Federal Government Professionals Issue Call to Defend Public Service Integrity

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 15, 2015) - To mark the twenty-third anniversary of National Public Service Week, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) is today releasing a 10-point plan calling on the next federal government to restore Canada's public service and preserve the integrity of federal programs and services. The plan is being accompanied by an online, print and radio ad campaign.

"The current government has silenced scientists, stonewalled budget accountability, flouted the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and even caused the impartiality of the tax system to be questioned. It is on its way to cutting 35,000 jobs from the federal public service by 2017. It has already axed hundreds of public programs and services and weakened laws protecting Canadians' health, safety and the environment," said PIPSC President Debi Daviau. "Our members are deeply concerned about preserving and protecting the integrity of the public services they deliver. That can only be achieved if the next federal government agrees to repair the enormous damage inflicted by the current government. We believe our 10-point plan is a good starting point."

The plan, titled "A Public Service to Be Proud Of: Restoring Canada's Federal Public Service in 2016" calls on the next federal government to, among other things:

• unmuzzle federal scientists
• target tax cheats, not charities
• strengthen the Parliamentary Budget Office by making it independent, and
• restore the mandatory long-form census and similar tools to ensure evidence-based policies.

Copies of the report are being delivered to leaders of all five elected parties in advance of the federal election scheduled for October 19. It is available for download at www.valueintegrity.ca.

National Public Service Week celebrates the contributions of federal public servants on the third week of June each year. It was first proposed by PIPSC and eventually adopted by all-party agreement in 1992.

PIPSC represents approximately 55,000 public service professionals across the country, including federal scientists, auditors and IT experts.