Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2019-03-18 19:10:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Steven MacKinnon (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, Lib.)",
        "fr": "M. Steven MacKinnon (secr\u00e9taire parlementaire de la ministre des Services publics et de l\u2019Approvisionnement et de l'Accessibilit\u00e9, Lib.)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"5830156\">Mr. Speaker, employees deserve to be paid properly and on time. Supporting employees facing pay issues and stabilizing the pay system remains a top priority.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830157\">While there is still work left to do, the government has taken significant steps to resolve pay issues. We have made steady progress in decreasing the backlog of transactions, improving processes, strengthening and increasing capacity, and providing enhanced services to employees calling the client contact centre.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830158\">The government is proposing new measures to support employees who carry the burden of having to repay overpayments due to no fault of their own. These measures will build on our commitment to minimize the financial impacts of Phoenix on employees and fix this unacceptable problem that we inherited from the Conservatives. The government\u2019s proposed measures would allow employees to repay their employer only the net amount of overpayments received in the previous year. As a result, affected employees would generally no longer have to bear the burden of recovering these deductions from the CRA and repaying them to their employer.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830159\">In regard to (a), federal employees' pay is never put on hold, including when employees have an overpayment. Overpayments are usually the result of late processing in the Phoenix pay system and can result from the following situations: an employee\u2019s acting pay did not stop when their acting assignment ended; an employee is, or was, on leave without pay and their pay was not stopped; or an employee received pay that they were not entitled to receive.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830160\">In early March 2018, the government implemented additional flexible measures to help minimize the financial impact and hardships to employees for the repayment of overpayments related to Phoenix pay system issues.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830161\">Recovery of overpaid amounts does not begin until all monies owed to the employee have been paid, the employee has received three consecutive correct pay cheques and a recovery agreement has been established.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830162\">Additionally, the government has ensured that employees facing pay issues can request emergency salary advance or priority payments.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830163\">For more information, individuals can refer to https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/remuneration-compensation/services-paye-pay-services/systeme-paye-employes-pay-system-employees/trop-payes-overpayments-eng.html. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830164\">With regard to (b), 223,173 employees have had an overpayment recovered from their pay between April 1, 2016, and January 31, 2019. The last day of January 2019 was used as a point of reference to provide a month-to-month breakdown.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830165\">Members should note that this number includes overpayments that remain in progress for certain employees, in accordance with the individual employee\u2019s recovery agreement. In addition, this number is comprised of true and technical overpayments. However, the Phoenix pay system currently cannot segregate true overpayments from technical overpayments. True overpayments are created in situations where employees receive pay to which they were not entitled. For example, this occurs when an employee\u2019s termination or leave without pay, for example, parental leave, is entered after the pay period of their departure date. Technical overpayments are created to adjust pay and ensure employees receive the pay to which they were entitled. For example, this occurs when an employee\u2019s acting assignment is entered after the pay period in which the acting assignment began. Technical overpayments are typically netted out in the next pay period. They do not have a negative impact on employees. They are entered to offset a payment adjustment and are seamless to the employee.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830166\">With regard to (c), producing this information would require manual work that cannot be completed within prescribed timelines.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"5830156\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, les employ\u00e9s m\u00e9ritent d\u2019\u00eatre pay\u00e9s correctement et \u00e0 temps. Nous continuons d\u2019avoir pour priorit\u00e9 absolue de soutenir les employ\u00e9s qui ont des probl\u00e8mes de paie et de stabiliser le syst\u00e8me de paie.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830157\">Le travail en ce sens n\u2019est pas termin\u00e9, mais le gouvernement a pris des mesures importantes pour r\u00e9soudre les probl\u00e8mes de paie. Nous avons r\u00e9alis\u00e9 des progr\u00e8s constants pour ce qui est de r\u00e9duire l\u2019arri\u00e9r\u00e9 de traitement des mouvements de paie, d\u2019am\u00e9liorer les processus, de renforcer et d\u2019accro\u00eetre la capacit\u00e9, ainsi que de fournir de meilleurs services aux employ\u00e9s qui appellent au Centre de contact avec la client\u00e8le.