The Government of Ontario announced in its April 2019 budget that Legal Aid Ontario would see a 30% cut in funding retroactive to April 1, 2019.

Last week, the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs presented its report on Bill C-75, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.

Many members have received the T1198 Qualifying Retroactive Lump Sum Payment (QRLSP) form from PSPC relating to having payouts received as part of the conciliation award taxes as if they had been earned in prior years.

As your AJC President and co-chair the Subcommittee on Phoenix Damages, I am pleased to announce that leave banks for the first phase of the Phoenix Damages Settlement for LP's working at DOJ and PPSC should be credited next week.

Despite assurances we received in June from the CRA that unsigned T-1198 forms with a typed entry on the signature line of "Pay Administration Branch - PSPC" would be accepted, acceptance of such forms by the CRA has been inconsistent.

As indicated in our October newsletter, the updated rates of pay for AJC members were initiated the week of November 13, 2019.

After an excessively long wait we finally received the decision from the chair of our conciliation panel.

In response to our November 19th update on pay errors and retro performance pay, PSPC has reported back to us on the progress made.

On December 15th 2022, the National Joint Council of bargaining agents met virtually with Treasury Board officials and were informed that the Employer will be introducing a new common hybrid work model for federal public servants.

You may recall that in February of this year, after our success in the Supreme Court of Canada , we reached an interim agreement with the Employer on Standby duty and Call back.

On Friday, we were advised that the Employer will not meet its legal duty to issue the arbitral award retroactive payout before November 7 as ordered.

The issue is the prorating of performance pay in relation to pre-promotion period for the year in which lawyers are promoted.

As we indicated to members in May, the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (Board) concluded that management's unilateral directive on the leave reconciliation exercise was unreasonable and unfair.

The hallmarks of a healthy democracy is the right and ability of citizens to participate freely in the election process.

As was explained in greater detail at the AGM, we have no control over the panel, and are as anxious as all of you to receive a decision.