Introduction

This year has shown, once again, the strength and steadiness of PIPSC members. In 2025, public service professionals faced some of the most significant pressures in recent memory: large-scale workforce adjustments, shifting return-to-office mandates, rising workloads, and uncertainty across departments. Despite it all, our members responded with professionalism, clarity, and unwavering commitment to serving Canadians.

These challenges shaped every part of our advocacy. As the federal government continued cutting programs, outsourcing essential work, and advancing policies without consultation or evidence, PIPSC stepped forward with research, public engagement, strategic outreach, and a clear message: public service professionals deserve respect, stability, and workplaces grounded in fairness. Our visibility increased not only across the federal government, but also within our separate employers, who faced many of the same pressures around staffing, capacity, and modernization.

Inside the Institute, we took important steps to strengthen our financial foundation, refine our internal structures, and improve the consistency of support across divisions. We renewed our focus on accountability and transparency while rebuilding trust within our teams. The result is an organization that is more aligned, more stable, and more prepared to deliver on its mission.

As we look toward 2026 — a major bargaining year, a year of intensified advocacy, and a year of continued transformation in the public service — we do so grounded in solidarity. The solidarity of members who step up for one another. The solidarity of stewards who guide workers through challenges. And the solidarity of a union that is stronger, more connected, and more focused than it has been in years.

Key Achievements and Ongoing Initiatives

Future of Work and Return to Workplace

Return-to-Office continued to be one of the defining issues of 2025. Too many employer decisions were made without evidence, consultation, or operational rationale. These choices disrupted lives, worsened workloads, and undermined trust.

PIPSC pushed back at every turn. We challenged arbitrary mandates, pressed for fair and consistent telework policies, and advanced a clear vision of “presence with purpose” — one grounded in operational needs, equity, accessibility, and the reality of modern work. Our advocacy was strengthened by coordinated actions with other public sector unions, joint research, shared communications, and targeted outreach to decision-makers. Members played a crucial role throughout, attending briefings, raising concerns, and participating in mobilization efforts that helped shape our public responses.

The work continues into 2026, but the foundation is strong: informed members, coordinated union strategy, and a clear, evidence-based position rooted in fairness and operational effectiveness.

Collective Bargaining

Bargaining in 2025 advanced on several fronts. The Institute finalized settlement agreements for eleven Groups, supported major strike readiness efforts, and secured gains across sectors where members have been under longstanding pressures. This included the successful planning, execution, and resolution of the CRPEG strike; a positive settlement for New Brunswick Crown Counsel; and the onboarding of the Newfoundland Crown Counsel group.

The year also saw improved collaboration with PSAC, CAPE, and other unions. Through joint committees with Treasury Board, we made progress on issues including pay simplification, parental leave allowance modernization, and clearer career development frameworks. Internally, our Common Issues Team and Strategic Bargaining Committee strengthened alignment across Groups on telework, artificial intelligence, Workforce Adjustment, harassment, compensation pressures, and sick leave.

These coordinated efforts matter. They prepare us for the year ahead, when several major agreements will open, and when the IT Group begins early bargaining in January. 2026 will be challenging, but we enter it prepared, united, and clear-eyed about the issues that matter most to our members.

National Policy Office

The National Policy Office continued to play an essential role in strengthening consultation, coordination, and system-wide advocacy. Throughout 2025, the NPO provided crucial support to consultation teams navigating Workforce Adjustment and departmental restructuring, helped stewards manage emerging issues, and identified patterns affecting multiple employers.

With more consistent coordination across departments, consultation teams benefitted from shared guidance, clearer messaging, and more proactive advocacy. This work gave PIPSC a stronger voice in addressing system-level challenges and improved our ability to anticipate issues before they became crises.

Member Engagement, Education and Communication

Member engagement reached a new level this year. With cuts, outsourcing, and RTO mandates affecting workplaces across Canada, members stepped forward in large numbers to share their experiences, push for fairness, and advocate for better decisions.

PIPSC’s Here for Canada campaign helped unite these efforts by highlighting the essential work of federal professionals and exposing the risks of austerity and contracting out. Members also attended webinars, information sessions, and briefings on bargaining, WFA, RTO, and equity. More than six hundred Rand members joined the Institute through targeted outreach. In-person participation continued to grow as members reconnected post-pandemic.

Lobby Week marked a major moment of impact. Two hundred and six members met directly with elected officials to explain how cuts undermine essential services and why the work of public service professionals must be protected.

