Part 7 (Political Activities) of the Public Service Employment Act and its Regulations provide a regime for governing the political activities of public servants, while recognizing the need to balance their rights to engage in political activities with the principle of an impartial public service. As such, public servants may engage in any political activity as long as it does not impair, or is not perceived as impairing, their ability to perform their duties in a politically impartial manner.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is responsible for safeguarding the political impartiality of the public service and public servants’ involvement in political activities, including:
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providing guidance with respect to involvement in political activities;
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granting permission and leave for candidacy in federal, provincial, territorial and municipal elections; and
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investigating allegations of improper political activities and taking corrective action when they are founded
Public servants who are seeking nomination as or being a candidate in an election must obtain the PSC permission before entering into any public candidacy activities. The PSC’s decision is based on ensuring political impartiality, and encompasses the nature of the election, the nature of the public servant’s duties and the level and visibility of their position. Conditions may be imposed with the permission, such as leave without pay.
For each permission granted, the PSC publishes the decision in the Canada Gazette.