The Canadian Treasury Board has revealed that more than one in three Federal Public Servants were granted paid time off work during the first nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cost exceeded $C800 million (about the same in Australian dollars), a Treasury Board document stated.
At the onset of the pandemic, Public Servants were told to work from home if possible to avoid spreading the virus through Government offices.
Employees who were unable to work remotely were still paid under a provision known as the 699 pay code, allowing ‘other leave with pay’.
The Treasury Board said the number of workers approved for 699 leave peaked in April at more than 73,000.
That number had dwindled to just over 9,000 by the end of November, according to the latest figures.
The Treasury Board issued a “clarification” of its leave policy on 9 November, instructing managers that 699 leave should be granted on a case-by-case basis, and only after remote or alternate work or flexible hours had been considered.
As well, the Government said that other types of leave, including accumulated sick time and vacation, would have to be used first.
Meanwhile, a survey by the Commissioner of Official Languages of 10,828 Federal Public Servants in five administrative regions has found that more than 44 per cent of Francophones felt uncomfortable using French at work, while only 11 per cent of Francophones felt the same way about using English at work.
Just under 90 per cent of Francophones cited their Anglophone colleagues’ lack of fluency as the main reason they avoided speaking French.
A total of 38 per cent stated that French was not often used in their workplace and 32 per cent also expressed a fear of being perceived as troublemakers if they spoke French.
Ottawa, 22 February 2021
