LHHR 15-12: 2015 Federal Election - Political Activities of Employees

2015-08-07

Note: The following message was sent to Heads of Human Resources on August 7, 2015 .

In light of the start of the federal electoral period, I would like to provide you with information that you can share with your employees on their legal rights and responsibilities regarding political activities.

The Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) recognizes that public servants may engage in a political activity as long as it does not impair, or is not perceived as impairing, their ability to perform their public service duties in a politically impartial manner.

A political activity is defined by the PSEA as:

• Any activity in support of, within, or in opposition to a political party;
• Any activity in support of, or in opposition to, a candidate before or during an election period; or
• Seeking nomination as a candidate or being a candidate in an election before or during the election period.

Employees engaging in political activities must also adhere to the expected behaviours set out in the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and your organization’s code of conduct. 

Attached is a communiqué that you can share with your employees, which explains their legal rights and responsibilities related to political activities. As well, the communiqué invites them to use the Suite of Political Activities Tools developed by the Public Service Commission as guidance in making informed decisions regarding participating in political activities. These tools were also recently shared with your organization’s head of communications, and I would encourage you to work with them to disseminate the information using your internal communications channels.

Should you or your Designated Political Activities Representative require additional information or assistance with your communication efforts, please contact Cheryl Moreau, Acting Manager, Outreach and Reporting, Political Activities and Non-Partisanship Directorate, at 819-420-6479.

Your leadership is essential in ensuring a professional and non-partisan public service. Thank you for your ongoing collaboration.

Gerry Thom
Acting Senior Vice-President, Policy Branch
Public Service Commission

Communiqué to employees