3.6 million Canadians cannot afford to fill their prescriptions. Our friends and neighbours are forced to choose between groceries and medicine.

Canada remains the only developed country with a universal public health insurance system that does not include universal coverage for prescription drugs.

We have joined 150 organizations across Canada calling on the new federal government to immediately implement universal, public pharmacare.

Read the Pharmacare Now statement 

National pharmacare should be a seamless extension of the existing universal health care system in Canada, which covers medically necessary physician and hospital services, and operates in harmony with the principles of the Canada Health Act.

We cannot continue with this dysfunctional patchwork system for drug coverage that is unfair, inefficient and expensive. We have more than 100 public drug plans and 113,000 private plans across the country. And we are paying the third highest drug prices in the world.

This situation is a violation of the principles and values at the heart of our universal public health care system and it is economically unsustainable.

A universal public pharmacare program will provide equal access and coverage to all Canadians.

It will save billions of dollars because governments will combine their bulk-buying power to negotiate lower drug prices and volume discounts with drug companies.
 
Canadians are proud of our universal public health care system, which is based on need and not ability to pay. It is time to build on this proud legacy and take the next bold step of implementing a universal public pharmacare program.

That is why we have joined with health care providers, non-profit organizations, unions, workers, seniors, patients and academics from across the country to urge all parties to work together to implement pharmacare before the next election.

Your new collective agreement: implementation and retro pay

The implementation process is underway for the AV, NR, RE, SH, SP, CNRC (LS, IR, RO-RCO, TR), CRA (AFS), OSFI, CNSC (NUREG), NEB and NFB collective agreements.

Your employer has 180 days from the date of signing the new collective agreement to:

1. raise your pay according to the new rates
2. provide retro pay for the time elapsed since the expiry of the old contracts and
3. pay you $400 as a penalty for extended implementation timelines

We expect a large number of members to receive their pay increases by the end of 2019. After this process is complete, your employer can start the process of calculating and distributing retro pay over the coming weeks and months.

It is okay if you have not received your wage increase yet. If the employer fails to provide retro pay within the 180 day deadline they will face additional financial penalties. Upon that failure, you will be awarded $50 on day 181 and again every 90 days to a maximum of $450. This is in addition to the $400 listed above.

Phoenix related pay issues:

We do not expect the implementation of the new pay rates to fix ongoing Phoenix related pay issues. If you were not receiving the correct rate of pay before implementation, it is unlikely the implementation process will correct the issue. As the implementation process progresses, we expect everyone will receive pay increases corresponding to higher rates of pay in the new collective agreements.

For information about what to do about ongoing Phoenix related pay issues or if you are seeking compensation for damage done by the pay system visit pipsc.ca/phoenix.

We have sought to address many common questions about the implementation of your new pay rate and retro pay.

Watch the retro pay webinar.

To find more details about your new rate of pay please visit your group page to find your pay rate table.

For more information, review the Frequently Asked Questions.

If you still require clarifications contact your steward.

It is with a profound sense of sorrow and regret that the Institute informs you of the passing of our friend and colleague, Ed Sweet.

Ed passed away on November 17, 2019.  Ed’s commitment to Institute members was deep and unwavering. He will be missed.

Ed was among the Auditors who chose to join PIPSC in 1990 to form the Auditing Group.

Ed served Institute members with distinction in a number of capacities over many years, notably as a union steward in Halifax.

For years, Ed served as a member of the Executive Committee of the AFS Group, the AFS Halifax Sub-Group, the Halifax Branch and the CCRA Auditing Group, and as a delegate to many Annual General Meetings.

The Institute extends its condolences to Ed’s family and to the many friends who were privileged to know him.

Condolences and memories can be expressed online.

We are members from across the country and across employers and when we pull together – we are unstoppable.

At the 100th AGM, Debi Daviau addressed the delegates, touching on the AGM theme “Leading Progress” and outlining the goals for the year ahead.

Watch the speech that highlights everything from our fight to protect public services, to reducing the levels of outsourcing back to 2005-06 levels. We will continue our work on salary equity and will be launching a new campaign. We have a lot of good work ahead of us.
 

Full text of the President’s address.
 

The two guest speakers at the 100^th AGM were David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data responsible for conducting our 2019 membership survey, and Hassan Yussuff, a well-known champion for Canadian workers and president of the Canadian Labour Congress.

David Coletto addressed the results of the member survey in depth from the large increase of the overall satisfaction rate of our members, to the priorities of our members. He explored various scenarios PIPSC could face where dues weren’t required, or worse, if PIPSC did not exist. Good news — our members are proud union members and many would still be supportive of our union. There is a lot of positive feedback gained from this survey and a lot to learn. We are heading in the right direction.

President Hassan Yussuff, then took the stage expressing his constant support for public service. President Yussuff highlighted the great work done by unions and the progress made in the last year and the year ahead. He celebrated the end to Bill C-27, new legal protections for victims of domestic violence and the progress we've made on Pharmacare.

Two inspiring speeches reminding us of the many ways we are “Leading Progress.”

Watch the video below for the full speeches.

On October 23, PIPSC President Debi Daviau met with RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki. The meeting was constructive and the RCMP Commissioner expressed concern for the well-being of our members along with a commitment to delay the transfer of RCMP civilian members onto Phoenix until the system is stable.

