The government's current patchwork approach to AI in the federal public sector is inadequate to keep pace with rapid technological changes. PIPSC remains disappointed by the TBS strategy unveiled in March 2025. 

We’ve long advocated for a federal strategy that guarantees transparency, including a registry on all AI use – a commitment previously made by Chief Data Officer of Canada, Steven Burt—but this was not delivered. There were also no assurances against job cuts due to AI or against its misuse from monitoring public servants, which we know is already happening. 

Most critically, there was no mention of an independent AI regulator. AI, when used responsibly, can empower workers, enhance jobs, and drive efficiencies. However, its unregulated use invites abuse: replacing workers, threatening privacy and undermining public sector standards.

PIPSC wants to see more substantive engagement and ongoing consultation on AI, and we continue to call for the creation of joint federal union and government committees. Public servants deserve to understand how AI will reshape their jobs and workplace, and our members deserve a stronger voice in this transformation. It's too crucial for the future of the public service for workers to be sidelined or their critical feedback ignored. 

Canada’s federal public sector needs a comprehensive and transparent approach to AI —supported by regulation and independent oversight, ongoing consultation, and collective bargaining— that addresses privacy risks, ensures employee rights, and safeguards good public sector jobs. 

Specifically, PIPSC is advocating for a federal strategy on AI that includes the following protections, safeguards and principles: 

• Consultation: Whether it’s introducing new AI into workflows or developing a federal strategy, government must consult unions and affected parties at all times. Establish regular consultation mechanisms across sectors, including with the Treasury Board, meeting at least four times annually. Strengthen the AI Advisory Council by incorporating union representation as we are directly affected by AI use.
• Regulation: Establish federal oversight bodies to regulate AI across all levels of government, including national security institutions, ensuring privacy and human rights protections. Ideally, Canada establishes a single regulatory framework that governs AI in both private and public sectors.
• Transparency: Treasury Board, departments, and agencies must publicly disclose all AI uses, particularly regarding recruitment, staffing, performance management, security screning, and visitor access.
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): AI policies must be developed with an EDI lens, ensuring no discriminatory practices, like Clearview photo recognition, are used. All AI must be inclusive from the outset.
• Bargaining AI: Mandate the inclusion of AI use in the collective bargaining process so that employers and unions can bargain on how AI affects an employee’s work life.
• Monitoring: End all covert AI employee monitoring, including surveillance tools and robots, as highlighted by recent media reports.
• Review: New AI systems must be regularly reviewed after implementation to assess their effectiveness and make necessary adjustments.
• Whistleblower Protection: Protect employees who report unethical AI use, following successful models like those in Australia.
• Research: Federal departments should lead AI research to enhance existing programs or develop new ones, ensuring that research is conducted by public servants unless exceptions are justified.
• Training and Retraining: Provide mandatory, fully-funded AI training or retraining for employees, starting immediately when needed.
• Advance Warning: Extend the notice period for AI-related job changes or layoffs to at least one year, allowing sufficient time for retraining.
• Job Guarantee: If retraining is impractical, guarantee new job opportunities for employees impacted by AI-driven layoffs.

Community and labour organizations across the country are calling on Canada’s federal parliament to prioritize the interests of working people as it develops an action plan in response to new US tariffs. 

Urgent improvements are needed to Canada’s Employment Insurance (EI) system, as workers face economic hardship due to tariffs from the United States. The Interprovincial EI Working Group developed the EI Roadmap to ensure the government of Canada protects all workers at this time of uncertainty and vulnerability. 

PIPSC endorses the EI Roadmap alongside the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Unifor, the Canadian Labour Congress, and over 100 other organizations and unions across Canada. 

Read the EI Roadmap

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Pascal Sylvester Kirton Joseph on March 9, 2025. Pascal was a dedicated union member and a passionate advocate for workplace fairness and equity. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and all those whose lives he touched.

Pascal was an active and engaged member of the AFS Group at PIPSC, serving in various leadership roles throughout his career. He contributed significantly to numerous local, regional and national committees, including the Employee Assistance Program, the Union-Management Consultation Team, and the Employment Equity Committee. His dedication to union leadership culminated in his service on the PIPSC Board of Directors, representing the Ontario Region from 2009 to 2010.

