Briefing Binder January 2020 - Dominic LeBlanc
Table of contents
- Raison d’être of the Public Service Commission of Canada
- Part 1: Documents that require ministerial Involvement
- Part 2: Key Files
- Time to staff
- Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada
- Diversity Related Initiatives
- Hiring Veterans
- Hiring Veterans in the Federal Public Service
- Overall results since the Veterans Hiring Act came into force in July 2015
- Key PSC initiatives to support the hiring of veterans
- Annex A – History of priority entitlements
- GC Jobs Transformation
- Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, P.C.,Q.C., M.P.
President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada
66 Slater
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A3
Dear Minister:
I am writing today to follow up on your designation as the Minister responsible for the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC). As you are aware, the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada is responsible for the PSC in accordance with the Financial Administration Act and for tabling the PSC’s annual report under the PSEA (PSEA). The PSC reports independently on its mandate to Parliament.
For more than 110 years, it has been charged with promoting and safeguarding merit-based appointments and protecting the non-partisan nature of the public service.
Please find attached a briefing package on our organization, with information on our key priorities and issues. Should you wish to discuss or obtain additional information, I would be very happy to meet with you. I can be reached at 819-420-6559 (patrick.borbey@cfp-psc.gc.ca). Your staff may also contact my Chief of Staff,
Melanie Bowen, at 819-420-6557 (melanie.bowen@cfp-psc.gc.ca).
Recent changes to the Access to Information Act have come into force. These changes introduce new proactive publication requirements for all government institutions regarding briefing materials prepared for ministers. The PSC will be publishing this binder on the Open Government webpage at Canada.ca.
I look forward to working with our partners across the Government of Canada to ensure that the federal public service has the skills and talent needed to meet the needs of Canadians, now and well into the future.
I thank you for your attention and support.
Sincerely,
Patrick Borbey
President
Enclosure:
- Briefing Package on the Public Service Commission of Canada
Raison d’être of the Public Service Commission of Canada
The President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada is responsible for the Public Service Commission of Canada (the agency) in accordance with the Financial Administration Act and for tabling the agency’s annual report under the PSEA. The agency reports independently on its mandate to Parliament.
Through collaboration with departments and agencies, it is dedicated to building tomorrow’s public service that is based on excellence and is representative of Canada’s diversity. It safeguards non-partisanship and promotes and protects merit and the use of both official languages in a staffing and recruitment context. It supports departments and agencies in recruiting talented people from coast to coast to coast through the use of innovative and modern services, tools and practices.
Mandate and role
Under the delegated staffing system set out in the PSEA, the Public Service Commission fulfills its mandate by promoting and safeguarding a non-partisan, merit-based and representative public service that serves all Canadians. We do this by:
- supporting departments and agencies in hiring qualified individuals into and within the public service
- overseeing and ensuring the integrity of public service hiring
- protecting the non-partisan nature of the public service while respecting employees’ rights to participate in political activities
- delivering recruitment programs and assessment services.
Part 1: Documents that require ministerial Involvement
While the Public Service Commission of Canada reports independently to Parliament, there are a number of documents that require ministerial signature.
Sections 3 to 7 outline these documents, including:
- Departmental Results Framework
- Departmental Plan
- Departmental Results Report
- Annual Report to Parliament
- Memoranda of Cabinet and Treasury Board Submissions
- ATIP and Privacy Annual Reports
- Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates
Departmental Results Framework
The Departmental Results Framework describes, at a high level, the areas in which a department or agency acts, the changes it seeks to contribute to, and how it will assess progress. The Public Service Commission’s (PSC) Departmental Results Framework consists of one core responsibility, 3 results and 13 performance indicators.
While the framework is intended to be enduring, departments and agencies may request changes once a year. To date, the nature of the PSC’s adjustments have not required the Minister’s signature. If major changes were to require the Minister’s signature, they would be requested in October of that year. For more information on the PSC’s 2019-20 Departmental Results Framework, see page 6 or please consult GC InfoBase.
