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Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau

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• Prime Minister announces changes in the senior ranks of the public service

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The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the following changes in the senior ranks of the public service:

Laura Lee Langley , currently Deputy Minister of the Office of Citizen-Centered Approaches; Deputy Minister of the Office of the Premier, Head of the Public Service, Clerk of the Executive Council, Chief Executive Officer of Communications; and Deputy Minister of the Treasury and Policy Board, Government of Nova Scotia, becomes President of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, effective July 2, 2024.

Christine McDowell , currently Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Client Service Delivery, Employment and Social Development Canada, becomes Associate Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs, effective May 27, 2024.

Biographical Notes

• Laura Lee Langley
• Christine McDowell

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Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act: Supporting Documentation

Background information.

Hiring activities refers to indeterminate and term appointments to the public service, the hiring of casuals as per subsection 50(1) of the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) and the hiring of students under the Student Employment Programs Participants Exclusion Approval Order . Indeterminate and term appointments to the public service include appointments from the general public, including former casuals, students and employees of government organizations that are not subject to the PSEA.

Staffing activities to and within the public service include appointments to the public service as well as promotions, lateral and downward movements and acting appointments of indeterminate and term employees. Deployments of employees within or between organizations that are subject to the PSEA are counted in lateral and downward movements.

Hiring and staffing activities data are derived from information received from the Treasury Board Secretariat Incumbent File. This file is extracted from the Public Services and Procurement Canada pay system. The Public Service Commission (PSC) has developed a series of algorithms that are used to produce the PSC’s official record of hiring and staffing activities across the federal public service, based on pay records submitted by organizations. Recruitment data for the Recruitment of Policy Leaders Initiative and the Post-Secondary Recruitment Program are based on individuals who have applied to these programs through the PSC’s Public Service Resourcing System and where a match was found in the PSC hiring and staffing activities file covering the current fiscal year.

Dataset documentation

* Regarding “ Notes ,” for each entry the content in brackets refers to a variable within the dataset.

Hiring activities under the Public Service Employment Act , by tenure and fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1A)

• Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files.

Hiring activities and population under the Public Service Employment Act , by geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1B)

• Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files and population files.
• Note (Unknown): Records missing a regional indicator are labelled as unknown.
• Note: Hiring activities to the public service and population include indeterminate and term employees as well as casual workers and students.

Indeterminate staffing activities to the public service under the Public Service Employment Act , contributing to movement of indeterminate employees, by fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1C)

• Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities.
• Note: Inflow includes movements from non-Public Service Employment Act organizations such as the Canada Revenue Agency.

Indeterminate staffing activities within the public service under the Public Service Employment Act , contributing to movement of indeterminate employees, by fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1D)

• Note:  As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (CFFPSC_AR1G) dataset.
• Note: Promotions, lateral and downward movements within the public service include appointments of persons with a priority entitlement to indeterminate positions where the previous tenure was also indeterminate.
• Note: Lateral and downward movements include deployments and appointments of persons with a reinstatement priority entitlement that does not end the priority entitlement. Acting appointments of less than four months are excluded.

Indeterminate separations under the Public Service Employment Act , contributing to movement of indeterminate employees, by fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1E)

• Source: Public Service Commission separations files.
• Note: Due to a change in data capture methods, the information used to populate this table is no longer available.  This table will not be updated past 2017-2018 but will remain available for historical purposes only.
• Note: Outflow does not include inter-organizational movements within the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA), but does include movements to organizations outside the PSEA. Individuals who left the public service as part of Spending Review 2012 are reported under other separations.

Appointments under the Public Service Employment Act of new indeterminate employees, by fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1F)

Internal staffing activities of indeterminate employees under the Public Service Employment Act , by type and fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1G)

• Note: Promotions and lateral and downward movements within the public service include appointments of persons with a priority entitlement to indeterminate positions where the previous tenure was also indeterminate.
• Note: Lateral and downward movements include deployments. Acting appointments of less than four months are excluded. Figures also include appointments of persons with a priority entitlement.

Staffing activities of new indeterminate executive employees under the Public Service Employment Act , by source and fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1H)

Estimates of percentage of appointments under the Public Service Employment Act to and within the public service, by appointment type, process and fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1I)

• Source: Public Service Commission (PSC) hiring and staffing activities files matched to their administrative data sources.
• Note (appointment type): Includes indeterminate and term appointments. Excludes lateral and downward movements, deployments and acting appointments of less than four months.
• Note: Due to timing and data quality issues, the PSC was able to match approximately 71% of appointments to the public service, 93% of promotions and 63% of acting appointments with PSC administrative data sources in 2022-2023. The averages for 2014-2015 to 2022-2023 result in a match rate of approximately 74% of appointments to the public service, 90% of promotions and 52% of acting appointments with PSC administrative data sources.

Indeterminate appointments and staffing activities to all bilingual positions (including the Executive Group) under the Public Service Employment Act , by language requirements of position and fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1J)

• Note: Due to a change in data capture methods, the information used to populate this table is no longer available.  This table will not be updated past 2016-2017 but will remain available for historical purposes only.
• Note: Includes appointments to the public service, promotions and lateral and downward movements, but excludes acting appointments

Student employment program activities, by fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1K)

• Source: Public Service Resourcing System and Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files.
• Note: As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (CFFPSC_AR1FF) dataset.
• Note (Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) / Student hires): These figures include initial hires and extensions of employment with a break in service.
• Note (Research Affiliate Program (RAP) / Student Applications): These figures exclude cancelled advertisements.
• Note (RAP / Student Hires): These figures include initial hires and extensions of employment with a break in service, as well as hires occurring prior to an advertisement being cancelled.
• Note (Post-Secondary Co-op and Internship Program (COOP) / Student Hires): These figures include initial hires and extensions of employment with a break in service, as well as hires occurring prior to an advertisement being cancelled.
• Note (FSWEP / Student Applications): The redesigned FSWEP application process came into effect on January 31, 2017. Applicants were required to register in the new system even if they had already applied to the previous campaign. Due to the change in methodology, year-over-year comparisons of the number of applications are not possible for FSWEP.
• Note (FSWEP / Student Applications): The figures previously reported in the Open Government Portal for the number of FSWEP applications have been revised for the years prior to 2016-2017.

Post-Secondary Recruitment program highlights, by fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1L)

• Note: Data in this table includes only advertisements where the Public Service Commission administered the advertisement on behalf of an organization and as such may not align with other published data on Post-Secondary Recruitment.

Estimates of percentage of indeterminate appointments under the Public Service Employment Act to the public service, by recruitment mechanism, by fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1M)

• Source: Public Service Commission (PSC) hiring and staffing activities files matched to other administrative data sources.
• Note: As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (CFFPSC_AR1HH) dataset.
• Note: Figures are based on the percentage of indeterminate appointments from the PSC hiring and staffing activities files matched to the PSC administrative data sources (approximately 90%).
• Note: Recruitment mechanisms are mutually exclusive. 
• Note: Hiring of former students is not a recruitment mechanism.
• Note: General recruitment refers to appointments to the public service that were not achieved through recruitment programs.

Note: Recruitment of former students refers to the appointment of an individual to a term or indeterminate appointment who had experience in one of the student employment programs in the 10 years prior to their appointment. It is a subset of General Recruitment rather than a recruitment program.

Overall hiring and staffing activities to and within the public service, by type and tenure (CFPPSC_AR1N)

• Source: Public Service Commission (PSC) hiring and staffing activities files.
• Note: As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) (CFFPSC_AR1Z) dataset.
• Note (Acting appointments): Excludes acting appointments of less than four months.
• Note: Lateral and downward movements include deployments. As the appointment process is not captured by the Public Services and Procurement Canada pay system, it is not possible to differentiate between lateral and downward appointments and deployments.
• Note: The Student Employment Programs Participants Exclusion Approval Order and Student Employment Programs Participants Regulations apply to participants in the Federal Student Work Experience Program, the Research Affiliate Program, the Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program or any other student employment program established by Treasury Board Secretariat, after consultation with the PSC, who are hired by organizations whose appointments are subject to the PSEA.

