- Layoff
- Disability
- Being relocated
- Job loss
- Voluntary leave of absence (eg a parent who takes a prolonged leave to care for their child
- Death of a spouse who was a military member, worked for the RCMP, or public servant whose death was attributable to their service.
For this reason, no one hopes to find themselves a priority,
but every year hundreds of people find themselves becoming a priority.
There are two groups of priorities- statutory and
regulatory. Regardless of which group all priorities must meet the essential qualifications in order to
be considered. Essential qualifications are exactly what they sound like,
factors that must be satisfied to be hired. They include:
- Education
- Experience
- Knowledge
- Skills/Abilities
- Personal Suitability
Education and experience (and if written communication is a
personal suitability factor) are assessed using the resume submitted. A poorly
written resume will dramatically limit the number of positions that a priority is referred to.
When priorities are referred a hiring manager must look at statutory priorities first an
in this order.
Statutory Priorities
Statutory priorities are so named because their entitlements
flow out of the Public Service Employment Act and legal statue.
First: Canadian Armed Forces
(CAF) members released for medical reasons attributable to service as
determined by Veterans Affairs Canada. All CAF members, including
regular force, reserve force and special force are eligible. This is the
highest level of priority and someone in this category who meets all the selection criteria will
be appointed to the position ahead of all others. If a CAF member
who is medically released for reasons not attributable to service and can no
longer meet universality of service they will have a priority entitlement under the
group- regulatory priority.
Second: A public servant who has been informed that their services are no
longer required (but have not been laid
off). This employee is a statutory priority for their own department and will be a regulatory priority for all
other government departments.
Third: Employees who took leave of absence, and their substantive position has been staffed indeterminately behind them.
This only happens in the case of an absence of more than a year, and doesn’t
always happen. As an example if a mother takes three years to care for her child
her supervisor may hire indeterminately behind her after a year (triggering a
priority status when the mother wants to return) or they may just use a term to
fill the vacancies until she returns.
Fourth: An employee who has been laid off from the public
service due to a lack of work, the discontinuance of a function (Compensation
Advisors in every department is a good example) or the transfer of work or a
function outside the public service.
For the official legalese
version please follow this link.
Regulatory Priorities
The priority
entitlements that fall under the Public Service Employment Regulation are
referred to as “regulatory priorities.” Employees, veterans and surviving
spouses with a regulatory priority are appointed after those with a statutory
priority. Unlike the statutory priorities there is no order in which they must
be appointed.
Surplus
employees: Employees
from other organizations who have been advised that their services are no
longer required, but before any lay-off becomes effective. These people are
statutory priorities within their own department.
Example: I am told my services are no longer required at Parks Canada. I am a statutory priority for Parks Canada and a regulatory priority for all other government departments.
Employees who
become disabled: If an
employee becomes disabled and, as a result of the disability, is no longer able
to carry out the duties of their position.
RCMP members: In certain circumstances members who discharged
for medical reasons.
CAF veterans:
Certain veterans released for medical reasons not attributable to service: Members of the regular force, the special force, the reserve force on
Class B service of 180 days or more or on Class C reserve service are eligible.
You must be released from the military (thus a veteran) in order to qualify.
You cannot enact this entitlement while still in uniform.
Relocation of
spouse or common-law partner: Indeterminate
employees who were granted leave for relocation, and whose positions have
not been staffed indeterminately.
Reinstatement: Employees who had a priority entitlement and
who were appointed or deployed to a position in the public service at a lower
level are a regulatory priority for the group and level they held previously.
As an example, you were an AS02 but at the new work location you had to take an
AS01. You remain a reinstatement priority for the AS02 level.
Surviving spouse
or common-law partner: Surviving
spouses or common-law partners of whose partner/spouse was employed in the
public service, the CAF or the RCMP, and whose death is
attributable to the performance of duties. As an example, an RCMP office is
killed in the line of duty, their partner can apply to become a priority in the
public service if the public service does not currently employ them.
For the official legalese
version please follow this link.
Understanding regulatory and
statutory priorities will help you as you are referred to positions within the
public service.
Veteran's who do not meet the above categories do not have priority status, but they may have "Veteran's preference". See next week's post to find out the difference between the two.
Veteran's who do not meet the above categories do not have priority status, but they may have "Veteran's preference". See next week's post to find out the difference between the two.
