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In 2011, the Parole Board of Canada launched its Renewal Initiative. This corporate-wide examination of the PBCs processes and operations had as a goal the recommendation of effective decision-making models and a best-practices organizational structure.

With Jim Flahertys budget 2014, it’s just another case of déjà vu. The Harper government is quite pleased with itself, since it is on track to balance the books next year. And most Canadians appear to like this. Whats not obvious is that this balancing will come on the backs of the public service employees. More cuts, more WFA equals less programs and less services

Brothers Mike Arseneault, RVP Atlantic and Claude Duchesneau, RVP Quebec, were instrumental in persuading CSC to recognize that employees and inmates working in food services areas need to wear appropriate footwear. Brothers Arsenault and Duchesneau are USGE’s representatives on CSC’s National Policy Health and Safety Committee (NPHSC). 

With the New Year comes new members! USGE is pleased to welcome CSC employees whose positions were recently returned to the bargaining unit.

The end of January will prove to be an important time for our members working in the field of offender education. An evaluation team has been tasked with the assessment of CSC’s education programs in advancing offender academic development and achieving improved correctional outcomes. The focus is on the continued relevance of education programs and their effectiveness and efficiency. 

In a misguided attempt to save a few dollars on the backs of its employees, Treasury Board recently provided direction to Departments advising of changes to the method employed to calculate rates of pay upon promotions, deployments and actings for employees covered by the SV collective agreement.

During this meeting, the group approved Terms of Reference, an Action Plan as well as a draft Strategy for what will ultimately be a five year project. USGE is the only public service bargaining agent representative on this committee, a relatively tight-knit group that will be dealing with heavy meeting schedules and tight response deadlines. 

In an recent InfoBulletin, François Guimont, Deputy Minister and Robin Kers, USGE LRO, co-chairs of the National Labour Management Consultation Committee at PSC, issued a joint statement where the importance of employee involvement as representatives in occupational health and safety and union activities was recognized and encouraged. 

USGE is pleased to announce that Terms of Reference for the Administrative Support Positions Review (ASPR) have been signed. The committee is now prepared to resume the consultation process.

The Harper Government’s mantra seems to be more of “do as I say, not as I do” when it comes to transparency, how it informs the Canadian public and how it chooses to work with the federal public service unions. The latest case in point is the omnibus budget bill, Bill C-4.