Archived - Appointment Framework Self-Assessment Questionnaire: Questions

Note:

• All questions are to be answered in keeping with the Appointment Framework.
• The questions are organized into four areas: Appointment Policy, Delegation, Accountability, and the Legislative Framework.
• A list of acronyms is provided at the end of this document for your reference.

Appointment Policy

1. May a deputy head establish employment equity as an organizational need, in a statement of merit criteria? (Yes/No)

2. When a non-advertised process is used, must a written rationale be prepared to demonstrate how this process meets the established criteria and the appointment values? (Y/N)

3. Does the requirement to assess a person in the official language(s) of his or her choice apply to unilingual positions?(Y/N)

4. May the assessment of candidates proceed while informal discussion is used to resolve concerns expressed by an applicant about that appointment process? (Y/N)

5. Under the PSEA, can managers rank candidates to make a selection? (Y/N)

6. In an advertised appointment process, must persons within the area of selection be given the opportunity to apply and to demonstrate their suitability against the merit criteria? (Y/N)

7. Are the terms "merit criteria" and "essential qualifications" synonymous? (Y/N)

8. Must informal discussion be conducted in the official language(s) chosen by the person who was eliminated? (Y/N)

9. Are the SLE tests mandatory for term appointments where the position is designated as bilingual? (Y/N)

10. Are appointment processes which target members of designated groups subject to priority clearance? (Y/N)

11. In establishing an area of selection that ensures a reasonable pool of potential candidates, is cost-effectiveness among the factors that can be considered? (Y/N)

12. Can a decision to revoke an appointment be made without giving the person affected by the decision an opportunity to have his or her point of view fully considered? (Y/N)

13. Must external recruitment employment opportunities be advertised, at a minimum, at jobs.gc.ca as well as on Infotel or on an alternative telephone service provider? (Y/N)

14. Must deputy heads inform the persons to be assessed of the assessment methods to be used, their right to accommodation, and how to exercise that right? (Y/N)

15. When an area of selection is limited to members of designated groups, must it be supported by the organization's employment equity (EE) or human resources (HR) plan? (Y/N)

16. Do persons participating in informal discussion waive the right to file a complaint with the Public Service Staffing Tribunal (PSST)? (Y/N)

Delegation

17. Can a deputy head revoke an appointment as soon as he or she believes that an error affected the selection for appointment? (Y/N)

18. Must managers who receive written sub-delegation from their deputy heads have access to HR advisors with validated expertise in the PSC appointment framework? (Y/N)

19. Is a manager with sub-delegated appointment authority accountable for knowing his or her organization's appointment system? (Y/N)

20. Are there any conditions associated with the exercise of delegated authorities? (Y/N)

21. Is the deputy head accountable to the PSC for the exercise of appointment and appointment-related authorities that he or she has sub-delegated? (Y/N)

22. Can remedial measures for a contravention of delegated appointment authorities include complete withdrawal of the delegated appointment authorities? (Y/N)

23. Does the PSC delegate the authority to exempt a person on medical grounds from having to meet the language requirements of a non-imperative appointment? (Y/N)

24. Can sub-delegated employees, in turn, sub-delegate their appointment and appointment-related authorities? (Y/N)

Accountability

25. Does the SMAF set out the key areas for a well-managed appointment system? (Y/N)

26. Does the SMAF outline PSC expectations for deputy heads? (Y/N)

27. Is active monitoring of staffing activities one of the PSC's expectations? (Y/N)

28. Do service providers performing work on behalf of deputy heads have to respect the values and legislative framework? (Y/N)

Legislative Framework

29. Does the PSEA prohibit political influence in appointments? (Y/N)

30. Must all of the merit criteria be applied to every appointment? (Y/N)

31. For an appointment to be made, must essential qualifications always be assessed? (Y/N)

32. Is the application of merit criteria in internal appointment processes subject to recourse through the PSST? (Y/N)

33. When a manager has identified both asset and essential qualifications for an appointment, must a person with priority entitlement meet both the asset and the essential qualifications to be appointed? (Y/N)

34. Is the right to make a complaint to the PSST available immediately after the first notification of the names of the persons being considered for appointment? (Y/N)

35. Following the first notification in an appointment process, is the manager allowed to reconsider and correct any errors identified through informal discussion? (Y/N)

36. Can the deputy head sub-delegate the authority to revoke internal appointments? (Y/N)

37. Can personal information obtained during the course of an internal investigation into an appointment process be shared with all persons who applied under that appointment process? (Y/N)

38. Under the PSEA, will public servants be able to engage in any political activity that does not impair or is not perceived to impair their ability to perform their duties impartially? (Y/N)

39. Are managers obligated to ensure that persons who are appointed meet the official language proficiency of the position, or are excluded by the Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order? (Y/N)

40. Are deployments a responsibility of the PSC under the PSEA? (Y/N)

41. Is official language proficiency an essential qualification for appointment? (Y/N)

42. In an internal appointment process, is failure to assess a candidate in the official language(s) of his or her choice grounds for bringing a complaint to the PSST? (Y/N)

43. Is it true that the decision to use a non-advertised internal appointment process cannot be grounds for a complaint to the PSST? (Y/N)

44. Does the notification process apply to both internal advertised and non-advertised appointment processes? (Y/N)

45. Can notification of the names of the persons being considered for appointment take place before the assessment of candidates is complete? (Y/N)

46. Can official language proficiency be established as an asset qualification? (Y/N)

47. In an internal advertised appointment process, must the name of the person being considered for an appointment be communicated to all persons in the area of selection who participated in the process? (Y/N)

48. Is the PSC authorized to investigate external appointment processes? (Y/N)

49. Is the PSC authorized to investigate an internal appointment process if there is suspicion of political influence? (Y/N)

50. Does the PSEA confer directly to the deputy head the authorities to make deployments and lay-off employees? (Y/N)

List of Acronyms

• ADAI: Appointment Delegation and Accountability Instrument
• EE: Employment Equity
• PSC: Public Service Commission
• PSST: Public Service Staffing Tribunal
• SLE: Second Language Evaluation
• SMAF: Staffing Management Accountability Framework