Question Period Notes
About this information
In accordance with the Access to Information Act, the government proactively publishes the package of question period notes that were prepared by a government institution for the minister and that were in use on the last sitting day in June and December.
The question period notes may be partially or fully redacted in accordance with the legislation; for example, if the notes contain information related to national security or personal information. (Learn more about exemptions and exclusions.)
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Questions have been raised in the past on the level of postal service in rural communities and on the moratorium on rural post office closures. On February 6, 2024, the Government Operations and Estimates Committee passed a motion to study the decline of rural postal services
On May 3, 2024, Canada Post Corporation released its Annual Report and recorded a loss before tax of $748 million for 2023. Canada Post’s mandate is to be financially self-sufficient and it is striving for ways to do that while facing continued challenges of lower revenue and volume trends. Canada Post continues to provide Canadians with affordable postal rates.
From November 2023 until January 2024, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) tested the use of generative Artificial Intelligence on a free, publicly available, open source tool called mPersona, based on the recommendation of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC). On January 22, 2024, a media request was received from LaPresse indicating that the FINTRAC CTO was also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Symaiotics Corporation, which owned the mPersona tool.
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) will continue to provide sufficient office space to accommodate federal public service employees in its offices.
The Official Residences of Canada: 2021 Asset Portfolio Condition Report was released by the National Capital Commission (NCC) in 2021 and identified a requirement for an injection of $175 million over 10 years to address the deferred maintenance deficit for all six official residences.
This note focuses on efforts and progress to date to provide support to employees and stabilize the administration of pay, and on financial investments in Phoenix.
Notes:
- All questions related to the mental health of public servants, collective agreements and compensation for Phoenix damages agreements should be directed to the President of the Treasury Board
- Issues related to income tax are under the purview of the Canada Revenue Agency
This note focuses on Phoenix salary overpayments. A salary overpayment is an amount of money paid to an employee to which they are not entitled. Overpayments exist for current and former employees.
Notes:
- Questions related to the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment should be directed to the President of the Treasury Board
- Questions related to overpayment write-offs due to the six-year statutory restriction should be directed to the President of the Treasury Board
- Questions regarding the tax implications of Phoenix payroll issues should be directed to the Canada Revenue Agency
This note focuses on the efforts and progress to stabilize the administration of pay, manage intake of pay transactions, and the ongoing reduction of the backlog.
In December 2023, the Department of National Defence responded to a media inquiry regarding the issues and repairs underway on the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS). As part of this response, 14 ongoing issues were proactively disclosed. These issues continue to draw media attention.
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is committed to maintaining and renewing its interprovincial infrastructure within the National Capital Region (NCR) to address increasing and evolving regional traffic patterns and respond to citizens’ priorities for more and better active mobility, public transit and vehicular crossings.