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# Treasury Board secretary updated public service remote work policy
while working from home
Catherine Blewett, who is going on leave for health reasons, recently
announced that public servants must work in the office three days a
week.
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Published May 06, 2024 • Last updated May 07, 2024 • 2 minute read
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Catherine Blewett, secretary of the Treasury Board. Photo by LinkedIn
## Article content
Days after announcing a major policy change requiring all public
servants to be in the office three days a week by September, secretary
of the Treasury Board Catherine Blewett is stepping down from her
role.
Blewett has been working remotely and is going on leave due to health
reasons.
Article content
"Having spent many years working in service to the public, I came to
the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada with optimism," Blewett said
in an email to this newspaper. "The opportunity to help shape how
programs and services are delivered to citizens was a dream job.
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"Unfortunately, life had other plans for me, and I have had to leave
my post far earlier than I had hoped. As I take time to focus on my
health, I am buoyed by the knowledge that the public service is filled
with strong leaders and committed employees across the country who
work hard to serve citizens every day."
Dominique Blanchard has assumed the role of acting secretary. The
prime minister will later announce who will be taking on the role
permanently.
A departmental official from the Treasury Board Secretary confirmed
that Blewett has been working remotely due to her health.
"When she was able, she was here (in Ottawa)," the official said,
noting that Blewett has been working from her home in Halifax since
around Easter. "Her doctors essentially said she can't travel and now.
She's gotten to the point where she's actually having to take some
leave."
This newspaper is not naming the source because they were not
authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The official said Blewett was in full compliance with the direction on
prescribed presence in the workplace, which allows for "certain
exemptions in exceptional cases, notably for medical reasons."
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The official said exemptions are available to all public servants.
Blewett and her counterpart, Chief Human Resources Officer of the
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Jacqueline Bogden, said in a
message to deputy ministers on May 1 that public servants would have
to be on-site at least three days a week by September 9, 2024.
Noting that separate agencies were "strongly encouraged" to implement
a similar plan, the message stated that executives would be required
on-site for a minimum of four days a week.
The official noted this was the result of consensus across deputy
ministers, not Blewett alone.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in late January that Blewett
would be stepping into the role of secretary of the Treasury Board
effective February 6, 2024. She was previously president of the
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
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