Departmental Plan
The Departmental Plan provides parliamentarians and Canadians with a clear sense of what the PSC is planning to achieve, and what resources are used to achieve those results (the department’s spending plan) for the upcoming fiscal year. It also describes the department’s priorities, planned results and associated resource requirements for a 3-year period.
The PSC’s 2020-21 Departmental Plan needs to be signed by the Minister and submitted to Treasury Board Secretariat by February 3rd, 2020. Departments and agencies that do not meet this deadline risk having to make alternative tabling arrangements.
The PSC’s 2019-20 Departmental Plan is enclosed and available on the PSC website.
Departmental Results Report
The Departmental Results Report provides parliamentarians and Canadians with a clear sense of what the PSC has achieved in a fiscal year. It outlines actual performance against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the PSC Departmental Plan.
PSC’s Departmental Plan 2019-20
Departmental Results Report 2018-2019
2018-19 Annual Report to Parliament
Background
The PSEA states:
23 (1) The Commission shall, as soon as possible after the end of each fiscal year, prepare and transmit to the minister designated by the Governor in Council for the purposes of this section a report for that fiscal year in respect of matters under its jurisdiction.
The Act further requires the Minister designated by the Governor in Council to table the report before the House of Commons and the Senate within 15 sitting days of receipt
The report is drafted by the Public Service Commission (PSC) using a range of data on hiring trends, as well as findings from oversight activities and engagement with stakeholders. The report highlights positive practices across departments and agencies, and signals any system risks related to merit-based staffing and non-partisanship.
Upon tabling, the PSC communicates the findings widely across the public service, and shares the report with all Canadians on its website. The report is complemented by an open data portal, which contains more detailed data related to public service hiring activities.
Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board Submissions
The Public Service Commission of Canada rarely presents Memoranda to Cabinet or submissions to Treasury Board.
The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act
The Access to Information Act (section 94) and the Privacy Act (section 72) require that annual reports on the administration of these acts be prepared by every institution. These reports are to be tabled in each House of Parliament during the first 15 sitting after September 1st of the year in which the reports are prepared.
The Treasury Board Secretariat establishes the content requirements for these annual reports.
The authority to approve these reports lies with the head of the government institution, which, for the purpose of these acts, is the President of the Public Service Commission (PSC). However, letters of transmittal to the Clerk of the House of Commons and to the Clerk of the Senate must be signed by the Minister.
The enclosed reports provide a summary of the management and administration of the 2 acts within the PSC for the fiscal year 2018–19.
Once these 2018–19 reports have been tabled, they will be posted to the PSC’s website.
Annual Report on the Administration of the Privacy Act April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019
Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates
Background / Context
The 2020-21 Main Estimates must be tabled by March 1, 2020. An Interim Supply bill will be presented to Parliament in March. A Full Supply bill will be presented to Parliament in June.
Current status
In preparation for an Interim Supply bill, the Departmental Main Estimates Report has been completed and sent to Treasury Board Secretariat.
It is expected that the 2020-21 Main Estimates will allocate approximately $89.8 million in total funding ($78.4 million in voted appropriations and $11.4 million in statutory).
Overall (voted and statutory), Public Service Commission’s total authorities for 2020–2021 have a net increase of $4.3 million over the previous year’s total Main Estimates.
This increase in funding is primarily attributable to:
- an increase in funding received [Content Protected] for funding to support a healthy, diverse, inclusive and accessible public service
- an increase in funding received from the signing of new collective agreements
Going forward
By January 31, 2020, the Chief Financial Officer’s sign-off is to be sent to Treasury Board Secretariat on the completeness and accuracy of the final PSC Main Estimates page, which includes a confirmation that the Minister and Deputy Minister have been briefed and agree with all items requested through these estimates.
