The petition raises concerns about the environmental impact of the Direction on Prescribed Presence in the Workplace, which requires a minimum attendance of 3 days per week in the workplace for all
public servants.
The petition indicates that vehicular traffic is a major source of air pollution and can potentially increase the risk of a number of health problems. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change is questioned on the current smog standards, the measures in place to meet them, and the impact of the minimum requirement for public servants to work on site 3 days per week on the 2030 emission reduction targets. Health Canada is asked to indicate which health-related objectives, guidelines, and codes of practice were provided, or could have been provided, to the President of the Treasury Board to support the decision to require public servants to return to the office 3 days per week.
The President of the Treasury Board is asked to indicate which departments were consulted before the publication of the direction in order to assess its impact on traffic congestion and air pollution. Several departments are asked to indicate the data, statistics, and other relevant information that were communicated, or could have been communicated, to the president to support the establishment of the direction. The President of the Treasury Board is also asked to provide the data, statistics, and recommendations that led to the conclusion that the direction complies with a set of environmental laws and government commitments. In addition, Statistics Canada and the Canada Energy Regulator are asked to provide modelling scenarios comparing the impact of increased traffic and road congestion on greenhouse gas emissions in 3 situations: permanent telework and attendance of 2 or 3 days per week in the office, as per the
updated direction.