Beyond his professional and union contributions, Pascal was known for his warm personality, ability to connect with people, and passion for fostering inclusive workplaces. His legacy of advocacy and leadership will continue to inspire those who follow in his footsteps.

We extend our deepest condolences to Pascal’s family, friends, and colleagues. We honour his years of service and dedication and will always remember his unwavering commitment to the labour movement.

Memories of Pascal and condolences can be shared here.

PIPSC is deeply disappointed by Justice Jocelyne Gagné's decision to dismiss the motion to certify the Black Class Action lawsuit against the federal government. This landmark case, which sought to address decades of systemic discrimination against Black public servants, represented a critical opportunity to acknowledge historical wrongs and create meaningful change within our institutions.

The Federal Court's reasoning that the case "did not sufficiently meet the class action requirement" and that its scope "makes it unfit for a class procedure" fails to recognize the shared experiences of discrimination that have affected countless Black public servants. While the court acknowledges the "profoundly sad ongoing history of discrimination suffered by Black Canadians," this acknowledgment rings hollow without corresponding action.

“Systemic racism requires systemic solutions," said Din I. Kamaldin of the PIPSC Black Caucus. “By dismissing this class action, the court has placed additional barriers in the path of those seeking redress for decades of discrimination.”

"We stand in unwavering solidarity with the Black Class Action Secretariat and our Black members," said Sean O'Reilly, President of PIPSC. "This decision is not the end of the fight but rather a moment that strengthens our resolve to pursue justice through all available channels."

PIPSC calls on the federal government to demonstrate genuine commitment to addressing systemic racism by engaging directly with the Black Class Action Secretariat and implementing the changes they have proposed, including:

1. Creation of a Black Equity Commission to investigate challenges, implement solutions, and hold government entities accountable for discrimination.
2. A compensation fund to address psychological trauma and financial losses suffered by Black public servants over the past 50 years.
3. Implementing concrete measures to eliminate barriers to hiring and promotion for Black public servants

The pursuit of justice and equity in our public service must continue, regardless of this setback.

For more information on how to support this ongoing fight for justice, please visit www.blackclassaction.ca.

To all federal public service workers in the United States, particularly those in science and research:

PIPSC expresses our unwavering solidarity with you during these deeply challenging times. As the largest public service union in Canada representing federal scientists, we stand alongside all of you as you face unprecedented attacks on your work, your well-being, and the very foundations of scientific integrity.

We condemn in the strongest terms the attacks on science and research initiated by the Trump administration and its policies. From freezing billions of dollars in critical federal research funding to censoring research on topics such as climate change and gender, and firing thousands of public sector employees in national agencies that rely on scientific research to protect public health, the environment, and national security. This includes the Centre for Disease Control, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Archives, museums and libraries across the US. 

These actions aren’t just an assault on the science and research community but on the fundamental values of democracy itself. Science and research provide the bedrock upon which we base our understanding of the world, solve critical problems, and shape policy to advance and safeguard the public good. 

It must be free from political interference. 

In Canada, we don't have to look far into the past to see how our own government attacked federal science and research here. Under the Harper Conservatives, scientific programs vital to the health of Canada's environment and oceans were gutted or eliminated, thousands of federal scientists (including PIPSC members) were fired while others, specifically those researching climate change and other politically sensitive topics, were systematically muzzled. 

Canadians now face a candidate vying for the role of Prime Minister who not only supported these attacks on Canadian research and science but was a central figure in the administration that carried them out. Furthermore, this candidate has pledged that, if elected Prime Minister, he will cut over 100,000 federal public service jobs.

Public services, scientific integrity, and the good jobs that sustain them are under attack from multiple fronts. It's crucial for members of these communities and their unions to speak out and stand up in defense. 

We stand with our fellow American public service professionals in the fight to protect these agencies, defend the autonomy of all science, research and knowledge-based institutions, and demand that they remain adequately funded and prioritized for the public good.

