that there will be more problems on picket lines, not fewer.

C-25 calls for a striking worker who, perhaps unknowingly, prevents a designated worker from entering the work place to be convicted of a summary offence. This means that the government does not trust its own workers to act responsibly.

C-25 continues to exclude fundamental workplace issues such as staffing and classification from collective bargaining. This means that the government has no real interest in working more collaboratively with unions.

Bill C-25 must not be adopted as currently drafted. PSAC members deserve a healthy and productive workplace: We need your help to make it happen!