Nearly 40% of Government Desk Phones ‘Not Being Used’: Federal Memo

A Canadian flag hangs from a lamppost along the road in front of the Parliament buildings ahead of Canada Day, in Ottawa on June 30, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

As many federal employees continue to work from home, a federal IT department found that more than a third of the government’s desk phones are “not being used.”

A memo released by Shared Services Canada (SSC) noted that the number of dormant lines at the federal level could reflect the work-from-home practices among public servants.

“SSC defines ‘dormant’ as phone lines (mobile and fixed) that have been assigned and activated but are not being used, said the March 30 memo, which was first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter.

The agency counted a total of 523,000 fixed-line desk phones at federal offices nationwide, with 39 percent being dormant and 15 percent being permanently disconnected.

“As of November 2022, there are 203,925 dormant fixed lines. As of November 2022, 77,693 fixed lines were identified by partners to be disconnected,” SSC said.

The Liberal government had directed some 287,978 federal employees to work from home days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.

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On Dec. 15, 2022, then-Treasury Board President Mona Fortier announced that federal public servants could continue to work from home “two to three days” per week, or “40 to 60 percent” of their regular schedule.

‘Not Systematically Tracked’

In a submission to the Senate national finance committee on May 23, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat said it did not know how many federal employees who hold membership with one of the country’s largest unions worked from home.

“With regard to the government’s remote work policy, the information is not systematically tracked in a centralized database,” the board wrote.

“As such, it is not possible to determine the number of Public Service Alliance of Canada members working from home versus those working in the office.”

According to SSC’s records, the federal government spent $48.5 million on mobile phones for its staff and $113.2 million on landlines in 2022.

In response to the “rapid growth in virtual work,” the SSC said in its memo that it would increase “government-wide network capacity” and improve access to “modern collaboration tools.”

No total cost of upgrading equipment for teleworking has been disclosed to date. The memo, however, noted that taxpayers’ money should not be used to upgrade every federal office.

“More than 3,500 buildings are connected to the Government of Canada network,” said the agency. “It is not required, feasible or cost effective to upgrade all sites.”

Videoconferencing, which has become “the main communication channel” for federal employees, will be set up and available in some 7,400 meeting rooms but not more than that.

“These technologies use significant bandwidth,” the memo said.

“As employees return to worksites, the level of service they have come to expect is not necessarily available in all Government of Canada buildings.”