Part 2: Key Files
The following section outlines the Public Service Commission’s current key files including:
Time to Staff
- Improving The Federal Public Service Hiring Process
Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada
- Diversity Related Initiatives
Hiring Veterans
- Hiring Veterans in the Federal Public Service
- Veterans: A Valuable Resource for the Federal Public Service
GC Jobs Transformation
Employment Equity Audit
Time to staff
Background / Context
In April 2016, the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) launched a revised policy framework that streamlined staffing requirements and provided greater discretion for deputy heads to customize staffing based on their unique needs and environment. A key component of this new framework was to reduce red tape in staffing and simplify processes to reduce the complexity and time to staff.
Since the implementation of this new framework, the PSC has dedicated efforts to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of staffing within the federal public service, and has made reducing the number of days to complete a recruitment process a key indicator in the PSC Departmental Results Framework.
To reduce time to staff, the PSC has launched several initiatives, in close collaboration with departments and agencies, to shift behaviours and explore innovative approaches to recruitment. This work is critical as the public service competes to recruit the future talent it needs to maintain service excellence to Canadians.
Progress is being made, but cultural change takes time. The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates report, Improving the Federal Public Service Hiring Process, recognizes that more work remains, and recommended that time to staff be reduced by 50% (recommendation #7).
This was reiterated in the President of the Treasury Board’s mandate letter, which includes the following priority: “working with the Public Service Commission to reduce the time it takes to hire new public servants, with the goal of cutting in half the average time from ten to five months.” *
Current status
The PSC tracks, from the point of view of a Canadian seeking employment in the public service, the time to staff starting from when a job poster is advertised until the date the candidate joins the public service. This is a median, or mid-point, calculation of public service-wide recruitment processes. The time to staff for external processes has been reduced from 194 days (approximately 6.5 months) in 2017-18 to 186 days (just over 6 months) in 2018-19.
To ensure a shared accountability across the system, deputy heads who are delegated the authority to make appointments must report each year through the Management Accountability Framework on the time it takes to staff internal processes. This includes a requirement to identify specific initiatives aimed at improving recruitment times.
The PSC is also continuing to reduce process delays, by improving its limited interventions in the staffing process, including second language evaluations and priority entitlement administration. The PSC also offers a range of services, programs, and guidance to departments and agencies to support them in their recruitment efforts.
Going forward
The PSC is also exploring more fundamental shifts to the recruitment process. A key component of this work is the modernization of the recruitment platform, GC Jobs.
The PSC will pursue other short- and long-term measures to address time to staff. This will include looking at how technology can be used to simplify the staffing process, continuing education and outreach efforts, and developing guidance for hiring managers.
The PSC will also continue to monitor data on time for both internal to government and external hiring, and will establish governance to oversee progress.
* The PSC has not been able to reconcile the “from ten to five months,” to our official data with the current baseline of 194 days or 6.5 months.
Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada
Background / Context
The Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada was launched in May 2019 to make the Canadian federal public service the most accessible and inclusive public service in the world. The strategy supports the Accessible Canada Act, which enforces the identification, removal and prevention of accessibility barriers for organizations under federal jurisdiction in Canada.
The strategy follows the guiding principles of nothing without us, collaboration, sustainability and transparency. The first goal of the strategy is to improve the recruitment, retention and promotion of persons with disabilities within the Canadian federal public service. The Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) is actively involved in implementing this goal, and is focusing on the hiring of 5 000 net new persons with disabilities by 2025.
Current status
To achieve timely and meaningful progress on the goal of improving the recruitment and retention of persons with disabilities, the PSC is working in close collaboration with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer and the Office of Public Service Accessibility. A formal governance body has been established to set direction and oversee progress against strategy commitments.
The PSC has already recently launched a Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities to increase the economic inclusion of persons with disabilities and support a more diverse federal public service. The PSC also continues to administer the Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities to bring in new talent from across the country.
To ensure inclusive hiring practices, the PSC supports departments and agencies by providing guidance and support to human resource professionals and hiring managers. To increase knowledge and capacity in this area, the PSC has launched an Assessment Accommodations Ambassador network across departments.
