Treasury Board directive flies in the face of research on productivity
Published in The Hill Times, January 16, 2023 By David Neufeld, USJE National President
Treasury Board President Mona Fortier continues to take grief from public servants and labour leaders who have decried a lack of consultation on the new edict to get employees back to the office by March of 2023.
After nearly three years of hundreds of thousands of federal public servants working largely from home, you would think one of Canada’s biggest employers would have learned a thing or two about how their staff functioned during a major global crisis.

Tell us about your telework arrangements
Help us understand how your workplace has adjusted to the new normal by completing our five-minute survey about the new Treasury Board Directive on return to worksite policies, and register for National Town Halls on February 15 and 16.
Have you been working fully remote, fully on-site, or somewhere in-between? How does the new Directive affect you? Your input will help us when we meet with your employer.
Complete the survey
Register for Town Halls

USJE leaders meet with Sherbrooke Correctional members to discuss safety and security following shooting incident
USJE National President David Neufeld visited the Sherbrooke Correctional Community Centre (CCC) in Montréal, Québec on January 20th, along with Local President Annie Blanchette (Local 10088, Montréal-Metropolitan District) and USJE Regional Vice-President, Andréanne Samson (CSC-Community, Québec region).

Follow along at the Equity Conference
USJE’s first Equity Conference is taking place January 31-February 3 in Winnipeg. We’ll be sharing daily updates across our social media channels, and will be live streaming the opening remarks, keynote, and closing remarks on our Facebook page!

USJE Scholarship applications close February 1
If you are a USJE member in post-secondary studies or have a child, spouse, partner, or dependent going to college or university, USJE is offering a total of six scholarships this year. The deadline for all scholarships is February 1, 2023.

Condolences to the family and friends of Kenneth Hazard
USJE offers its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Kenneth Hazard.
Ken was actively involved with the USGE since the 1970s, holding numerous positions within his Local and was elected as Regional Vice-President for the National Parole Service/National Parole Board from 2005 until 2011 when he retired.
Pictured is Ken and his wife, Cathy at the USGE Convention in Vancouver in July 2011.

Remembering Janice Froats, USJE member, colleague and friend
On Friday January 20, 2023 a long time USJE member, colleague and friend to many, Janice Froats passed away unexpectedly.
Janice was a Parole Office at Millhaven Institution and fulfilled numerous roles at various sites within the ‘Kingston corridor’ during her decades long career with the Correctional Service of Canada when she acted as a Manager of Assessment and Intervention for the sexual offenders’ program.

Support for USJE Members Facing Stress and Burnout
If you are dealing with work stress or burnout, you are not alone—there is immediate support for you and your colleagues.
USJE has recently partnered with Wayfound Mental Health Group to make the BOS (Before Operational Stress) program available to all of our members. The BOS program provides mental health skills and support to frontline workers who have been working through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Register directly for the BOS program by March 15 – Use the code USJE2022 for free access.
Upcoming Events
USJE Equity Conference
Winnipeg, MB – January 31-February 3, 2023
PSAC National bargaining townhall meetings
January 30-February 6, 2023
USJE National Town Halls on the Treasury Board’s return to worksite Directive
February 15 and 16, 2023
USJE National Convention
Whistler, BC – July 17-21, 2023

PSAC announces strike votes for more than 120,000 federal workers
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is launching nationwide strike votes for more than 120,000 federal public service workers after talks broke down over wages and other key issues. Strike votes for members in the Program and Administrative Services, Operational Services, Technical Services, and Education and Library Science bargaining groups will be conducted from February 22 to April 19, 2023.