2024-2025 Annual Report on Delegated Authorities for Political Activities
Accessibility
As of the date of publication, the accessibility of this document has been verified.
If you encounter any issues with this document, please contact the Political Activities and Non-Partisanship Division (PANPD).
Purpose
- To report on delegated authorities under Part 7 of the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA)
- To provide information on candidacy requests and the Political Activities and Non-Partisanship Division’s (PANPD) program activities for 2024-2025
- To share an overview of 2025-2026
| Permission requests | Carried over from 23-24 | Received in 24-25 | No decision | Carried over to 25-26 | Granted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | 2 | 39 | 2 | 7 | 32 |
| Provincial/Territorial | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Federal | 2 | 52 | 11 | 0 | 43 |
| Total permission requests | 4 | 104 | 16* | 7 | 85 |
| Change of circumstances requests | Carried over from 23-24 | Received in 24-25 | No decision | Carried over to 25-26 | Granted or permission still applies |
| Municipal | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Provincial/Territorial | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Federal | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total change of circumstances requests | 3 | 9 | 1* | 1 | 10 |
Candidacy highlights
113 candidacy files in 2024-2025
Candidacy requests by type of election:
- 53/113 (47%) federal
- 14/113 (12%) provincial
- 46/113 (41%) municipal
Candidacy request results:
- 95/113 (84%) were granted/permission still applied
- 18/113 (16%) did not result in a decision
Average time to render a decision: 12 days
70/113 (62%) of candidacy requests were from employees working in Ontario and Quebec
Requests received from 28 different organizations
Top 4 organizations:
- Employment and Social Development Canada
- Canada Revenue Agency
- Public Services and Procurement Canada
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Top 3 occupational groups:
- AS, EC and PM
| Total federal files | 68 |
|---|---|
| New permission requests | 65 |
| Change of duties/district files | 3 |
| Withdrew before permission granted | 11 |
| Permissions granted | 54 |
| Number of public servants witd permission | 53* |
| Withdrew after permission granted | 3 |
| Did not seek nomination | 7 |
| Sought, but did not win nomination | 6 |
| Registered as a candidate | 25 |
| Did not register as a candidate | 12 |
| Elected | 1 |
Highlights
Federal Candidacy Requests:
- 32/65 requests (49%) were received between January and March 2025
- 55/65 requests (84%) were received from employees in Ontario and Quebec
- 27/65 (42%) sought permission to run in the NCR
- Top 2 occupational groups: EC and PM
Previous numbers of federal candidacy requests received: 2021 – 29; 2019 - 49
Average days to render a decision on federal files:
2019 – 14.7 days
2021 – 17.7 days
2025 – 17.5 days
* Note: 1 employee sought permission two times for this election with different circumstances and is not double-counted in those employees who sought nomination/candidacy.
Elected employees
In 2024-2025:
- 11/32 (34%) employees were elected at the municipal level
- 7/32 (22%) in Saskatchewan
- 3/32 (9%) in Nova Scotia
- 1/32 (3%) in Alberta
- 2/10 (20%) employees were elected at the provincial level and ceased to be public servants
- 1/10 (10%) in British Columbia
- 1/10 (10%) in New Brunswick
There are currently 107 employees holding municipal office across the following provinces:
- Quebec (37)
- Ontario (21)
- New Brunswick (15)
- Newfoundland and Labrador (16)
- Saskatchewan (8)
- Nova Scotia (4)
- Manitoba (4)
- Alberta (1)
- British Columbia (1)
Outreach Activities Highlights
PANPD reached over 5500 public servants!
