The latest economic increase developments

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives – Update

(March 27, 2024)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of March 14, 2024.

The information that follows relates to executives who work or have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

PSPC has indicated that whether an executive is considered active (current executives), terminated (retired or left the government for other reasons) or acting, is established at the outset of the project, even if the status of the executive has changed since that time.

2018-2021 Economic Increases

• 99.9% of current executives have received retroactive payments. Only a handful of accounts are still to be processed for current executives, and payment issuance for those is expected imminently.
• Officially 74% of terminated executives and 42% of acting executives have now received retroactive payments. PSPC informed us that the Pay Centre has processed more cases through bulk processing, with retroactive payments issued. However, these are not reflected in the completion rates yet, as the cases are not closed in the system. When taking these payments into account, the completion rates are 95% for terminated executives, and 92% for acting executives.
• PSPC is confident that all retroactive payments for the 2018-2021 economic increases will be completed by March 31, 2024.

2022-2024 Economic Increases

• The Pay Centre initiated an automated pay rate solution to revise salary on most current executive accounts on a go-forward basis. This was effective with the pay dated December 6, 2023. Overall, 97% of active executives have now had their salary adjusted on a go-forward basis.
• Implementation of the April 2024 pay rates is expected to take place in April, except for accounts subject to salary maintenance. The specific implementation date will be confirmed shortly.
• The Pay Centre has committed to issue all retroactive payments by March 31, 2025.
• Retroactive payments are well under way or have been completed in some of the organizations not served by the Pay Centre.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives – Update

(March 12, 2024)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of February 29, 2024.

The information that follows relates to executives who work or have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

PSPC has indicated that whether an executive is considered active (current executives), terminated (retired or left the government for other reasons) or acting, is established at the outset of the project, even if the status of the executive has changed since that time.

2018-2021 Economic Increases

• 99.8% of current executives have received retroactive payments. Only a handful of accounts are still to be processed for current executives, and payment issuance for those is expected imminently.
• PSPC had indicated that a majority of accounts for terminated and acting executives would now be suitable for bulk processing further to important innovations. And although officially 61% of terminated executives and 41% of acting executives have now received retroactive payments, PSPC informed us that the Pay Centre has processed 4791 cases through bulk processing, with retroactive payments issued. However, these are not reflected in the completion rates yet, as the cases are not closed in the system. When taking these payments into account, the completion rates are 82% for terminated executives, and 91% for acting executives.
• The Pay Centre indicates it remains on track to issue all retroactive payments for the 2018-2021 economic increases by the commitment date of March 31, 2024.

2022-2024 Economic Increases

• The Pay Centre initiated an automated pay rate solution to revise salary on most current executive accounts on a go-forward basis. This was effective with the pay dated December 6, 2023; 85% of active executives had their salary adjusted on a go-forward basis at that point.

Accounts excluded from this process were deemed likely to create an overpayment or other pay issues. This could be the case, for example, for executives who have not reached the maximum of the pay scale for their group and level, for acting executives, and for those with pending pay file transfers.

• Retroactive payments are well under way in some of the organizations not served by the Pay Centre.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives – Update

(February 23, 2024)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of February 15, 2024.

The information that follows relates to executives who work or have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

PSPC has indicated that whether an executive is considered active (current executives), terminated (retired or left the government for other reasons) or acting, is established at the outset of the project, even if the status of the executive has changed since that time.

2018-2021 Economic Increases

• 99.5% of current executives have received retroactive payments. Only a handful of accounts remain to be processed for current executives, and payment issuance for those is expected imminently.
• Further to important innovations, the Pay Centre had previously announced that they anticipated a substantial leap forward in completion rate for terminated and acting executives in February. This has been the case so far. At this point 57% of terminated executives (up from 31% in January) and 38% of acting executives have received retroactive payments. A majority of these accounts will now be suitable for bulk processing. Retroactive payment issuance on these accounts is expected in late February.
• The Pay Centre indicates it remains on track to issue all retroactive payments for the 2018-2021 economic increases by the commitment date of March 31, 2024. The overall completion rate of this project is now 63%.

2022-2024 Economic Increases

• The Pay Centre has initiated an automated pay rate solution to revise salary on most current executive accounts on a go-forward basis. This was effective with the pay dated December 6, 2023.
• Accounts excluded from this process were deemed likely to create an overpayment or other pay issues. This could be the case, for example, for executives who have not reached the maximum of the pay scale for their group and level, for acting executives, and for those with pending pay file transfers.
• Retroactive payments are well under way in some of the organizations not served by the Pay Centre.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives – Update

(February 9, 2024)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of February 1, 2024.

