News

Our RETURN-TO-OFFICE survey is out!

I would like to thank all those who were able to join us in the Capital Pride Parade on August 28. After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, we finally returned! Joining up with many other unions, our members, staff and leadership from CAPE marched alongside groups representing the Ottawa and District Labour Council (ODLC) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), of which we are an affiliate.

On behalf of everyone at the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), we wish you a Happy Public Service Pride Week, and for those in the National Capital Region, Happy Capital Pride.

We are pleased to inform you that negotiations have begun for the renewal of the LoP collective agreement which expired on June 16, 2022.

Many of you have reached out to us with concerns about the return-to-office plans while the country is experiencing another COVID-19 wave. CAPE has prepared a brief outline of your rights, how you can inquire about preventative measures and the actions you can take with your employer.

Following the health and safety complaint instigated by CAPE in April this year on behalf of its members working as Interpreters, the Labour Program of ESDC (formerly Labour Canada) has recognized that the current working conditions of the interpreters working at the House of Commons do not meet the health and safety requirements under the health and safety provisions of the Canada Labour Code.

After years of negotiations, a new tentative agreement has been reached with the Employer to update the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP). The tentative agreement is being presented to Treasury Board for ratification shortly.

With the announcements by Public Health Officials in the Federal, Ontario and Quebec jurisdictions confirming that we are entering a seventh wave of COVID-19 infections, CAPE has made a request to the Treasury Board Secretariat that all return to office plans be immediately suspended until the situation improves.

Following the Membership Budget Meeting that was held on May 5, 2022, all members in good standing were invited to vote on CAPE's 2022 budget from June 20th to July 4th. Here are the results.

On Monday, June 27, CAPE President Greg Phillips met with Deputy Minister for Public Services and Procurement Canada, Paul Thompson, as well as the Chief Executive Officer of the Translation Bureau, Lucie Séguin. The meeting was intended to discuss the interpreters’ ongoing workplace health challenges.