PANPD hosted 34 outreach sessions tailored by:
- audience: employees, department, managers, designated political activities representatives
- subject: candidacy, non-candidacy
PANPD participated in 2 Values and Ethics panel discussions hosted by other departments
- Public sector values – hosted by ISED
- Outside employment – hosted by NRCAN
Special blitz from January – April 2025 to give extra support during the federal, and the Ontario provincial elections
Feedback evaluations returned to PANPD showed the following results:
- 65.3% rated the sessions as “Extremely Pertinent” to their needs
- 71.4% rated themselves as “Very Knowledgeable” after the session (i.e., where to find the required information)
- 85.7% rated the learning environment as “Very Positive”
Political activities and social media
PANPD supported organizations by producing the following guidance: Public servants, political activities and social media
It outlines the rights and responsibilities of public servants when participating in political activities. It features:
- Dos and don’ts
- What to consider before engaging in political activity online, including risk factors
- Link to PSC site on Political Activities Investigations of improper political activities
PSC guidance links to the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer’s Guidance for Public Servants on their Personal Use of Social Media. The pieces are complementary and aim to ensure that public servants have easy-to-find, comprehensive information on the acceptable use of social media.
Enquiries received about political activities
PANPD received 198 enquiries
Source of enquiries:
- 82/198 (41%) from public servants
- 59/198 (30%) from DPARs
- 38/198 (19%) from HR
- 19/198 (10%) from the public, including exempt staff
102/198 (52%) of enquiries were received between December 2024 and March 2025
| Topic | Number |
|---|---|
| Federal election | 63 (32%) |
| Is this political activity allowed? | 47 (24%) |
| Candidacy permission | 39 (20%) |
| Communications/Presentations | 27 (14%) |
| Mobility provision | 28 (14%) |
| Is this a political activity? | 23 (12%) |
| Is permission required for this activity? | 19 (10%) |
| Political activities self-assessment tool | 13 (7%) |
| Improper political activities | 5 (3%) |
| Leave without pay | 6 (3%) |
Mobility provisions
PANPD provides advice and guidance to organizations and Minister’s staff on eligibility for the mobility provision, and it processes the requests for access to the mobility provision.
- Mobility provisions allow former Ministers’ staff and excluded employees for the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General to participate in internal advertised appointment processes if they have been employed in an eligible office for at least 3 years.
In 2024-2025, 12 persons were confirmed eligible for the mobility provision; 2 were deemed ineligible.
In anticipation of a potential change in political leadership, PANPD:
- contributed to a one-pager prepared by PCO for ministerial staff; and
- presented information on the mobility provision to the PCO-led transition team.
Oversight of improper political activities
PANPD plays a key role supporting investigations of improper political activities
Improper political activities in 2024-2025:
- Investigations Directorate received 22 allegations, 15 of which were referred by PANPD
- 3 investigation cases were founded, 0 were unfounded, and 0 were discontinued (Note: this may include carry-over cases from the previous fiscal year)
- Awareness sessions were ordered as corrective actions in all 3 founded investigation cases
- Investigations Directorate required a risk analysis for 1 case related to allegations of improper political activities
- 1 awareness session was delivered by PANPD to an employee following the founded investigation
PANPD collaborated with the Investigations Directorate to finalize an awareness letter in support of their new risk-based approach to investigations following an allegation of an improper candidacy related political activity.
Overview of 2025-2026
Upcoming elections:
- Municipal: Alberta – October 20, 2025
Quebec – November 2, 2025 - Provincial: Newfoundland and Labrador – October 14, 2025
- Territorial: Nunavut – October 27, 2025
Yukon – November 3, 2025
Client support:
- Annual learning event for Designated Political Activities Representatives (Winter 2026)
- Develop new tool/resources to support their liaison role (e.g., sample material to include in departmental briefing notes)
Type of request |
Director General, Staffing Support, Priorities and Political Activities Directorate |
Vice President, Policy and Communications Sector |
Commission Retains |
|---|---|---|---|
Municipal candidate |
√ checkmark |
− |
√ checkmark if a PSC employee |
Provincial/Territorial candidate |
− |
√ checkmark |
√ checkmark if an executive/equivalent OR a PSC employee |
Federal candidate |
− |
− |
√ checkmark |
LWOP as a condition of request |
− |
− |
√ checkmark |
Recommendation to deny request |
− |
− |
√ checkmark |
Precedent setting |
− |
− |
√ checkmark |
Change in circumstances |
√ checkmark |
√ checkmark |
− |
Note that on a case-by-case basis, any file can be referred to the Commission to render a decision.