Regionalization of the civil service: the PQ calls for more transparency
A Quebec civil servant at work
The MNA for Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, is asking the government to publish more precise data on the number of public service jobs transferred to the regions.
The Secretariat of the Treasury Board only publishes this data by administrative region and by jurisdiction. For example, as of September 2022, 294 positions have been moved from major centers to Bas-Saint-Laurent, 118 to Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine and 9 to Côte-Nord.
< p class="table-title" aria-hidden="true">Statement of the regionalization of public service jobs as of September 2022
Public Administration | Number of jobs transferred to Bas-Saint-Laurent since 2018 | Number of jobs transferred to Gaspésie–Îles-de -la-Madeleine since 2018 |
|---|---|---|
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec | 13 | 5 |
Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks | 79 | -13 |
Department of Energy and Natural Resources | 12 | 13 |
Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work | 11 | 25 |
Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change | 8 | 17 |
Ministry of Transport | 19 | -1 |
Source: Government of Quebec< /p>
However, we do not know the distribution by MRC of these regionalized jobs, which Pascal Bérubé deplores.
I want to know to which municipalities civil servants are transferred, and I am not given this information. It is however crucial because, in Eastern Quebec, if all the transfers are made in Rimouski, I do not think that we will achieve the objective, he indicates.
< blockquote class="styledBase__StyledBase-sc-1push81-0 eaSuhc blockquote">
“We must prioritize MRCs that have few civil servants and, at the top of the list, I see Matapédia. »
— Pascal Bérubé, Member of Parliament for Matane-Matapédia
The elected official therefore asks the Treasury Board to reveal this data in order to ensure that the transfer will not take place essentially in the regional capitals, which are already very well provided with ministries and civil servants.
Transfer of government employees to the regions
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Pascal Bérubé also regrets that regions bordering major centers also receive these job transfers.
For example, 191 jobs were transferred to the Laurentides region and 258 to the Outaouais.
Even the Capitale-Nationale receives civil servants. What is left for Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Côte-Nord?, asks Pascal Bérubé.
For its part, the Treasury Board Secretariat indicates that it does not provide data by MRC and assures that public administration organizations must prioritize the most devitalized MRCs.
In its regionalization plan, the government indicates that it has set up collective workspaces in the regions, from which civil servants from different ministries can work.
Bas-Saint-Laurent has one of these offices, which is located in Matane. Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine has two: one in Gaspé and one in New Richmond.
As of September 2022, 2,773 jobs have been regionalized since October 1 2018, which represents 55.5% of the objective of 5,000 jobs set by the government last February.