Overall hiring and staffing activities to and within the public service, by tenure and previous employment status (CFPPSC_AR1O)

• Note : As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) (CFFPSC_AR1AA) dataset.
• Note: Appointments to casual and student positions are not considered to have a previous employment status and are reported under "General public."

Staffing activities by type and occupational group (CFPPSC_AR1P)

• Note: As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (CFFPSC_AR1BB) dataset.
• Note: Includes indeterminate and term staffing activities but excludes casual and student hires.

Staffing activities by type and geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1Q)

Staffing activities by type and first official language group (CFPPSC_AR1R)

• Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files
• Note: As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (CFFPSC_AR1DD) dataset.

Staffing activities by type, first official language group and language requirements of position (CFPPSC_AR1S)

• Note (Bilingual non-imperative met): The person appointed met the language requirements of the position at the time of appointment.
• Note (Bilingual non-imperative must meet): The person appointed must attain, through language training, the language requirements of the position within two years of the date of the appointment, unless this period is extended for one or more additional periods, of not more than two years, in the circumstances prescribed in the Public Service Official Languages Appointment Regulations .
• Note (Bilingual non-imperative not required to meet): The person appointed is exempt from meeting the language requirements of the position for the duration of the appointment on medical grounds or as a result of their eligibility for an immediate annuity, as specified in the Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order .
• Note (Staffing activities within the public service): Lateral and downward movements include deployments. As the appointment process is not captured by the Public Services and Procurement Canada pay system, it is not possible to differentiate between lateral and downward appointments and deployments. Excludes acting appointments of less than four months.
• Note (Appointments to the public service / Unknown): Due to the implementation of the Phoenix pay system, the linguistic position requirements of 32% of hires (5 541) were “unknown” for 2016-2017, compared with 2.7% (374) in 2015-2016.

Student hiring activities and appointments to the public service, by recruitment program and geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1T)

• Source: Public Service Commission (PSC) hiring and staffing activities files and Public Service Resourcing System.
• Note: As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) (CFFPSC_AR1FF and CFPPSC_AR1HH) dataset.
• Note: Due to a change in reporting methodology, data for appointments under the Recruitment of Policy Leaders (RPL) program are no longer comparable to figures published prior to 2017-2018. Updated figures are in the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) (CFFPSC_AR1II) dataset.
• Note (General recruitment / Appointment): Includes recruitment of former students.
• Note: The Student Employment Programs Participants Exclusion Approval Order and Student Employment Programs Participants Regulations apply to participants in Federal Student Work Experience Program, the Research Affiliate Program, the Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program or any other student employment program established by Treasury Board Secretariat, after consultation with the PSC, who are hired by organizations whose appointments are subject to the PSEA.
• Note: The figures under the Post-Secondary Recruitment Program include external term and indeterminate appointments of applicants from the current and previous years' campaigns, as not all appointments are completed within the same fiscal year. They include appointments under the Advanced Policy Analyst Program but exclude appointments of post-secondary graduates made directly by organizations outside of the program.
• FSWEP: Federal Student Work Experience Program
• RAP: Research Affiliate Program
• CO-OP: Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program
• PSR: Post-Secondary Recruitment Program
• RPL: Recruitment of Policy Leaders Initiative

Staffing activities by type and organization (CFPPSC_AR1U)

• Note: As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Hiring and Staffing Activities under the Public Service Employment Act (CFFPSC_AR1GG) dataset.
• Note: Lateral and downward movements include deployments. As the appointment process is not captured by the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) pay system, it is not possible to differentiate between lateral and downward appointments and deployments.
• Note: The difference between the number of active organizations identified in this table and the number of organizations who were under an Appointment Delegation and Accountability Instrument at the end of 2017-2018 is related to organizations that do not show as separate entities in the PSPC pay system. For these organizations, the PSC cannot show hiring and staffing activities.
• Note: In 2015-2016, Statistics Canada hired a large number of specified term employees to work on Census and National Household Survey operations under the Statistics Canada Census and Survey Related Term Employment Exclusion Approval Order , inflating specified term hires in the National Capital Region and in the Clerical and Regulatory group in particular.

Executive indeterminate and term staffing activities under the Public Service Employment Act , by language requirements of position and fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1V)

• Note: Due to a change in data capture methods, the information used to populate this table is no longer available.  This table will not be updated past 2016-2017 but will remain available for historical purposes only.
• Note: Includes appointments to the public service, promotions, lateral and downward movements and acting appointments of at least four months.

Indeterminate appointments and staffing activities to Executive bilingual positions under the Public Service Employment Act , by language requirements of position and fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1W)

• Note: Includes appointments to the public service, promotions and lateral and downward movements, but excludes acting appointments.

Indeterminate and term staffing activities under the Public Service Employment Act , by language requirements of position, type of appointment and fiscal year (CFPPSC_AR1X)

• Note: Includes appointments to the public service, promotions, lateral and downward movements and acting appointments of at least four months. Most employees appointed on a non-imperative basis met the linguistic requirements of the position.

Indeterminate and term appointments to the public service under the Public Service Employment Act , by first official language group and fiscal year within and outside the National Capital Region (CFPPSC_AR1Y)

Overall hiring and staffing activities to and within the public service, by type, tenure and geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1Z)

• Source: Public Service Commission (PSC) hiring and staffing activities files
• Note: The Student Employment Programs Participants Exclusion Approval Order and Student Employment Programs Participants Regulations apply to participants in the Federal Student Work Experience Program, the Research Affiliate Program, the Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program or any other student employment program established by the Treasury Board Secretariat, after consultation with the PSC, who are hired by organizations whose appointments are subject to the Public Service Employment Act .

Overall hiring and staffing activities to and within the public service, by tenure, previous employment status and geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1AA)

Staffing activities by type, occupational group and geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1BB)

• Note: Lateral and downward movements include deployments. As the appointment process is not captured by Public Services and Procurement Canada pay system, it is not possible to differentiate between lateral and downward appointments and deployments.
• Note:   EX – Executive category includes appointments to both the EX and GX occupational groups.

Staffing activities by type, geographic area and organization (CFPPSC_AR1CC)

Staffing activities by type, first official language group and geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1DD)

Staffing activities by type, first official language group, language requirements of position and geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1EE)

• Note (Bilingual non-imperative must meet): The person appointed must attain, through language training, the language requirements of the position within two years of the date of the appointment, unless this period is extended for one or more additional periods – of not more than two years – in the circumstances prescribed in the Public Service Official Languages Appointment Regulations .

Student hiring activities to the public service, by program and geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1FF)

• Source: Public Service Commission (PSC) hiring and staffing activities files and the Public Service Resourcing System
• CO-OP: Post-Secondary Co-operative/Internship Program

Staffing activities by type, organization and geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1GG)

• Note: The difference between the number of active organizations identified in this table and the number of organizations who were under an Appointment Delegation and Accountability Instrument at the end of 2020-2021 is related to organizations that do not show as separate entities in the PSPC pay system. For these organizations, the PSC cannot show hiring and staffing activities.

