Message from the Chief Human Resources Officer: COVID-19: Mobility and access to essential infrastructure (April 1)

Message from the Chief Human Resources Officer: COVID-19: Mobility and access to essential infrastructure April 1, 2020

To: Deputy Heads, Heads of Agencies (including separate Employers), Presidents of Regional Federal Councils, Heads of Human Resources

I am providing you with some important information in respect of the mobility of our employees who are supporting critical services.

Some provinces have begun to institute measures limiting movement of people within or across their boundaries. We have, accordingly, been working to preserve the ability of critical federal workers to continue to travel across and within provinces and territories upon the production of both valid government identification and another piece of valid photo identification.

In addition, we have prepared and sent a template letter to the Human Resources, Labour Relations and Security communities, which managers can use, outlining the criticality of an employee’s work. Out of an abundance of caution, consider equipping your critical employees who must travel with a signed copy of such a letter, along with the identification already noted, in the event that authorities request further proof of the employee’s need to travel.

In addition to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the Government of Quebec has now announced increased measures aimed at limiting non-essential travel in and around the province in certain regions, including the Outaouais. Quebec authorities have informed us that they will permit public servants with both valid government identification and another piece of valid photo identification to continue to move freely, allowing them to perform critical federal services.

We will continue to support all public health agencies’ instructions to limit travel to essential work.

Nancy Chahwan

Chief Human Resources Officer

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat / Government of Canada