National Public Service Week

Every June, the Government of Canada marks National Public Service week.  On the occasion of this year’s National Public Service Week, the Union of Safety and Justice Employees (alongside other components of the Public Service Alliance of Canada) are celebrating the invaluable work that federal public service employees undertake every day for the safety and security of Canadians.

On behalf of myself and all of USJE’s Regional Vice Presidents, we would like to take this opportunity to thank USJE’s 18,000 plus members across 18 departments and agencies for your contributions.  As we know, the past year has been a challenging one given the difficult PSAC Strike last spring, ongoing and persistent pay issues as a result of Pheonix, and the recently updated Treasury Board mandate on Prescribed Presence in the Workplace. 

Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that many of you may feel taken for granted, or undervalued for your dedication and commitment to the federal public service.

USJE wants you to know that we are very appreciative for your work, and that your contributions matter.  We have developed a number of campaigns that are specifically designed to raise awareness about the positive impact USJE members are having, particularly as federal public safety personnel.

Whether you are on the front lines, or in the background, we know you are showing up for Canadians every day, often at a cost to your own well-being.

 This is also why USJE has launched the following initiatives, including:

  • USJE’s Presumptive Injury campaign to ensure better mental health supports for all federal public safety personnel (not just first responders)
  • USJE’s Nationwide campaign to profile and protect the jobs of our members at the RCMP in every province and territory;
  • Robust planning for USJE’s second National Equity conference (being led by USJE’s National Equity Committee) next May in Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • An ambitious and comprehensive approach by USJE’s Labour Relations team to tackle USJE’s Grievance Backlog
  • An energetic campaign to advocate for a nuanced approach to ‘on and off site work’ that enables public service employees to do their best work while having some work life balance 

We know that you may not hear thank you often enough, and that it’s not everyone that chooses the public service as their profession.

That’s why it’s important to USJE that we take this moment to express our appreciation for all that you do, seen or unseen, on behalf of Canadians everywhere.

We are delighted that you are part of our USJE family, and hope you are able to take a few moments to truly appreciate your contributions and that of your colleagues to Canada’s public safety network.   

If you don’t already, we encourage you to stay connected by visiting our website, listening to USJE’s podcast or checking out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. 

Thank you again for all that you do!

Sincerely,

David Neufeld 
National President