Appointments to the public service, Post-secondary Recruitment Program, by geographic area (CFPPSC_AR1HH)

• Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files and the Public Service Resourcing System
• Note: The figures under the Post-Secondary Recruitment Program include external term and indeterminate appointments of applicants from the current and previous years' campaigns, as not all appointments are completed within the same fiscal year. They include appointments under the Advanced Policy Analyst Program, but exclude appointments of post-secondary graduates made directly by organizations.
• PSR: Post-secondary Recruitment Program

Hiring and staffing activities, Recruitment of Policy Leaders (CFPPSC_AR1II)

• Note: The number of Recruitment of Policy Leaders (RPL) appointments for 2017-2018 has been revised from the figures previously reported. There were 21 term and indeterminate RPL appointments in 2017-2018.
• Note: Figures presented only show hiring and staffing activities made in organizations under the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA). Additionally, there was one activity which took place in a Non-PSEA organization in 2017-2018 as well as one in 2019-2020.  
• Note: Due to a change in reporting methodology, data for appointments under the Recruitment of Policy Leaders (RPL) program are no longer comparable to figures published prior to 2017-2018.

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Acting in a position

From: Public Services and Procurement Canada

This page provides information about various acting role scenarios and how they may affect your pay.

Disclaimer: Changes in your work or life situation

The information on this page applies to departments and agencies served by the Pay Centre . If your department or agency is not served by the Pay Centre, contact your departmental compensation unit.

Please request additional guidance from your manager, departmental human resources and finance, as pay-related information and processes are subject to change.

On this page

How acting pay is calculated, acting roles and the pay centre, pay increments and revisions, acting groups.

• Calculating pay for a subsequent acting role
• Promotions and deployments

Acting pay is the rate of pay that you would be paid on appointment to a higher classification level, as calculated following the promotion or deployment rules set out in section A2.2 (Rate of pay) of the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment .

The promotion pay rate calculation rules are used to determine your acting positon’s pay level. A promotion, for pay calculation purposes, occurs when the maximum pay level of the position you are acting in exceeds the maximum pay level of your substantive position by:

• the lowest pay increment of the new position, or
• 4% of the rate of the new position if there is only one rate of pay, or
• 4% of the maximum rate of the new position where the appointment is to a group governed by performance pay (for example AS-08, PE-06, FI-04)

For more information, consult sections 2.2.2.3 , 2.2.2.4 and 2.2.2.5 of the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment .

Certain job classifications have specific calculations identified in their terms and conditions of employment or salary administration plan relative to their appointments. Consult with your manager or human resources advisor or refer to your collective agreement for more information.

Unless the case is considered an acting pay exception , the Pay Centre does not require any further documentation to process an acting extension. For more information, consult with your manager or human resources advisor.

While in an acting role, you will continue to receive normal pay increments in your substantive pay level. Depending on your substantive pay level, you may also be entitled to receive pay increments in your current acting pay level. For more information, consult sections 2.6.4.1 , 2.6.4.2 of the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment .

If you do receive a pay increment in your substantive pay level, your current acting pay level will be recalculated and adjusted accordingly. If this results in a current acting pay level that is less than your new increased substantive pay level, you will continue to receive the same current acting pay level. For more information, consult section 2.6.3.1 of the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment .

You are entitled to any revision in the pay level of your current acting role. For more information, consult sections 2.6.3.1 , 2.6.3.2 and 2.3.1 of the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment .

While in an acting role, you are subject to the terms and conditions of employment and the collective agreement of the acting group. If you are acting in the Executive Group, you remain covered by the terms and conditions of employment or the collective agreement of your substantive position; however, you will not be entitled to overtime, call back, reporting pay, standby, shift premiums, travelling time or any other cash compensation which is dependent on completing a specified number of hours in a normal work week. For more information, consult sections 2.6.8.1 and 2.6.8.2 of the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment

Calculating pay for a subsequent acting appointments

While in an acting appointment, if your role shifts to a more senior acting level, your pay level will be calculated using your substantive salary. If this results in a pay level that is less than your original acting pay level, you will be paid at the rate that is nearest to, but not less than your original acting pay level.

When you return to your original acting role, you will revert back to your original acting pay level.

For more information, consult 2.6.5 b of the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment .

Promotions and deployments (while in an acting position)

If you are promoted or deployed while acting in a position, your promotion/deployment pay level will be calculated using your new substantive salary.

Refer to section 2.6.6 , subsection 2.6.6.1 and 2.6.6.2 of the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment to find out how your new acting salary is established based on your specific scenario.

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• Screening applicants

Assessing applicants

• Conducting interviews
• Rating applicants
• Past work performance
• Continuous service

Assessment describes any type of activity that determines the extent to which applicants possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and behavioural competencies required for the BC Public Service job.

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Assessment methods, which methods to use.

The most common way to assess applicants is to conduct an interview or written assignment.

Additional assessment methods include:

• Planning and Conducting Interviews (DOCX, 283KB) : In person interviews, phone interviews and online interviews
• Simulations: In-basket exercises, role plays and oral presentations
• Written assignments: Multiple choice, short answer, long answer, true or false and checklist or matching
• Online testing: Behavioural testing, cognitive testing, skills testing
• Past work performance checks: Reference checks, work samples and performance reviews
• Physical tests: Capacity or aptitude tests

The following assessment methods are commonly used to assess knowledge, skills, abilities and behavioural competencies

• Written assignments
• Job simulations
• Knowledge-based interview questions

Skills and abilities

• Online skills
• Oral presentations
• In-basket exercises
• Physical tests
• Hypothetical interview question
• Reference checks

Behavioural competencies

• Behavioural interview questions

To get a more complete picture of applicant's competence and ability to do the job, use multiple assessment methods to assess all the critical knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies.

For information on providing accommodation during the hiring process, please review the Manager's Guide to Reasonable Accommodation (PDF, 438KB) .

For more information about assessment options, please contact AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) by submitting a service request using the categories A Hiring Manager > Hiring Process > Assessment & Selection.

• Manage my hiring competitions (IDIR restricted)
• Manager's Guide to Reasonable Accommodation (PDF, 438KB)
• Planning and Conducting Interviews (DOCX, 283KB)
• Selection Plan Template (DOCX, 119KB)

Can’t find what you need? 

Submit an  AskMyHR  (IDIR restricted) service request.

If you're a government employee without an IDIR,  contact the BC Public Service Agency  to submit your service request.

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Career mobility in and out of the federal public service: 7 Interchange Canada facts

As interest in the “gig economy” continues to grow, more and more individuals are choosing short-term employment opportunities for career development. There is a widely held myth that the federal government lacks the flexibility, accessibility and willingness to enable this type of flexible career mobility for employees. However, whether you or your clients are employed in the public, private, non-profit, or any other sector, there is an opportunity to leverage Interchange Canada for a temporary career move.

Taking part in the “gig economy” is not limited to the start-ups and software developers of the world. Employees inside and outside of the Government of Canada have access to this powerful talent mobility tool that can help expose them to new insights, different ways of doing things, as well as knowledge and skills they may not have had before.

Interchange Canada is a cross-sectoral career mobility mechanism that facilitates temporary assignments in and out of the core public administration of the Government of Canada. It is a strategic organizational tool that aims to ensure transfer of knowledge and expertise, build understanding and improve networks between the core public administration and other sectors, and contribute to the professional development of participants.

Although thousands of Interchange Canada assignments have taken place across the globe in various sectors over the years, many people are still surprised when they learn that Interchange Canada exists. In no particular order, here are seven facts you may not have known about Interchange Canada:

1. Interchange Canada has been around for decades.

Interchange Canada was launched in 1971 to encourage, through the exchange of executive personnel, a closer relationship between the private and federal public sectors. Today, Interchange Canada is open to employees of all classifications and levels and contributes to several Government of Canada priorities, including the Beyond2020 vision of creating an equipped, inclusive and agile workforce.

2. Over 400 Interchange assignments were initiated in the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

It is a common misconception that Interchange Canada is only for executives. However, did you know that in 2017-2018, 90% of assignments were at the non-executive level? While Interchange assignments typically last one year, there is no minimum assignment duration and the Directive on Interchange Canada allows for a maximum assignment duration of three years.

