Canadian HR Reporter

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One of the biggest areas the association has worked on is gov- ernment relations, in respond- ing to federal government issues. ese included pay equity and Bill C-65 around harassment and vio- lence, says Coombs, who is also a partner and principal consultant at Higher Talent in St. John's. "We also presented to the tax and fi scal policy senate committee in the pre-budget consultations where we weighed in on the need for investment in education, par- ticularly the need for skills creation around the impacts of AI and how work is changing with technology." The national body — which represents 27,000 HR members across nine provinces and three territories — has also conducted meetings with MPs and others on Parliament Hill, he says. "(It's about) making sure that when there's signifi cant issues that impact Canadian workplaces and Canadian HR professionals, we should be the voice that they're reaching out to talk to." CPHR Canada has also been busy working with other HR asso- ciations such as the North Ameri- can Human Resource Manage- ment Association (NAHRMA). "We did some signifi cant work around developing a code of conduct for HR professionals in Canada, and that was presented to NAHRMA and the World Fed- eration (of People Management)," says Coombs. CPHR Canada also signed a mutual recognition agreement with the Society for Human Re- source Management (SHRM) in the United States, allowing for CPHRs to receive the SHRM des- ignation, and vice versa. " at was a big win for us," says Coombs. "A number of provinces... reported they got a lot of feedback from membership and they're very pleased to get that designation. CPHR Canada has also been focused on establishing a work- ing relationship with Ontario's Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), he says. "We've met with HRPA's chair and had some positive discus- sions. I'm personally pleased with the progress. As you know, ulti- mately, we'd love to have HRPA back at the table with CPHR Canada but that may take some time. So for now, we're focused on ensuring that at least we're both working in the same direction, we're both trying to enhance the profession," says Coombs. And CPHR Canada will con- tinue to focus on its brand, he says. "We're going to increase our spend on marketing and ensure there's a better understanding of who CPHR Canada is, and the value that our professionals have on the workplace." Neil Coombs chair of the board, CPHR Canada CPHR BC & Yukon sees success with HR tech forum C hartered Profession- als of Human Resources (CPHR) British Columbia & Yukon had a good year in 2018, with growth in membership of about three per cent, according to CEO Anthony Ariganello. at brings the total to about 5,800 people. e association has also seen strong growth in members taking on the new CPHR designation, along with solid member engage- ment in events. For instance, CPHR BC & Yukon held its inau- gural HR Technology Symposium and Showcase in Vancouver at the end of October. "It was very well-attended, with individuals at various levels, but mostly senior levels, who were very interested," he says. "We continue to push the boundaries of bringing in new things and new ideas. We've had very good mem- ber satisfaction." The Vancouver-based group has also seen close to 400 mem- bers sign up for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) designation since CPHR Canada signed a mutual recogni- tion agreement with the Alexan- dria, Va.-based association. As for the push for self-regula- tion, there have been no develop- ments because of the changeover in government, says Ariganello. And with the very slim minor- ity they hold, their priorities are "elsewhere," he says. Going into 2019, CPHR BC & Yukon will work hard at being more vocal to help government fulfi l its agenda with respect to anything that's HR-related, says Ariganello. "We created a public policy committee aimed at really sup- porting government on a num- ber of initiatives," he says, citing labour standards and temporary foreign workers as examples. e group will also be pushing out more messaging about the CPHR brand in 2019, he says. "Next year, we're looking at doing more. We took a year of reprieve because of the fi nancial funds that were available to us." As for British Columbia, HR professionals are challenged by very low unemployment, he says. "Part of the challenge is getting people to come here and work here because of the cost of living; it's just so expensive." New players in the area are also both a blessing and curse. "With Microsoft and Amazon announcing new headquarters here, especially in the technology sector, that's creating some of a concern for some HR practitio- ners: 'Are we going to have enough people here, and will it drain from other organizations where people are now?'" says Ariganello. Anthony Ariganello, president and CEO, CPHR BC & Yukon Credit: Sky and glass (Shutterstock)

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