Organization Profile - Public Service Commission

Public Service Commission

Prime Minister

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is dedicated to building a Public Service that strives for excellence. The PSC protects merit, non-partisanship, representativeness and the use of both official languages. It safeguards the integrity of staffing in the Public Service and the political impartiality of public servants, develops policies and guidance for Public Service managers and holds them accountable for their staffing decisions. The PSC conducts audits and investigations to confirm the effectiveness of the staffing system and to make improvements. As an independent agency, the PSC reports its results to Parliament.

Ottawa, Ontario

Public Service Employment Act

The Public Service Commission consists of a President and two or more other Commissioners. The President and other Commissioners shall be appointed by the Governor in Council. The appointment of the President shall be made by commission under the Great Seal, after approval by resolution of the Senate and House of Commons.

The President shall serve on a full-time basis and the other Commissioners on a part-time basis. Commissioners hold office during good behaviour for a term of seven years, but may be removed by the Governor in Council at any time on address of the Senate and House of Commons. A Commissioner, on the expiration of a first or any subsequent term of office, is eligible to be re-appointed for a further term not exceeding seven years.

In order to be eligible to hold office as a Commissioner, a person must be a Canadian citizen within the meaning of the Citizenship Act or a permanent resident within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Commissioners shall not accept or hold any office or employment, or carry on any activity, that is inconsistent with their functions, and the President shall devote the whole of his or her time to the performance of the President’s functions.

The President is the chief executive officer of the Commission.

The President shall reside in the National Capital Region as described in the schedule to the National Capital Act or within the distance of it specified by the Governor in Council.

If the President is absent or unable to act or if the office of President is vacant, the minister designated under section 23 may authorize a Commissioner or other qualified person to act as President for a period not exceeding sixty days, and the Governor in Council may authorize a Commissioner or other qualified person to act as President for any longer period.

The President must be able to speak and understand clearly both official languages at the time of his or her appointment.

(Language Skills Act - http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/L-6.2/index.html)

A majority of the Commissioners constitutes a quorum of the Commission.