We’re committed at CAPE to keeping members informed about issues related to public service collective agreements and workplace rights. We make sure you have the details and context to understand each matter and what it means for you — and serve as your advocate to bring balance to the employee-employer relationship.
Actively engaged, always up to date
The federal employment landscape is constantly changing. As new legislation, policies and procedures are developed, we participate in a variety of forums, committees and working groups to keep abreast of proposed changes and represent our members’ interests. We advocate on your behalf to protect and improve benefits and working conditions, sharing timely updates every step of the way.
We advocate on your behalf to elected officials and federal public service senior management, as well as through our participation to various committees and working groups.
Issues Listing
Pay Equity
The Government of Canada has made gender equality a cornerstone of its platform. Yet, within the federal public sector, gender-based pay disparities continue to contribute to the gender wage gap, leaving workers in jobs commonly done by women underpaid and undervalued.
Return-to-Office
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, many workplaces around the world pivoted to the telework and hybrid work models — the Canadian federal public sector included. As we learn to live with the pandemic, with no clear end in sight, the future of the workplace is changing.
Official Languages
Canada’s Federal Public Service is a powerful symbol of the national linguistic duality and plays a critical role in the protection and promotion of the official languages. Federal public service employees as a whole and the Translation Bureau specifically, are official languages champions but are not always empowered to lead effectively to live up to the expectations placed upon them by the employer and by Canadians who are expecting to receive high quality communication in both official languages.
Bill C-65
Incidents of workplace harassment and violence are persistent, and often go unreported because people fear retaliation from their perpetrators or employers. As a result of research and concerted advocacy efforts by CAPE and many other groups and individuals, new regulations came into force at the start of the year that will address many of these problems.
COVID-19 and the Workplace
The rapid spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19 disease in March 2020 forced the sheltering in place of non-essential federal public service employees. The sudden need for thousands of employees to telework led to a chaotic transition. Thousands called for improved communications, coordination and planning.
Virtual Parliament and Interpreters
In response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Parliament rapidly moved its meetings online. The lack of proper technical infrastructure and poor practice caused several interpreters, CAPE TR members, to be injured on the job. This also affected their ability to effectively champion Canada’s two official languages.