3. There is a suite of digital tools helping connect interested employees with potential assignment opportunities.

The official Interchange Canada website includes a portal allowing organizations inside and outside the core public administration to post available assignments. Users can sign up for Assignment Opportunity Alerts to be the first to know when a new assignment has been uploaded. In addition, the Interchange Canada resume bank includes a vast pool of talent from different sectors and regions, accessible by managers and HR professionals both inside and outside the core public administration. A wide variety of support is available to organizations and participants in setting up Interchange assignments, including through digital Government of Canada platforms.

4. Interchange assignments can take place anywhere in the world.

Interchange assignments have taken place in countries such as France, Australia, Korea and the United States, to name a few. According to a recent external comparative analysis, Interchange Canada is one of the only programs of its kind in the world.

5. Interchange Canada can be used to acquire specialized expertise and transfer knowledge across sectors.

With the emergence of fields such as disruptive technology, automation, artificial intelligence and robotics, various levels of government and industries can benefit from subject matter experts’ knowledge now more than ever. Interchange Canada is not a staffing process, nor does it require a reciprocal exchange to take place. Thus, a host organization can quickly access and engage specialists who possess highly sought-after technical knowledge.

6. Participants do not gain or lose financially by going on an Interchange assignment.

During their Interchange assignment, a participant remains subject to the terms and conditions of their substantive position in their home organization. Every Interchange Canada Letter of Agreement must contain a statement that the participant will return to their home organization following the end of their assignment.

7. Interchange Canada is frequently used as the enabling mechanism allowing employee mobility in a variety of different programs.

Canada’s Free Agents , Code for Canada (C4C) and the Privy Council Office Fellowships , among others, are examples of several programs that use Interchange Canada to enable the mobility of participants. Interchange Canada is a flexible talent mobility mechanism that can be used as the backbone for large-scale initiatives. This reputation has solidified the position of Interchange Canada as a leader of innovation and driver of creativity.

Whether you are working with a client who wants to try out a career in public service, or a public servant who wants to build their skills in industry, Interchange Canada assignments can provide career-changing opportunities. Home and host organizations benefit from new knowledge and expertise, while participants gain unforgettable experiences and in-demand skills.

For more information, employees in the core public administration can contact their departmental Interchange Canada liaison officer (there is an up-to-date list for both Executive and Non-Executive contacts). Employees from outside organizations can contact the Interchange Canada team at [email protected] .

Want the best of CareerWise delivered to your inbox each week? Subscribe to our popular  CareerWise Weekly   newsletter to receive top news and views in career development every Tuesday.

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Careers: Ontario Public Service

Learn more about what job opportunities are available at the Ontario Public Service ( OPS ).

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The Ontario Public Service ( OPS ) is one of the largest employers in the province, employing more than 60,000 people. We have a wide range of meaningful and rewarding career opportunities in communities across Ontario. We welcome new ideas and new people, encourage learning and development, and reward achievement. We offer challenging work and competitive pay and benefits.

With government involved in so many different lines of business, working in the OPS offers a tremendous range of exciting career opportunities.

For example, just some of the areas we hire for include:

• Administrative and Support Services
• Customer and Client Services
• Education and Training
• Human Resources
• Science and Engineering, and

Career opportunities

As one of the largest employers in the province, the OPS offers work in a variety of locations, within five regional boundaries:

Note : your job search will only list cities where active job postings are available.

Search current job openings

Our workplace

Values are important to the way an organization works, how staff members are treated, and how people work with each other and with people outside the organization including both customers and stakeholders.

The OPS organizational values are what the public service is striving for and the working environment that we are creating together. These values guide our behaviour and relationships.

We act honorably and honestly in all our relationships with the people we serve, work with and who rely on us. We do our best to keep our commitments and fulfill expectations.

We deal with others in an open, impartial and non-discriminatory manner. We ensure that the processes we use and the decisions we make are fair.

We celebrate our differences and draw on the strengths and capabilities of all of Ontario’s communities. We welcome and respect alternate points of view to inform and enlighten us.

We strive for and recognize competence and excellence. We work hard to provide the best policy advice and the highest quality services that respond to the needs of Ontarians.

We create new solutions by listening and learning and by being innovative and open to new ideas and approaches.

Collaboration

We work with team members, colleagues and partners to solve problems and share responsibility.

We make careful, prudent and effective use of the hard-earned public dollars, assets and resources entrusted to us.

Responsiveness

We engage with clients, stakeholders, bargaining agents, the general public, and our staff to find out how we can do better. We monitor and measure to make sure we are meeting our goals.

Our mission

Our mission is to serve the public interest, to uphold the public’s trust and deliver the policies, programs and services that government provides, we:

• support the elected government by providing Ministers with honest, impartial and objective advice
• carry out the decisions and policies of the elected government and administer public services to the highest professional standards
• conduct ourselves with integrity
• exercise responsible stewardship of public resources and information
• fulfill all our duties in accordance with the law, including the Public Service of Ontario Act , and in compliance with our Public Service Oath .
• are accountable for how we fulfill our public service roles

The public is entitled to expect the highest standards of conduct from all individuals who work for the OPS .

This means that public servants need to be sure that government activities are conducted in an open, fair and transparent manner.

One way to ensure this type of conduct is to identify and resolve any conflicts of interest. In most cases, potential conflicts of interest that are not identified at the application stage can be discussed during the Evaluation Process.

The provincial government is divided into ministries, and each ministry has an elected Minister who is accountable to the Legislative Assembly, and ultimately the public. In each ministry Deputy Ministers head up the public service.

The Deputy Minister and head of the OPS is called the Secretary of the Cabinet. The Cabinet is comprised of both the Premier and the Minister.

The hiring process

We are committed to build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and to promote a diverse, anti-racist, inclusive, accessible, merit-based, respectful and equitable workplace.

We invite all interested individuals to apply and encourage applications from people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black, and racialized individuals, as well as people from a diversity of ethnic and cultural origins, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

Learn more about our hiring process .

A career as an Ontario Public Service leader offers:

• innovative, complex, and challenging assignments
• opportunities for career growth and personal development
• an enriching and fulfilling career in the field of your choice

Learn more about Ontario Public Service leadership opportunities .

Canadian Armed Forces Veterans

Canada’s former military personnel have a range of skills and experience, including high-quality leadership and team-building skills, that are valued in government. We are committed to supporting Canadian Armed Forces Veterans by making it easier for them to access OPS employment opportunities.

To improve CAF Veteran access to OPS employment opportunities, Veterans can apply to internal (“restricted”) competitions for non-represented (for example, non-unionized) positions in the OPS .

A CAF veteran is any former member of the Canadian Armed Forces who successfully underwent basic training and is honourably discharged (definition from Veterans Affairs Canada). If you are a CAF veteran, you should mention this in your cover letter or resume when applying for OPS job competitions. This may be considered prior to an offer of employment in Management Compensation Plan, excluded and executive competitions. This does not apply to CAF veterans who are OPS employees, nor does this apply to active members of the Canadian Armed Forces. If you are selected for an interview, please be prepared to bring an original copy of your proof of status (veteran’s ID Card or Certificate of Service).

To learn more about how to access and apply to these jobs, please visit the OPS Veterans’ job alert subscription service . You may also receive alerts for “open” job postings on our OPS Careers website by subscribing to this service.

We appreciate the service of CAF personnel and will help ensure that Veterans working in the OPS can build a successful career.

Students and new professionals

Students and new professionals can gain access to a variety of information and support programs, including:

• work experience, internship and summer employment programs
• career advice
• labor market information
• skills training

Learn more about OPS opportunities for students and new professionals .

