The union representing Canadian foreign service officers has launched a policy grievance claiming failure to provide coverage or funding for fertility treatments for members serving overseas.
The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) filed the policy grievance earlier in July after members were denied coverage of fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization.
“The principle for people serving abroad is that you should not be disadvantaged compared to what you would get if you’re living in Canada,” Pam Isfeld, the president of PAFSO, told the Ottawa Citizen.
Isfeld says that around two dozen of her members have been affected so far by fertility treatment denials. She has also heard from one member whose family paid around $25,000 for fertility treatment.
So far, PAFSO has been told by the federal government that the Public Service Health Care Plan does not provide coverage for fertility treatments because they do not fall under the standard Ontario Health Insurance Plan.
Instead, fertility treatment is covered by the Ontario Fertility Program, which provides government funding for fertility treatments.
Quebec, British Columbia and Manitoba are among the other provinces that provide funding for fertility treatments.
“People who are abroad have been basically forced to, you know, if they need to do this, they’ve been forced to do this themselves,” Isfeld added.
Isfeld says PAFSO believes that the grievance has a good chance of succeeding because there are “several grounds for discrimination.”
She points to discrimination against gender, family status and people with disabilities.
There is also concern that a lack of infertility coverage will disincentivize young families and women foreign service officers from taking postings overseas.
“There’s a time window,” Isfeld said of the need for fertility treatments.
There is also worries that a posting overseas could disrupt family planning by creating a cost barrier.
“Working overseas, (fertility treatments) really adds to the the cost, literally and intangibly of serving Canada abroad,” Isfeld said.
“If this is delayed and people are not able to start families because they’re overseas, that’s a major loss, and that’s a major disincentive in some cases for, you know, women of that age to be willing to go overseas,” Isfeld added.
The disincentive to work overseas could also impact renewal and the development of younger workers within Canada’s foreign service, which already faced a years-long hiring freeze in the 2010s.
“You don’t want all of your embassies abroad to be staffed by people 45 and over,” Isfeld said.
“You need (younger) people building up experience.”
Global Affairs Canada redirected questions around fertility treatment coverage to the Treasury Board, which manages the Public Service Healthcare Plan
The Treasury Board did not return request for comment by deadline.
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