Ombud, Mental Health - Public Services and Procurement Canada- Meets with Union Representatives in Victoria and Vancouver

Today was an important milestone : as Ombud, Mental Health, at Public Services and Procurement Canada I held my first regional visit in Victoria, British-Columbia, after three years of the Covid-19 pandemic, working from distance.

Today was about reconnecting, in a face to face meeting, and discussing openly about mental health and employee wellness with Pacific Region Union Representatives Reni Stein, Linda Harding, Kuldeep Deol, Andrea Lima and Katrina Johnston. And this was made possible with the support of the Regional Advisor, Mental health, Wellness, and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at PSPC, Meghan Chen.

I really appreciated the frank and open discussion about areas of improvement for Public Services and Procurement Canada. I have always considered Union Representatives as key strategic partners in the establishment of healthy and productive workplaces.

As we are working on a plan to support employees and managers, the first step is to clearly identify the gaps, and work on strategies and tactics to address them. We have discussed the importance of human-centric leadership and the growth mindset, the need to provide employees with the space to grow and develop. We have also discussed workload issues, work-life balance, clear leadership and expectations, the importance of constructive feedback to employees in the context of strong people management skills.

Thank you to all Union Representatives and Regional Leadership for making this first regional visit in three years already a success and a milestone in reconnecting with the Ombud, Mental Health. While working from distance was certainly possible, I have missed the human to human connections. My commitment is to pursue these strategic meetings, offer a space space to regional PSPC employees, with impartiality, in order to address workplace issues proactively. We work collectively to the common goal of a healthy and productive workplace! Thank you PSPC Pacific Region!