President Daviau made clear that we expect it to be years before Phoenix is stable and that we oppose the transfer of RCMP civilian members to Phoenix. She stated our position in the most recent meeting and in a follow-up letter:

November 6, 2019

Brenda Lucki
Commissioner Royal Canadian Mounted Police
RCMP National Headquarters
73 Leikin Drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0R2

By email: Brenda.Lucki@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Commissioner Lucki,

I am writing as a follow-up to our October 23, 2019 meeting, during which you requested a short briefing note summarizing the Institute’s position and concerns regarding the potential transfer of our Civilian Members to the troubled Phoenix pay system. Please see below for our comments in that regard.

Ours was a constructive discussion that bodes well for our future working relationship. I believe you are genuinely concerned about the well-being of our members and that you are committed to holding off on the transfer until such time as Phoenix has achieved stability. While I respect your position, I must reiterate my view, and that of my members, the government’s own Information Technology specialists, that it may take years before we reach that stage, if at all.

I look forward to our continued dialogue on this and related issues.

Sincerely,

Debi Daviau
President
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

PIPSC Position:

After three years of fighting for tens of thousands of our members who are suffering under Phoenix, there is absolutely no justification for exposing RCMP Civilian Members to the same problems.

Our members deserve better and are counting on the Commissioner’s leadership to make the right, evidence-based decision: additional RCMP members should not be transferred to the Phoenix system under any circumstances, given its inherent instability and inability to handle its current workload.

Phoenix Facts:

(1) Performance levels continue to fall far short of standard

Despite optimism earlier this year regarding improved percentage of transactions processed within the service standard, the Pay Centre’s performance level has plateaued at 64% for the past six months. The target service standard remains at 95%.  This means that one out of every three pay transactions is not being processed in accordance with the service standard.

As well, new collective agreement transactions will place additional burdens on the struggling pay system. We are anticipating a spike in the backlog in the weeks and months ahead.

(2) RCMP measures being put in place are an acknowledgment that serious problems are anticipated

Notably, steps are being taken to modify the current pay system to facilitate post-deeming retro pay when these agreements have been negotiated and implemented, including development of a special script to facilitate pension contributions.  Onboarding of civilian members is also expected to require a complex set of processes and procedures.

Despite all of these extraordinary efforts, the RCMP is unable to remedy the ongoing instability and inadequacy of the pay system to meet recurring day-to day demands.

(3) Phoenix has already taken a heavy toll on existing RCMP public servants

The RCMP identifies a peak backlog of 32,840 RCMP cases in August 2018, reduced to 14,867 cases as of September 18, 2019. With 6,670 public servants employed within the RCMP in 2018, on average at peak there were 5 pay cases per employee. After one year of work to clear the backlog, there are still 14,867 cases outstanding - an average of 2.25 per employee.

These statistics don’t adequately convey the human consequences of pay errors on employees, and our Civilian Members are rightly concerned that Phoenix will jeopardize their financial security.

The public service is an important driver in the Canadian economy.

Governments, worldwide, tout cuts to the public service as a key tool for cutting deficits or balancing budgets. But it turns out that’s far from the case. In reality, investments in the public service benefit the economy.

A recent report from IRIS (Institut de recherche et d’information socioéconomiques), a research institute in Quebec, shows that each dollar invested in the Canadian public service raises the GDP by $1.22 and benefits provincial economies.

Every dollar invested in the federal public service translates to economic gains. Federally, for every million dollars invested in the federal public service there are benefits of $1.77 M.

Most significantly, in Alberta and Nova Scotia, for every million dollars spent on the federal public service there are economic benefits of $2.26 Million and $2.07 Million, respectively.”

READ THE REPORT

The report assessed public sector employment trends going back as far as the post-war era. And makes clear that the Canadian economy would benefit from increased hiring in the federal public service, stating that the 25,000 jobs cut by Harper in 2011 have not been replaced.

The Harper-era cuts were wrong-headed, dollar for dollar. Spending on public services generates more residual jobs and growth than spending on other industries.

A large number of secure jobs stabilize the volatility of the private sector and mitigate the pain of negative shocks that are inevitable in industries such as manufacturing and resource extraction.

“The public sector is a tool that governments can use to achieve full employment, by providing high-quality jobs that have a beneficial effect on economic growth in general and on the resilience of regions that are less diversified.”

In the recent budget, the Alberta government has announced a 7.7% cut to their provincial public service over the next four years. This will mean the loss of 1588 jobs.

A strategy proven ineffective under Harper will be no more successful today in Alberta. In an already volatile, resource-dependent economy, cuts to the public service will exacerbate challenges and do little to balance the budget.

We stand in solidarity with public servants in Alberta. We oppose austerity measures at all levels of government. And, we are working for a thriving economy that benefits all people in Canada.

Weathering this Phoenix storm has not been easy, we know. We’re all in this together and we are working hard to make sure a range of resources are available for you.

We’ve updated our information on the actions you can take to have Phoenix errors addressed.

Help with Phoenix

We are making advances. The new compensation deal has allowed members to receive up to five days in additional paid vacation time. The agreement also provides a claims process that will be available soon. We will support you to get back every dollar you are owed.

If you are struggling now to make ends meet, emergency pay is still available from your employer and we are ready to help you access it. We also offer loans to members especially impacted by Phoenix.

We know the stress of dealing with Phoenix is real and impacts your lives. Your union is with you.

We want you to have the resources you need.

If you are in crisis, please call Crisis Services Canada:

1-833-456-4566

Services are available in both French and English.

It is ok to not be ok. There is support to help you deal with Phoenix errors, make a claim to get the money you are owed, get emergency pay and talk to someone about the toll this is all taking. You deserve all the support you need. It’s for you.

We will continue to pull together to put this Phoenix disaster behind us. And we will continue to celebrate the incredible contributions you make to our country despite these challenges! We are better together.