Government of Canada takes next steps towards next generation pay system

August 23, 2018 – Ottawa, Ontario – Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat 

The ongoing public service pay problems are completely unacceptable, and the Government of Canada is committed to making this right for its employees.

Budget 2018 announced the government’s intention to move away from Phoenix and develop a pay system that will meet the needs of employees and function with the complexity of the federal government’s human resources and pay structure. Under the leadership of Alex Benay, Chief Information Officer of Canada, a multi-disciplinary team in the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) has been established to deliver options for a human resources and pay alternative.

The TBS team has been working on preliminary analysis of available vendors and, as part of an upcoming Notice of Proposed Procurement, will be looking to private sector expertise to identify potential innovative alternatives for a new system. The government will work closely with public servants and unions to assess and ultimately implement innovative solutions.

The team will take an entirely different approach than the one that led to the implementation of Phoenix, including strong governance and direct accountability. Conditions outlined in this project will reflect the government’s key digital principles — such as being agile, open and iterative — based on modern best practices and lessons learned. The team will work closely with experts, unions, technology providers and, most importantly, public service employees. In due time, federal employees, including compensation advisors will be testing the new system and will be involved at all stages of development and implementation, including training.

Ongoing stabilization of the Phoenix Pay System remains a top Government priority and is being pursued relentlessly, even as the government looks at developing options for the next generation system.