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830158\">Notre gouvernement propose de nouvelles mesures pour aider les employ\u00e9s qui doivent rembourser des trop-pay\u00e9s pour des raisons ind\u00e9pendantes de leur volont\u00e9. Ces mesures seront fond\u00e9es sur notre engagement \u00e0 minimiser les r\u00e9percussions financi\u00e8res li\u00e9es au syst\u00e8me Ph\u00e9nix sur les employ\u00e9s et \u00e0 r\u00e9gler ce probl\u00e8me inacceptable que nous avons h\u00e9rit\u00e9 des conservateurs. Les mesures propos\u00e9es par notre gouvernement permettraient aux employ\u00e9s de rembourser \u00e0 leur employeur uniquement le montant net des trop-pay\u00e9s re\u00e7us l\u2019ann\u00e9e pr\u00e9c\u00e9dente. Ainsi, les employ\u00e9s touch\u00e9s n\u2019auraient g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement plus \u00e0 assumer le fardeau de recouvrer les retenues aupr\u00e8s de l\u2019Agence du revenu du Canada et de les rembourser \u00e0 leur employeur.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830159\">En r\u00e9ponse \u00e0 la partie a) de la question, la paie des employ\u00e9s f\u00e9d\u00e9raux n\u2019est jamais mise en attente, ni m\u00eame en situation de trop-pay\u00e9s. Les trop-pay\u00e9s d\u00e9coulent g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement d\u2019un traitement en retard dans le syst\u00e8me de paie Ph\u00e9nix, notamment \u00e0 la suite de situations comme celles ci: l\u2019employ\u00e9 recevait toujours une paie pour une nomination int\u00e9rimaire, m\u00eame apr\u00e8s la date de fin de cette nomination; l\u2019employ\u00e9 est ou \u00e9tait en cong\u00e9 sans solde sans que sa paie ne soit interrompue; ou l\u2019employ\u00e9 a re\u00e7u des montants de paie auxquels il n\u2019avait pas droit.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830160\">Au d\u00e9but de mars 2018, le gouvernement a adopt\u00e9 d\u2019autres mesures de remboursement souples pour r\u00e9duire le plus possible les r\u00e9percussions et difficult\u00e9s financi\u00e8res subies par les employ\u00e9s qui ont re\u00e7u des trop-pay\u00e9s en raison de probl\u00e8mes li\u00e9s au syst\u00e8me de paie Ph\u00e9nix. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830161\">Le remboursement des trop-pay\u00e9s ne commence pas avant que l\u2019employ\u00e9 ait re\u00e7u toutes les sommes qui lui sont dues, qu\u2019il ait re\u00e7u trois paies exactes cons\u00e9cutives et qu\u2019une entente de remboursement ait \u00e9t\u00e9 prise.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830162\">De plus, le gouvernement fait en sorte que les employ\u00e9s qui \u00e9prouvent des probl\u00e8mes de paie puissent demander une avance de salaire d\u2019urgence ou des paiements prioritaires.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830163\">Pour de plus amples renseignements, on peut consulter https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/remuneration-compensation/services-paye-pay-services/systeme-paye-employes-pay-system-employees/trop-payes-overpayments-fra.html. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830164\">Pour ce qui est de la partie b) de la question, 223 173 employ\u00e9s ont re\u00e7u un trop-pay\u00e9 qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9duit de leur salaire entre le 1<sup>er </sup>avril 2016 et le 31 janvier 2019. Le dernier jour de janvier 2019 a servi de point de r\u00e9f\u00e9rence pour la pr\u00e9sentation d\u2019une ventilation mensuelle.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830165\">Il est \u00e0 noter que: ce nombre comprend les trop-pay\u00e9s qui sont toujours en cours dans le cas de certains employ\u00e9s, conform\u00e9ment \u00e0 l\u2019entente de recouvrement individuelle conclue avec ces employ\u00e9s; ce nombre comprend les trop-pay\u00e9s v\u00e9ritables et les trop-pay\u00e9s administratifs. Cela dit, le syst\u00e8me de paie Ph\u00e9nix n\u2019est actuellement pas en mesure d\u2019\u00e9tablir une distinction entre les trop-pay\u00e9s v\u00e9ritables et les trop-pay\u00e9s administratifs. Un trop-pay\u00e9 v\u00e9ritable est cr\u00e9\u00e9 lorsqu\u2019un employ\u00e9 re\u00e7oit une paie \u00e0 laquelle il n\u2019a pas droit. Par exemple, c\u2019est le cas lorsque la cessation d\u2019emploi ou le cong\u00e9 non pay\u00e9, comme un cong\u00e9 parental, d\u2019un employ\u00e9 est saisi apr\u00e8s la p\u00e9riode de paie dans laquelle tombe la date du d\u00e9part. Un trop-pay\u00e9 administratif est cr\u00e9\u00e9 pour rajuster la paie d\u2019un employ\u00e9 et veiller \u00e0 ce que celui-ci re\u00e7oive la paie \u00e0 laquelle il a droit. Par exemple, c\u2019est le cas lorsque l\u2019affectation int\u00e9rimaire d\u2019un employ\u00e9 est saisie apr\u00e8s la p\u00e9riode de paie au cours de laquelle cette affectation a commenc\u00e9. Les trop-pay\u00e9s administratifs sont g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement d\u00e9duits \u00e0 la p\u00e9riode de paie suivante. Ils n\u2019ont pas d\u2019incidence n\u00e9gative pour l\u2019employ\u00e9; ils sont saisis pour compenser un rajustement de paiement et n\u2019entra\u00eenent pas de discontinuit\u00e9 pour l\u2019employ\u00e9 vis\u00e9.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5830166\">Enfin, en ce qui concerne la partie c) de la question, pour produire cette information, il faudrait un traitement manuel qu\u2019il n\u2019est pas possible de r\u00e9aliser dans les d\u00e9lais impartis</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2019/3/18/steven-mackinnon-1/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/steven-mackinnon/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4422/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "p5830156",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Routine Proceedings",
        "fr": "Affaires Courantes"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Questions on the Order Paper",
        "fr": "Questions au Feuilleton"
    },
    "h3": {
        "en": "Question No. 2156",
        "fr": "Question no 2156"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2019/3/18/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2019%2F3%2F18%2F"
    }
}