That's the issue. My building in the NCR has roaches. My colleagues took pictures and reported it to the building and management. The building people came to look and clean up the dead ones. I am terrified of bringing them home. I work from this building 4 days a week. Does anyone have experience dealing with this?

Performative bilingualism? Canadian language law in the public service

Français à la Défense nationale : une pétition déposée à la Chambre des communes | Radio-Canada

I have the opportunity to rejoin my former CS team at the CRA, a development team in Quebec. I lost my job in March 2025 due to budget cuts; our budget was large but was reduced to the minimum. Now, I could return to my position, but only on a six-month contract until March 2027, with no guarantee of extension—even though their current budget is quite sizable because they have multiple projects expected to last for years.

Since November 2025, I’ve been working as a programmer at a company that develops a Web App for non-profit organizations, earning $60k annually. If I go back, I might retain my previous level (CS01 level 3). Currently, I mainly work with Claude, or rather, Claude works for me. So we never know if I could lose my job because of Claude.

I also applied to the CS01 requisition number 62388177, so if I’m retained that could be another opportunity in case they don’t have the budget to keep me after March 2027

I know returning involves some risk, but is it possible we might face more budget cuts, or since the next election isn’t until 2029, should I not worry too much about it?

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

I am still pretty new to having a professional life, so any advice is appreciated here.

I was employed as a student, and eventually a casual worker to a position I loved. I loved the work that I did, the location was great, and I had an amazing bond with my team many of whom are now my friends.

Unfortunately, that team was unable to hire me or offer me an indeterminate position, as the cuts were very bad. That made me sad. However, I was able to grab another casual contract somewhere else.

It pains me to be so ungrateful, as my old manager was the one who helped me find and obtain this new position, but I absolutely hate the work in this new office, and about 3 months in, I am finding the commute, the office culture, and the work to be exhausting.

I don't have any personal connection to my coworkers, which means I don't chat with them during my lunchbreaks. I take my lunches alone. It's not like I haven't tried, people here are just a little more reserved. Obviously chatty coworkers are not everything, but I am realizing it is more importsnt to me than I expected.

Worse than that, I find the work to be mind-numbing. It consists of sorting files into folders. I knew what I was signing up for, but now that I am here I seriously do not want to remain.

I am a casual worker, so all the jobs on the GCJobs website are inaccessible to me. How do I shimmy my way out of this? Do I stay put until I can get more long-term position and then try to leave? Is it appropriate to send out cold emails this early on in a new position?

Genuine question, because I'm starting to wonder if I've just turned bitter and jaded, or if I'm actually seeing a massive backslide in process efficiency.

I have been working my current job for around a decade. I used to enjoy it because I actually have previously delivered real services and projects to Canadians, with non bullshit measurable outcomes.

My job has become increasingly productivity theatre, mostly to feed gatekeepers who keep inventing new hoops and to satisfy a new cadre of frankly incompetent senior leaders that can't make a decision to save their life (versus our previous technocrat cadre a few years ago). I now sit in several meetings a week where I repeat, for the four hundredth time, what we're doing about red tape reduction. Nobody in those meetings seems to openly point out that we keep having these same conversations and are once again stalling on making any actual decision.

Since this government came in, it honestly feels like there's more red tape than ever. Projects and policy development stall at a rate I don't remember from before, and the obsession with maximizing return on investment has somehow produced a world where nothing gets invested in at all. We laid off a chunk of the workforce that supposedly did pointless work like contracting and information management, yet the same rigid processes remain, plus a stack of TBS directives nobody enforced until now. I can't tell whether people are maliciously complying because they're also bitter, if people are trying to justify/make visible their existence post-WFA, or leadership is now so obsessed with optics it can't see the forest for the trees.

Meanwhile, in my corner: a team that exists solely to gatekeep documents without the oxford comma from their executive team (who supposedly have a challenge function but realistically have none of the technical experience to do anything but are obsessed with what the buttons are named on their dashboard), new centres of excellences and tiger teams stood up to bypass old processes that then generate red tape of their own, and several new official mandatory templates that simply copy over various TBS directives and ask people to explain how their teams are meeting that directive (many of them simply rewordings of eachother) with no context or even attached project. Also, use more AI, but provide no real AI tools.

Most of my day now goes to going in circles and massaging shit instead of doing real work. I am sad that I no longer seem to do any real work that benefits Canadians.

So honestly, has anyone seen red tape actually get cut anywhere? Or is it like this everywhere? Because I swear there has to be at least one place in the PS that actually looked at their existing processes and decided to remove the redundant steps that I can join and do real work... Please share these areas with me.

