The role of the Service-Wide Committee on Occupational Health and Safety (SWOHS) is to participate in the development and review of all Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat policies, programs and issues relating to occupational health and safety. The SWOHS Committee provides advice and leadership to the departmental or agency policy committees.
Committee Advisor: Eden Bédard
Quarterly Report to the National Joint Council (December 2025)
Regular Activities:
- The Committee has met once (1) since the last Council meeting.
- The Committee received a presentation from the Labour Program, at Employment and Social Development Canada, which provided a general overview of the Labour Program’s Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention (HVP) Regulations. The Committee was informed that a review of the regulations will commence in January 2026, during which the Committee will be consulted.
- The Committee received a presentation from Anya Keefe, Occupational and Public Health Consultant, regarding the gender gap in personal protective equipment (PPE). The presentation provided the Committee with statistics and details regarding the impacts of improperly fitting PPE.
- The Committee received a presentation from Anne Tennier and Janet Mannella, of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), which provided an overview of the products and services offered by CCOHS.
- The Committee continues to monitor concerns surrounding the issues of respiratory infections, harassment and violence, mental health, among other hazards.
- SWOHS sub-committees continue to actively work on developing resources and materials which will assist departments, agencies, and Policy Committees:
- Harassment and Violence Prevention (HVP) Tools Working Group – the sub-committee has met twice (2) since the last Council meeting. The sub-committee continues to work on a new workplace risk assessment tool to provide examples of occurrences in the workplace and recommendations on how to prevent and respond to said occurrences.
- Sub-committee on Climate Change – the sub-committee has been disbanded due to operational capacity of Committee members. Issues arising regarding climate change will be discussed by the full Committee at regular SWOHS Committee meetings.
Outstanding Items:
- The Committee continues to monitor the progress on implementation of the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations.
Next Meetings: March 19, 2026; May 21, 2026; July 23, 2026
| Employer Side | Bargaining Agent Side |
|---|---|
| Co-Chair Charles Vézina Acting Executive Director Labour Relations Operations Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) |
Co-Chair Milton Dyck National President Agriculture Union Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) |
| Marc Gosselin Senior Program/Policy Analyst Employment Conditions and Labour Relations Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) |
Jamey Mills Regional Vice-President British Columbia Region Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) |
| Jesse Arnup-Blondin Acting Director General Specialized Health Services Directorate Health Canada (HC) |
Yves Fournier President Federal Government Dockyard Trades & Labour Council East (FGDTLC-East) |
| Chantal Seeton Executive Director Workplace Health & Diversity Directorate Human Resources Branch Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) |
Bernard Holbrook |
| Howah Lee Senior Director Environment, Health and Safety Directorate Public Services and Procurement Canada |
Andrea Peart |
| Aline Taillefer-McLaren Director Labour Relations Programs Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) |
Dejan Toncic Employment Relations Officer Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) |
| Dominique Vidmar Labour Relations Officer Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) |