Staffing Recourse

You have concerns regarding an appointment process. What can you do?

During the Selection Process/Prior to an Appointment

Should you have questions or concerns regarding an ongoing staffing process/action you are encouraged to contact the responsible Selection Board or Hiring Manager.

Internal Appointment Process

There are two types of recourse for internal appointment processes (i.e. processes open to federal public servants only):

1 – Complaint to the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB)

Individuals may submit staffing complaints at the time of appointment when formal recourse rights and information are required to be posted on the GC Jobs website. For more information, please visit the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB) website.

A staffing complaint may be filed by:

  • Any unsuccessful candidate in the area of selection who participated in an advertised appointment process;
  • Any person in the area of recourse for a non-advertised process;
  • Employees may also file staffing complaints related to lay-off selection decisions and revocation of an internal appointment.

Grounds for complaint on internal appointment processes include:

  • Abuse of authority in the application of merit;
  • Abuse of authority in the choice of process between advertised and non-advertised; and
  • Not being assessed in the official language of choice.

2 – Staffing Investigation

If you believe that an error, omission or improper conduct has compromised an internal appointment process, you may raise your concern to the Deputy Minister of ESDC or the Human Resources Services Branch (HRSB): nc-esdc-investigations_edsc-enquetes-gd@servicecanada.gc.ca. Matters that involve fraud or political interference will be referred to the Investigations Branch of the Public Service Commission (PSC).

External Appointment Process

If you believe that the appointment or proposed appointment may not have been based on merit, that an error, omission or improper conduct has compromised an external appointment process (i.e. open to Canadian Citizens including federal public servants), or believe that fraud or political interference may have occurred in an appointment process, you may contact the Investigations Branch of the Public Service Commission (PSC), which has the discretionary authority to investigate such issues.

Additional Information

The following are links to various documents that you may find helpful:

    Management will be provided with advice and support throughout the complaint and investigation process by the Human Resources Services Branch. Employees may consult with union representatives for further information regarding the complaint process.