Chapter 9 - Deployments

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9.1 SOURCES OF INFORMATION:

9.1.1 Legislation

Public Service Employment Act: Subsection 2(1), sections 34.1 to 34.6 and section 37.1.
Public Service Employment Regulations, 2000: Sections 2, 6 and Schedule 1.

9.1.2 Other References

Treasury Board Secretariat

• Deployment Policy
  
• Deployment Policy - Questions and Answers
  
• Deployment of Executives
  
• Policy on Official Languages for Human Resources Management
  

Staffing Manual Chapter 11, Recourse

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9.2 POLICY STATEMENT

It is government policy to deploy employees to meet operational needs; to fulfil the career development and individual needs of employees; to develop the skills and abilities required by organizations in the longer term; and to foster the achievement of employment equity goals. (TBS Deployment Policy)

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9.3 VALUES-BASED APPROACH

Deployments are to be made in a fair, reasonable and transparent manner, taking into account the needs of the organization and the legitimate career interests and aspirations of employees. The manager should determine in each case if it is fair and reasonable to make a deployment, within the same occupational group or between different occupational groups, rather than conduct another type of selection process.

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9.4 WHAT IS A DEPLOYMENT?

A deployment is the transfer of an employee from one position to another within the same occupational group or, where authorized by the Public Service Employment Regulations, to another occupational group. A deployment cannot result in a promotion or change of tenure. A deployment requires the consent of the employee being deployed unless willingness to be deployed is a condition of that employee's employment.

A deployment may be made to an indeterminate or a specified period position. Unlike assignments or secondments, an employee gains incumbency in the position to which he or she is deployed and therefore assumes the classification level and any terms and conditions of employment of the new position.

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9.5 DEPLOYMENT FUNDAMENTALS

Deputy heads have the exclusive right and authority to deploy employees to and within their organizations subject to direction from the Treasury Board.

Deployments are not appointments made by or under the authority of the Public Service Commission and are not subject to the same procedural requirements that apply to appointments.

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9.6 BENEFITS OF DEPLOYMENTS

Deployments provide departments with an administrative option that allows for the easy movement of staff between positions where no promotion or change of tenure will result. Deployments may facilitate the placement of employees affected by work force adjustment who have not yet been declared surplus and who wish to remain in the Public Service. As well, deployments could improve the career prospects of members of employment equity groups by enabling them to diversify their experience. Intergroup deployments provide an even greater range of opportunities for employee mobility.

Deployments can be used to place priority persons; however, the deployment redress process will apply even though the individual has priority status. There is no redress when priority persons are appointed to a position. A training secondment/assignment is preferable to a deployment for facilitating retraining of surplus employees.

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9.7 PROCEDURES

Departments are required to establish deployment policies and procedures that respect the requirements established in the Treasury Board directives for deployment and recourse found at Appendix A of the Deployment Policy. Deployments are to be made in accordance with departmental policies and procedures.

9.7.1 Deployments

While deployments do not require a Statement of Qualifications, the manager must specify the minimum requirements for the deployment. As specified in the TBS policy, these include: security, medical, and conflict of interest requirements; eligibility for any mandatory occupational certification; any standards created by the Commission for the purpose of intergroup deployments; as well as, any language requirements for the position (see Staffing of Bilingual Positions).

9.7.2 Intergroup Deployments

Intergroup deployments are subject to the same minimum requirements as deployments within the same occupational group. In the case of an intergroup deployment as described in PSER section 6, the person being deployed must also meet the minimum standard for the group to which they are being deployed as specified in the Standards for Intergroup Deployments. Although not established under section 12 of the PSEA, the Standards for Intergroup Deployments are comprised of the same minimum education, aptitudes, knowledge, abilities/skills and occupational certification levels as set out in Section 2 of the Standards for Selection and Assessment which are used for appointments.

Deployments may be made between occupational groups including the occupational groups of separate employers that are governed by the PSEA. This also includes the occupational groups that are exclusive to certain of these employers. In order to ensure that their unique classification systems do not create a barrier to mobility, two of these separate employers are specifically listed in Schedule 1 of the PSER - Indian Oil and Gas Canada and the National Energy Board - for the purpose of intergroup deployments.

Deployments are not permitted into the EX, CA and MM groups due to the special considerations that apply to entry to these particular groups. Nevertheless, deployments can be made between positions within these groups.

9.7.3 Documentation

A signed letter of offer is the "certificate of appointment" for pay purposes for deployments.

9.7.4 Salary on Deployment

An employee may be deployed to a position in another occupational group as long as the deployment does not result in a promotion. When an employee is deployed to a position at a lower level than that of their previous substantive position the normal pay rules for "transfer" calculation apply. (See Section 26, Public Service Terms and Conditions of Employment Regulations)

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9.8 DEPLOYMENT RECOURSE PROCESS

An employee being deployed and employees in the work unit to which the deployment is being made have a right to complain that the deployment was not authorized by, or made in accordance with, the Public Service Employment Act or that the deployment constituted an abuse of authority. The work unit will be defined by the deputy head.

Refer to the Treasury Board directives for deployment and recourse for specific details, such as time frames, related to the Deployment Recourse Process.

The Public Service Commission will investigate deployment complaints referred to it, where the departmental recourse process has not satisfied the complainant. Deputy heads must inform the parties in writing of their right to refer complaints to the PSC.

Please refer to Chapter 11, "Recourse", for further information regarding the PSC's role in deployment complaints and appeals.

The deployment recourse process does not apply to the deployment of Executives.

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Annex A

Standards for Intergroup Deployments

General
1. Minimum education, occupational certification, knowledge, aptitudes or abilities/skills standards are applicable to almost all occupational groups where intergroup deployments are permitted by virtue of Section 6 of the Public Service Employment Regulations. The Commission has determined that these standards are the same as those which are spelled out in Section 2 of its Standards for Selection and Assessment.

Education
2. Definitions, conditions and alternatives concerning education (except the requirement that they be specified on the Statement of Qualifications) which are found in Section 2 of the Standards for Selection and Assessment are applicable to deployments between occupational groups.

Acquired Rights
3. Acquired rights clauses that apply to certain employees pursuant to the Standards for Selection and Assessment are recognized for the purposes of deployments between occupational groups.

Occupational Certification
4. The terms "occupational certification" and "eligibility" for certification or membership in a professional association are to be construed for the purposes of deployments between occupational groups as having the same meaning as in the Standards for Selection and Assessment. The professional accounting designations recognized for the purposes of these standards are those which are recognized in the Standards for Selection and Assessment.

Other Provisions
5. For the purposes of deployments between occupational groups, the term "Productivity/Recognition" has the same meaning as in the Standards for Selection and Assessment.

6. For the purposes of deployments between occupational groups, the terms "'candidates", "appointment" and "appointed" are to be respectively construed as meaning employees, deployment and deployed.

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