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Human Resources committee Thank you for the question. Absolutely, yes. The non-public funds is an agency within the Department of National Defence. We have members who work, technically, for National Defence. They work with the Canadian Forces morale and family services, and they provide support work for military members.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee Certainly. Again, we also enter into maintenance of activities agreements, which are basically essential services agreements. I do know that there's some concern about the supply chain and the flow of goods. That's not a concern, because we have these maintenance agreements, these essential services agreements.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee I don't have a number at my fingertips to give you, but you're absolutely right. When you bring in a replacement worker, are you doing your due diligence to make sure that the person has the qualifications to do the duties being requested? That may be the operation of heavy equipment, so you are not only putting yourself in danger; you're putting other people in danger.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee You're not going to hire a replacement worker unless you're on strike. You're going to hire a contractor to do this job 12 months of the year. There is the difference. A replacement worker is going to be called in to do my job, while I'm out striking on the picket line. Things continue to go, to move.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee There's nothing worse than a replacement worker—I'll make that very clear. There's nothing worse than a replacement worker going in to do somebody else's job, while they're out on strike trying to make more money and to do better for their family. There's nothing worse than that.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee I think it has gotten worse, as far as contracting out is concerned. I was pleased to see in last year's budget, the 2023 budget, that they're reducing the use of outside contracting. They're going to reduce that. That's good. I think the announcement made yesterday by Ministers Anand and Duclos is a positive step forward as well in fixing these issues, because obviously there are issues there.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee Yes. If it's left in there, then it's a workaround for employers.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee This legislation was needed yesterday. There's no need to delay this legislation as long as has been suggested in the piece of legislation. As I said in my submission, when you really look at what would be a reasonable time frame—and I understand it can't be done immediately—when you look at it with respect to what really needs to get done to get this implemented, basically it will take nine months.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee Any time any government contracts out, the anxiety level rises within the employees, and understandably so. It's always, “Am I next?” Yes, any time a government contracts out public service work, the anxiety level definitely increases. There's no doubt about it.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee I think anybody would feel demoted or devalued. If I'm sitting here, and it's my job to do these duties, and somebody else has been hired from outside as an external contractor to oversee these duties or do the same duties, that can be very demoralizing. There's no doubt about that.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee I can't comment on that. I don't know. Mr. Weber is certainly in a better position than I am to respond to that.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee Yes, that is a major concern within our membership.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee For example, the folks I'm going to see right after this meeting who are on strike are non-public funds employees. They work for an agency; they're not part of the federal public service. The members whom I talked about out in Comox in British Columbia work for IMP Aerospace. Why don't they work for the Government of Canada?
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee Absolutely, 100%. Any time the government moves forward with a project and they don't consult the unions, it usually turns into chaos, a disaster. It's just like the Phoenix pay system. All kinds of promises were made about the savings of the Phoenix pay system. The Phoenix pay system now is costing Canadian taxpayers $3 billion and growing.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward
Human Resources committee Again, any time you go outside and do any kind of contracting out and you're not consulting with the people performing the duties, then it's going to be a disaster. Studies have shown time after time that contracting out public sector work costs more money, doesn't come in on time and is done more poorly.
March 21st, 2024Committee meeting
Chris Aylward