We’re committed to pursuing the Next Generation HR and Pay Solution

 
April 8, 2019

In my new role as President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government, one of the most important and exciting projects I’m responsible for is the design of a new process for developing the Government of Canada’s Next Generation HR and Pay solution.

My counterpart, Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, continues to lead efforts to stabilize and troubleshoot the current government pay system to ensure public servants are paid accurately and on time for the important work they do. However, there is broad consensus that a new system is needed.

Our government recognized over a year ago that the future of HR and pay requires a bold new path, which will result in a long-term, sustainable, and effective solution to meet the diverse needs of federal employees across Canada.

That’s why in Budget 2018, we invested $16 million over two years for the work of identifying a solution, and we have made amazing progress.

Our team designed a discovery process founded on the new Government of Canada Digital Standards, which are leading the way in the shift towards becoming more open, agile and user-focused in designing digital projects, programs and services in the public interest.

We invited technology providers to demonstrate possible solutions, and saw to it that they were directly tested with users. Some 260 public servants did hands-on testing, and more than 1,700 employees completed surveys during Next Gen user expos conducted across Canada. We have also launched a Digital User Expo where public servants can experience possible solutions, ask questions and provide feedback.

Based on the feedback, the Treasury Board Secretariat is working on new HR and pay solutions that are truly reflective of Canada’s modern workforce.

The next step will be to work with technology providers and stakeholders to test these solutions against the real complexity of federal government HR and pay needs. As noted in Budget 2019, this work will include running pilot projects with select departments and agencies later this year, and course-correcting as needed, while assessing vendors’ abilities to deliver.

Throughout this process, as we have from the start, we will be talking to employees who rely on the system and advisors who use the system every day, as well as working closely with our union partners and bargaining agents.

I acknowledge that our union partners in this project wanted to see a specific dollar commitment for the next stages of the Next Gen pay project in Budget 2019.

The fact is, we have learned from the lessons of the past. We learned from the shortcomings of Phoenix, when key system requirements were abandoned to ensure the project came in on budget. And this time, we are committed to investing what is needed to get it right. This time we will fit the budget to the job, not the job to the budget.

We are investing the resources required to build a modern, user-friendly HR and pay solution. Our world-class public service deserves no less.


The Honourable Joyce Murray

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Joyce Murray
Minister of Digital Government

I am often asked why Canada has a Minister of Digital Government and what that means. My job is to integrate policy and innovative service delivery with IT management, as we work to digitalize and transform our services to Canadians. My role reflects the importance of doing a better job of serving Canadians.

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Comments

Submitted by Lynn charron on April 26, 2019 - 7:33 PM

Still waiting after a year for my backpay a large sum, no one is helping..been to the union twice and still nothing...when will this nightmare stop and just pay us its are money!

Submitted by David Ironstand on May 29, 2019 - 8:43 PM

I hope, don't have to wait to long, or years for that. I wish there was an easier way to manage my request and get something sorted out, in a timely manner. thanks for the understanding.

Submitted by Terry Jagger on May 02, 2019 - 12:47 PM

I am a CM and will be leaving the service of the RCMP earlier that I want to unless I can be guaranteed by Jan. 2020 that we will not be going to Phoenix when deemed May 2020. Many hard workers with the RCMP will do the same and it will cause a hardship to the hard working members out there trying to do their job. People are having their pension taken away by a system that says they owe it money. Lives are being destroyed.

Submitted by Carol Johnston on May 22, 2019 - 11:51 AM

I went on Leave With Income Averaging two years in a row (12 weeks off/year) because I wanted to spend time with my sister who recently died of cancer. Now I was informed that I owe over $10,000 because the system overpaid me. My pay checks are consistently wrong and one paycheck I received was $300 for two weeks pay. I had to juggle things around to make my mortgage payment. I have worked as a public servant for over 38 years, but I am afraid to retire in case Phoenix cannot correctly calculate my pension because of all the other mistakes on my payroll account. I am 66 years old, so when will be a good time to retire if Phoenix is not fixed?

Submitted by Mel-Grimard on May 22, 2019 - 6:52 PM

Owing 3000$ taxes because of an overpayment problem caused by a system that nobody can explain nor understand. Completed a transfer and now all my benefits have been cut/canceled, again by a system that nobody can understand nor explain how this happened. I am reading the comments of employees who have served as a public servant for over 30 years and are waiting for a system to "tell" them when they can retire. It is a real nightmare for us all. I wonder what the new generation like me and others who are young and willing to start their career, feel like when they see this. It definitely creates a lot of anxiety and unwanted stress.

Submitted by David Ironstand on May 29, 2019 - 8:41 PM

I am only causal and not by far, have any issues, really, that I have seen here or heard or even on here. However, feel I am getting lost in the overall phoenix pay issue. With my only pay that I currently receive, just covering my living and personal life's challenges, it has stressed my budget even more, to have this one pay that was short, even only 437, odd coin, but, when do I get that? Yes, I put the ticket in, yes, check that off, and yes, they have received it, yes, Check, so what about me?...............Like so may other across Canada. I don't know? I don't know......hhhmmmm
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