The information that follows relates to executives who work or have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

PSPC has indicated that whether an executive is considered active (current executives), terminated (retired or left the government for other reasons) or acting, is established at the outset of the project, even if the status of the executive has changed since that time.

2018-2021 Economic Increases

• 99.5% of current executives have received retroactive payments. Only a handful of accounts remain to be processed for current executives, and payment issuance for those is expected imminently.
• According to the Pay Centre, as a result of important innovations, they anticipate a substantial leap forward in completion rate for terminated and acting executives in February. At this point 41% of terminated executives and 32% of acting executives have received retroactive payments.
• The Pay Centre indicates it remains on track to issue all retroactive payments for the 2018-2021 economic increases by the commitment date of March 31, 2024. The overall completion rate of this project is now 59%.

2022-2024 Economic Increases

• The Pay Centre has initiated an automated pay rate solution to revise salary on most current executive accounts on a go-forward basis. This was effective with the pay dated December 6, 2023.

Accounts excluded from this process were deemed likely to create an overpayment or other pay issues. This could be the case, for example, for executives who have not reached the maximum of the pay scale for their group and level, for acting executives, and for those with pending pay file transfers.

• Retroactive payments have begun in some organizations not served by the Pay Centre.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives – Update

(January 25, 2024)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of January 18, 2024.

The information that follows relates to executives who work or have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

PSPC has indicated that whether an executive is considered active (current executives), terminated (retired or left the government for other reasons) or acting, is established at the outset of the project, even if the status of the executive has changed since that time.

2018-2021 Economic Increases

• 99.5% of current executives have received retroactive payments. Only a handful of accounts remain to be processed for current executives, and payment issuance for those is expected imminently.
• According to the Pay Centre, as a result of important innovations, they anticipate a substantial leap forward in completion rate for terminated and acting executives in February. At this point 31% of terminated executives and 31% of acting executives have received retroactive payments.
• The Pay Centre indicates it remains on track to issue all retroactive payments for the 2018-2021 economic increases by the commitment date of March 31, 2024. The overall completion rate of this project is now 57%.

2022-2023 Executive Performance Pay

• The Pay Centre is in receipt of 99.8% of total anticipated submissions.
• It has issued all payments by the calendar-year end deadline, with the exception of the outstanding submissions and a handful of accounts that were impacted by external factors, like pending transfers, departmental actions, other residual cases, etc.

2022-2024 Economic Increases

• The Pay Centre has initiated an automated pay rate solution to revise salary on most current executive accounts on a go-forward basis. This was effective with the pay dated December 6, 2023. Accounts excluded from this process were deemed likely to create an overpayment or other pay issues.
• Retroactive payments have begun in some organizations not served by the Pay Centre.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives – Update

(January 19, 2024)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of January 4, 2024.

The information that follows relates to executives who work or have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

PSPC has indicated that whether an executive is considered active (current executives), terminated (retired or left the government for other reasons) or acting, is established at the outset of the project, even if the status of the executive has changed since that time.

2018-2021 Economic Increases

• 98% of current executives have received retroactive payments. Only a handful of accounts remain to be processed for current executives, and payment issuance for those is expected imminently.
• The focus has now shifted to terminated and acting executives. 26% of terminated executives and 30% of acting executives have received retroactive payments.
• The Pay Centre indicates it remains on track to issue all retroactive payments for the 2018-2021 economic increases by the commitment date of March 31, 2024.

2022-2023 Executive Performance Pay

• A final and comprehensive update on the 2022-2023 executive performance pay is expected from PSPC later this month.

2022-2024 Economic Increases

• The Pay Centre has initiated an automated pay rate solution to revise salary on most current executive accounts on a go-forward basis. This was effective with the pay dated December 6, 2023. Accounts excluded from this process were deemed likely to create an overpayment or other pay issues.
• Retroactive payments have begun in some organizations not served by the Pay Centre.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives – Update

(December 15, 2023)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of December 7, 2023.

The information that follows relates to executives who work or have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

2018-2021 Economic Increases

• 91% of current executives have received retroactive payments.
• While focus continues to be placed on current executives, a subset of terminated and acting executives may receive a retroactive payment due to various reasons, including transfers, residual impacts, etc.
  • 26% of terminated executives and 26% of acting executives have received retroactive payments.
• The Pay Centre indicates it remains on track to issue all retroactive payments by the commitment date of March 31, 2024.

