‘We believed in her': An 11-month fight to hire one public servant
Most provincial disability support programs are means tested, meaning that they claw back benefits and services sharply once a disabled individual earns more than a minimal income. In Mandy's case, accepting our job offer threatened her access to vital services and equipment that literally keep her alive. Had we been able to quadruple her salary offer, paying out-of-pocket for many of them would still have been unaffordable.
Article content
I leaned on colleagues across departments. I persisted because I believed in Mandy, and in the promise of a more inclusive public service. Eventually, we succeeded, after working with the then claims administrator for the Public Service Health Care Plan to ensure that any provincial benefits and services Mandy lost would be covered.
Article content
Thanks in part to the pandemic and hybrid work, Mandy was hired in Toronto to work for a manager in Ottawa. She respected her hybrid arrangement and continues to come into the office on her required days.
Article content
Article content
But then came the transfer of the Public Service Health Care Plan to a new claims administrator and Mandy lost coverage for essential equipment and therapeutic services she depends on to maintain basic mobility and health. I lobbied again — this time to the Treasury Board's accessibility office and the Chief Human Resources Officer — and again, I hit a wall. The contract had already been signed and could not be re-opened to fix this 'oversight'.
Article content
I want to be clear: I am not playing politics. As a senior public service leader, I have always provided fearless, evidence-based advice while respecting our Westminster model of responsible government. And in that same spirit, I offer this new government one piece of fearless advice: persons with disabilities must be part of Canada's future. Their inclusion is not an act of charity — it is a matter of justice, innovation, and national progress.
Article content
Article content
I also hold out hope that as trade barriers between provinces come down, so too will the barriers that exist between provincial disability support programs. We need a system that allows for true mobility — where talented individuals with disabilities can be ambitious and pursue opportunity across this country without fear of losing essential supports. Canada must be a place where talent is nurtured, not geographically trapped.
Article content
So, I ask: what are we doing?
Article content
Why are we making it so hard — not just to get in, but to stay?
Article content
I share the original author's anger. I too have cried tears of frustration from witnessing harm and being unable to stop it. As a senior leader, that failure cuts deep.
Article content
I know how the system works. I know people. I even had the opportunity to meet Mona Fortier, then president of the Treasury Board, at an event celebrating the Women's Executive Network. She was interested; she met Mandy; she helped me speak with the team at Treasury Board. Nonetheless, I was told the contract was in place and nothing could be done.
Article content
I was devastated. We were devastated. But despite this test and perhaps because of it, I will not give up.
Article content
I believe more strongly than ever in diversity, equity and inclusion. I have patience and fortitude. I've set my sights on serving on the advisory panel that designs the next iteration of the Public Service Health Care Plan, to fight for persons with disabilities and build a modern, inclusive workplace where talent thrives and people are not penalized for the bodies they inhabit or the supports they need.
Article content
Article content
I will devote the time and energy. I will bring forward the voices of those with lived experience. I will contribute because it is the right thing to do if we truly want to be a society that is innovative, inclusive and forward-thinking. My application will be submitted now and I will persist until I am given the chance to volunteer.
Article content
To the original author: you are not alone. Your courage matters. And your grief is not yours to carry alone. Change takes all of us — including those on the inside who are still trying.
Article content
With solidarity and respect,
Article content
— Donna Achimov
Article content
Donna Achimov served in senior leadership roles across several federal departments and agencies over her 37‑year public service career, including in regulatory, compliance, and service‑delivery organizations. A former Chief Compliance Officer, she is passionate about transforming workplace culture to foster innovation, creativity, and inclusion. In 2018, she was awarded the Joan Atkinson Award for Public Sector Values in the Workplace.
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Vancouver Sun
Federal workers with disabilities on the rise. Auditor General will probe to see if it's enough
The federal auditor general is planning to study the recruitment, retention and promotion of people with disabilities in the federal public service. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press through Access to Information indicate that the audit is expected to be tabled in the spring. Claire Baudry, a spokesperson for the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, said in an email that while auditor general Karen Hogan expects to table the report in Parliament in 2026, the audit is in the planning phase and any comment on its scope or timelines now would be 'premature.' Hogan's office sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Board Bill Matthews on March 7 notifying him of the upcoming study. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The most recent employment equity report for the public service says that since March 2020, the number of people with disabilities has increased steadily in the core public service — the federal government departments and agencies that fall under Treasury Board. But that number remains below the rate of 'workforce availability' — the metric used by the government to measure the share of the national workforce that is eligible for federal public service work. As of 2024, 21,089 people with disabilities were working in the federal public service, up from 17,410 in 2023, 14,573 in 2022 and 12,893 in 2021. The report also found that representation of people with disabilities among government executives was above the rate of workforce availability. As of March 2024, 9.7 per cent of federal executives were people with disabilities, up from 4.6 per cent in March 2019. The employment equity report also looked at promotions in the core public service. It found that 2,517 federal public servants with disabilities were promoted in 2024. The report also tracked 1,642 promotions of Indigenous public servants, 1,788 promotions of Black employees, 8,115 promotions of members of visible minorities and 19,578 promotions of women in the core public service. Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, said he hopes the report will take into account the impact of the government's return-to-office mandate on people with disabilities. The government has gradually increased the number of days public servants must be in the office since the end of the pandemic. As of last fall, most public servants are expected to work in-office at least three days per week, while executives are required to be there at least four days per week. 'We hope to see from the report a snapshot before and after the forced return to office took place to see how many workers with disabilities are leaving the federal public sector and taking their expertise with them, while other workers struggle with increasing workload and now cuts — all when we had an easy and workable solution in front of us this whole time,' Prier said. 'During the pandemic we saw on a large scale how telework worked well for so many workers with disabilities, and we've been disappointed to see that, since the forced and mismanaged return to office, those same people have not been getting accommodations or have been made to jump through hoops in a long, drawn-out process,' he said. Rola Salem, a spokesperson for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, said in an email that the Government of Canada has committed to building an accessible and inclusive public service and, in 2024, exceeded its goal of hiring 5,000 people with disabilities. Salem said the secretariat welcomes the opportunity to work with the Office of the Auditor General on the planned audit. The Employment Equity Act defines 'persons with disabilities' as people who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment or believe that an employer is likely to consider them disadvantaged. The definition also includes people whose limitations have been accommodated in the workplace. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
