Veterans Hiring Act

by Dalton Mon 07 Sep 2020, 4:25 pm

Feds gave 1,600 veterans priority hiring, but could have been higher: report

Published Monday, September 7, 2020

OTTAWA -- More than 1,600 former Canadian Armed Forces members have benefited from a five-year-old law designed to help them get federal government jobs, according to a new report by Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence.

Yet the same joint report suggests the number of priority hires could have been even higher were it not for a series of "barriers" that have prevented some veterans from taking advantage of the Veterans Hiring Act.

One major barrier was that many former service members did not even know the act -- and its provisions giving them priority when applying for some government jobs -- existed. Many also didn't know how to find and apply for federal positions.

The lack of awareness was partly blamed on the constant turnover of case managers for veterans suffering from service-related injuries, many of whom are overworked and said they did not receive proper training.

"A number of interviewed case managers identified a lack of training and consistent and clear guidance on the Veterans Hiring Act provisions," reads the report.

"Interviewees indicated that this has resulted in varying efforts in providing veterans with adequate support and information on the Veterans Hiring Act."

The act was launched on July 1, 2015 and was to intended to help veterans -- especially those who served in Afghanistan or were being forced to retire for medical reasons -- find post-military work.

Veterans and their advocates have consistently underscored that being able to find a job is critical to those who have served in uniform successfully transitioning from the military to civilian life.

The evaluation report also found that managers in many federal departments aren't trained on how to apply the law, resulting in some instances where it has not been properly applied -- leaving veterans who should have been hired out in the cold.

Exactly how many wasn't clear, but an internal audit found 18 cases in which a job that by law should have been given to a veteran was instead awarded to a non-veteran.

"This demonstrates a need for hiring managers to have a better understanding of how to apply" the law, the report said.

The evaluators also noted that the same departments were consistently responsible for hiring 1,667 federal positions that went to former service members between the launch of the Veterans Hiring Act on July 1, 2015 and March 31, 2019.

The Defence Department was responsible for hiring about 60 per cent of those veterans, with Fisheries and Oceans Canada coming second at five per cent. Veterans Affairs came in fifth with three per cent.

"It is interesting to note the consistency of the departments and agencies that have hired veterans through these provisions since 2015," reads the report.

"This demonstrates awareness and use of the Veterans Hiring Act provisions to support veteran hiring into the federal public service. It also demonstrates that there is work to be done to encourage all departments and agencies to implement the Veterans Hiring Act provisions."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/feds-gave-1-600-veterans-priority-hiring-but-could-have-been-higher-report-1.5095041

by Leopard3 Mon 06 Feb 2023, 6:43 pm

Starting in 2020 I applied to a local Canada Post Office which wanted to hire locals for various tasks in the small town I live in. Nada. Zip. Nothing. In fact, about 99% of the time when I go to that particular post office, there are no men working there whatsoever. Zilch. There was one dude there for a few months, but he is gone. All women there now. So after about 18 months of trying, I withdrew my application. It is quite clear that preference for veterans, locals, excellent c.v. and although I have a minor disability (hearing) that is corrected with hearing aids and I could interact with the public and fellow employees easily.

by Covert Fri 22 Mar 2024, 7:38 am

Data transfer issue may have kept thousands of veterans from being hired: officials

Anja Karadeglija . Published March 21, 2024

Veterans Hiring Act Department-of-national-defence-1-6817263-1711059145726

A technical problem may have kept thousands of veterans and Canadian Armed Forces members from being hired or having the opportunity to apply for public service jobs.

Officials said the issue began in November 2020 and continued through January 2024.

The Public Service Commission of Canada said Thursday the issue affected veterans who should have been identified and given preference in hiring for federal public service jobs open to the public.

It also affected some military members and veterans who should have been able to see and apply for jobs open to public servants.

“The Public Service Commission pulls data on veterans from the Department of National Defence through a secure channel to identify eligible veterans and CAF members in the public service resourcing system,” said commission president Marie-Chantal Girard.

She said a “technical issue” in the transfer of data between DND and the commission “resulted in a number of veterans and CAF members who may not have been properly identified.”

The transfer was “inoperable” for more than three years. While technical staff was aware of the issue, “the impact of not being able to access this data was not understood” until recently, Girard said.

Senior management was informed about the issue in late December and January.

Officials say they have reached out to more than 6,000 individuals who may have been affected, but they expect the final number will be lower than that.

Michael Morin, acting vice-president at the commission, said there are "over 3,000 Canadian Armed Forces members and approximately 700 veterans who may not have had the ability to view internal job opportunities," and over 3,000 eligible veterans who applied to jobs open to the public.

He said analysis is “ongoing.”

“We have communicated…with all who may possibly have been impacted, knowing that this population will decrease as we get more information on each individual case,” Morin said.

The public service commission will launch an audit to try to determine whether any veterans weren't offered a job or weren't prioritized for jobs as a result of the problem.

“In the meantime, we are exploring a range of potential options to help affected veterans find public service employment,” Girard said.

“While we are striving to obtain the information as quickly as possible, it will likely take a few months before we can gather all the facts.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March, 21, 2024

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