Ottawa MP Mona Fortier says she has no updates on a promised “transition plan” to help public servants affected by layoffs, as letters go out notifying thousands of workers across the region their jobs are at risk.
In November,
Fortier told reporters about the plan
when she was asked how her constituents might be feeling after the Liberal government unveiled proposals in its budget to
shed around 30,000 bureaucrats over three years.
“We are, as an NCR (National Capital Region) caucus, working on making sure there’s a transition plan for those that will be affected,” she said at the time.
The Liberal MP for Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester added she was meeting with the Treasury Board president to discuss how to ensure “everybody is able to have a job” or “able to get a package.”
But amid
a flurry of letters
telling public servants their jobs are at risk of being cut, Fortier’s office has no timeline and no details to share about the plan.
Info on existing programs ‘all that is available,’ Treasury Board says
Asked Thursday about the transition plan, Fortier’s communications director initially agreed to an interview before cancelling, saying the MP had nothing to add as she had not received an update from the Treasury Board.
Communications staff for Gatineau MP Steven MacKinnon referred questions about the plan to the Treasury Board.
The Treasury Board didn’t directly answer questions about the plan.
Instead, when asked whether a transition plan exists or is in development, Treasury Board spokesperson Barb Couperus pointed to the government’s existing workforce adjustment and career transition processes. Couperus also mentioned the
early retirement incentive program
.
Workforce adjustment is the system
through which alternative employment opportunities are made available, where possible, for permanent government workers who lose their positions. The process was enshrined in collective agreements between public sector unions and the federal government after a national strike in 1991.
Career transition is a related process for executives and specific groups of public servants.
Pressed for a direct response, a second Treasury Board spokesperson, Rola Salem, wrote: “The information we provided you is all that is available.”
In November, Fortier said she had spoken to Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe about working on the plan with the city.
“I think we have to work all together,” she said at the time.
In a Friday email, Sutcliffe said the prospect of job reductions is already impacting the local economy.
“We need a clear plan from the federal government to support displaced public servants and help them transition into new employment opportunities,” Sutcliffe wrote.
“I’m ready to work with the federal government on a plan that supports workers and protects our local economy.”
The mayor did not say whether he had any updates concerning the plan.
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