2022-2023 Executive Performance Pay

• The Pay Centre is in receipt of 99.8% of total expected submissions.
• Payments have been issued on 88% of submissions received.
• The Pay Centre is on track to complete all payments by the end of the calendar year.

2022-2024 Economic Increases

• The Pay Centre has initiated an automated pay rate solution to revise salary on most current executive accounts on a go-forward basis. This was effective with the pay dated December 6, 2023. Accounts excluded from this process were deemed likely to create an overpayment or other pay issues.
• Information on the implementation plan is expected shortly.
• Payments have begun in some organizations not served by the Pay Centre.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives – Update

(November 30, 2023)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of November 23, 2023.

The information that follows relates to executives who work or have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

2018-2021 Economic Increases

• All current executives have received an updated salary.
• 85% of current executives have received retroactive payments.
• While focus continues to be placed on current executives, a subset of terminated and acting executives may receive a retroactive payment due to various reasons, including transfers, residual impacts, etc.
  • 25% of terminated executives and 26% of acting executives have received retroactive payments.
• The Pay Centre remains on track to issue all retroactive payments by the commitment date of March 31, 2024.

2022-2023 Executive Performance Pay

• The Pay Centre is in receipt of 99% of total expected submissions.
• Payments have been issued on 72% of submissions received.
• The Pay Centre is on track to complete all payments by the end of the calendar year.

2022-2024 Economic Increases

• The Pay Centre has initiated an automated pay rate solution to revise salary on most current executive accounts on a go-forward basis. This will be effective with the pay dated December 6, 2023. Accounts excluded from this process were deemed likely to create an overpayment or other pay issues.
• Information on the implementation plan is expected shortly.

There is progress on the 2022-2024 economic increases. Payments have begun in some organizations not served by the Pay Centre.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives – Update

(September 27, 2023)

New economic increases for 2022-2024 were announced in early July. Our July update (below) provided the details of the increases, as well as information on amendments to terms and conditions of employment for executives. In our August update (below) we shared the implementation plan established by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS).

PSPC and TBS have now provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of September 14, 2023. The information that follows relates to executives who work or have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

2018-2021 Economic Increases

• All current executives (priority 1) have received an updated salary.
• 67% of current executives (priority 1) have received a retroactive payment. 33% of the overall project has been completed.
• The Pay Centre remains on track to issue all retroactive payments by the commitment date of March 31, 2024.

2022-2023 Executive Performance Pay

• 43% of total expected submissions have been received and payments have been issued on 33% of submissions received.
• Law Management Occupational Group (LC): To date, 99% of expected submissions have been received, with 94% of payments issued.
• Although the Pay Centre is unable to guarantee payment by end of calendar year for submissions received beyond the deadline (September 15), historically, it has been able to complete this exercise successfully, despite a high degree of late submissions.

2022-2024 Economic Increases

• PSPC anticipates being able to enter the new executive pay rates in the system in November 2023.
• As per the usual protocol, priority will be given to active executives, followed by retired executives and then employees who acted in executive positions during the retroactive periods. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024-2025.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

New Economic Increases for Executives
Implementation Plan

(Amended August 9, 2023)

New economic increases for 2022-2024 were announced in early July. Our July update provided the details of the increases, as well as information on amendments to terms and conditions of employment for executives and on policy changes on the management of EX-04 and EX-05 positions. It also included clarification on the implementation of the 2018-2021 economic increases and on the transfer of pay files between organizations.

The new pay scales (2022 to 2024) are now available online. The salary increases are aligned with those recently negotiated through collective bargaining.

APEX has been informed that the implementation of the most recent economic increases would be done in four phases for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre. The Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) indicate that the overall implementation approach is in line with that for salary revisions for represented employee groups, and that every opportunity to automate parts of the payment process and to streamline and simplify the process will be considered. (Please note that plans and completion timelines may vary for organizations not served by the Pay Centre.)

Phase 1: Entry of new salary scales

PSPC will enter the new salary scales into Phoenix in the coming weeks. This will allow pay processing organizations, including the Pay Centre, to start the implementation work on behalf of their clients.

Phase 2: 2022-2023 performance pay cycle

The 2022-2023 performance pay cycle has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of December 2023.

Phase 3: Implementation of new salary rates

Pay Centre clients can expect to start seeing updated rates of pay on a go-forward basis starting in fall 2023, with completion of this phase by March 31, 2024. The updated rates of pay will be applied to the 2023–2024 performance review period.

