Canada's 'entitled' Public Servants

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East More than 150,000 federal public servants with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) went on strike on April 19th while their union representatives continued to negotiate with the government for a bigger wage increase and more flexibility to work remotely. At the time of this article, no agreement had been reached with the government. Four main areas of disagreement remain between the union and the government: wages, teleworking, outsourcing contracts and seniority rules in the event of a layoff. Many federal services will be affected by the strike, including the processing of tax returns and passport applications. The union anticipates slowdowns at airports and border crossings, as administrative workers with the Canada Border Services Agency walk off the job. The Agency claims it expects to maintain services for travellers and businesses, but PSAC predicts the strike will affect the organization's administrative staff, inevitably causing delays at the border. Canadians are most likely to notice the effects of a strike with these services. Services deemed essential, such as administering the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, Employment Insurance and social insurance numbers will be maintained, but at a time consuming slower pace. Passport services, grants and contributions programs, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the Canada Education Savings Grant, the Canada Learning Bond, the Canada Disability Savings Grant, the Canada Disability Savings Bond and the job bank will be partially or fully disrupted. Approximately 300 Service Canada locations will remain open during the strike, but service will be limited to those requiring assistance for Old Age Security, Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan payments and the issuance of Social Insurance Numbers. Travel advice and advisories for Canadians abroad, consular services and EduCanada, the program for international students who want to study in Canada may also be affected. Around the National Capital Region, striking workers made their presence felt, circling buildings, chanting through megaphones and blasting music throughout the morning. Why aren't residents protesting about the noise? Was it only the truckers' protest that bothered Ottawa residents? The union has been pushing for a 13.5 per cent pay increase over 3 years and 22.5 per cent for CRA employees. The 9 per cent the Liberal Government is offering isn't enough? How arrogant can these civil servants get? Are they totally oblivious to the suffering of millions of Canadians resulting from the economic downturn following the Covid-19 pandemic? They are secure in a well-paid job with an assured pension after working for only two years. They enjoy a highly privileged position and have the effrontery to demand still more money from taxpayers. Unabashedly, they are now escalating the strike activity. After union president Chris Aylward promised that picket lines would move to more "strategic locations," on Monday April 24th, strike action managed to "shut down" ports in Montreal, Vancouver and St. John's. They focused on ports of entry where the union predicted the strike would have greater economic impact. Striking public servants need only spend four hours a day on the picket line to receive their $75 per day strike pay. The union's strike fund boasted $43 million when the strike began, which may quickly be depleted, depending on how many strikers show up each day. Nevertheless, no worries, they will get support from other unions such as: the Canadian Labour Congress, Unifor, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Aylward declared last weekend that he wasn't worried about funds running out. Anyway, Federal public servants will continue to receive their regular salaries until at least May 10. How nice for them! Meanwhile, Liberal federal ministers at a cabinet meeting in Ottawa claimed to be watching the strike closely. However, these are their voters, so expect a mild reaction. Here are some indicative declarations: "On one hand, they have the right to strike and demonstrate," Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne told reporters. "On the other hand, we need to make sure that the economy can continue functioning around the country." Do you detect any intent to act in those non-committal words? Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said he has been in contact with ports and airports to make sure they have contingency plans in place. "I know Canadians would like us to avoid disruption to travel and supply chains, and our focus is to resolve this at the negotiation table," he said. Treasury Board President Mona Fortier assured us last week that both parties were still at the bargaining table. If negotiations continue, why has PSAC walked out already? Federal and provincial governments are more aware than ever of how vulnerable and critical major roadways and ports of entry are after last year's "Freedom Convoy," noted Ambarish Chandra, an associate professor of economics at the University of Toronto. Demonstrators took over major roads in downtown Ottawa for three weeks and blockaded several border crossings for days in February 2022 to protest federal vaccine mandates. The protest precipitated the first use of the federal Emergencies Act. While those events were a far cry from the activities of public servants on strike, federal workers' decision to target points of critical infrastructure could inspire copycat events, said Chandra, one of the experts who testified at the inquiry about the invocation of the Emergencies Act. "The events of last year highlighted how vulnerable we are," he continued. "And it may not be surprising if other groups now seize on that vulnerability to exploit what they now realize is a ... critical shortcoming in infrastructure." Smaller disruptions at borders and other key locations are likely to be annoying and in some cases costly, he said, but they tend to fade from public memory quickly compared to more-substantial blockades. So let's see how eager Chrystia Freeland will be to block the strikers' funding this time, if a prolonged strike continues to block essential infrastructure. We have a precedent, eh….? Anyway, it is becoming increasingly evident that our public service needs a radical overhaul in order to serve the public, not just themselves. What do you think?