Coming into force: Amendments to the Public Service Employment Act (23-03)

On July 1, 2023, the 2 remaining amendments to the Public Service Employment Act aiming to strengthen diversity and inclusion will come into force. The amendments are part of several that were introduced to address biases and barriers that disadvantage people belonging to equity-seeking groups.

Here is a summary of the amendments:

• before an assessment method is used, an evaluation must be conducted to identify whether the method, and the way it will be applied, includes or creates biases or barriers that disadvantage people belonging to equity-seeking groups
• if a bias or barrier is identified, reasonable efforts must be made to remove it or to mitigate its impact.
• investigation authorities of the Public Service Commission of Canada and deputy heads have been expanded to include errors, omissions or improper conduct resulting from biases or barriers that disadvantage people belonging to equity-seeking groups

We have revised the Appointment Delegation and Accountability Instrument and the Appointment Policy to enable the implementation of these new provisions (accessible only on the Government of Canada network). They will take effect on the same date as the coming into force of the remaining provisions.

Departments and agencies can consult Amendments to the Public Service Employment Act (accessible only on the Government of Canada network), for guidance and tools to support implementation activities. More information on the expanded investigations authorities will be published once they take effect.

For questions or to share any feedback, we invite you to contact your staffing support advisor.

Thank you,

Michael Morin
Acting Vice-President
Policy and Communications Sector
Public Service Commission of Canada