Phase 4: Retroactive payments

The final phase will focus on processing retroactive payments for executives. This phase is expected to begin in late 2023, following the completion of the performance pay cycle. As per the usual protocol, priority will be given to active executives, followed by retired executives and then employees who acted in executive positions during the retroactive periods. This phase is expected to be completed by the end of 2024-2025.

Pre-2022 Retroactive increases

The implementation of the retroactive payments for the 2018-2021 increases is moving forward. To date, 30% of all executives (active, retired, acting) who work or have worked for organizations served by the Pay Centre have received their retroactive payments, including 54% of active executives. The target date for completion of the implementation of the 2018-2022 economic increases remains March 31, 2024.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

New Economic Increases for Executives

(Amended July 14, 2023)

New economic increases for executives have been approved!

APEX would like to begin by thanking senior leadership at the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer – Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS-OCHRO) and Privy Council Office for their proactive approach in addressing executive compensation. Executives, through the APEX advocacy role, have voiced their concerns with lengthy delays in compensation decisions and it is heartening to see that the government has listened and understands the importance and value of executives in the public service.

The approved adjustments apply to the following occupational groups within the core public administration:

• the Executive (EX) occupational group;
• civilian member executives of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police;
• employees of the Defence Scientific Service sub-group (DS levels 7A, 7B and 8);
• unrepresented employees in the Programme Administration – Negotiation, Mediation and Conciliation Officer sub-group, sector 4 (PM-MCO-04 level); and,
• non-specialist officers of the Canadian Armed Forces in the ranks of Colonel, Brigadier-General, Major-General and Lieutenant-General.

These adjustments also apply to eligible Governor in Council appointees, including deputy ministers, chief executive officers of Crown corporations, heads and members of administrative tribunals, agencies, boards and commissions and certain part-time individuals.

Rates of Increase

The following increases to executive pay are aligned with those recently negotiated through collective bargaining:

• April 1, 2022: 4.75% (3.5% economic increase and 1.25% wage adjustment);
• April 1, 2023: 3.5% (3.0% economic increase and 0.5% pay line adjustment); and
• April 1, 2024: 2.25% (2.0% economic increase and 0.25% wage adjustment).

The allocation for the same enhancements for senior leaders in separate agencies and appropriations-dependent Crown corporations was also approved.

APEX is grateful for TBS-OCHRO’s leadership in this matter and is pleased to see this decision on economic increases come before the completion of the full bargaining cycle. We continue to advocate for a process where executive compensation is dealt with separately and independently of represented groups, while addressing any inversion or excessive compression. This is a first step towards a new process that will be fair, transparent, independent, and timely in setting executive compensation.

Terms and Conditions of Employment

Along with economic increases, come three amendments to terms and conditions of employment:

• The addition of a leave for Traditional Indigenous Practices, allowing employees who self-declare as Indigenous, subject to operational requirements, to get up to five days of leave to engage in traditional Indigenous practices (up to two days with pay, and three without pay).
• A broader definition of family for provisions in Leave for Care of Family, Leave with Pay for Family-Related Responsibilities, and Bereavement Leave.
• Changing the maximum vacation leave carry over to 262.5 hours and reducing the additional carry-over leave due to exceptional circumstances to a maximum of four weeks. These provisions were in place temporarily, as part of the lifting of the moratorium on mandatory leave cash-out.

Policy Changes

Changes are also being made to the policy requirements related to the management of EX-04 and EX-05 positions in organizations.

• Deputy heads are no longer required to seek Treasury Board approval to make changes to the number of EX-04 and EX-05 positions in their organization. Classification activities must continue to be consistent with policy requirements.
• Heads of HR get additional responsibilities with respect to EX classification, including ensuring an internal process is in place to manage the resolution of disagreements in EX classification decisions.
• Changes also reinforces OCHRO’s responsibilities with respect to the oversight and monitoring of classification for positions in the EX group.

Clarification on the Implementation of the 2018-2021 Economic Increases

Several of you wrote to seek clarification on the implementation of the 2018-2021 economic increases for executives. We reached out to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) which provided the following information with respect to executives who work / have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

As previously mentioned, the order of priority for retroactive payments, is as follows:

1. Active executives
2. Executives who have left the public service (retired executives)
3. Employees who were acting executives during the period covered by the economic increases

The groups were established at the start of the implementation project. Therefore, those who were permanently appointed recently might still be part of the third group, despite being active executives.

The commitment for completion of the implementation for that round of economic increases for all three groups remains March 31, 2024.

Transfer Caseload

We also asked PSPC about the transfer of pay files between organizations. They indicated that the Pay Centre continues to prioritize the processing of transfer cases. PSPC acknowledged that there is currently a backlog of transfer cases impacting processing times. They continue to hire and onboard new employees to address this work and to expand the pay processing skillset of their existing workforce. They shared that the Pay Centre has manually closed almost 23,000 transfer cases between July 2022 and June 2023, over 1400 of which were for executives. They expect to have increased capacity to process the transfer backlog this fall.

What’s Next

We will share information about the implementation of the 2022-2024 economic increases as it becomes available. In the meantime, you will find below the latest information of the 2018-2021 economic increases, with completion rates as of June 19, 2023. As usual, the information that follows relates to executives who work / have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

• 49%of active executives have now received a retroactive payment.
• While active executives remain the priority, a small percentage of executives who have left the public service and acting executives may receive their retroactive salary due to various reasons, such as a transfer to a non-Pay Centre organization.
• Over the last few weeks, there has been a higher number of terminated accounts processed. There are two contributing factors for the recent increase:
  • Departments that have an MOU in place have completed the majority of their active accounts and have now shifted focus to terminated executives.
  • The EX Team has run various terminated accounts through an internal automated process for testing.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

Please note that the Pay Centre has a team dedicated to the processing of executives’ pay files. The work related to new collective bargaining agreements is not anticipated to have an impact on the processing of economic increases for executives.

We will provide updates until the implementation for both periods have been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives Update

(June 26, 2023)

Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of June 19, 2023. The information that follows relates to executives who work / have worked for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

• All but 5 active executives have received an updated salary. The remaining cases are from two organizations. The Pay Centre anticipates resolving these cases in the coming pay periods.
• 49% of active executives have now received a retroactive payment.
• While active executives remain the priority, a small percentage of executives who have left the public service and acting executives may receive their retroactive salary due to various reasons, such as a transfer to a non-Pay Centre organization.
• Over the last few weeks, there has been a higher number of terminated accounts processed. There are two contributing factors for the recent increase:
  • Departments that have an MOU in place have completed the majority of their active accounts and have now shifted focus to terminated executives.
  • The EX Team has run various terminated accounts through an internal automated process for testing.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

Please note that the Pay Centre has a team dedicated to the processing of executives’ pay files. The work related to new collective bargaining agreements is not anticipated to have an impact on the processing of economic increases for executives.

We will provide updates until the implementation has been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives Update

(May 16, 2023)

Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of May 4, 2023. The information that follows relates to active executives who work for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

• 99.5% of active executives have received an updated salary. Work is underway to complete the remaining 0.5% (31 accounts). The Pay Centre continues to prioritize these accounts for completion, and salary updates are expected on all remaining accounts by the May 24 pay.
• 42% of active executives have now received a retroactive payment.
• While active executives remain the priority, a small percentage of executives who have left the public service and acting executives may receive their retroactive salary due to various reasons, such as a transfer to a non-Pay Centre organization.

Most other organizations are further ahead in their implementation of economic increases for executives.

For retired executives with pensionable service beyond March 2018, any information pertaining to their adjusted salaries will be forwarded to the Pension Centre once their file has been processed by the Pay Centre.

Please note that the Pay Centre has a team dedicated to the implementation of economic increases for executives. The work related to new collective bargaining agreements is not anticipated to have an impact on the processing of executive pay files.

We will provide updates until the implementation has been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives Update

(April 19, 2023)

Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of April 5, 2023. The information that follows relates to active executives who work for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

• 99% of active executives have had their salary adjusted on a go-forward basis.
• The Pay Centre continues to prioritize the remaining 1% (61 accounts), for completion by May 10, 2023. We were informed that the delay is due to one of the following scenarios:
  • The Pay Centre is waiting on guidance and/or interpretations from a third party.
  • Certain situations where executives have formerly been employed in organizations not served by the Pay Centre.
  • Accounts with complex pay calculation requirements, such as salary maintenance or unique scenarios requiring multiple calculation steps or application of specific calculation methods.

• 34% of active executives have now received a retroactive payment.
• While active executives remain the priority, a small percentage of executives who have left the public service and acting executives may receive their retroactive salary due to various reasons, such as a transfer to a non-Pay Centre organization.

Most other organizations are further ahead in their implementation of economic increases for executives.

We will provide updates until the implementation has been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives Update

(March 14, 2023)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives, with completion rates as of March 9, 2023. The information that follows relates to active executives who work for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

• 87% of executives have now had their salary adjusted on a go-forward basis. PSPC reiterated that they fully anticipate completing this phase of the implementation by March 31, 2023, as planned.
• The current focus is on retroactive payment processing, and 25% of active executives have now received a retroactive payment.
• While active executives remain the priority, a small percentage of terminated and acting executives may receive their retroactive salary due to various reasons, such as a transfer to a non-Pay Centre organization.

PSPC has indicated that this is based on an active EX population of 6,553, and that over 16,500 accounts require retroactive payments.

Other organizations are further ahead in their implementation of economic increases for executives, and continue to assist the Pay Centre when possible.

We will provide updates until the implementation has been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives Update

(February 22, 2023)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives. The information that follows relates to active executives who work for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

• 75% of executives have now had their salary adjusted on a go-forward basis. PSPC fully anticipates completing this phase of the implementation by March 31, 2023, as planned.
• As previously indicated, the focus has now shifted to retroactive payment processing, and 20% of active executives have now received a retroactive payment.
• While active executives remain the priority, a small percentage of terminated and acting executives may receive their retroactive salary due to various reasons, such as a transfer to a non-Pay Centre organization.

Other organizations are further ahead in their implementation of economic increases for executives, and continue to assist the Pay Centre when possible.

We will provide updates until the implementation has been completed, as we continue to advocate for a better process to establish economic increases for executives.

Implementation of Economic Increases for Executives Update

(January 23, 2023)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have provided APEX with an update on the implementation of economic increases for executives. The information that follows relates to active executives who work for organizations served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

• 73% of executives have now had their salary adjusted on a go-forward basis. PSPC fully anticipates completing this phase of the implementation by March 31, 2023, as anticipated.
• Following the conclusion of the 2021-2022 performance pay cycle, the Pay Centre was able to shift its focus to retroactive payment processing in late fall. At this point, 14% of active executives have received a retroactive payment.

PSPC has indicated that given the complexity of executive pay – with a range rather than set pay increments – further automation is not an option. However, tools have been developed to better support Compensation Advisors in processing executive pay files more efficiently.

Other organizations are further ahead in their implementation of economic increases for executives. They are assisting the Pay Centre by sharing lessons learned and helping with tools and training.

We will continue to provide updates until the implementation has been completed.

Update on the implementation of economic increases

(November 22, 2022)

The information provided below is for executives in organizations served by the Public Service Pay Center. Other organizations may be at different stages and the numbers reported below are not inclusive of the advancement of these organizations. 

APEX continues to advocate on behalf of the executive community with respect to the implementation of the latest economic increases. In earlier updates, we shared with you timelines for the three phases of implementation established by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat, as well as information with respect to the automation of the first phase, for a majority of executives.

The automated pay rate update has allowed 62% of active executives to receive an increase on a go-forward basis in a more timely manner than anticipated. This number is slightly lower than the original 75% projections, primarily due to the fact that many executive salaries were already updated as a result of manual pay rate changes that had been completed through the processing of other pay transactions on their account. EX accounts were also excluded from automated pay rate update due to any of the following factors: employment by separate agencies with incompatible conditions of employment, executives subject to salary maintenance or salary protection, and other complex pay scenarios.

Current executives who have not yet received a pay rate update can conclude that their account was subject to an exclusion condition. The accounts that could not be included, will be subject to a manual revision prior to implementing the new pay rate. The Public Service Pay Centre’s commitment is to have all current EX accounts at the new rate of pay on a go forward basis no later than March 31, 2023.

Some executives have noticed that the Pay Centre has created economic increase tickets with a bring forward (BF) date of summer 2024. PSPC has confirmed that it is simply an administrative measure to monitor the work to be done.

The Pay Centre has committed to issue all retroactive payments by March 31, 2024, and has assured us that the process is well underway. In fact, the Pay Centre is ahead of initial projections, and is positioned favourably to conclude the implementation prior to the deadline. Additionally, PSPC has recently completed the pay actions associated with the last round of bargaining, freeing up capacity to focus on EX pay implementation.

In the meantime, APEX continues to advocate for changes on how increases to executive compensation are determined, to ensure a fair, impartial, transparent and timely process.

Update on the implementation of economic increases

(August 29, 2022)

APEX has advocated on behalf of the executive community with respect to the implementation of the latest economic increases. In an earlier update, we shared with you timelines for the three phases, as established by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS).

Today, we are happy to report that PSPC has made great strides in automating part of the process and that the implementation of the new salary rates will take place earlier than anticipated for over 5,000 of the Public Service Pay Centre’s executive client population (approximately 75%).

The executive accounts suitable for the automated pay rate update will begin to be paid at the revised rate in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Revised rates of pay will begin to appear as of the September 14, 2022 paycheque and roll out over the next two paycheques. Executives will be able to review their pay stub in MyGCpay to determine if they have received a revised rate. To ensure accuracy, all accounts will undergo a future manual review and the salary rate applied may be further amended.

Executives who have complex accounts will have to be excluded from this automated process. This may include executives with more complicated pay scenarios such as salary maintenance, salary protection, or a change in classification and level, or circumstances that could result in an overpayment. These complex accounts will be subject to manual update done concurrently with the manual review phase of automated accounts.

As previously announced, the processing of performance pay for the 2021-2022 cycle remains a priority. TBS has informed us that the executive performance pay cycle for the core public administration is on track and even well ahead of schedule as compared to last year.

The retroactive payment and manual review of accounts are planned to begin in 2023 as announced. The Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer and the Public Service Pay Centre continue to look at all options to complete the executive salary revisions as accurately, effectively, and quickly as possible and appreciate your continued patience and understanding.

APEX thanks PSPC, TBS, the compensation community and all those involved for positively responding to our request to accelerate the economic increase implementation and doing so with success.

We will continue to update you on further progress.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have indicated that the implementation of retroactive increases for executives would be done in three phases:

Phase 1: 2021–22 performance pay cycle

As the performance pay cycle had begun at the time of the announcement, they determined that the process would be completed based on the old pay scales. They indicated the cycle is expected to be completed by the end of December 2022.

Phase 2: Implementation of new salary rates

The new salary rates will be applied on a go-forward basis once the performance pay cycle is completed. This is expected to begin in fall 2022 and be done no later than March 31, 2023.

Phase 3: Retroactive payments

The third phase will cover the processing of retroactive payments. It is set to begin in 2023. As per the usual process, priority will be given to active executives, followed by retired executives and then employees who acted in executive positions during the retroactive periods. This phase is expected to be completed by March 31, 2024.

APEX has expressed concerns with these timelines to TBS and PSPC. The delays are due in large part to the limitations of Phoenix. Calculations are unique to each individual and require the attention of a compensation advisor. Generic automation is a challenge.

APEX continues to engage PSPC and TBS in discussions on how to reduce those timelines. We have now been assured that timelines for pay adjustments on a go-forward basis and for retroactive payments are based on worst-case scenario for the most difficult and complex cases. PSPC continues to explore options to shorten timelines. We believe that for most executives the adjustment on a go-forward basis will proceed shortly after the performance pay cycle has been completed, earlier than March 31, 2023. We are also confident that for the majority of standard noncomplex cases, retroactive payments will be paid earlier than March 31, 2024.

Smaller organizations should be able to proceed faster, and timelines could vary for organizations not served by the Public Service Pay Centre.

TBS, PSPC and APEX have developed FAQs on the implementation of the economic increases. We will provide you with regular updates on progress, until the implementation has been fully completed.

APEX is happy to report that increases to base pay have been approved. They are aligned with those recently negotiated through collective bargaining:

• 2.8% effective April 1, 2018
• 2.2% effective April 1, 2019
• 1.5% effective April 1, 2020
• 1.5% effective April 1, 2021

Rates of pay are now available online. The comparison of maximum salaries for EXs and feeder groups and the comparative sampling of salary and pension increases have been amended.

APEX is concerned with the timelines announced by TBS and PSPC for the implementation of economic increases. We will continue to work with central agencies to identify ways to reduce those timelines and will keep the executive community informed of progress.

We continue to advocate on your behalf for a new process to ensure timely, fair and impartial compensation for Public Service executives.

FAQs, including information on timelines and processes, are in development and will be posted on our site as soon as available.

Wednesday April 12th, 2022

Dear Minister Fortier,

I recently wrote to you advocating on behalf of all executives of the federal public service inquiring about the delay in providing economic increases.  I also raised the issue of salary inversions with feeder groups that the executives are facing, and the negative impact this is having on the executive cadre.  Finally, I encouraged you to create and implement a new independent committee that will ensure compensation for executives is addressed in a manner that is fair, impartial, and timely in the future.

Given these concerns are shared by the vast majority of executives, I thought it important and appropriate to request a meeting with you to discuss these issues and to see if APEX can be of assistance in their resolution.

