About the Administration Authority

The Federal Public Service Health Care Plan Administration Authority is a not-for-profit corporation that oversees the Plan Administrator’s administration and interpretation of the PSHCP Administrative Services Only Contract. The Administration Authority is accountable to the President of the Treasury Board and to the Partners Committee, which is composed of members representing the employer, the employees, and the pensioners.

The Administration Authority’s activities include:

• Ensuring that the Plan Administrator adjudicates claims according to the Contract;
• Conducting audits and evaluations regarding the payment of benefits;
• Managing the Appeals process;
• Communicating with Plan members;
• Collecting information about Plan performance and reporting it to the Partners Committee.

The Administration Authority does not:

• Adjudicate or reimburse member claims;
• Store member claims files;
• Provide information about specific member claims;
• Make changes to the Plan.

Board of Directors

The Administration Authority is governed by a Board of Directors. Members are appointed by the employer (President of Treasury Board of Canada) and the bargaining agents of the National Joint Council. The President of Treasury Board of Canada, on the recommendation of the National Joint Council, also appoints the Chairperson and one Director to represent pensioners. Directors are appointed for terms of one to four years, and are eligible for reappointment after satisfactory completion of their terms.

Chairperson of the Board:

Caroline Curran
Renewed term on July 17, 2023
Four-year term

Caroline Curran has held a series of executive-level positions since her public service career began in 1995. Notably, at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, she has held the positions of Special Advisor to the Chief Human Resources Officer responsible for the wellness and mental health portfolios, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Pensions and Benefits Sector and the Executive Director of the Human Resources Division. From 2015 until her retirement in 2019 Caroline was the co-chair of the Joint Task Force on Mental Health Technical Committee, comprised of representatives of both bargaining agents and the Employer. In September 2019, she was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of the PSHCP Administration Authority and she also serves as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board.

Appointed by the Employee side:

Daniel Boulet
Renewed term on March 18, 2024
Four-year term

Daniel Boulet began his career in 1982 with Transport Canada’s civil aviation branch. He served in many roles at Local 2228 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers including Executive Board Member, Assistant Business Manager and finally Business Manager / Financial Secretary until his retirement in July 2017. While active in his union, he held membership on several National Joint Council committees including the Isolated Post and Government Housing Committee, Work Force Adjustment Committee, the Foreign Services Directive Committee and the Dental Care Board of Management. He was also active in the International Federation of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Associations serving as its President from 2011 to 2018. Since retiring, Daniel has become an enthusiastic member of his local volunteer search and rescue association. He currently serves on the Audit and Finance Committee and Executive Committee.

Edward Gillis
Renewed Term on September 12, 2021
Four-year term

Edward (Eddie) Gillis has spent 25 years in the labour relations field. After joining the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada as an Employment Relations Officer in 1992, he spent a number of years as a labour relations professional in the Institute’s regional offices. In 1998, he was named the Institute’s Executive Secretary, advising the Board of Directors on a diverse range of governance and management issues. Eddie was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Executive Secretary in 2010 and now leads the Institute’s management team and staff compliment. Eddie Gillis is currently Vice-Chair of the Board and he also serves on the Executive Committee.

Chris Aylward 
Appointed term on May 1, 2024
Four-year term

Chris Aylward was first elected as the national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in 2018. He previously served as PSAC’s national executive vice-president from 2012–2018. Born and raised in Newfoundland, Chris has been an active PSAC member for over 40 years. In 1990, Chris moved to Ottawa and started working at Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)’s headquarters where he became active in the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) Local 70000. In 1996, Chris was elected as UTE’s alternate regional vice-president for the National Capital Region, he was then elected the full-time regional vice-president in 1997, a position he held for 14 years. During his tenure in this role, Chris spent many of those years as a member of the bargaining team. He helped to achieve important benefits and ground-breaking improvements for PSAC members working for CRA that were then negotiated under other collective agreements. Chris currently serves on the Audit and Finance Committee and Executive Committee.

Seth Sazant
Renewed Term on July 10, 2021
Four-year term

Seth Sazant joined the Public Service Alliance of Canada in 2006. Since that time, he has been working in the negotiations section, and is currently working as a Negotiator/Pension and Benefits Officer. Much of his work has been focused on extended health and dental plans. Seth currently serves as Chair of the Appeals Committee.

Appointed by the Employer side:

Vivian Shih
Appointed term on March 21, 2025
Four-year term

Vivian Shih is a Chartered Professional Accountant who started her career in the private sector, providing strategic financial and tax advice to large multinational organizations.  She joined the federal public service in 2008 and held various executive-level positions in finance at Health Canada, Transport Canada, and Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada.  Prior to retiring in December 2024, Vivian was the Director General of Financial Operations and Services at the Department of National Defence.  Throughout her career, Vivian has been formally recognized for achieving results, people management, creating and stimulating innovation, and developing strategy and vision.

Will Leffler
Appointed term on December 15, 2023
Four-year term

Will Leffler started his career at OMERS, one of Canada’s leading public sector pension plan administrators. In 1998 he joined the Pensions and Benefits Sector at Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), where he spent most of his career. In policy roles at TBS, he supported the modernization of the public service pension plan, the development of a proposed new short-term disability plan and proposed changes to the health and dental plans. In operational roles, he provided for the efficient, effective administration of all the benefit plans, and was a member of the Disability Insurance Plan Board of Management from 2011 to 2015. He retired in January 2023 as Senior Director of retendering. Will holds a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University and an MBA from the Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom. Will currently serves on the Appeals Committee and the Audit and Finance Committee.

Tammy Labelle
Renewed term on February 24, 2025
Two-year term

Prior to retiring in 2021, Tammy Labelle served as Chief Information Officer, Digital Services Branch at Public Services and Procurement Canada. Tammy serves on the Executive Committee and the Appeals Committee.

Erika Henley
Appointed term on March 21, 2025
Four-year term

Erika Henley began her federal public service career at the Department of National Defence (DND) in 2006, under the Management Trainee Program. She has worked in a variety of departments, including DND, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Transport Canada and the Canada School of Public Service, where she is currently a member of the Executive Faculty. She has acquired experience across the country working in the Pacific, Atlantic, and National Capital Regions, in a range of areas including diversity and inclusion, staffing, disability management, policy development with Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions, mental health and the administration of federal group benefit plans. Erika has also previously worked with the National Joint Council as the Co-Chair of the Joint Employment Equity Committee. She holds two Master’s-level degrees: an M.Sc. in Mathematics and Statistics (data mining), and an M.B.A

Representing Pensioners:

Hélène Nadeau
Renewed term on March 29, 2025
Four-year term

Hélène is an economist who graduated from the Université de Montréal in 1983. She retired in March 2016, after a 32-year career with the Public Service, where she held executive positions in a number of organisations (Canadian Transportation Agency, Health Canada, Canadian International Trade Tribunal, Privy Council Office). She was also a Visiting Executive at the Canadian Association of Public Service Executives (APEX). Hélène currently serves on the Appeals Committee.

Staff

The Administration Authority operates with a staff of 13, who provide expertise in the areas of benefits administration, financial management, audit, risk analysis, appeals, reporting, and communications.