Going forward
The PSC will continue to directly support departments in hiring persons with disabilities through its recruitment programs and services. This will include further outreach to organizations that represent persons with disabilities to promote opportunities.
The PSC will monitor efforts related to hiring 5 000 net new persons with disabilities, and will ensure a collective effort and sustained progress towards this goal.
Diversity Related Initiatives
Background / Context
The recently launched Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities will offer 2-year internship opportunities in the federal public service to 125 persons with disabilities between 2019 and 2024. This program is currently being piloted to offer opportunities to 25 candidates who have already applied to public service inventories, and who self-declared as persons with disabilities.
There are also 2 ongoing national recruitment initiatives as part of the Federal Student Work Experience Program: the Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities targeting students who self-declare as having a disability, and the Indigenous Student Employment Opportunity, targeting students who self-declare as indigenous. As part of these initiatives, the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC), in collaboration with the Canada School of Public Service, offers tools and support for hiring managers and students, including enhanced onboarding processes, training, networking and mentoring activities, to help integrate these students in the workplace.
Current status
Under the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities, as of January 10th 2020, a total of seven interns have been hired [Content Protected]. There are currently 23 recruitment processes in progress. We are confident that we will have 25 internships in place by the end of the fiscal year.
In 2018-19, 115 students with disabilities were hired through the Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities, compared to 61 hires in 2017-18.
In addition, in 2018-2019, a total of 228 students who self-declared as a person with disabilities were hired through the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP), compared to 178 in 2017-2018.
Also in 2018-19, 225 Indigenous students were hired through the Indigenous Student Employment Opportunity, compared to 186 in 2017-18.
Going forward
For year 2 of the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities, the PSC is working more directly with associations for persons with disabilities.
Hiring Veterans
Background / Context
In March 2014, the Canadian mission in Afghanistan was formally completed. In the final year of Canada’s involvement, discussions were held to determine how the Government of Canada could support Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans at the end of the mission.
Four partner organizations — the Public Service Commission (PSC), Veterans Affairs Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence —worked together on legislative changes to help Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans transition into federal public service positions.
On July 1, 2015, the Veterans Hiring Act came into force, amending the PSEA to provide Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans with increased access to employment opportunities in the federal public service.
Current status
Between July 1, 2015, and March 31, 2019, over 1 667 Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans were hired through the 3 mechanisms stemming from these amendments. See page 14 for background information on priority entitlements.
To support veterans, the PSC implemented several activities, including hiring 2 veterans as veteran advisors and developing an orientation program.
Two reports provide the 4 partner organizations with several recommendations to support veterans in fully benefiting from the legislative changes:
- Veterans: A Valuable Resource for the Federal Public Service (see page 26) — a report issued in June 2019 by the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
- Evaluation of the Implementation of the Veterans Hiring Act — a joint PSC and Veterans Affairs Canada report. (currently being finalized)
Going forward
The four partner organizations are strengthening their relationships and working on several measures to address issues and to further assist Veterans and Canadian Armed Forces members. The hiring of veterans is a responsibility shared by all federal organizations subject to the PSEA, and the PSC is fully committed to assisting departments and agencies in this endeavour.
Hiring Veterans in the Federal Public Service
This document provides an overview of the hiring of veterans in the federal public service with respect to the provisions of the Veterans Hiring Act that amended the PSEA. It includes background information on priority entitlements; key information about the Veterans Hiring Act and data on appointments; and outlines Public Service Commission (PSC) initiatives to support veteran hiring.
This information was shared with members of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates on April 30, 2019.
Background information about priority entitlements
Priority entitlements at a glance
Priority entitlements are rights provided for by the PSEA and the Public Service Employment Regulations to help people cope with career changes and life events. By providing greater access to job opportunities, they assist in re-employment into the federal public service.
As described in the table below, there are 11 types of priority entitlements.
