‘We believed in her': An 11-month fight to hire one public servant

Ottawa Citizen

02-07-2025

Article content
Most provincial disability support programs are means tested, meaning that they claw back benefits and services sharply once a disabled individual earns more than a minimal income. In Mandy's case, accepting our job offer threatened her access to vital services and equipment that literally keep her alive. Had we been able to quadruple her salary offer, paying out-of-pocket for many of them would still have been unaffordable.
Article content
I leaned on colleagues across departments. I persisted because I believed in Mandy, and in the promise of a more inclusive public service. Eventually, we succeeded, after working with the then claims administrator for the Public Service Health Care Plan to ensure that any provincial benefits and services Mandy lost would be covered.
Article content
Thanks in part to the pandemic and hybrid work, Mandy was hired in Toronto to work for a manager in Ottawa. She respected her hybrid arrangement and continues to come into the office on her required days.
Article content
Article content
But then came the transfer of the Public Service Health Care Plan to a new claims administrator and Mandy lost coverage for essential equipment and therapeutic services she depends on to maintain basic mobility and health. I lobbied again — this time to the Treasury Board's accessibility office and the Chief Human Resources Officer — and again, I hit a wall. The contract had already been signed and could not be re-opened to fix this 'oversight'.
Article content
I want to be clear: I am not playing politics. As a senior public service leader, I have always provided fearless, evidence-based advice while respecting our Westminster model of responsible government. And in that same spirit, I offer this new government one piece of fearless advice: persons with disabilities must be part of Canada's future. Their inclusion is not an act of charity — it is a matter of justice, innovation, and national progress.
Article content
Article content
I also hold out hope that as trade barriers between provinces come down, so too will the barriers that exist between provincial disability support programs. We need a system that allows for true mobility — where talented individuals with disabilities can be ambitious and pursue opportunity across this country without fear of losing essential supports. Canada must be a place where talent is nurtured, not geographically trapped.
Article content
So, I ask: what are we doing?
Article content
Why are we making it so hard — not just to get in, but to stay?
Article content
I share the original author's anger. I too have cried tears of frustration from witnessing harm and being unable to stop it. As a senior leader, that failure cuts deep.
Article content
I know how the system works. I know people. I even had the opportunity to meet Mona Fortier, then president of the Treasury Board, at an event celebrating the Women's Executive Network. She was interested; she met Mandy; she helped me speak with the team at Treasury Board. Nonetheless, I was told the contract was in place and nothing could be done.
Article content
I was devastated. We were devastated. But despite this test and perhaps because of it, I will not give up.
Article content
I believe more strongly than ever in diversity, equity and inclusion. I have patience and fortitude. I've set my sights on serving on the advisory panel that designs the next iteration of the Public Service Health Care Plan, to fight for persons with disabilities and build a modern, inclusive workplace where talent thrives and people are not penalized for the bodies they inhabit or the supports they need.
Article content
Article content
I will devote the time and energy. I will bring forward the voices of those with lived experience. I will contribute because it is the right thing to do if we truly want to be a society that is innovative, inclusive and forward-thinking. My application will be submitted now and I will persist until I am given the chance to volunteer.
Article content
To the original author: you are not alone. Your courage matters. And your grief is not yours to carry alone. Change takes all of us — including those on the inside who are still trying.
Article content
With solidarity and respect,
Article content
— Donna Achimov
Article content
Donna Achimov served in senior leadership roles across several federal departments and agencies over her 37‑year public service career, including in regulatory, compliance, and service‑delivery organizations. A former Chief Compliance Officer, she is passionate about transforming workplace culture to foster innovation, creativity, and inclusion. In 2018, she was awarded the Joan Atkinson Award for Public Sector Values in the Workplace.
Article content