Despite the overall austere nature of the 2025 Federal Budget, its adoption by the House of Commons on November 17 presented members of the Customs and Immigration Union and other federal public safety employees with a silver-lining by bringing the possibility of retiring after 25 years of service without penalty within reach.
Speaking to journalists as part of the PSAC national lobby day to oppose austerity on Tuesday November 18, CIU’s 2nd National Vice-President, Brea Baresinkoff, highlighted the significance of this new step towards ‘25 and out’: “Every day, our members put themselves in harms way to keep our communities safe. We manage high-risk environments, volatile situations, and the growing demands placed on border integrity and public safety.”
For years, CIU and PSAC have worked to make ‘25 and out’ retirement eligibility a reality for our members. The inclusion of these provisions in the 2025 budget brings our members in line with personnel from other law enforcement and public safety agencies across the country. “We thank the government for working with us to make this long awaited right a reality” expressed Baresinkoff. “This means that CIU members as well as other PSAC frontline workers will finally be able to retire with dignity after 25 years of service without financial penalty.”
We look forward to the enactment of the necessary changes, in line with the adopted budget, and we will be keeping in close communication with the government for further details as to the implementation of these changes.
Beyond ‘25 and out’, and in light of the 2025 Budget, CIU urges the federal government to continue to adequately support all federal public service workers. Our members can rest assured: We will continue to fight for our members’ jobs — and indeed all workers’ rights, including the constitutional right to organize and to strike.
