For more than 10 years, CAPE has delivered these Steward Training sessions to help our representative members understand and respond to the many challenges facing public servants. The sessions offer a wide range of basic to advanced training courses.
Typically, CAPE’s three-day sessions are held twice a year in Ottawa, both in the spring and in the fall to cover a range of issues including collective agreements, running a democratic local, occupational health and safety and duty to accommodate, among others.
As CAPE stewards, our members find gratification in helping fellow members as well as getting more involved in activities in view of building a stronger community and a stronger union. Find out how members can become stewards here.
You have questions about the training or wish to make recommendations? Contact us here.
The Spring 2018 English session was held from May 14 -18 and the French session was held from May 28 to June 2, over a period of five days each. A total of 15 members participated.
Stewards were able to take up to seven different training modules, ranging from Basic Stewards’ Training to advanced modules such as Harassment in the Workplace.
Despite the positive feedback from the course materials, it was determined that 5-day sessions were challenging. Members were concerned about taking that much time off in one stretch. Some members felt that having so much information was overwhelming. As such, our numbers were smaller than anticipated.
Following these sessions, CAPE reviewed all the training modules and reduced the training to three-day sessions instead of five to improve members’ training experience.
A total of 35 members participated; 28 in English, seven in French – making it CAPE’s most successful training session to date.
The reviewed course materials dramatically improved members’ understanding of labour relations and further improvements are to come for 2019.
With many members travelling from the regions, CAPE amended the reimbursement procedures. Now thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed in July 2018, members can bypass the Phoenix pay system and remain on paid leave during their steward training.
III. What’s in Store for 2019?
CAPE is currently reviewing its training material for further improvement.
Recently, the federal government’s passing of Bill C-65, which will amend Part II of the Canada Labour Code, will provide a comprehensive harassment and violence in the workplace rights, entitlements and timely recourses. CAPE has updated its Workplace Harassment module to reflect these legislative changes and the training module will be offered in Spring 2019.
Additionally, CAPE recently welcomed civilian members from Royal Canadian Mounted Police and will look at hosting a training session for them in early 2019.
CAPE’s 2019 training calendar will be made available to members as soon as possible.
- Stand as one entity in the face of many obstacles affecting public service life.