PSC Tables its 2005-2006 Annual Report

Ottawa, October 3, 2006 - Today, the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Canada's 2005-2006 Annual Report was tabled in Parliament. The Report presents the results of the PSC's oversight and staffing activities within federal departments and agencies covered by the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA).

"Interest in public service jobs remains high, with over three-quarters of a million applications received last year. Fifteen thousand Canadians were hired into the public service, representing an increase of 28% over the previous year. Overall, the PSC continues to have confidence in the integrity of staffing in the federal public service and the foundation of merit that is the basis for hiring," said Maria Barrados, President of the PSC. "However, some areas of concern remain."

The Report highlights issues including the unmonitored movement of individuals between the public service and ministers' offices, a persistent gap in the hiring of visible minorities and the movement of staff from casual to term and indeterminate status.

"The continuing gap in the representation of visible minorities and a pattern of appointments of people who were hired as casuals, then appointed to term positions and then to permanent positions are worrisome. These problems can be addressed with the full implementation of the new PSEA.

Organizations need to confront the challenges of human resources planning, further develop the human resources community and ensure that reliable and timely information is available to support management decisions and accountability," stated Ms. Barrados. "Issues such as those raised around the appointments to 'phantom' positions on the other hand require a legislative or policy solution."

The Annual Report also points to progress in expanding access to federal jobs and modernizing second language evaluation. This includes the development of the Second Language Oral Interaction Test. It will replace the current test in 2007-2008.

The PSC is an independent agency reporting to Parliament. Its mandate is to safeguard the integrity of the public service staffing system and the political neutrality of the public service. In addition, the PSC recruits qualified Canadians from across the country.

The PSC's 2005-2006 Annual Report is available on the PSC's Web site at: www.psc-cfp.gc.ca.

For more information, contact:

Tom Kelly
Manager, Media Relations
(613) 947-7269
media@psc-cfp.gc.ca

Note: Maria Barrados, President of the Public Service Commission of Canada, will be hosting a news conference to discuss the Annual Report and Audits that were released today. The news conference will be held at 1:15 p.m. at the National Press Theatre, 150 Wellington Street, Ottawa.

Related Documents

• Annual Report 2005-2006
• Highlights