Even when factoring in that tens of thousands of those workers are deemed essential, and can’t strike, the union said more than 100,000 staff could walk off the job across Canada — a significant part of the government workforce.
Talks are ongoing and not all information is public, but the union has tried to focus on wages because of the high cost of living.
The federal government has communicated it is seeking “agreements that are fair to public servants and reasonable for taxpayers.”
Here are some of the key points to remember.
When could a strike happen?
A strike could happen at any time between now and early June 2023.
These workers are governed by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act, which has a 60-day window after a vote to strike. But unlike the Canada Labour Code, it does not require the union to provide the employer with a 72-hour strike notice.
The union said last year it wouldn’t necessarily go straight to a national strike, instead working to rule or conducting more targeted or rolling strikes at first.
All pickets would be in person, which means even those working at home would have to show up in person to get strike pay.
Which services would be affected?
The federal government has a list of 23 departments and agencies that would be affected and what it knows about potential changes in the event of a strike.
That group of 35,000 workers in strike position Friday are with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The government says “we anticipate there may be delays in processing some income tax and benefit returns, particularly those filed by paper, and increased wait times in our contact centres.”
There would be reduced capacity for fisheries enforcement, aquaculture and invasive species work under Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Delays with consular services should be expected for Global Affairs Canada.
For Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, people can expect delays with processing applications, in-person appointments and citizenship ceremonies.
Service Canada has a fair number of changes, including limiting what it can offer in person, limiting passports to emergency and humanitarian situations and affecting the temporary foreign worker process.
Veterans Affairs Canada says it “will have a significantly reduced capacity to process new payments.” It’s also looking at delays for in-person appointments and responding to calls and messages.
File your taxes now — and prepare for delays, PSAC leader warns
People should prepare for disruption as the possibility of a major strike by federal workers looms, the president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada warns.
Some departments, such as the Canada Border Services Agency and Indigenous Services Canada, have few specifics about potential strike-related impacts.
Some departments and Crown corporations — such as Canada Post, CBC/Radio-Canada and Export Development Canada — aren’t affected because employees aren’t represented by these PSAC bargaining units.
Services carried out by affected workers, but have been deemed essential, include the Canada child benefit, Health Canada services “that could affect [people’s] safety, security and health” and most RCMP work.
How did we get here?
The previous deals for these PSAC groups expired in 2021.
Bargaining began in June 2021 for the approximately 124,000 workers, who are labelled the Treasury Board group by their union.
The union went to a labour board in May 2022, which led to the release of a non-binding report in January 2023. PSAC said its needs still weren’t met so it called for strike votes from Feb. 22 until Tuesday.
The Union of Taxation Employees, which is the tax group within PSAC, began bargaining with the government in January 2022. The union declared an impasse in September and went to the same labour board, which released its report about two months ago.
Strike votes for the tax group were held from Jan. 31 until last week.
Bargaining with the Treasury Board group continues this week. Mediation talks with tax workers are scheduled for next week.
PSAC says when you factor out essential workers, more than 100,000 federal public service employees can strike. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
The report also recommends “increased allowances for many employees, as well as enhancements to shift premiums, flexibilities and family-related leave.”
The union’s last public proposal was 4.5 per cent for 2021, 2022, and 2023. The Treasury Board last shared an offer to increase wages by 2.06 per cent on average over four years.
CRA management have engaged in some public back-and-forth on other disagreements, such as contracting and hours and location of work, but they haven’t shared a recent wage proposal.
“The CRA …must reach the right balance between fair compensation, fiscal responsibility, and proper care of public funds,” it wrote in February.
The labour report for the tax discussions doesn’t get into specifics, saying there were more than 200 issues at play.
NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – Police in New Glasgow, N.S., say a 44-year-old woman faces fraud charges after funds went missing from the Pictou East Progressive Conservative Association.
New Glasgow Regional Police began the investigation on Oct. 7, after Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston reported that an undisclosed amount of money had gone missing from his riding association’s account.
Police allege that a volunteer who was acting as treasurer had withdrawn funds from the association’s account between 2016 and 2024.
The force says it arrested Tara Amanda Cohoon at her Pictou County, N.S., residence on Oct. 11.
They say investigators seized mobile electronic devices, bank records and cash during a search of the home.
Cohoon has since been released and is to appear in Pictou provincial court on Dec. 2 to face charges of forgery, uttering a forged document, theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000.
Police say their investigation remains ongoing.
Houston revealed the investigation to reporters on Oct. 9, saying he felt an “incredible level of betrayal” over the matter.
The premier also said a volunteer he had known for many years had been dismissed from the association and the party.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
PICTOU, N.S. – A Nova Scotia excavation company has been fined $80,000 after a worker died when scaffolding collapsed on one of its job sites.
In a decision released Wednesday, a Nova Scotia provincial court judge in Pictou, N.S., found the failure by Blaine MacLane Excavation Ltd. to ensure scaffolding was properly installed led to the 2020 death of Jeff MacDonald, a self-employed electrician.
The sentence was delivered after the excavation company was earlier found guilty of an infraction under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Judge Bryna Hatt said in her decision she found the company “failed in its duty” to ensure that pins essential to the scaffolding’s stability were present at the work site.
Her decision said MacDonald was near the top of the structure when it collapsed on Dec. 9, 2020, though the exact height is unknown.
The judge said that though the excavation company did not own the scaffolding present on its job site, there was no evidence the company took steps to prevent injury, which is required under legislation.
MacDonald’s widow testified during the trial that she found her husband’s body at the job site after he didn’t pick up their children as planned and she couldn’t get in touch with him over the phone.
Julie MacDonald described in her testimony how she knew her husband had died upon finding him due to her nursing training, and that she waited alone in the dark for emergency responders to arrive after calling for help.
“My words cannot express how tragic this accident was for her, the children, and their extended family,” Hatt wrote in the sentencing decision.
“No financial penalty will undo the damage and harm that has been done, or adequately represent the loss of Mr. MacDonald to his family, friends, and our community.”
In addition to the $80,000 fine, the New Glasgow-based company must also pay a victim-fine surcharge of $12,000 and provide $8,000 worth of community service to non-profits in Pictou County.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland on the weekend.
Eugene Earl Spoon, a guest at the hotel, was visiting Newfoundland from Kansas. His remains were found Wednesday morning during a search of the debris left behind after the fire tore through the Driftwood Inn in Deer Lake, N.L., on Saturday, the RCMP said in a news release.
“RCMP (Newfoundland and Labrador) extends condolences to the family and friends of the missing man,” the news release said.
Spoon was last seen Friday evening in the community of about 4,800 people in western Newfoundland. The fire broke out early Saturday morning, the day Spoon was reported missing.
Several crews from the area fought the flames for about 16 hours before the final hot spot was put out, and police said Wednesday that investigators are still going through the debris.
Meanwhile, the provincial Progressive Conservative Opposition reiterated its call for a wider review of what happened.
“Serious questions have been raised about the fire, and the people deserve answers,” Tony Wakeham, the party’s leader, said in a news release Wednesday. “A thorough investigation must be conducted to determine the cause and prevent such tragedies in the future.”
The party has said it spoke to people who escaped the burning hotel, and they said alarm and sprinkler systems did not seem to have been activated during the fire. However, Stephen Rowsell, the Deer Lake fire chief, has said there were alarms going off when crews first arrived.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
