The pandemic has impacted our lives in ways we could not have imagined. The federal government wasn’t spared the seismic disruption caused by COVID-19. Yet through it all, Canadians have been able to rely on hundreds of thousands of federal public service employees to keep government services running, wherever possible.
Despite having to face unprecedented hardships themselves and their families, federal public service employees have been working tirelessly to supporting Canadians through this ordeal.
Our association represents many of these dedicated people. And in the early days of the crisis, we witnessed firsthand how quick they were to adapt to their new reality to ensure business continuity. Behind the scenes, we also witnessed the profound anxiety many felt having to navigate a new work context, sometimes without much resources and support, while juggling family responsibilities or other personal issues triggered by the forced lockdown. And despite all this, they were able to keep up the pace.
The importance of having a strong public service that is devoted, quick and efficient came into sharp focus when the government needed to roll out emergency benefits programs to those most impacted by the pandemic. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) are a few examples of measures that were deployed at unprecedented speed.
Each year, during National Public Service week, we celebrate and recognize the contributions made by public service employees in delivering programs and services that improve the quality of life for Canadians from coast, to across Canada The year 2020 will be remembered as a pivotal year that will have brought the importance of their contributions to the forefront.
We hope all Canadians will join us in expressing our profound gratitude and in showing our support back to them.
We are all in this together.