National Post
a day ago
- National Post
Federal workers with disabilities on the rise. Auditor General will probe to see if it's enough
The federal auditor general is planning to study the recruitment, retention and promotion of people with disabilities in the federal public service. Article content Documents obtained by The Canadian Press through Access to Information indicate that the audit is expected to be tabled in the spring. Article content Article content Claire Baudry, a spokesperson for the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, said in an email that while auditor general Karen Hogan expects to table the report in Parliament in 2026, the audit is in the planning phase and any comment on its scope or timelines now would be 'premature.' Article content Article content Article content Article content The most recent employment equity report for the public service says that since March 2020, the number of people with disabilities has increased steadily in the core public service — the federal government departments and agencies that fall under Treasury Board. Article content But that number remains below the rate of 'workforce availability' — the metric used by the government to measure the share of the national workforce that is eligible for federal public service work. Article content As of 2024, 21,089 people with disabilities were working in the federal public service, up from 17,410 in 2023, 14,573 in 2022 and 12,893 in 2021. Article content The report also found that representation of people with disabilities among government executives was above the rate of workforce availability. As of March 2024, 9.7 per cent of federal executives were people with disabilities, up from 4.6 per cent in March 2019. Article content Article content The employment equity report also looked at promotions in the core public service. It found that 2,517 federal public servants with disabilities were promoted in 2024. Article content Article content The report also tracked 1,642 promotions of Indigenous public servants, 1,788 promotions of Black employees, 8,115 promotions of members of visible minorities and 19,578 promotions of women in the core public service. Article content Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, said he hopes the report will take into account the impact of the government's return-to-office mandate on people with disabilities. Article content The government has gradually increased the number of days public servants must be in the office since the end of the pandemic. As of last fall, most public servants are expected to work in-office at least three days per week, while executives are required to be there at least four days per week. Article content 'We hope to see from the report a snapshot before and after the forced return to office took place to see how many workers with disabilities are leaving the federal public sector and taking their expertise with them, while other workers struggle with increasing workload and now cuts — all when we had an easy and workable solution in front of us this whole time,' Prier said.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Auditor general to study hiring, promotion of public servants with disabilities
The federal auditor general is planning to study the recruitment, retention and promotion of people with disabilities in the federal public service. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press through Access to Information indicate that the audit is expected to be tabled in the spring. Claire Baudry, a spokesperson for the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, said in an email that while auditor general Karen Hogan expects to table the report in Parliament in 2026, the audit is in the planning phase and any comment on its scope or timelines now would be 'premature.' Hogan's office sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Board Bill Matthews on March 7 notifying him of the upcoming study. The most recent employment equity report for the public service says that since March 2020, the number of people with disabilities has increased steadily in the core public service — the federal government departments and agencies that fall under Treasury Board. Story continues below advertisement But that number remains below the rate of 'workforce availability' — the metric used by the government to measure the share of the national workforce that is eligible for federal public service work. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy As of 2024, 21,089 people with disabilities were working in the federal public service, up from 17,410 in 2023, 14,573 in 2022 and 12,893 in 2021. The report also found that representation of people with disabilities among government executives was above the rate of workforce availability. As of March 2024, 9.7 per cent of federal executives were people with disabilities, up from 4.6 per cent in March 2019. The employment equity report also looked at promotions in the core public service. It found that 2,517 federal public servants with disabilities were promoted in 2024. The report also tracked 1,642 promotions of Indigenous public servants, 1,788 promotions of Black employees, 8,115 promotions of members of visible minorities and 19,578 promotions of women in the core public service. Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, said he hopes the report will take into account the impact of the government's return-to-office mandate on people with disabilities. The government has gradually increased the number of days public servants must be in the office since the end of the pandemic. As of last fall, most public servants are expected to work in-office at least three days per week, while executives are required to be there at least four days per week. Story continues below advertisement 'We hope to see from the report a snapshot before and after the forced return to office took place to see how many workers with disabilities are leaving the federal public sector and taking their expertise with them, while other workers struggle with increasing workload and now cuts — all when we had an easy and workable solution in front of us this whole time,' Prier said. 'During the pandemic we saw on a large scale how telework worked well for so many workers with disabilities, and we've been disappointed to see that, since the forced and mismanaged return to office, those same people have not been getting accommodations or have been made to jump through hoops in a long, drawn-out process,' he said. Rola Salem, a spokesperson for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, said in an email that the Government of Canada has committed to building an accessible and inclusive public service and, in 2024, exceeded its goal of hiring 5,000 people with disabilities. Salem said the secretariat welcomes the opportunity to work with the Office of the Auditor General on the planned audit. The Employment Equity Act defines 'persons with disabilities' as people who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment or believe that an employer is likely to consider them disadvantaged. The definition also includes people whose limitations have been accommodated in the workplace.
