The Merit Commissioner ensures the processes used to dismiss employees are consistent with required practices, policies, and standards. By conducting these reviews, the Merit Commissioner can identify issues and provide recommendations.
The Merit Commissioner reports the overall findings of these reviews to the Legislature and publishes them on the website. Where necessary, the Merit Commissioner provides recommendations to improve processes related to just cause dismissals.
In April 2018, the BC government modified the Public Service Act. They gave the Merit Commissioner the responsibility to review the processes used in just cause dismissals. The Merit Commissioner’s oversight applies to BC Public Service organizations and agencies.
We will email an electronic copy of the Merit Commissioner’s decision to you as soon as it is available. We will also advise the responsible deputy minister or organization head of the decision shortly after we notify you. Lastly, we advise the head of the BC Public Service Agency who is responsible for hiring in [...]
Yes, as long as it’s relevant to the grounds that you have already identified when you requested the review. You can provide the information by email, delivery to our office, or by telephone. It also must be provided while the review is underway.
Yes. Any applicant may request feedback from the hiring manager and/or panel chair about the process or their performance in the process. We highly encourage all hiring managers and panel chairs to respond to any unsuccessful applicant who requests feedback. But, the Act only requires hiring mangers to provide feedback to BC Public Service employees as part of step 1 of the staffing [...]
We will respect your request about how you wish to be contacted. We recommend you note your preference on your initial review request to the Office of the Merit Commissioner.
In order to conduct a fair review, the Office of the Merit Commissioner must communicate with others involved in the process. However, the number of people is limited to: Responsible deputy minister or organization head who is informed that we have received a request for a staffing review. We provide your name as the requestor, [...]
No. Section 10 of the Public Service Act exempts short-term temporary appointments from staffing reviews. This means that although auxiliary and short-term temporary appointments must be based on the principle of merit, a competitive process is not required. You cannot use the staffing review process to dispute this type of appointment.
No. Section 10 of the Public Service Act permits the Head of the BC Public Service Agency to make a direct appointment in unusual or exceptional circumstances. Although a direct appointment must be based on the principle of merit, a competitive process is not required. This type of appointment is exempt from staffing reviews.
Office of the Merit Commissioner
Suite 502-947 Fort Street
PO Box 9037 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9A3
Office of the Merit Commissioner
Suite 502-947 Fort Street
PO Box 9037 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9A3
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The Merit Commissioner and the staff of the office would like to acknowledge that we are living and working with gratitude and respect on the traditional territories of the Indigenous peoples of British Columbia.
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