Canada’s professional public service is the foundation on which all responses and programs to the tariff war will be built. Public servants' commitment to Canadians is unwavering. They will develop responses to foreign pressure, set up programs to support those hurt economically, and continue to deliver the critical services that Canadians rely on. 

PIPSC President Sean O’Reilly urges the government to continue to support Canadians by redeveloping its procurement strategy, ensuring that we buy Canadian, invest Canadian, and build Canadian. We can’t do that without a strong public service. 

By investing in our public service, the government is investing in Canada.

Read our open letter to the Prime Minister of Canada.

This open letter from President O'Reilly was originally published in the National Newswatch last month.

As Canada navigates a 30 day delay on a potential trade war with retaliatory tariffs, we find ourselves in a position of stunning contradiction. After threatening to impose tariffs on $155 billion worth of American goods, we continue to send billions of Canadian tax dollars south through federal outsourcing contracts to the very nation challenging our economic sovereignty.

The scale of this contradiction is staggering. In the midst of developing emergency support programs for Canadian industries affected by these tariffs, we're simultaneously paying premium rates to American consulting giants for work that could be done by Canadian public servants. Major U.S. firms like IBM consistently rank among the top five recipients of government IT contracts. At the same time, McKinsey & Company has been awarded hundreds of million of contracts over the last two decades – 70% of which were never put to tender. Data from the Parliamentary Budget Officer shows these outsourced contracts typically cost Canadian taxpayers 25% more than if the same work were performed by public service professionals – a premium that becomes even more questionable as we brace for economic turbulence.

The timing of this trade dispute brings into sharp focus the critical role of public service expertise. As the Department of Finance opens its remissions process for businesses affected by the trade war, it will be public servants who design and implement these crucial support programs. Yet paradoxically, we continue to hollow out our internal capacity by outsourcing core government functions to foreign companies.

The pandemic response demonstrated the irreplaceable value of our public service. When crises struck, it was public service professionals who developed testing protocols, managed vaccine procurement, and created and delivered the CERB program that supported millions of Canadians. Now, as we face potential economic disruption from tariffs that could shrink GDP by up to 5.6% and increase unemployment by 3%, we need these same professionals to analyze impacts, design mitigation strategies, and protect Canadian interests.

Consider the current situation: while provincial governments moved to remove American products from liquor stores and modify procurement practices with U.S. companies, federal procurement continues to favor American consulting giants. This creates a dangerous dependency at precisely the moment when we need to maximize our economic sovereignty and response capability.

Most troubling is how this outsourcing steadily drains Canadian knowledge and expertise southward to American firms. When we outsource government functions, we don't just lose money – we lose vital expertise and institutional memory. Critical information about government operations, security protocols, and strategic planning flows south alongside Canadian tax dollars. This creates vulnerabilities that extend far beyond immediate financial costs, potentially hampering our ability to respond to future crises independently.

The Fall Economic Statement announced $1.3 billion for enhanced border security, recognizing the need for stronger Canadian capabilities. That border package was further bolstered this month to meet Trump's latest demands – delaying the tariffs. Yet we continue to undermine these investments by outsourcing critical IT and operational functions to foreign firms. This isn't just about software development or system maintenance – it's about maintaining control over the digital infrastructure that powers our government's ability to respond to crises.

Canada needs a fundamental shift in how we approach government procurement and capacity building. We must  repatriate essential government functions to our public service, particularly in areas critical to national security and economic sovereignty. This isn't about protectionism – it's about peace, order, and good government. A strong, professional public service isn't just an administrative necessity; it's a strategic asset in maintaining Canadian independence and resilience.

The current trade tensions offer an opportunity to reassess our procurement strategies and investment in public service capacity. As we prepare to weather economic headwinds, we must ensure we're not undermining ourselves from within. It's time to invest in our public service, build Canadian capability, and ensure our nation's foundation remains strong, regardless of what economic storms may come.

It defies logic to fight a trade war with one hand while writing cheques to American consultants with the other. Canada needs a public service that answers to Canadians, not US shareholders. In this moment of economic uncertainty, the latter isn't just preferable – it's essential for our national resilience.

Sean O'Reilly 

President

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)