Government Operations Committee on April 26th, 2022

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

I'm also thinking about disability management. What are you going to do to ensure that your managers are trained in disability management, so that you're accommodating people?

If you're not back to work within 12 months, the chances are 99% that you're never going to return to work, so this needs to be a top priority of the public service.

[Marie-Chantal Girard]

Thank you.

Absolutely. You're right. The longer an employee is out of the public service or the workplace writ large, the more difficult it is.

Here, we are working with several departments, but also doing more with the insurer along the lines of case management and training managers to maintain positive contact with employees while they are on disability to ensure that when we work with a medical practitioner and they return, we have a good understanding of what is needed to provide a successful return to work.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

The track record is not good. I outlined the failure. It's in your own report.

[Marie-Chantal Girard]

I agree. We can do better.

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

We now go to Mr. McCauley for five minutes.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

After discussions around the table, I just want to put forward a matter-at-hand motion that we call the PBO to appear for one hour on the estimates sometime before the end of May, if the schedule works out. We'll leave it up to the clerk to squeeze in one hour.

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Okay. On that matter-at-hand motion, I'm seeing around the room that it looks like there is consensus that this be approved.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I was looking at the schedule that came out and noticed that there's no PBO.

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Thank you. We will take that under advisement and try to schedule an hour for the PBO.

Mr. McCauley, you still have four and a half minutes.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Thanks.

I just want to go to our issues with access to information, realizing of course that COVID negatively affected the ability to do it. I realize there's a review going on.

When will we see it getting back to normal? I hate to use that word. When we will be getting back to a proper ATIP process where we're actually recognizing and respecting the legislation of 30 days?

[Marie-Chantal Girard]

I'll turn to Paul Wagner for that question.

[Paul Wagner]

Looking over the past five years, we've seen at least a doubling of the overall number of access to information requests and then couple that with the time during COVID, as you mentioned.

I think the work we're doing under the access to information review will yield.... I think the minister will be tabling that report in Parliament by the end of this calendar year. We've already started to work on activities to help departments to get to those targets, Mr. McCauley.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Let me just ask you something quickly. I appreciate what you're saying, but this actually does precede COVID. I still have ATIPs from the 42nd Parliament that are outstanding, going on five and a half years.

In your departmental plan, there was legislation. It's not a suggestion to maybe do it if you can. The 30 days' response to ATIPs is legislation. Your own departmental plan is to only achieve 90% of 90%. Basically, 81% of ATIPs will be handled properly under the required legislation.

Do you think it's acceptable to actually put in writing that your goal is to violate the legislation 19% of the time? Should we not go for 100% and recognize...? Last year, 49% was achieved. Should we not be recognizing that this is legislation and saying that we will follow the law?

[Paul Wagner]

I think you're absolutely correct. The way that departments—our department included—set and meet those targets is germane to the review that's under way.

We're looking at putting in place a software system to help departments actually expedite the ATIP request processing within the departments, so that each department does not have to go out and do that on their own. We're working on—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

That's a great idea. When will it be coming in?

[Paul Wagner]

The RFP is in its final stages, so we can expect a contract award within the coming months. That will be there and available for departments to be able to avail themselves of it.

We've talked a lot about recruitment. We're working with departments on recruitment of ATIP professionals. It's a domain that has absolutely very specific requirements around the kind of work that needs to be done. Again, we're helping departments so they don't have to each do it in a bespoke manner.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

We're nearing the postpandemic stage. I realize it's still going on, but are the ATIP people being allowed back in the buildings to do their work?

We had an OPQ come back. I think we lost 17,000 days on 699 claims because of COVID. Is this still ongoing? Are they being allowed back in the buildings to do their work? Not everything can be digital. There are papers, notes, etc., that have to be found.

[Paul Wagner]

Absolutely, that's a great question.

I think Marie-Chantal spoke to the variety of return-to-work activities. Departments are looking at what the critical services are within each of the departments and making sure that those are staffed up accordingly. As you mentioned, a lot of this work does require paper, and some of it does require work on classified systems, which, again, requires work on site.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

When will they all be back or allowed back on site to do that required work?

I think I'm abrupt in this committee, but the Information Commissioner's comments are far worse than mine and far more critical than mine about the government's performance on ATIP.

[Marie-Chantal Girard]

If I may, honourable—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

When will we see them allowed back in to do the work?

[Marie-Chantal Girard]

If I may, honourable member, employees are allowed, but, of course, health and safety come first. If they were part of a tracing or if there is COVID, no, but they are allowed to do the work based on what the deputy minister's organization and direction is.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

If they're allowed—

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Thank you very much.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

—then why the delays?