Update to Government of Canada employees regarding pay: August 12, 2016

On August 11, 2016, I provided an update on the progress we are making to help resolve pay issues. You can read the full update on our website. I want to highlight a few key points that are particularly relevant for you.

We are focused on resolving pay issues and are dedicated to this effort. The number of cases of employees not receiving any pay, as well as those whose pay has been affected by going on leave or exiting the public service, is diminishing. We have reduced our backlog by over 5,000 cases and expect to have it resolved by the end of October.

Indeed, we are making progress, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Our goal is to get to a steady state where all aspects of the pay system are functioning smoothly and reliably. Employees will be able to confidently trust that they will be paid accurately, and with continued support and collaboration across the government, we will reach this point as quickly as possible.

We have hired additional resources for our Temporary Pay Unit in Gatineau, and for our regional hubs in Shawinigan and Winnipeg, and we are working actively to finalize staffing in Montréal. We expect to begin seeing increased reduction in our backlog over the coming weeks.

I want to remind you that emergency salary advances continue to be available through your department or by using our online form. You can report pay issues through our new call centre at 1‑855‑686‑4729 or our Phoenix feedback form.

We are providing updates on our progress every two weeks to coincide with payday. In addition, our website provides information on measures undertaken to address pay issues.

In the meantime, we are working hard to resolve these problems as quickly as possible.

Marie Lemay, P.Eng., ing.
Deputy Minister
Public Services and Procurement Canada