Mr. Speaker, our public service is composed of hard-working Canadians from across the country who are committed to providing the highest level of service to Canadians. Dedicated federal public servants serve Canadians day in and day out, from coast to coast to coast. The services they provide have a real and meaningful impact on Canadians every day.
While it is important to understand that each department and agency is unique, the experience of working in the federal public service, or receiving its services, should be the same across the country. That is why the public service implemented an updated common hybrid work model in September. The decision to make changes to the directive on hybrid work was an administrative one. It was made by the Treasury Board Secretariat, working with the Privy Council; this was not a political decision.
The updated model requires public servants to work on site for a minimum of three days a week when their tasks and functions allow. Executives are now required to be on site a minimum of four days a week so that they can best support their teams. To prepare for the implementation of the updated hybrid model, departments have been working closely with both PSPC and Shared Services Canada since May to ensure that there are enough well-equipped office spaces and technology for their employees.
While most organizations were ready to welcome all their employees to the office at least three days a week in September, we knew that some would require additional time because of renovations or the addition of extra workspaces. In these situations, implementation timelines were adjusted.
Recognizing the importance of union engagement, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat held a series of meetings with bargaining agents to discuss issues, such as office space, technology and privacy. It is important to note that the direction on prescribed presence in the workplace and the directive on telework are distinct from each other; moreover, neither is a part of the collective agreements.
However, even with all this preparation, we expected and planned for challenges. This is the reality of any changes within an organization as large, diverse and distributed as the federal public service.
As noted, contingency plans were established. Departments continue to carefully monitor implementation and to actively seek employee feedback to support the updated hybrid work model in their organizations. The clerks and department heads will continue to monitor implementation and optimization of this directive, ensuring fairness, flexibility and a focus on a high-performing public service that is delivering for Canadians.