Types of Priority Entitlements
Statutory
Outlines in the PSEA (precedence over persons with regulatory priority entitlements)
Order of consideration for appointments
- Members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) released for medical reasons attributable to service
- Surplus employees within their own organization
- Employees returning from a leave/replacing an employee on leave
- Laid-off employees
Regulatory
Outlined in the Public Service Employment Regulations
No order of consideration for appointments
- CAF members released for medical reasons not attributable to service
- Employee who becomes disabled
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police members discharged for medical reasons
- Reinstatement
- Relocation of spouse or common-law partner
- Surplus employee from another organization
- Surviving spouse or common-law partner if the death is attributable to the performance of duties
2 types of priority entitlements apply to medically released Canadian Armed Forces members:
- those released for medical reasons attributable to service
- those released for medical reasons not attributable to service
All federal departments and agencies subject to the PSEA (currently 75 departments and agencies) must consider persons with a priority entitlement before making an appointment to a position.
Priority entitlements provide hiring managers with a talent pool of potentially qualified individuals who can be appointed quickly and efficiently.
Persons with a priority entitlement are to be appointed ahead of all others — if they are found qualified for the position (see Annex B for more details).
Roles and responsibilities in administering priority entitlements
Public Service Commission
The PSC is responsible for administering and overseeing priority entitlements in accordance with the PSEA and the Public Service Employment Regulations. The PSC sets and interprets policies, directives, guides and procedures to support departments and agencies in administering priority entitlements.
Public Service Commission
Home and hiring departments and agencies are expected to respect the priority entitlement provisions of the PSEA and the Public Service Employment Regulations, and are accountable to the PSC for their role in administering the entitlements.
Departments and agencies are also responsible for providing support to their own persons with a priority entitlement, and for showing consideration of the circumstances of persons with a priority entitlement in all interactions.
Key information about the Veterans Hiring Act
On July 1, 2015, the Veterans Hiring Act amended the PSEA to help the transition of Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans into federal public service positions for which they are qualified. For more information about the history of priority entitlements, key dates and mechanisms related to the hiring of veterans in the federal public service, please see Annex A.
The following 3 provisions were introduced by the Veterans Hiring Act.
Priority entitlement provisions for veterans
- Canadian Armed Forces members who were medically released for service-related reasons have top statutory priority for appointment to any job for which they are qualified.
- Canadian Armed Forces members whose medical release is not attributable to service continue to have a regulatory priority entitlement.
- In order to qualify for the priority entitlement, Canadian Armed Forces members released for medical reasons must be certified to be ready to return to work within 5 years from their date of release for medical reason.
- Once activated, both the statutory and regulatory priority entitlements are for 5 years, or until the person is permanently appointed to a position in the federal public service.
Preference for appointment
- Applies to veterans with a minimum of 3 years of service who were honourably released in the past 5 years.
- Veterans have preference for appointment in job postings open to the general public. If found qualified for the position, they must be appointed ahead of other candidates (but only if there are no persons with a priority entitlement qualified for the position).
Mobility provision
- Provides access to public service jobs for veterans and Canadian Armed Forces members who are not indeterminately (permanently) employed in the federal public service.
- Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans can apply to jobs that are open only to current federal public service employees.
- Canadian Armed Forces members must have served a minimum of 3 years.
- Veterans must have a minimum of 3 years of Canadian Armed Forces service, and must have been honourably released in the past 5 years.
Overall results since the Veterans Hiring Act came into force in July 2015
This section presents the registration and appointments for the 3 Veterans Hiring Act provisions.
