Latest news with #TreasuryBoard
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Province quietly releases Alberta pension survey results with 63% opposed
Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith speaks to media prior to the First Minister's Meeting in Saskatoon on Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards The province quietly released the results of a survey conducted to determine if Albertans want their own separate pension plan. Results from the survey show 63 per cent of respondents were opposed to the Alberta Pension Plan (APP). Danielle Smith has been tossing around the idea of a provincial pension plan since becoming premier in 2022, saying that the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) hasn't been fair to Albertans. Despite the lack of favour for the APP, a statement from the province said they won't be giving up on it just yet. 'While recent surveys on an APP show public opinion may be shifting, we will continue to engage with Albertans on this topic through the Alberta Next panel,' said a statement from the Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance. 'The Alberta Pension Protection Act guarantees we won't replace the CPP with an APP unless Albertans approve it in a referendum.' Results from the survey show 10 per cent of respondents were pro-APP while 12 per cent were unsure. 15 per cent of the responses were incomplete. A February Leger poll showed only 55 per cent of Albertans opposed an APP, with 23 per cent in support — a decrease from the 63 per cent opposed in 2023 and 2024 polls. A Janet Brown Trend Research poll from May found only 45 per cent were opposed to an APP with 55 per cent of respondents in support.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Pay inequality persists for women, minorities in federal public service: report
OTTAWA – While the federal government has made gains on diversity and equity in the public service, inequities persist when it comes to pay, a new Treasury Board report says. Compared with the entire core public service, employees who fall into 'equity groups' — women, Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities and people with disabilities — are more likely to fall into the lower income groups and less likely to be among employees making over $100,000 a year. The Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada report for 2023-24 divides employees into six income groups, starting at those who make less than $50,000 a year and topping out with those who make $150,000 or more a year. The data shows that about one-third of all employees made less than $75,000, including 1.7 per cent who made less than $50,000. But 39 per cent of women — who account for 57 per cent of all employees — made less than $75,000. Almost 35 per cent of Indigenous employees made less than $75,000, as did almost 35 per cent of employees with disabilities and 37 per cent of visible minorities. The report said 46 per cent of Black employees made less than $75,000. With the exception of employees with disabilities, members of identified equity groups were also under-represented at the highest pay levels. The data shows that almost 13 per cent of all public servants made more than $125,000, including 3.6 per cent who made more than $150,000. That compares with 11 per cent of female employees making more than $125,000, 10 per cent of Indigenous employees, 11 per cent of visible minorities, and eight per cent of Black employees. The data shows 14 per cent of employees with disabilities made more than $125,000. The report says employees in equity groups have seen some improvement in pay. Nicholas Marcus Thompson, president and CEO of the Black Class Action Secretariat, said that while the numbers are going up, 'the story hasn't changed.' 'Racialized workers, including highly qualified Black employees, remain stuck in the lowest-paid roles, while decision-making positions stay out of reach,' he said. 'This isn't a pipeline problem. It's a systemic failure that demands legislative action.' Thompson said the government promised to modernize the Employment Equity Act in December 2023 but no real change has happened in the years since. 'Until the government acts, the status quo will hold and racialized workers will continue to be shut out of positions of power,' Thompson said. 'Change isn't real until it reaches the paycheque.' The report shows that the number of federal government employees across all groups has increased since 2022-23. The number of people in employment equity groups holding executive positions has also increased overall, though their representation is still lower in the higher executive levels. The Canadian Press has reached out to the Treasury Board for comment on the data but has not yet received a response. Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, said the salary data is 'disappointing but not surprising.' Prier said the public 'heard very clearly' from Justice Jocelyne Gagné, who earlier this year denied certification for a class-action lawsuit filed by Black public servants alleging discrimination in the public service — but also acknowledged the existence of widespread systematic discrimination in many areas of the federal bureaucracy. Black federal workers who launched the $2.5-billion claim against the federal government are appealing the court's decision. 'This underlines how much we need to expand anti-discrimination measures in the federal workplace,' said Prier. 'We're still wasting talent by allowing artificial barriers rooted in discrimination to persist.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Official Languages Commissioner concerned about bilingualism in the public service
Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada Raymond Theberge holds a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Canadian Official Languages Commissioner Raymond Théberge says he is concerned about the federal government's inability to comply with requirements regarding employee bilingualism, as dictated by the Official Languages Act. In his annual report, released on Tuesday, the commissioner notes that progress has been made following his recommendations but says what he describes as a systemic problem remains very real. He points out that of the five recommendations affecting all of the institutions concerned, four have been partially implemented, while the fifth has not been implemented at all. 'Federal institutions have had two years to act on my recommendations. I must therefore urge these institutions to put in place more formal plans and mechanisms to support the full implementation of my recommendations,' he writes. Unilingual supervisors Théberge places particular emphasis on the issue surrounding second language proficiency among public service supervisors. The report comes three days before the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat was set to move forward with its plan to 'raise the minimum second language proficiency requirement for bilingual supervisory positions that oversee staff working in a region designated as bilingual for language of work purposes.' He points out that 'all supervisors in designated bilingual regions — not just those in bilingual positions — must have the necessary skills to respect the right of employees to be supervised in the official language of their choice.' Théberge says he sees these changes as 'a step in the right direction, but I am concerned about the fate of staff supervised by unilingual incumbents or those who do not meet the language requirements.' He adds he is concerned that the responsibility is being placed in the hands of the federal institutions themselves. He says he is recommending that the Treasury Board president 'establish a monitoring mechanism for federal institutions, which will have to ensure that measures are put in place and maintained to protect the language rights of employees in designated bilingual regions who are supervised by unilingual incumbents and by those who do not meet the language requirements.' He points out that, under the modernization of the Official Languages Act, 'the right to work in the official language of one's choice will apply, as of June 2025, to all public servants whose position is located in a bilingual region for language of work purposes, regardless of the linguistic designation of their position.' The commissioner acknowledges that 'its implementation will not be without challenges. Measures will have to be taken to ensure that employees are well-informed of their rights and supervisors of their obligations.' 700 bilingual offices At the same time, amendments to the Official Languages Regulations have led to a review of their application based on the 2021 census, in order to confirm which offices should be required to offer services in both official languages. The commissioner notes that the Treasury Board Secretariat expects approximately 700 offices to be designated to offer bilingual service. However, he laments, implementing these new offices could prove difficult. 'According to my contacts in the regions, managers point out that they expect difficulties in recruiting bilingual staff and that language training budgets do not allow for a rapid increase in their bilingual capacity.' At the same time, he notes that budget cuts have been affecting the federal public service for several months. 'Unfortunately, experience shows us that, in such a context, it is too often the official language obligations that are considered superfluous in federal institutions and end up being subject to budget cuts,' he said. He is recommending that all federal administrators 'ensure that their organizations respect and take into account language obligations and rights when implementing budget cuts in the federal public service' by May 30, 2027. Privy Council: lack of accountability Théberge also reprimanded the Privy Council Office — which is, in a sense, the prime minister's department — after investigating the State of Emergency Commission, which was tasked with assessing the merits of declaring a state of emergency to end the occupation of Ottawa by truckers and other protesters. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 17, 2025.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Languages commissioner raises concerns with new bilingual requirements for public service supervisors
Canada's official languages commissioner is calling on the Treasury Board to implement a 'monitoring mechanism' to protect the language rights of employees as the federal government introduces new language requirements for supervisors. As of June 20, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat will increase the minimum second-language proficiency requirements for bilingual supervisor positions from an intermediate to a superior level – raising the requirement from BBB to CBC. A CBC profile means a candidate for a bilingual supervisor position must be advanced (C level) in reading and oral proficiency, and have an intermediate (B level) for writing. According to the Treasury Board Secretariat, the requirements will only apply to new appointments to bilingual positions responsible for the supervision of employees occupying positions in bilingual regions. The new requirements will apply to supervisor positions in the national capital region, bilingual regions of eastern Ontario, Montreal and Quebec, and New Brunswick. In the annual report to Parliament, Commissioner of Official Languages Raymond Théberge says the initiative is a 'step in the right direction.' However, he says the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat will have to ensure employees with language-of-work rights can work and be supervised in the official language of their choice. 