Summer employment opportunities

The OPS offers various positions for students interested in developing new skills and gaining experience. 

Here are the top three reasons to apply for Summer Employment Opportunities:

• Learn:  Jump start your career, whether you want to learn business skills, use your French language skills, help out in a lab, or work outdoors. Put the knowledge you’ve acquired at school into action.
• Grow:  Enhance your skills and expand your network by working on projects, leading initiatives, and sharing your ideas. Transfer the skills you learn to your future school and work experiences.
• Contribute:  In addition to advancing your professional and personal skills, you will also give back to your community. Spend your summer working to support the interests of Ontarians!

Learn more about summer employment opportunities .

If you have any general questions, or more specific about the following:

• job advertisement
• status of a competition
• help with an application (e.g. disability accommodation)

• From the community
• Leadership and skills

Top tips for acing a written exam in the Canadian public service

With the right planning and preparation, you can tackle your test with confidence.

This article was compiled with contributions from across the Canadian public service, including Shared Service Canada’s Agora Innovation Network, the Young Professionals Network from the Department of Women and Gender Equality Canada, and the Federal Youth Network.

The written exam: these little words can strike fear into the hearts of even the most experienced public servants . If you’re applying for a job in the Canadian public service, you might be asked to take a written exam as part of the application process.

But don’t worry–with the right planning and preparation, you can tackle your test with confidence.

To help you get exam-ready, we asked public servants across Canada to share their top three tips for passing written exams in the public service. Here’s what they said.

How to plan and prepare:

• Don’t be afraid to seek accommodations when needed.
• Brainstorm your thoughts out and revise after.
• Review the department’s website and learn the high level information (eg: names and roles of key leadership, mandate).
• Talk to someone already in the position and ask them where they would look to find info related to the SOMC (statement of merit criteria).
• Never screen yourself out prior to an exam (or at ANY stage). Sometimes we can get to the exam stage and worry that we aren’t qualified–some even cancel the exam. Go, write the exam and worst case scenario you’ve learned more about how the process works for next time.
• Prepare in advance. Make sure your workstation has all you need so you don’t have to get up. Ensure you have done some research on the department and role. Ensure you have prepared yourself with examples and ideas that may be relevant from past interviews and work experience.
• If there are practice exams available (for example, for SLE testing), do as many as you can! They are very representative of the questions you will get on the actual exam and it will help you gauge your learning progression as you prepare. Sample public service test questions can be found online for practice at several websites, including publicserviceprep.com and canada.ca .
• Study/practice, but know when to stop and trust yourself . If you are an over-preparer, it can have the result of getting too in your own head.
• Research the definitions of the SOMC qualifications that are to be tested and prepare some situational examples ahead of time that hit on all of the relevant points.
• Before the written exam, guidelines on what will be included are circulated. Do some research and feel comfortable speaking on one or two major points per topic.
• If it’s open laptop, bookmark everything so you know how to find info quickly.
• In preparation for future exams, keep a list of all the tasks you do handy and consistently update as you take on new tasks.

What to do during the exam:

• Be sure to scan the written exam before starting. I usually start exams back to front, since the majority of detailed essay style questions are at the end.
• Don’t second guess your first instinct… but do check your work over to ensure you didn’t miss any questions.
• If you run into any technical issues whatsoever with the test, such as it doesn’t arrive in your inbox at the time expected and it throws you off, report this immediately and if necessary repeatedly to the person organising the exams until it is working properly. If you have a post board, remind them of such issues and how this may have affected the quality of your responses.
• Use simple, clear language .
• Relax and trust your gut.
• Answer exactly what is being asked. Look for keywords in the question that are clear about what direction to take so you do not get side tracked.
• Speak to the competency being assessed and use the competency as key words in your answer to ensure you show you have demonstrated it and to guide you back to the goal of your answer if you have strayed away.
• Plan out your answers in draft form and return to fill them in more thoroughly. That way if you run out of time, you at least have some bullet points and the assessors can see your thought process and give you more points than an introductory sentence or no answer at all.
• Read all the questions before you start responding, and consider the relative weight of each. Break up your time into chunks for each task/question that corresponds to its relative importance in terms of scoring (i.e. don't spend 30 minutes of a 1 hour test on a question worth 5 points out of 100). Written testings/assignments are often designed to not give you enough time, and you are partly being evaluated on how you prioritise items and utilise the time you do have most efficiently.
• Make sure you read and fully understand the question. Some questions can be tricky with “select all” or “select the one that doesn’t” statements.
• Make sure you allocate some time reading over your questions at the end of the exam, you may be able to catch some mistakes made. Spell check and grammar check, as you’ll be marked on your written communication skills.
• Answers do not need to be 2 pages long if you are clear, concise and get straight to the point in demonstrating your abilities.
• Clearly outline, when, where and how you demonstrated your experience, knowledge and abilities in the written exam. Also include what the outcome was. ( STAR Method : situation, thinking, action, result/s)
• Any time you write an exam, save your answers very often. Even email them to yourself once you complete each question.
• When writing, use active voice/verbs (refrain from saying “I was tasked with” and never use the word “we”, use “I”) and explain what your role within your team was if you worked collaboratively.
• Indicate where you completed tasks without being prompted, and mention any areas in which you went above and beyond completing a task.
• You can use experience that you've attained in your private life for questions where they do not indicate “government experience”. Examiners are looking for thinking behind your decisions and actions and to understand your way of thinking.
• If it is a multiday exam, read the questions and jot them down and think about them for a day before you start. Ensure that you read questions thoroughly. Proofread the exam on a separate day, to assess any errors and areas for improvement.

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Public Servant-in-Residence Initiative

Launched in 2003, the Public Servant-in-Residence (PSIR) Initiative allows mid-career public servants (EX minus 2 to EX) to spend a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 2 years at a Canadian university to acquire new knowledge that relates to their work and departmental objectives, as well as broader government priorities.

On this page

Application process, current opportunities, current participant, past participants, contact information.

The objectives of the PSIR are to:

• encourage greater collaboration between the federal government and Canadian universities through knowledge exchange
• collaborate with Canadian universities on joint research
• provide the Canadian federal public service with recruitment opportunities
• provide tomorrow's workforce with an understanding of how the federal government works

It offers many benefits. It allows a successful applicant to:

• access leading-edge thinkers in their area of expertise
• contribute to public service renewal with recruitment activities on campus
• have an intellectually, professionally, and personally rewarding opportunity
• have an opportunity to develop a network in the public service based on their PSIR experience
• feel a sense of pride and accomplishment through an experience that sets them apart and expands their horizons

It allows the host university to:

• access practitioners who have practical experience and knowledge
• gain insight on what skills are required to train successful federal public servants
• expand their networks and opportunities within the federal government
• access an experienced peer who can support research, teaching, mentorship, and talent recruitment events for the federal government

Who can apply

The initiative targets mid-career (EX minus 2 to EX) federal public servants and Canadian universities.

In general, the application process is initiated by individual public servants with a personal interest in the initiative, , or from Canadian universities interested in hosting residents from the federal government. Interested universities can send us their announcements of residency opportunities for publication. These announcements highlight what universities are looking for and can be accessed through the Current opportunities section of this web page.

Canadian universities interested in having a resident may also seek support from the Canada School of Public Service (the School), which will help them identify candidates.

On occasion, applicants are also supported by a professional network (for example, a Government of Canada functional community) that has a stake in the applicant's projects.

All prospective applicants and Canadian universities should contact the PSIR team to discuss their residency plans before they apply to get help and guidance with their application.

How to apply

Step 1: define your project.

The first step is to think about the parameters of the project. During this step, ask yourself what you want to accomplish and what the impact of your residency will be, both personally and on the federal public service as a whole.

