Eligibility for job opportunities in federal organizations

Core concepts

Core public administration (administration publique centrale): The departments listed in Schedule I to the Financial Administration Act and the other parts of the federal public administration listed in Schedule IV to that act. These organizations have the Treasury Board as their employer. Appointments to and within these organizations are made in accordance with the Public Service Employment Act, except for the Canadian Dairy Commission.

Employee (fonctionnaire): Under the Public Service Employment Act, a person who is employed in that part of the public service to which the Public Service Commission of Canada has exclusive authority to make appointments, more specifically to or within:

• departments listed in Schedule I to the Financial Administration Act
• organizations listed in Schedule IV to the Financial Administration Act, except for:
• the Canadian Dairy Commission 
• the 11 positions in the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General that are excluded by the Office of the Governor General’s Secretary Exclusion Approval Order
• five separate agencies listed in Schedule V to the Financial Administration Act: the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Indian Oil and Gas Canada; Canada Energy Regulator; the Correctional Investigator of Canada; and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada

Persons employed (personnes employées): All employees are considered persons employed in the public service; however not all persons employed in the public service meet the definition of “employee” under the Public Service Employment Act. In addition to employees, the category “persons employed in the public service” encompasses persons in parts of the public service other than those where the Public Service Commission of Canada has exclusive authority to make appointments, such as persons appointed by the Governor-in-Council to organizations named in Schedules I, IV, and V to the Financial Administration Act and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, an organization identified in Schedule IV to the Financial Administration Act.

Public service (fonction publique): The positions within or under:

• the departments listed in Schedule I to the Financial Administration Act
• the organizations listed in Schedule IV to the Financial Administration Act
• the separate agencies listed in Schedule V to the Financial Administration Act

Separate agency (organisme distinct): An organization listed in Schedule V to the Financial Administration Act. Each one is its own employer. Most separate agencies have appointment authority under their own legislation, so they are not subject to the Public Service Employment Act for staffing, except for five specific agencies and the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.

Legend for Reference List

• Organization Name indicates the applied title of each organization and is listed in alphabetical order
• Organization Code indicates the official three-letter code representing the organization
• Legal Title is the name that appears in the enabling legislation, proclamation, order in council, or other instrument used to create a branch of government
• Organization Status indicates the organization’s statutory link with the Public Service Employment Act; (see Notes section for additional information)
• Advertised Internal Appointment Process indicates which persons employed in the public service are eligible for an advertised internal appointment process; (see tables on Eligibility for Internal Appointment Processes and Deployment)
• Non-Advertised Internal Appointment Process indicates which persons employed in the public service are eligible for a non-advertised internal appointment process; (see tables on Eligibility for Internal Appointment Processes and Deployment)
• Deployable indicates the organizations from which persons can be deployed in accordance with the Public Service Employment Act; (see tables on Eligibility for Internal Appointment Processes and Deployment)
  • Deployments to the core public administration are subject to the policies and regulations established by the Treasury Board
  • Deployments to the Office of the Auditor General and to the five separate agencies are subject to the policies established by the separate agency
• Delegation of Authority indicates organizations for which the deputy head has been delegated appointment and appointment-related authorities by the Public Service Commission of Canada; delegated organizations are subject to the terms and conditions of the Appointment Delegation and Accountability Instrument
• Oath or Affirmation indicates who is required to take and subscribe an oath or solemn affirmation. In accordance with section 54 of the Public Service Employment Act, the oath or solemn affirmation must be administered when the person being appointed or deployed comes from outside that part of the public service to which the Public Service Commission of Canada has exclusive authority to make appointments
• Political Activities indicates which persons are subject to Part 7 of the Public Service Employment Act:
• employees of the organizations named in Schedules I, IV and V to the Financial Administration Act.
• persons employed in a number of separate agencies, whose respective enabling legislation provides that they are subject to Part 7; (see Notes section)
• Priorities indicates organizations that are subject to the priority for appointment provisions in the Public Service Employment Act and in the Public Service Employment Regulations
• Notes provides additional details on an organization, as appropriate

Eligibility for Internal Appointment Processes and Deployment

Other persons than those mentioned below could be eligible for internal appointment processes. For more certainty, please consult the Reference List.

Tables 1 and 2 describe groups that are part of the public service as defined in the Public Service Employment Act. They outline eligibility and mobility entitlements for organizations and persons within this broader public service structure.

Table 1: Organizations listed in Schedule I and Schedule IV to the Federal Administration Act (Core Public Administration)

*An exception is made for persons appointed or deployed in accordance with the Statistics Canada Census and Survey Related Term Employment Regulations.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police members, appointed pursuant to the authority provided in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act, are included in “Persons employed in organizations in Schedules I & IV to the Federal Administration Act.”

Table 2: Separate agencies listed in Schedule V to the Federal Administration Act

** The Public Service Commission of Canada has approved deployments in accordance with subsection 51(2) of the Public Service Employment Act for persons employed in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, the National Capital Commission, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Secretariat, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Office of the Intelligence Commissioner, Parks Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Table 3: Other mobility provisions

Parliamentary Employees include persons employed in the Senate, the House of Commons, the Library of Parliament, the Office of the Senate Ethics Officer, the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, the Parliamentary Protective Service and the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Former Ministers’ Staff includes persons who were formerly employed for at least 3 years in the office of a minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, or in any of those offices successively. For additional information, please refer to Mobility provision for former ministers’ staff.

Former Incumbents of an Excluded Position in the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General: For additional information, please visit the Mobility provision for persons formerly employed in an excluded position at the Office of the Governor General’s Secretary web page.

CF members with at least 3 years of service and veterans who served at least 3 years and were honourably released within the meaning of chapter 15 of the Queen’s Regulations and Orders for the Canadian Forces, are eligible for advertised internal appointment processes regardless of the area of selection, provided they are not employed in the public service on an indeterminate basis.

The organizations designated by the Governor in Council are listed in the schedule to the Order Designating Certain Portions of the Federal Public Administration.

Use of organizational criterion: acting, secondment, assignment

In the case of an internal appointment process, an area of selection can include one or several organizations or part(s) of organizations within the public service.

Organization criterion: “Employees of [organization]”

Organizational criterion: “Persons employed in [organization]”: