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North America

A picture of OPM director Kiran Ahuja

US government personnel chief sets out progress on reform after Office of Personnel Management’s ‘disruptive history’

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must work harder to turn itself into the US federal government’s strategic centre for human capital management, the agency’s director Kiran Ahuja recently said. […]

Canada rules out wage reimbursement for unvaccinated public servants placed on leave during COVID-19

Canada’s federal government will not reimburse unvaccinated public servants who were placed on unpaid leave for failing to comply with the country’s vaccine mandate, the intergovernmental affairs minister Dominic LeBlanc […]

A Canadian flag flies outside of parliament

Canada lifts COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal staff as unions press for reimbursement of lost wages

Canada’s federal government has said rules requiring its staff to show proof of COVID vaccination will officially end on 20 June. Since October last year, the mandate has made vaccination […]

Minnesota National Guard Airmen inspect cybersecurity infrastructure

US federal agencies to upgrade cyber and data capabilities as part of government-wide IT plan

The Biden administration is to focus on improving cybersecurity and data analytics capabilities across federal government as part of an IT modernisation plan published by the Office of Management and […]

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau sits at a desk flanked by Canadian national flags.

Canadian PM thanks officials at start of National Public Service Week – and promises to make federal government more diverse

The Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has thanked the country’s 300,000 public servants for their “dedication, professionalism, and creativity” and vowed to “foster a more inclusive public service that looks […]

Canadian public servants frustrated by Phoenix compensation delay

Three former public servants have spoken out about the stress caused by delays to compensation payments they say they are owed after suffering hardship due to the botched Phoenix pay […]

Different policies to apply to US government officials based on COVID-19 vaccination status

The Biden administration has updated its COVID policy guidance for the federal workforce, making clearer distinctions between vaccinated and unvaccinated employees when it comes to official travel, paid leave, and […]

Canadian national security forces urged to mend race relations ‘marred by suspicion’

Canada’s security and intelligence agencies must develop more transparent relationships with ‘racialised’ groups to counter growing mistrust, a report by Canada’s National Security Transparency Advisory Group (NS-TAG) has said. The […]

Canada’s public safety agencies told to stamp out institutional racism and discrimination

Canada’s public safety minister Marco Mendicino has set four federal government agencies mandates to quash institutional racism, misogyny, and unconscious bias. Mendicino emphasised the need for the Royal Canadian Mounted […]

A man holding a 'no mandates' placard in front of the Canadian national flag demonstrates against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in Toronto, Canada

Canadian unions move against ‘unreasonable’ public service vaccine mandate

Three unions representing around 280,000 Canadian public servants have taken action against the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, calling its continuing use “punitive”, “unreasonable”, and an “abuse of management authority”.  […]