Government Operations committee  The directive, without being updated, is still relevant and still implemented. Realities and challenges change, but performance management continues. In practical terms, each head of department or agency can work with the Public Service Commission to establish a specific strategy.

Government Operations committee  Of course, we promote and foster a safe and healthy workplace. Impairment is prohibited in all federal workplaces. We're working very closely with the ESDC labour program—

Government Operations committee  We're taking notes, and codes of conduct and related policies are updated as we monitor the situation on an ongoing basis.

Government Operations committee  Yes, I could add some points. Posts are designated according to the nature of the duties performed. Therefore, all positions that require service in both official languages are designated as such, and incumbents have the opportunity to develop their skills in their second language.

Government Operations committee  The reform planned by the bill under consideration will also seek to strengthen these efforts. The findings have been made, and there is a desire to enhance and strengthen bilingualism. Under this reform, the Treasury Board would have more power to establish, with the Treasury Board Secretariat, oversight to verify the compliance of federal institutions and to evaluate the government's effectiveness in this area.

Government Operations committee  Indeed, in terms of what departments are doing now, the health and safety guidance allows us to bring people back in—

Government Operations committee  Currently, each deputy minister is bringing people in as per the model, the operational requirements and what they want to test as a hybrid format. We're not hearing about not enough space to do the testing model.

Government Operations committee  The directive on the health and safety is provided in collaboration with our PHAC colleagues. What we are providing is guidance to make sure that it's done in a consistent, equitable way as per collective agreement requirements, but it's for each department and deputy minister to determine the model they want to test, and—

Government Operations committee  As we see another anniversary of this situation, I know this is an issue that the government and all of us have committed to address and take on very seriously and diligently. We have taken action on many fronts to provide flexibility and to minimize the financial impacts on employees who have experienced these issues.

Government Operations committee  Almost 99% of agreements have been settled within the 2018 round. We are just beginning the 2021 round of collective bargaining. Indeed, we have a number of unions that have tabled notice to bargain. Usually, it happens in the short term after the collective agreement expires.

Government Operations committee  Actually, I can answer this. Thank you, Samantha. I will supplement by saying that the TBS office for accessibility was mandated to help the public service get ready to implement the Accessible Canada Act. Its “Nothing without us: An accessibility strategy for the Public Service of Canada” was co-developed with persons with disabilities to be a road map.

Government Operations committee  I can begin, and perhaps my colleague, Madame Cahill, will want to supplement. Our colleagues at Shared Services Canada, or SSC, are working hard on this. Since we started trying to solve this problem collectively, several thousands of rules and updates have been added to the system, and we know that it is stabilizing.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for your question. You may have seen that we published the most recent health and safety guidelines yesterday, in partnership with Health Canada. This means we can consider a gradual return, after Omicron and what has happened in recent weeks. According to what was very clearly announced yesterday in our communications, the return must be cautious and gradual, and must adhere to certain health and safety rules that our Health Canada colleagues have provided to us.

Government Operations committee  Very much so. Once again, it comes down to adopting a uniform approach. It is impossible for the Government of Canada, the largest employer in Canada, to adopt that kind of approach, because it is too complex and too diversified. Each position has to be analyzed, and the system for organizing the work really has to be established based on that analysis.

Government Operations committee  Thank you. The language profile is determined based on the position and the responsibilities, not based on the individual. That is how we determine whether language training needs to be given, under the authority of the deputy minister of the department. That is how we ensure that services are offered in the desired language.