The executive community has patiently waited in line as the government provided increases to other executive equivalent groups and completed the last round of bargaining.   And while they waited, these executives worked tirelessly to implement government decisions to manage the impact of the pandemic, keep the public safe and ensure Canadians had the proper support they needed.  Data shows unequivocally that most did so at the detriment of their health. Though the executives felt forgotten, and some even disrespected, their pride in the work they do to serve Canadians and their devotion remained very high.  As this government works to implement its agenda seen in the recent Budget, the executive community will be there to support the government, as always. But at what cost.

I have been informed that my recent message to you has been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office.  I believe that is a step in the right direction.  APEX is an association that advocates on behalf of all executives, and as such I find it incumbent upon myself to share the message of our 7,900 executives with you. These executives, most Deputy Heads and even Central Agencies would agree that it is now time to address executive compensation.

I look forward to our discussion and hope it will be of assistance to you as you move forward in addressing these issues.

Respectfully,

Carl Trottier
Chief Executive Officer
APEX

Wednesday March 30th, 2022

Dear Minister Fortier,

I am writing to you as Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX). APEX’s primary role is to advocate on behalf of all executives (7,900) in the federal public service.  We also support the executive community and the public service through Centers of Excellence on leadership, health and wellness, and total compensation, as well as offer professional and career development, and confidential advisory services for executives.

Recently, the rates of pay for all Commissioned Officers at the RCMP were increased retroactively. I’d like to congratulate you on addressing this issue. The Commissioned Officers are considered comparable and equivalent to executives of the public service. Therefore, it came as a surprise that the Commissioned Officers’ pay rates and pay inversion with the Non-Commissioned Officers were addressed by Treasury Board without addressing the long overdue pay increases for the 7,900 executives of the public service. The rates of pay for executives (EX occupational group) has not been adjusted since its last increase in 2017.  It will be 5 years in April. Yet, salaries of other executive equivalent groups have been updated up to 2021, notably the Law Management (LC), Medicine (MD-MOF and MD-MSP), and now Commissioned Officers. This is not to mention the loss of purchasing power that these executives have suffered as the cost of living increased, especially since the pandemic.

APEX’s Executive Work and Health Study has been cited by Clerks of the Privy Council for the past 25 years and is recognized by the scientific community and internationally as a benchmark on executive health. The information comes from surveys to all executives, the most recent in 2021. Results show that executive pride (88%) and dedication (74%) to the work they perform in delivering results for Canadians has come at a cost, with now a staggering number (75%) suffering from burnout. Over and above their regular mandate, executives delivered on the certification, procurement and distribution of vaccines and other health supplies; developed, implemented, and distributed emergency response benefits; ensured the safety of our borders and supply chains; organized an election during a pandemic; while responding to the call for action on anti-racism, equity and inclusion; and more recently have tirelessly worked in support of the Ukraine crisis, all while taking care of their virtual teams’ mental health; and so much more.

In addition, 69% of survey respondents describe experiencing an imbalance between the level of effort needed and the reward and recognition they receive for the work performed. The delay in adjusting economic increases is interpreted as disrespectful and acts as a major contributing factor to the effort/reward imbalance.

Salary inversion is also a significant problem. At least ten feeder groups to the executive cadre earn more than the executive entry levels, creating pay inversions and dissuading an increasing number of non-executives from joining the executive ranks. This is not sustainable, and over time will weaken the public service leadership by making it increasingly difficult to hire the best and the brightest in support of delivering this government’s programs and agenda.  Levels of frustration beyond what has ever been seen before in the executive community are being measured. A record number of executives are asking APEX how to be demoted out of the executive cadre, stating pay inversion and disrespect by the employer as the main causes.

Currently, there is no set process to adjust compensation for executives in the public service. In 2015, the former Stephenson Advisory Committee on Senior Level Retention and Compensation which provided the President of the Treasury Board with timely recommendations on economic increases for executives was disbanded and no mechanism was implemented to replace it. I encourage you to create and implement a new independent committee that will ensure compensation for executives is addressed in a manner that is fair, impartial, and timely. As the advocate of executives in the public service, APEX should have an advisory role to this committee and ensure the voice of all executives are heard.

Based on our advocacy mandate, the request to adjust the economic increases in the near future and create an independent committee come to you through the amplified voices of 7,900 executives. As the President of Treasury Board and Employer, your action is gravely needed to address these issues.

APEX desires to continue to work collaboratively with TBS-OCHRO, to assist in facilitating the government’s decisions on executive economic increases that are long overdue, and to ultimately work together towards a fair, impartial and timely compensation system for all executives in the future.

Should you seek more information about the issues facing the executive cadre, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Respectfully,

Carl Trottier
Chief Executive Officer
APEX