The role of the School's PSIR team is to help applicants prepare their applications to meet the criteria for the initiative, including whether the project fits within the current needs and priorities of the federal government and the applicant's plan to share the knowledge gained following their residency.

Contact the PSIR team by emailing: [email protected]

Step 2: Seek endorsement for your project

Once your project is defined, it is important to ensure that you have the support of your senior management. Since the costs of your residency will be covered by your home department and the type of research or teaching you will be doing may have an impact on your department, you will need to inform your management of your plans and ensure that they endorse your project.

For this reason, applications must be endorsed by two deputy ministers (the President of the School and the deputy minister of the applicant's home department) to ensure credibility and the advancement of departmental or federal government priorities. The applicant obtains the endorsement of their home department, while the PSIR team obtains the endorsement of the School's President.

Step 3: Submit your application package

Once you have defined your project and obtained endorsement, you can submit your PSIR application online.

There is no specific date to submit an application; however, we encourage you to take into consideration the important dates in the academic calendar, as well as administrative delays in processing applications. For example, we suggest a submission by July 31 for a September start date, or November 30 for a January start date.

A complete application will consist of the following:

• The completed and signed online application form . The description of the project should be as detailed as possible.
• Curriculum vitae demonstrating the applicant's relevant academic and work experience and attesting to the applicant's potential for success in an academic environment.
• Deputy minister letter or email of support , which must include a commitment to pay the applicant's salary, benefits and reasonable moving expenses (if applicable) while on assignment, in addition to a commitment to support the applicant's reintegration back into the federal public service following the assignment.
• Host university letter or email of support , which must include a commitment to host the applicant and provide them with office space, equipment and administrative support.

Step 4: Get approval for your application

Applications to the PSIR are reviewed and approved by the President of the School. In approving applications, the School will consider:

• the applicant's relevant academic and work experience, which should show strong abilities and a commitment to excellence
• how well the project is aligned with federal government and School priorities, and how it will support these priorities
• the applicant's demonstration of how they intend to share the knowledge, skills and abilities they acquire upon their return to the federal public service
• if appropriate, the applicant's commitment to support their host university's DMUC Note * activities (for example, working with universities to facilitate lectures and presentations by senior federal public servants, advising graduate students of employment opportunities within the federal public service and promoting the public service as a career choice, assisting faculty members in the development of research projects and activities to increase the relevance of their work for the federal public service
• the applicant's commitment to collaborate with the School (for example, to develop learning products or events, to support potential PSIR applicants)
• the relevance of the project to the applicant's career plans

Once the application is approved, the PSIR team prepares a draft Interchange Canada agreement. The applicant completes and signs the Interchange Canada agreement and has it signed by the deputy minister of their home department. The applicant then returns the document to the School for the president's final signature.

The full approval process for a PSIR application may take between 4 weeks and 3 months, depending on the complexity of the file. It is always better to expect a longer rather than a shorter approval time when planning the starting date of the residency, and to take into consideration the academic and annual calendars (for example, holiday season breaks).

Expectations for participants during and after their residency

Participants are expected to:

• complete the project described in their application form
• honour the commitments made to the host university
• return to the federal public service after their residency
• share the knowledge gained with their colleagues and the broader federal public service

In addition to these commitments, the School expects residents to:

• participate in individual follow-up meetings Depending on the length of the residency, the School will have a number of follow-up meetings with the participant. These meetings are intended to support participants in their journey and to help them realign, if necessary, the objectives and expected outcomes of their residency.
• attend biannual meetings The School hosts biannual meetings with potential, new and current participants, as well as with recent PSIR alumni, to leverage their experience, share best practices, and network among themselves.

These activities are intended to strengthen the sense of community among new and returning participants and allow them to share experiences and best practices. Ultimately, the goal is for these public servants to become part of a network of individuals engaged with Canadian universities.

Applications to the PSIR may come from federal public servants who want to participate, or from Canadian universities interested in hosting residents from the federal government. Interested universities can send us their announcements of residency opportunities for publication. These announcements highlight what universities are looking for and can be accessed through this section.

School of Public Policy and Administration, York University

Department of public and international affairs and maceachen institute for public policy and governance, dalhousie university.

Myriam Mérette , Université de Montréal , QC; January 2024 to September 2025

Myriam is the Regional Director of the Arts and Heritage Sector in the Quebec office of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and works on the renewal of the Government of Canada's museum policy. As a participant in the Public Servant-in-Residence Initiative (PSIR), she is currently at the Université de Montréal as Coordinator of the Canada Research Chair in Citizen Museology. This residency will enable her to bring an academic research perspective to the federal government's ongoing work on renewing Canada's museum policy.

As part of her residency, Myriam is currently researching "the modalities of the citizen turn" and "decolonization" within the museum community. She is also working on a survey of exemplary cases of inclusive museum practices. In addition, she will be in a position to mentor students interested in a career in museology within the federal public service.

Myriam holds a Bachelor's degree in art history from Université de Montréal, as well as a Certification in Leadership and Management Skills from Concordia University's Institute of Leadership and Management in Montréal.

The following is a list of federal public servants who have participated in the PSIR since 2019:

• Dean Barry , Toronto Metropolitan University, ON; September 2021 to August 2023
• Carly Dybka , Carleton University, ON; January 2022 to December 2022
• Sean Boots , Carleton University, ON; March 2022 to August 2022
• Elana Aptowitzer , Carleton University, ON; May 2019 to April 2022
• Kerry Badgley , University of Ottawa, ON; September 2020 to August 2021
• Rory O'Connor , York University, ON; September 2020 to May 2021

The following is a list of other Canadian universities that have participated in the PSIR from 2017 to 2022:

• Dalhousie University, NS
• Queen's University, ON
• University of Ottawa, ON
• University of Waterloo, ON
• Université de Moncton , NB
• Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières , QC

Have questions? Get in touch with the PSIR team by emailing: [email protected] .

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Ottawa getting ready to ditch costly, error-prone Phoenix pay system

'the government trusts our plan,' says a senior bureaucrat.

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The federal government is accelerating plans to put the Phoenix public service pay system out of its misery.

Launched in 2016, the system — which cost taxpayers nearly $4 billion — has failed regularly to deliver public servants' paycheques on time, or in the right amounts.

According to the government's latest tally, more than 300,000 of 425,000 Phoenix transactions had failed to meet service standards as of last month — including 213,000 that were more than a year late.

Alex Benay, the federal official responsible for the file, said $135 million set aside in this year's budget will give a big boost to the development of Dayforce, the system which is expected to replace Phoenix in the coming years.

"We had really good news, in the sense that the government trusts our plan," he told Radio-Canada.

Ottawa didn't make any specific announcement related to Phoenix when the new spending was made public. It's still a major increase in funding for the Dayforce project, which was launched in 2018 with an average annual budget of $25 million.

Dayforce is a payroll and human resources management system already in use by 6,000 organizations, including the governments of Ontario and California.

The federal government plans to make Dayforce its new pay system in the coming years, after conducting a series of tests that concluded in February. Ottawa pays $36 billion a year in salaries to 420,000 people.

Benay struck a cautious note, pointing out that there's still a lot of work to do before the transition to the new system. But Ottawa has abandoned all hopes of trying to salvage Phoenix for the long term.

"We need to change this situation, and I would say that there are more and more reasons to be able and to want to make a change," he said.

A 'deplorable' payroll tool

Benay doesn't mince words when he describes the many failings of the Phoenix system, which has been the target of civil servants' frustration since it launched eight years ago.

Students and part-time workers, new parents, retirees, employees who get promotions — almost everyone in the federal public service has been affected by Phoenix's flaws.

"It is certain that the current situation is not viable in the long term," said Benay. "We have employees who work hard every day to calculate payroll. They had to build systems and tools around Phoenix to be able to pay people, to make Phoenix work, because the tool they have is deplorable."

