Phoenix fiasco demands answers

Re: Officials apologize as more than 80,000 public servants have issue getting paid, July 18.

On Thursday, July 14, the associate assistant deputy minister at Public Services and Procurement Canada stated on CBC Radio that the new Phoenix pay system is working and the system is functioning as designed. A few days later the government reveals that 80,000 employees are having pay “issues” — that is, some are not getting paid — and the deputy minister admits that “the system is not working,”

The deputy minister should be commended for her acknowledgment of the worst-kept secret in Ottawa. While it is appropriate to request the auditor general review and report on this latest government calamity, I hope he will also explore whether the executives involved in this project (and there are many) will be collecting their bonuses and obtaining their usual promotions as rewards for their involvement in big projects, regardless of their performance or the outcome. And if they are awarded their bonuses, how long did they have to wait for them?

Andrew Kavchak, Ottawa