Article content

Public Service and Procurement Canada will be the first government department with an ombudsman for mental health.

André Latreille, who has been the director general for labour relations, occupational health and safety and well-being at PSPC, is expected to assume his new role beginning Monday. The move to appoint Latreille comes after Privy Council Clerk Michael Werwick highlighted in his latest report to the prime minister the need for respectful public service workplaces that focused on employees’ mental health.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Q & A with first public service ombudsman for mental health Back to video

Latreille will serve the 13,000 employees within PSPC. We spoke with Latreille to learn more about his role. His answers have been edited for length.

Q. What will your role be as the ombudsman for mental health?

A. The role is essentially to guide employees towards services that we offer now in support of their well-being and mental health.

Mental health is something that has taken on quite a bit of importance over the years and I think the (Privy Council) clerk in his last report highlighted that as a federal organization we need to pay special attention to it, and the deputy here took the extra step in ensuring it gets the proper attention.