A major problem with Phoenix is that it needs to operate in tandem with more than 30 distinct human resources management systems in various departments and agencies, as well as more than 100 collective bargaining agreements.

A large number of payroll officers are needed to perform different calculations for each department. And when civil servants change departments, Phoenix struggles to overcome a series of technological challenges.

The federal government's hope is that Dayforce will allow it to rely on a single tool for both payroll and managing employees' personnel files at all stages, from hiring to retirement.

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"We have no intention of disintegrating [the payroll and human resource management systems] a second time and making the same mistake," Benay said.

He said Phoenix's software likely will become obsolete in the coming decade, which increases the pressure to build a new pay system.

According to Public Services and Procurement Canada, Phoenix initially cost taxpayers $300 million and the federal government has spent another $3.5 billion on it since.

While Phoenix's performance seemed to improve in the early 2020s, delays in salary processing have since ramped back up.

As it prepares to transition to a new payroll system, the government says it will use artificial intelligence tools to clean up the data in the Phoenix system and reduce the number of late payments.

The plan is to introduce Dayforce gradually in several federal departments, so that when Phoenix is finally ​​scrapped, the new system can take off as smoothly as possible.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada said certain compensation rules could be standardized across government to ease the transition to a new pay system. However, it insisted that unions should help design and test the new system.

"If the members don't suffer, we're ready to co-operate in setting up a payroll system that works," said spokesperson Yvon Barrière. "But we need to be certain that the system will work, and that it will not disadvantage our members under collective bargaining agreements."

Another union of federal employees hopes the government will have learned its lessons from the past.

"Eight years after the implementation of the Phoenix pay system at the federal level, about a third of employees are still reporting payroll errors. As long as employees continue to experience problems, the government must continue to compensate and accommodate them," said Sean O'Reilly of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniel Leblanc is a reporter with more than 20 years experience in investigative journalism and federal politics. He is a past winner of the Michener Award, the Charles Lynch Award and three National Newspaper Awards.

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Public Service Employment Act ( S.C. 2003, c. 22, ss. 12, 13 )

Full Document:  

• HTML Full Document: Public Service Employment Act  (Accessibility Buttons available) | 
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Act current to 2024-05-01 and last amended on 2023-07-01. Previous Versions

• See coming into force provision and notes, where applicable.
• Shaded provisions are not in force. Help

Table of Contents

Related information.

• Related Provisions

Amendments *

* List of amendments since 2019-01-01 (limited to last 10 amendments) [more details]

Regulations made under this Act

• Appointment or Deployment of Alternates Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2012-27)
• Appointment or Deployment of Alternates Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2017-74)
• Appointment or Deployment of Alternates Regulations   (SOR/2012-83)
• Canada Customs and Revenue Agency Regulations   (SOR/2004-8)
• Canada Customs and Revenue Agency Regulations, No. 2   (SOR/2004-69)
• Communications Security Establishment Regulations   (SOR/2011-255)
• Defence Research Board Employees Regulations   (C.R.C., c. 1335)
• Definition of Promotion Regulations   (SOR/2005-376)
• Department of External Affairs Terms Under Three Months Exclusion Approval Order, 1993   (SOR/93-172a)
• Department of External Affairs Terms Under Three Months Regulations, 1993   (SOR/93-172b)
• Department of Forestry Terms Under Three Months Exclusion Approval Order, 1993   (SOR/93-95a)
• Department of Forestry Terms Under Three Months Regulations, 1993   (SOR/93-95b)
• Department of National Defence Terms Under Three Months Exclusion Approval Order, 1992   (SOR/92-201a)
• Department of National Defence Terms Under Three Months Regulations, 1992   (SOR/92-201b)
• Department of Public Works Terms Under Three Months Exclusion Approval Order, 1993   (SOR/93-139a)
• Department of Public Works Terms Under Three Months Regulations, 1993   (SOR/93-139b)
• Exclusion Approval Order for certain persons and certain positions (Air Traffic Control Group), 1991   (SI/91-65)
• Indian Affairs and Northern Development Aboriginal Peoples Employment Equity Program Appointments Regulations   (SOR/97-353)
• Locally Engaged Staff Employment Regulations, 2024   (SOR/2024-16)
• Locally Engaged Staff Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2024-7)
• Office of the Governor General’s Secretary Employment Regulations   (SOR/2006-114)
• Office of the Governor General’s Secretary Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2017-25)
• Office of the Governor-General’s Secretary Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2006-89)
• Order Designating Certain Portions of the Federal Public Administration   (C.R.C., c. 1336)
• Order Designating Shared Services Canada as a Department and the President as Deputy Head for Purposes of the Act   (SI/2011-69)
• Order Designating the Department of Indigenous Services Canada as a Department for the purposes of the Act   (SI/2017-79)
• Order Designating the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario as a Department and the President as Deputy Head of that Agency for the Purposes of that Act   (SI/2021-51)
• Order Designating the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a Department and the Chairperson as the Deputy Head for Purposes of the Act   (SI/2009-46)
• Order Designating the Minister of Canadian Heritage for Purposes of Section 110 of the Act   (SI/2005-125)
• Order Designating the Minister of Communications as Minister for Purposes of Section 47 of the Act   (SI/93-232)
• Order Designating the Minister of Industry, Science and Technology as Minister for Purposes of the Canadian Space Agency Act, the Canadian Space Agency as a Department, and the President of the Agency as Deputy Head   (SI/91-6)
• Order Designating the Office of Indian Residential Schools Resolution of Canada as a Department and the Executive Director and Deputy Head as the Deputy Head for Purposes of that Act   (SI/2001-74)
• Order Designating the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists as a Department and the Registrar as Deputy Head   (SI/2006-18)
• Order Designating the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada as a Department and the President as the Deputy Head of that Agency for the Purposes of that Act   (SI/2021-45)
• Order Designating the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat as a Department and the Executive Director as Deputy Head   (SI/2006-64)
• Periods of Probation and Periods of Notice of Termination of Employment During Probation, Regulations Establishing   (SOR/2005-375)
• Political Activities Regulations   (SOR/2005-373)
• Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration Employees Regulations   (SOR/78-442)
• Public Service Employment Regulations   (SOR/2005-334)
• Public Service Official Languages Appointment Regulations   (SOR/2005-347)
• Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2005-118)
• Public Service Staffing Complaints Regulations   (SOR/2006-6)
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police Casual Employment Regulations   (SOR/2014-253)
• Statistics Canada 1996 Census of Population Terms Exclusion Approval Order   (SOR/95-153a)
• Statistics Canada Census and Survey Related Term Employment Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2010-81)
• Statistics Canada Census and Survey Related Term Employment Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2017-75)
• Statistics Canada Census and Survey Related Term Employment Regulations   (SOR/2010-147)
• Statistics Canada Census-Related Term Employment Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2010-45)
• Student Employment Programs Participants Exclusion Approval Order   (SI/2010-46)
• Student Employment Programs Participants Regulations   (SOR/2010-148)
• Transfer of a Portion of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Regulations   (SOR/2013-58)
• Transfer of Portions of the Canada Revenue Agency Regulations   (SOR/2011-246)
• Transfer of Portions of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Regulations   (SOR/2011-247)
• Transfer of Portions of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Regulations   (SOR/2003-430)
• Transfer of Portions of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Regulations   (SOR/2011-248)
• Transfer of Portions of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada Regulations   (SOR/2011-249)
• Transfer of Portions of the National Research Council of Canada Regulations   (SOR/2011-251)
• Transfer of Portions of the Parks Canada Agency Regulations   (SOR/2011-250)
• Transfer of the Communications Security Establishment in the Department of National Defence Regulations   (SOR/2011-254)
• Transfer of the Crown Corporation Secretariat Regulations (Royal Canadian Mint and Canada Post Corporation)   (SOR/2006-36)
• Transfer of the Customs Services Regulations   (SOR/2003-429)

