Elections and political activities of public servants

Good afternoon,

As a public servant, you have the right to engage in political activities as long as they do not impair, or are not perceived as impairing, your ability to perform your duties in a politically impartial manner.

I encourage you to refer to the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) website for information about your rights and responsibilities with regard to engaging in candidacy and non-candidacy political activities.

If you are considering seeking nomination as, or being a candidate, in an election at the federal, provincial, territorial or municipal level, you must first obtain permission from the PSC. This requirement applies to all employees, including determinate and indeterminate employees, students, and those on a leave of absence (paid or unpaid).

The PSC has exclusive authority to investigate allegations of improper political activities. If the investigation establishes that the allegations are founded, the PSC may order any corrective action it deems appropriate.

If you have any questions, please contact your manager or me, Lila Turenne, your designated political activities representative.

Your cooperation is essential to maintaining Canada’s non-partisan public service.

Thank you,

Reminder to managers: In keeping with Parks Canada's procedures for communications with employees, managers are responsible for ensuring all employees under their responsibility receive the information intended for them. It is important that you find a means to transmit this message and, if any, the attachment(s) to employees without access to Parks Canada e-mail or the intranet, e.g., by posting it, circulating a paper copy or by any other appropriate means.