'I am concerned about what might happen to employees who are supervised by incumbents of unilingual supervisory positions or by incumbents of bilingual positions who do not meet the CBC second-language requirement,' Théberge said in the report. 'In fact, the CBC initiative does not provide for administrative measures to protect employees' right to work in the official language of their choice.' Théberge recommends the president of the Treasury Board implement a monitoring mechanism for federal institutions to 'ensure that they take and maintain measures to protect the language rights of employees in designated bilingual regions,' who are supervised by incumbents who do not meet the second-language requirement. The officer of the Commissioner of Official Languages says it received 307 complaints in Ottawa and 89 in Quebec in the 2024-25, including 101 language of work complaints in federal officers in Ottawa. Federal officials becoming bilingual The official languages commissioner says he is 'closely monitoring' the transition of 700 federal offices that will soon be required to be bilingual. Some federal offices will soon be designated to offer services in both official languages to reflect the 2021 Census data. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is coordinating the new language obligations for 2027, and federal institutions are responsible for taking the 'necessary actions to confirm the linguistic designation' of their office, according to the report. 'Implementing the changes could prove to be challenging,' Théberge said. 'According to my regional offices, front-line managers in many different federal institutions say they expect to have difficulty recruiting bilingual staff and that their language training budgets will not allow them to rapidly increase their bilingual capacity.' Théberge says the bilingual service offices will have a 'positive impact' on the 'vitality of official language minority communities.' The report says federal institutions need to ensure they have enough staff to provide services in both official languages, either through recruiting or providing language training to existing personnel. 'I am therefore encouraging all federal institutions to start planning for this transition now. I will be closely monitoring the transition of federal offices that will soon be required to provide services in both official languages,' Théberge said.
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
New language requirements for public service supervisors don't go far enough, says official languages commissioner
Article content New second-language requirements for supervisors do not go far enough to protect the language rights of public servants, a new report from the official language commissioner found. Article content In the report, Official Languages Commissioner Raymond Théberge said that exemptions will limit the success of new language requirements for public service supervisors in bilingual regions. Article content Article content Article content The new Treasury Board requirements will come into effect on June 20 and the rules will require supervisors in those areas to have a CBC in their second-language. A CBC level means having the highest proficiency levels in reading and conversation with an intermediate level in writing. Article content Article content The previous required levels of language of supervisors was BBB — an intermediate proficiency in oral, reading and writing. Article content However, the requirements will only apply to new supervisors, and those already employed in the public service will not have to improve their credentials until they leave their current position. Article content 'I applaud this initiative as a step in the right direction, but I am concerned about what might happen to employees who are supervised by incumbents of unilingual supervisory positions or by incumbents of bilingual positions who do not meet the CBC second-language requirement,' Théberge wrote in the report. Article content Article content Théberge recommended implementing a 'monitoring mechanism' to ensure the language rights of public servants who wish to be supervised in French or English. Article content Article content The monitoring mechanism would ensure the new language requirements are followed in bilingual regions. Article content In another recommendation, Théberge warned of cutting language training in light of budget cuts across the public service. The commissioner recommended that deputy heads take measures to ensure language obligations and rights in any budget reductions. Article content 'Unfortunately, experience has shown all too often that in this type of situation, official languages obligations are seen as superfluous in federal institutions and end up being the subject of budget cuts,' Théberge wrote. Article content Théberge's report also detailed complaints filed by public servants about language in the workplace. Most of these complaints were submitted in the Ontario side of the National Capital Region, with 101 complaints. In contrast, the Quebec parts of the NCR had 40 such complaints. Meanwhile the rest of Quebec had 56 complaints and Ontario had 21.