Veterans released for medical reasons who activated their priority entitlement:
1 440 medically released veterans (for reasons attributable to service, or not) activated their priority entitlement from July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2019 (see table below for more details).
| Period | Number of registrations |
|---|---|
| July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016 | 545 |
| Fiscal year 2016-17 | 323 |
| Fiscal year 2017-18 | 306 |
| Fiscal year 2018-19 | 266 |
| Total | 1 440 |
Source: Priority Information Management System
Appointments of veterans with a priority entitlement:
A total of 799 veterans were appointed through the priority entitlement provisions from July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2019 (see table below for more details).
| Priority type | July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016 | Fiscal year 2016-17 | Fiscal year 2017-18 | Fiscal year 2018-19 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans released for medical reasons — attributable to service | 20 | 107 | 156 | 154 | 437 |
| Veterans released for medical reasons — not attributable to service | 102 | 107 | 81 | 72 | 362 |
| Total | 122 | 214 | 237 | 226 | 799 |
Source: Priority Information Management System
The table below indicates the top 10 hiring departments and agencies for veterans with a priority entitlement, from July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2019.
| Departments and agencies | Number of appointments |
|---|---|
| National Defence | 514 |
| Canada Revenue Agency | 34 |
| Employment and Social Development Canada | 31 |
| Veterans Affairs Canada | 29 |
| Fisheries and Oceans Canada | 28 |
| Correctional Service Canada | 25 |
| Public Services and Procurement Canada | 21 |
| Shared Services Canada | 19 |
| Royal Canadian Mounted Police | 17 |
| Health Canada | 13 |
| Other departments and agencies | 68 |
| Total | 799 |
Source: Priority Information Management System
The table below indicates the top 10 hiring departments and agencies for veterans with a priority entitlement, from July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2019.
| Period | Total registered | Total appointed (2015-7-1 to 2016-3-31) |
Total appointed (fiscal year 2016-17) |
Total appointed (fiscal year 2017-18) |
Total appointed (fiscal year 2018-19) |
Total appointed As of 2019-3-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016 | 545 | 122/545 (22%) | 135/545 (25%) | 40/545 (7%) | 20/545 (4%) | 317/545 (58%) |
| Fiscal year 2016-17 | 323 | 79/323 (24%) | 104/323 (32%) | 25/323 (8%) | 208/323 (64%) | |
| Fiscal year 2017-18 | 306 | 93/306 (30%) | 96/306 (31%) | 189/306 (62%) | ||
| Fiscal year 2018-19 | 266 | 85/266 (32%) | 85/266 (32%) | |||
| Total | 1 440 | 122 | 214 | 237 | 226 | 799 |
Appointments through preference for appointment and mobility (permanent and term appointments):
- From July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2019, 359 veterans were appointed through the preference provision of the Veterans Hiring Act, and 509 Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans were appointed through the mobility provision of the PSEA.
- Over the last 4-year period, starting July 1, 2015, the minimum number of appointments for the 3 provisions is 1 667, detailed as preference (359), mobility (509) and priority entitlements (799).
Key PSC initiatives to support the hiring of veterans
PSC’s veterans advisors
- As part of its efforts to support veterans, the PSC hired 2 veterans as veterans advisors. [Content Protected] They specialize in providing guidance and advice concerning policies, practices and procedures related to priority entitlements to former Canadian Armed Forces members with a priority entitlement. PSC veterans advisors use the same language, can relate to veterans and can explain how the priority system works by sharing their own experience and knowledge. They also consult with veterans to improve PSC services.
Consulting veterans
- Starting fiscal year 2017-18, the PSC’s veterans advisors consulted 2 groups of veterans with a priority entitlement, for a total of 115 veterans, to gather intelligence on their experience and needs to date. The results show that veterans are generally satisfied with the job opportunities identified for them, but that they still need information about the processes related to public service staffing and priority entitlements.
- After these consultations were completed, PSC veterans advisors have continued to contact veterans registered in the Priority Information Management System Endnote E1 to offer assistance and key information (as of April 25, 75% of veterans registered in the System have been contacted). In some instances, the advisors were able to resolve veterans' public service staffing issues by providing personalized guidance. This approach also ensures that veterans have a contact at the PSC, should they have any questions about their priority entitlement or staffing process.