This year showed the power of an engaged membership — and it positions PIPSC well for the advocacy and bargaining ahead.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

In 2025, the Human Rights and Diversity Committee focused on the growing challenges faced by equity-seeking members, including rising hate and incidents of harassment. Guided by the results of the 2022 equity survey, the Committee worked with staff and leadership to assess existing practices and chart a path forward.

This included developing an anti-hate email response protocol, collaborating with the Training, Education and Mentoring Committee to expand EDIA training, and drafting AGM resolutions to strengthen the HRDC’s mandate. The Committee also updated bylaw language to better reflect its role and began developing new initiatives such as an equity-based mentorship program and a future annual equity symposium.

The work ahead is substantial, but the direction is clear: a union where every member sees themselves reflected, supported, and represented — and where equity is built into every layer of decision-making.

Standing Up for All PIPSC Members

Fighting a Culture of Disrespect

In 2025, members continued to experience the consequences of systems that fail to treat them with respect. Phoenix pay issues persisted. The transition to the new Public Service Health Care Plan brought service gaps, delays, and confusion. Many members faced uncertainty around benefits, classification changes, and staffing decisions.

PIPSC confronted these issues directly. We called for better service standards, fought for fair compensation, and raised public awareness about the impact of Phoenix and the Canada Life transition. We advocated for meaningful union involvement in developing NextGen and insisted that any new system must avoid repeating the failures of the past.

Our position throughout the year was simple: public service professionals deserve stable pay, reliable benefits, and workplaces grounded in respect.

Combatting Austerity Measures

Federal budget cuts in 2025 posed real risks for Canadians. Cuts to staffing and programming threaten everything from emergency response to food inspection to cybersecurity. PIPSC responded quickly and decisively, warning that these cuts were not “efficiencies,” but erosions that undermine public trust and service delivery.

Through the Here for Canada campaign, rapid economic analysis, and sustained media engagement, PIPSC highlighted the consequences of austerity and emphasized the need for reinvestment in public services. We also strengthened our partnerships with groups like Canadians for Tax Fairness, advocating for a fairer tax system and stronger anti-avoidance measures that ensure public services are sustainably funded.

Our message gained traction: reducing essential capacity comes at a cost Canadians cannot afford.

Defending Member Interests

PIPSC remained a leading national voice on scientific integrity, bilingualism, whistleblower protection, and evidence-based policy. The Institute’s research team released major reports this year — including A Science Roadmap for Canada’s Future, Gender Equity in Fieldwork, and Supporting Gender Transition at Work — which informed public discussion and workplace policy.

We continued to advocate for increased investment in public science, for improved protections for whistleblowers, and for equitable bilingual service delivery. Our participation in national and international forums underscored the role of federal professionals in addressing climate challenges, supporting innovation, and strengthening public accountability.

Fighting the Shadow Public Service

Outsourcing continued to be one of the most pressing issues facing the public service. PIPSC worked throughout 2025 to expose the cost, risk, and scale of contracting out. We demonstrated how outsourcing undermines institutional knowledge, inflates costs, and weakens cybersecurity. Our public advocacy made clear that federal work must be done by federal professionals — not private contractors.

Through testimony, media engagement, and direct outreach to government, we pressed for better hiring practices, improved retention strategies, and a long-term shift away from reliance on external contractors.

Preparing for Knowledge Worker Labour Shifts

As AI and automation reshape workplaces across government, PIPSC has positioned itself as a key voice in shaping guidelines, safeguards, and training for the future. We advocated for clear oversight, ethical frameworks, and stronger regulatory structures. We emphasized the importance of upskilling, ensuring members have opportunities to grow and adapt.

Navigar — our online skill-development tool — continued to expand this year, helping members plan for transitions and build the competencies needed for emerging roles. This work reinforces PIPSC’s belief that technological change must support workers, not displace them, and that members deserve access to the tools and training necessary to thrive.

Looking Ahead

As we prepare for 2026, PIPSC enters the year steady, aligned, and ready. The challenges ahead are real: major bargaining, continued pressures on telework and WFA, intensified discussions around AI, and growing demands on public services. But our union is stronger today because of the work done across 2025 — stronger in our internal systems, stronger in our advocacy, and stronger in our solidarity.

We will continue pushing back against arbitrary decisions and unfair cuts. We will defend pay equity, classification integrity, pensions, and benefits. We will challenge outsourcing and advocate for well-resourced public services. And we will keep centering the voices, experiences, and expertise of our members.

Our path forward is clear: a stable, modern public service; a fair, respectful workplace for every member; and a union grounded in unity, purpose, and strength.

Together, we are prepared for the year ahead. And together, we will continue building a public service that truly serves Canadians — with professionalism, integrity, and pride.