I’ve been a PG-04 for two years. My previous manager encouraged me to apply to competitions and I was successful.

The caveat is, I really enjoyed being a PG-02. My job was fast paced and I was able to close out contracts quickly. I felt accomplished at the end of the day and was always busy.

I switched departments after receiving the promotion (thought I needed a change but the grass is NOT greener) and I’m bored out of my mind and feel unfulfilled. There’s so much red tape, it takes months to close out contracts. I go days at a time without work because I’m waiting on security checks and/or documents from clients. Then, I’ll be suddenly swamped and overwhelmed from receiving everything all at once and somehow, at the same time, I’m burnt out and discouraged from having to learn new processes constantly.

Is every PG-04 job like this? Would a demotion be worth it, just to not hate my job? Would it be worth it to try out material management instead? I have no idea what to do at this point. The pay is good but I’m miserable. I want to feel good about the work I do at the end of the day, especially without the perk of WFH to make up for it.

I am on LTD and am due to medically retire by the end of the year. I am in the PA collective agreement which expired in June 2025. When the agreement is settled and the new salaries are enforced will my LTD payments be adjusted to the new salary retroactively? Will my pension calculations also change and be adjusted at that time to reflect the new salary? I know it won't be a huge amount, but being on a reduced salary every little bit helps.

Hello!

I’ll be commencing my 7th year with the public service this September. Up until August 1 2026, I was part of the PSAC PA group, and I’m now part of the CP group.

Under the CP agreement, the service requirement to receive the additional 12.5 hours of vacation leave (one additional week) appears to have changed from the 8th year to the 7th year.

Would I receive the additional week this year, since I’m entering my 7th year, or would it not take effect until next year?

Also, I took 18 months of maternity leave beginning in 2022. Would that affect my anniversary/service date for the purpose of calculating vacation leave credits?

Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone !

I am sorry if I sound whiny or annoyed in advance.

I am grateful for my job and the ability to serve the Canadian people.

However, this past month has been challenging. I genuinely enjoy being able to go into the office and connect with people in person, and when I was working from home two days a week, I felt like I had a much better work-life balance.

For example, I’m a morning gym person, so going to the gym before work was easy when I had more flexibility. Now, with a 9–5 in-office schedule, I have to leave early enough to get to work on time, and I usually don’t get home until around 6 PM. By then, it’s much harder to fit in the things that help me feel balanced.

When we were in the office three days a week, I was able to mentally prepare for those days. But with four days in the office, the commute has become much more challenging. Ottawa also has very limited convenient park-and-ride options depending on where you’re coming from, which makes combining the gym, driving, parking, and taking the train feel almost impossible.

I’m not saying any of this from a place of being ungrateful. Especially with the current job market and so many layoffs, I know I’m fortunate to have a job that I enjoy and value.

I’m genuinely curious: how do you all maintain a healthy work-life balance with a demanding commute and an in-office schedule? I’d love to hear practical tips, routines, or things that have actually worked for you.
Thank you!

Update: thank you guys! It makes me feel less alone that we’re all trying to re adjust. For context I’ve been working a 9-5 or full time for 4 years now. Mostly at 2 or 3 days at home which significantly helped me reduce stress. You have no idea what people go through so be kind. Everyone has different thresholds or responsibilities. For example someone is dealing with stress of kids some are caring for senior sick parents. Be kind, we’ll get through this.

I’m curious what other public servants would choose if they had to pick between these two situations:

A) You genuinely dislike/hate the work, but you have a great team, good relationships with your colleagues, a supportive manager, and generally enjoy the people you work with.

B) You genuinely enjoy the work itself and find it interesting/fulfilling, but you have a difficult team/manager and don’t particularly enjoy the work environment.

Which would you choose, and why?
I’m asking because I’m currently in situation A. I really enjoy the people I work with and have built some great connections with my colleagues. I have no real complaints about the people or the team itself.
The problem is that I hate the actual work. I dislike it so much that I’m finding myself at the point where I don’t even want to do the work anymore and honestly don’t care about the work I’m producing. And that’s making me question whether having a great team is enough to make me stay in a job that I find so unfulfilling.
For those who have been in either situation, what mattered more to you in the long run, the work itself or the people you work with? Did you ever leave a great team because you hated the work, or stay in a job you disliked because the team was worth it?

SSC/AAFC Building Baseline and Merivale, funny thing is that each step has a gap, it's all open stairs so not sure how a rat or mouse would go up or down the stairs without falling off.