- During PSC consultations, the following reasons were mentioned by those veterans who were not actively looking for a position in the public service:
- still grieving military life and navigating military career management process
- experiencing psychological and/or physical after-effects
- already have a job in the private sector (remain registered in the system in case they find a better job in the public service)
- not interested in office type work
- want to remain in their community
Orientation Program for Persons with a Priority Entitlement
- In December 2018, the PSC launched an Orientation Program for Persons with a Priority Entitlement. The program provides persons with a priority entitlement, including veterans, with the information they need to increase the likelihood that their entitlement will lead to a public service job. It provides a guide, videos and orientation sessions to help them better understand, and make full use of, their priority entitlement.
- The orientation sessions are offered by the PSC on a regular basis, across the country, in person and through WebEx for those who cannot travel. A total of 49 veterans with a medically released priority entitlement have participated in one of 15 orientation sessions, 5 of which were offered on military bases in March 2019. A new series of orientation sessions will be offered over the next 5 months. A calendar of these sessions will be sent to all persons with a priority entitlement, and is posted on the Government of Canada website. By providing relevant and timely information, the PSC is helping persons with a priority entitlement:
- better understand how their priority entitlement works
- prepare to actively and effectively search for employment opportunities
- improve their likelihood of finding a job in the federal public service
Collaboration with other organizations
- Since 2015, the PSC has worked with other federal organizations to support veterans, including with the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada:
- to provide timely, adapted and targeted services to releasing Canadian Armed Forces members
- to update the Second Career Assistance Network seminars, which help prepare releasing Canadian Armed Forces members for a return to civilian life
- The PSC also supported recruitment initiatives such as Veterans Affairs Canada’s Vet-Select, Invictus Games and the Canadian Border Services Agency Facebook live event.
Looking ahead
- In the coming months, the PSC will continue to:
- oversee cohort appointments to identify trends and challenges in the hiring of veterans
- engage with veterans to gather intelligence on their experience and needs
- promote and deliver orientation sessions to provide timely and relevant information
- collaborate with partners to better support veteran hiring
- further develop tools and strategies to improve the hiring of veterans in the federal public service
Annex A – History of priority entitlements
Introduction of priority entitlements in the PSEA and Public Service Employment Regulations.
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1952 | Person laid off |
| 1967 | Person on leave |
| 1993 | - Surplus employee - Employee who becomes disabled - Relocation of spouse - Reinstatement |
| 1997 | CAF member who becomes disabled as a result of an injury sustained in special duty area |
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 2000 | RCMP member who becomes disabled as a result of service in a special duty area |
| 2005 | CAF or RCMP member released or discharged for medical reasons |
| 2010 | Surviving spouse or common law partner |
| 2015 | VHA - New Statutory priority for CAF members released for medical reasons attributable to service |
Key dates and mechanisms related to hiring veterans in the federal public service
Priority entitlement
March 1997: A new priority entitlement was established under the Public Service Employment Regulations for Canadian Armed Forces members who were disabled because of an injury sustained while on military duty in a special duty area outside Canada. The entitlement was for 2 years and the member had to be ready to return to work within 2 years after the member became disabled.
July 1998: The priority for appointment for members of the Canadian Armed Forces was amended to align the provision with the Canadian Forces Administrative Orders and thus correctly describe those who are eligible for the priority for appointment.
July 2004: The term “special duty area” (outside Canada) in the regulations was changed to “special duty service,” to expand the priority entitlement to members on special duty in Canada.
December 2005: The priority for appointment for members of the Canadian Armed Forces was amended to include members who were medically released, as opposed to only those who became disabled during special duty service. In addition, the eligibility period within which the Canadian Armed Forces member had to be certified as being ready to return to work was extended from 2 years after the member became disabled to 5 years after the day on which they were medically released.
July 1, 2015: The Veterans Hiring Act amended the PSEA to provide better access to public service employment opportunities for veterans. Canadian Armed Forces members who are medically released for service-related reasons now have top statutory priority for appointment.
Transition measures
Through transitional provisions of the Veterans Hiring Act, all medically released Canadian Armed Forces members who benefitted from a priority entitlement as of April 1, 2012, and who had not been indeterminately (permanently) appointed, were offered a new 5-year priority entitlement. At the time, 67 veterans took advantage of the transition measures. The priority for these veterans will expire on June 30, 2020.
