On September 25, 2025, CAPE and its OPBO Bargaining Team reached a tentative agreement for the amendment and renewal of their collective agreement with the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The agreement must be ratified by CAPE’s OPBO members.
1. Inclusion of a new article on Leave for Traditional Indigenous Practices as
follows:
The parties agreed to include a provision for leave for traditional indigenous practices. This leave currently exists in Treasury Board collective agreements, including the CAPE EC and TR groups. Making space for indigenous employees to continue their cultural practices is an important part of reconciliation with and inclusion of indigenous people in Canada’s public service.
New article:
XX. Leave for Traditional Indigenous Practices.
a. Subject to operational requirements as determined by the Employer, fifteen (15) hours of leave with pay and twenty-two decimal five(22.5) hours of leave without pay per fiscal year shall be granted to an employee who self-declares as an Indigenous person and who requests leave to engage in traditional Indigenous practices, including land-based activities such as hunting, fishing, and harvesting.
For the purposes of this article, an Indigenous person means First Nations, Inuit or Métis.
b. Unless otherwise informed by the Employer, a statement signed by the employee stating that they meet the conditions of this article shall, when delivered to the Employer, be considered as meeting the requirements of this article.
c. An employee who intends to request leave under this article must give notice to the Employer as far in advance as possible before the requested period of leave.
d. Leave under this article may be taken in one or more periods. Each period of leave shall not be less than seven decimal five (7.5) hours.
The parties shall agree on the article number of the provision during the drafting of the amended collective agreement.
2. APPENDIX A – RATES OF PAY
Effective September 21, 2025 – a general increase to all rates of pay of 6.3% This increase achieves wage parity with core public service comparators as of the date of the increase.
3. Signing Bonus
Employees will receive a one-time lump-sum payment of three thousand dollars ($3,000) on the date of signing of the collective agreement and payable within 90 days of signing.
4. Duration and Effective Date of the Agreement
The parties agree to a renewal with a one-year term expiring on September 20, 2026.
5. GENDER NEUTRAL LANGUAGE
The parties agree to work towards making the collective agreement gender neutral over the life of the agreement.
Ratification meeting
The members of the CAPE’s OPBO Group must vote in favour of the agreement in order for it to come into effect. A membership meeting is being organized from noon to 1 pm on October 9, 2025. Voting will start at 12:30 pm on October 9, 2025 and close at 5 pm on October 9, 2025.