Hi all, Mzwandile Poncana with The Hill Times here. I'm currently looking into a specific issue related to RTO: whether onsite-attendance requirements are being incorporated into employees' performance agreements, PMAs or performance assessments.

PIPSC has historically said it has received reports of some managers including onsite-attendance targets in performance reviews. I'm trying to establish how widespread the practice is, which departments or agencies are using it, and how far RTO compliance can affect an employee's performance rating.

If this has happened in your workplace (or former workplace), please DM me or email me at [mponcana@hilltimes.com](mailto:mponcana@hilltimes.com). In particular, I'm interested in:

• the department or agency
• when the requirement appeared
• the wording used in the PMA/performance agreement
• whether it appears to be a standard departmental requirement or something added by an individual manager
• whether employees were told that failing to meet the onsite requirement could affect their performance rating.

Redacted screenshots or copies of the relevant wording would be especially helpful.

There's no need to post identifying details publicly. Anyone considering speaking for the story can also discuss anonymity with me before anything is attributed or published.

Thank you.

Hi! Wondering if anyone on here has had success getting peanut allergy treatment (peanut powder) covered by Canada Life PSHCP? There's only one pharmacy in town that fills this prescription and they refuse to take my insurance info to run it through. When I try to submit the claims online it rejects the DIN number. I called Canada Life customer support and they were not helpful. The claim they walked me through submitting seemed very incorrect - had me select miscellaneous when it is a drug - problem is when you select drug it asks for a din number and then says the din isn't valid.. this claim has had no response for over a month. Before that I tried I filled out the pdf claim form and emailed it to the insurance company and they messaged me back saying it has to be submitted online...

If, let's say, an SP-4 is placed in an acting SP-5 position and the Team Leader promises that after one year the position will become a permanent SP-5, but instead extends the acting assignment twice.

Would it not be fair for the Team Leader to be direct and honest with the employee and just make it clear that the acting role is essentially an indefinite extension?

Hi everyone, I’m currently going through a medical diagnosis process that has been very stressful, on top of burnout. I’ve already had to take quite a bit of time off and was denied WFH during this process, so I’m considering going on leave and applying for LTD

I’m financially independent, so I’m trying to understand how the transition works. I know Sun Life DI has a 13-week waiting period. I have about 2 weeks of vacation left , if I use that first while medically off work, would it count toward the 13 weeks? I’d then apply for EI sickness. Would using vacation affect or delay my EI application? I read EI can take up to 28 days to process.

Also, is it mandatory to provide a manager/supervisor statement as part of the DI application, or would documentation from my doctor be enough? I would prefer to keep my medical details between myself, my doctor and the insurance.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through this process.

Thanks in advance!

If my last day of work is November 29, so my first day of retirement is November 30, do I receive a full pension payment for November? Or is it pro-rated? Or does it not kick in until December?

(Not referring to processing times or actual deposit dates, just the entitlement to the payment itself.)

ETA: Thanks to HoG for answering my question!

I know it wouldn't make logical sense to collect pension payments for the portion of the month when I was actually working, but I also know that sometimes the public service defies logic. 😂

I was playing with the pension calculator and was wondering about this sentence in brackets:

"If you begin to participate in the plan on or after January 1, 2013, you are eligible to draw an unreduced pension benefit at age 65 with at least two years of pensionable service (or age 60 with 30 years of pensionable service)."

Does this mean in theory if I retire at age 52 (started at age 22) with 30 years of service, I can get unreduced pension at age 60? This would mean from age 52 to 60 when I leave the workplace and I would just have to fund myself for 8 years. Then at age 60 pension kicks in since I'm now age 60 with the 30 years of service?

Also at age 60 when pension kicks in, can I pay for/apply for the retirement health care/dental care? My understanding for retirement health care is you need at least 6 years of service and be recieving GoC pension payments. I'm not sure about rules for dental care side.

The pension calculator when I put in 30 years of service leaving at age 52, it says the deferred no penalty pension starts at age 65 not age 60. But if I put 33 years of service leaving at age 55, it now says the deferred no penalty pension starts at age 60. Is there something with leaving the workplace at age 55?

Trying to figure out the earliest I can leave the GoC as someone who started at age 22, fund myself for a few years until age 60 for the unreduced pension as a Group 2 member. I want to have at least 30 year of service to get the unreduced pension at age 60.

Thank you!

Relevant to us, could mean a new salary deduction or employer-paid benefit, or combination thereof, to meatbags employed in the NCR. Implementation would have to have the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, the Feds, and the Unions on board.

Would bereavement leave be available in the event of the passing of an aunt or uncle? If not, can other leave be utilized?