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PIPSC conducted two surveys in 2015 to get a handle on the departments’ reliance on outsourcing. One survey was sent to all IT workers and another to all members in 60 departments and agencies. About 10,000 employees responded.

Nearly half of all respondents said contractors work on their teams or work units. About 60 per cent said contracts of those they work with are routinely renewed; 41 per cent said contractors were there between one and five years; and 17 per cent reported contractors had worked there for more than 10 years.

Daviau wants contracting reduced and stricter guidelines imposed. She isn’t, however, looking for $10 billion worth of contracts to be turned into full-time public service jobs. Rather, she argues the work being farmed out could be done in-house by existing employees if they were given the chance or training.

In the survey, 83 per cent of respondents said no training was offered to existing employees before vacancies were filled by contractors. About 54 per cent said they would have done the work if offered the chance.

In fact, 89 per cent of respondents said contracted out jobs were not posted internally. This was even higher among IT workers — 91 per cent of whom said such positions were not posted.

The report singles out Shared Services Canada, where most federal IT employees are concentrated, as one of the biggest users of outsourcing. The computer services agency outsourced its $400-million project to collapse 63 email systems into one and has faced delays, cost overruns and security lapses.