‘Back to the 1950s’: Federal union warns return-to-office mandate will disproportionately affect women

Federal public servants say more days in the office will mean more child-care needs at a time when spaces are at a premium. CTV’s Katelyn Wilson reports.

Brooklyn Holmes is on maternity leave with her three-month-old son. She isn’t set to return to work until the fall, but already, she doesn’t know if she’ll have a job to go back to in the federal public service.

“We have 60 days to decide if we want to take part in the voluntary departure program and after that we would compete for our jobs if not enough people have left,” said Holmes.

Holmes is one of thousands of federal public servants who have received notices that their positions could be at risk as the federal government moves toward reducing the size of the public service by 2029.

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At the same time, she’s also facing a separate pressure, the expectation that federal employees return to the office four days a week under the latest return-to-office mandate.

“There is a lot of uncertainty right now, so I don’t know where I’ll be in the fall,” said Holmes.

Holmes and her husband are both public servants and they work in different locations. She works in Gatineau and he works in Kanata. Carpooling isn’t realistic and she says transit reliability has become another major concern.

“Right now, trains are breaking down, buses are running off schedule. So, I’m worried about whether or not I’m going to be able to get to work on time and then also get to daycare, school drop off and pick up on time,” she said.

Holmes says the biggest unknown isn’t just the commute, it’s whether the family will have child care at all.

Her oldest child is expected to start kindergarten in the fall. But before- and after-school care isn’t guaranteed.

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The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) reported more than 1,000 children were on the waitlist for its extended day program heading into this school year.

The board said spots have since opened up but there are still hundreds of kids on their waitlists.

“We recognize the importance of affordable child care for Ottawa families. The OCDSB currently runs 85 early learning programs with a total enrolment of just over 10,000 students. Waitlist numbers are 267 for the Kindergarten program and 365 for the School Age program. Approximately 500 students are moved off the waitlist annually. This year, 625 students have been moved off the waitlist,” a spokesperson said.

The Ottawa Catholic School Board also says it has waitlists at some of its schools.

“We don’t know if we’re going to get in, they don’t make those decisions until I think it could be August,” Holmes said.

Daycare for her youngest son is no different. The Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario says waitlists have been growing under the $10-a-day child-care program (CWELCC), adding more pressure for families trying to secure care.

“I got on the waitlist before I found out I was pregnant, I’m hoping that will be enough to get him a spot in the fall,” she said.

Unions say mandate will affect caregivers

One union representing federal workers says the uncertainty is affecting many working parents, and that child-care constraints were already an issue before return-to-office requirements expanded.

“These decisions have not been based on facts and evidence, and they don’t take into account the lives of people,” said Sean O’Reilly, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. “The waitlists were already long and for folks to find care on such short notice is now just going to add an extra burden to the system.”

And according to the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), the city is already short 7,000 daycare spots.

“Losing the flexibility to work remotely means that many of our members will be forced to choose: their job or their family. And we know that this decision will ultimately impact women, who still face disproportionate responsibilities when it comes to child care and domestic labour,” said CAPE president Nathan Prier in a statement to CTV News.

“Instead of embracing the 21st century model of work, the government is taking the public service back to the 1950s, both by increasing burdens on caregivers, and by opting to spend billions of dollars on increasing office space that could instead be used to strengthen our new national child-care system.”

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Holmes says she’s now leaning toward leaving the public service and exploring self-employment, even if it means making less money.

“I think women disproportionately bear the cost of these kinds of policies,” she said. “So, it would be disappointing if the politics resulted in women leaving the workforce in large numbers.”

In a statement Wednesday, the Treasury Board of Canada says many employees are already onsite full-time based on the nature of their work but can request flexible arrangements.

“Employees may request flexible work arrangements in line with their collective agreement and Treasury Board policies,” the Treasury Board said in an email.

“Managers are expected to engage with employees to understand potential barriers and to explore reasonable solutions that support both operational needs and employee responsibilities. Decisions are made at the departmental level.”