Repealed regulations made under this Act

• Appointment of Women in the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (Employment Equity Program) Regulations [Repealed]   (SOR/94-334)
• Communications Security Establishment Appointments Regulations [Repealed]   (C.R.C., c. 1341)
• Communications Security Establishment Exclusion of Positions and Employees Approval Order [Repealed]   (C.R.C., c. 1342)
• Deployments into the Executive Group, Regulations Prohibiting [Repealed]   (SOR/2005-377)
• Locally-Engaged Staff Employment Regulations [Repealed]   (SOR/95-152)
• Order Designating the Minister of Canadian Heritage for Purposes of Section 23 of the Act [Repealed]   (SI/2005-124)
• Order Designating the Registrar of the Competition Tribunal as Deputy Head with Respect to the Registry of the Competition Tribunal [Repealed]   (SI/86-216)
• Statistics Canada 1996 Census of Population Terms Regulations [Repealed]   (SOR/95-153b)
• Student Employment Programs Regulations [Repealed]   (SOR/97-194)

• Policy-making

Building a culture of public service on hybrid work

A big unanswered question around the furor over forcing Canada’s public servants back to the office for three days a week is how to instil traditional values and ethics in employees who aren’t in the office together every day – especially when thousands of new hires may have never worked in the office or been trained on those values.

Privy Council Clerk John Hannaford made the renewal of longstanding values and ethics a top priority when he took the job a year ago. The core values are respect for democracy, respect for people, integrity, stewardship and excellence. The challenge is to build a culture around those values to guide the work of public servants in a rapidly changing world.

The government announced in early May that public servants must work in the office for a minimum of three days a week by Sept. 9. Executives are required to work four days in the office.

The office mandate is a polarizing issue that goes beyond worker and management rights and goes to the core of the very role of the public service.

“I think it’s one of the biggest tensions the public service has faced in the last quarter century,” says Zachary Spice r, an associate professor of governance and public administration at York University.

“I can see the logic of reinforcing the responsibility of being a public servant by being together. I buy that argument, but I don’t have a lot of data to back it up.”

Last week, unions vowed a “summer of discontent” to pressure the government into reversing the order. Treasury Board then upped the ante by arguing that the very notion of the public service is at stake.

Treasury Board maintains that three days a week in the office maximizes the benefits of working in person, such as better collaboration, onboarding new recruits and building a performance culture “consistent with the values and ethics of the public service.”

Christiane Fox, deputy clerk of the Privy Council Office, who is spearheading the ethics discussion across departments for Hannaford, says the move to three days is “very much about who we are as an organization.”

“We’re better if we have more in-person time. It doesn’t mean only in-person time, but it does mean a bit more than we were doing.”

The government says it is searching for the right balance between in-office and remote work to foster a positive public service culture. But how much time do people need in the office to have a sense of shared purpose?

“I don’t think the government has made the case on the value of coming to work,” says Lori Turnbull, a professor at Dalhousie University’s faculty of management.

At the same time, she wonders: “How do you build a culture when people don’t come to the same office? I’m not saying you can’t. But the transmission of cultural values has to come from somewhere.”

The public service values and ethics code was built on the work of a deputy minister task force 30 years ago that produced the Tait report , which is still considered the bible of what it means to be a public servant.

“The first principle is (that) we’re here to serve the public interest,” says Ralph Heintzman, a values and ethics expert who co-wrote the Tait report.

“We’re here to serve Canadians and the democratic government. The issue (of hybrid work) should be approached from that perspective, not from that of individual workers. It might turn out the right answer is somewhere down the middle and a mixture of work from home and the office.”

Longstanding values, generational shift

Hannaford began the ethics exercise with the premise that traditional values still hold and it’s time to reaffirm those principles and their application today, given the public service’s massive growth and generational shifts.

Millennials are quickly becoming the largest cohort of workers. At least 40 per cent of public servants today have worked only for the Trudeau government. About 80,000 were hired over the past five years. However, many were not onboarded in the same manner as previous generations and some haven’t even set foot in an office.

Much of the debate has raged about the impact on worker rights and preferences. Unions give short shrift to the idea of increasing in-office presence to improve performance and build culture.

Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, told the CBC that in-office work should be for operational reasons, not “some patronizing, vague HR idea like teamwork or collaboration.”

Public servants say many offices don’t have enough desks or lockers, meaning some of them end up working in hallways and cafeterias. They complain they spend their office days on Zoom calls they could do from home.

Remote work during the pandemic gave public servants newfound power and control over their time – and they’re not letting go without a fight. They feel more productive, enjoy better work-life balance and have more child-care options. Plus, it’s cheaper: no commuting, parking, restaurant or takeout lunches.

What does it mean to be a public servant?

Spicer, who teaches values and ethics, expects the government will face clashes between “individual values and organizational values.”

“There hasn’t been a lot of weight put behind ethics … and we now have a lot of younger folks coming in who don’t have the same kind of understanding of what it means to be a public servant, what it means to act purely within the public interest,” he says.

John Hannaford relaunches ethics and values discussion in the public service A scrutiny of the public service not seen in more than 20 years Allegations of threats and lying perturb the federal public service

Spicer says many have a weaker connection to the notion of public service. Some still have the “spark” and see it as a calling. Others, however, see it as little more than a secure and steady job with benefits. Then there are advocates who want to advance a cause, such as climate change or sustainability.

The last group is more likely to quit if they don’t see progress, if their advice isn’t taken or if a change in government takes policy in a different direction or undoes policies, Spicer says.

New recruits are also more culturally diverse. Many have experience in the private sector, other levels of government or are transitioning between sectors. They tend to be professionals, bring expertise from their respective fields and often identify more closely with their profession’s code of conduct than with traditional public service norms.

The era of social media and gig employment

Spicer says they grew up on social media and juggling different jobs. Many see no reason why they can’t voice their opinions on social media or pursue a side hustle while working in government – both of which were traditionally frowned upon and are still controversial.

Public servants claim to be more productive since they began working from home, but a consensus that government needs fixing has emerged. It is too big, slow and risk-averse to deliver its basic services, let alone get ready for the world’s crises. On top of that, trust in government is dropping.

Turnbull says the political timeline “is already so much faster than the public service timeline” and working from home slows that down. The “values-transmission question” is urgent, especially with so many new public servants, she argues.

Fox says the government is committed to a hybrid work model, but departments must be more deliberate about creating a workplace culture that reflects “who we are.”

“We’ve got to have more emphasis on our environment and our learning within so people feel that they’re part of something larger and they understand the responsibilities that come with that.”

Linda Duxbury , a professor of management at Carleton University and expert on work-life balance and remote work, counters that both the unions and the government are misguided in the battle over hybrid work.

She argues there is no one-size-fits-all solution and that people need to be where the jobs can be done. A meat inspector must go to a processing plant and a customs officer must go to the border, but many other public service jobs can be done from anywhere.

However, she added that public servants’ complaints about time and money spent commuting and on lunches and child care are not the employer’s problem. These gripes also don’t fly with Canadians.

“Your job is to serve the public. So, are you serving them? Are you serving yourself?” she asks.

Duxbury says both the government and unions need to “stop with the stupid rhetoric” and start designing jobs to get the best work done. “There is not a simple solution here, so stop talking as if there is.”

This article was produced with support from the Accenture Fellowship on the Future of the Public Service. Read more about that here .

You are welcome to republish this Policy Options article online or in print periodicals, under a Creative Commons/No Derivatives licence.

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by Policy Options . Originally published on Policy Options May 16, 2024

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