Annex B
Consideration of Persons with a Priority Entitlement (PPE) - How it works
Step 1) Hiring Manager identifies a need and advertises a job opportunity.
Step 2)
- PPEs are identified by the PSC and decide if they want to be considered for the job opportunity.
- PPEs self-identify to be considered for the job opportunity. (Possible until the point of appointment)
Step 3) Hiring Manager assesses PPEs who expressed their interest for the job opportunity.
Step 4)
- If PPEs do not qualify, the hiring manager provides feedback to them.
- If qualified, PPEs are appointed.
Step 5) Hiring Manager assesses all candidates who expressed their interest for the job opportunity, including any new PPE’s who self-identified, if applicable.
Step 6) If qualified, PPEs are appointed ahead of all other qualified candidates.
Veterans: A Valuable Resource for the Federal Public Service
GC Jobs Transformation
Background / Context
The Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) is transforming the Government of Canada's recruitment platform. The current system is outdated and no longer serves the needs of job seekers, hiring managers and human resources professionals, particularly in a digital age.
What's needed is a flexible, modern, inclusive and user-centric solution that can attract current and future talent to the federal public service, one that provides Canadians with an equal opportunity to apply to federal government jobs.
Because the recruitment system is part of an overall human resources continuum, and existing and future systems need to work with one another, the PSC continues to work with key partners, including Next Gen HR and Pay, to align efforts.
Transforming recruitment across the public service will take place iteratively, through a phased approach. The PSC will thoroughly test and pilot options to make sure they meet users’ needs before deploying a solution to departments and agencies.
GC Jobs Transformation will enable departments and hiring managers to reduce time to staff, a key priority of the Government of Canada.
Current status
GC Jobs Transformation is currently in the Pre-Project Discovery Phase. The PSC has held consultations and gathered requirements, and will be conducting further discovery through proofs of concepts and testing followed by a Treasury Board Submission planned for 2020. The PSC also plans to conduct a proof of concept on reach solutions to promote jobs outside the public service.
Going forward
Phase 1 ─ Pilot Deployment (2021-22)
Live pilots will be conducted with selected departments and agencies to gather user feedback on the solution, validate assumptions and inform further configuration efforts.
Phase 2 ─ Implementation (2022 and beyond)
Implementation across the public service begins, including final configuration work pursuant to findings from pilot evaluations. The project will then transition to product management, and the PSC will solicit feedback on the new recruitment solution to inform enhancements and continuously improve user experience.
Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment
Background / Context
The Public Service Commission of Canada launched the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment in October 2018 in follow-up to its Anonymized Recruitment Pilot Project. The pilot project looked at whether anonymizing job applications (concealing information that could identify a candidate as a member of a visible minority) affected hiring managers’ decisions to screen them in. It compared the anonymizing method against the traditional method of screening in, which does not conceal any personal information provided by the applicant.
The pilot project’s report found no net benefit to anonymizing versus the traditional method of screening visible minority applicants. What’s more, within the traditional assessment method, no significant difference was observed in the screen-in rates of visible minority members versus all other candidates.
The Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment will provide complementary information on the screen-in rates of employment equity groups (including visible minorities) within the traditional assessment method, by examining external appointment processes that have already occurred, and not relying on volunteer organizations. The audit is therefore less hindered by the research limitations that are common in anonymized assessment studies such as the Anonymized Recruitment Pilot Project.
The audit’s objectives are:
- to determine whether the 4 designated employment equity groups are proportionately represented at key steps of the recruitment process
- to identify key factors that influence representation in the appointment system among the 4 designated employment equity groups
The audit is based on a sample of 181 completed, externally advertised term and indeterminate recruitment processes with closing dates between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017, randomly drawn from 30 departments and agencies.
Going forward
The publication of the audit report is planned for late 2020.