Author Archives: Pierre St-Jacques

Show your support at a Labour Day event near you

Each year on Labour Day, we recognize the contributions of workers and reflect on the rights we have fought for over the years, including fair wages, safer working conditions, and the right to organize collectively.

This year, we’re celebrating Labour Day on the heels of one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. Thanks to over 100,000 PSAC members who came together on picket lines to demand better, we secured the strongest collective agreement in the federal public service that raises the bar for our members and all workers in Canada.

In Nunavut, PSAC members at the Iqaluit Housing Authority picketed for 136 days to secure wages that lift workers who are struggling with one of the highest costs of living in the country.

These victories — and many more by PSAC members this year — are a reminder that when workers unite, we can build lasting change.

Labour Day celebrations and marches are being organized across the country. Show your support at an event near you.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

Public Service Health Care Plan: Canada Life transition update

PSAC logo SCFP

Earlier this year, PSAC announced that we successfully negotiated key improvements to the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) for federal public service workers, and the new plan came into effect on July 1, 2023.

On the same date, the employer transferred the PSHCP provider contract from Sun Life to Canada Life as part of a separate procurement process, resulting in changes for nearly 1.5 million federal public service workers, retirees, and their dependents. This change was initiated and operationalized by the employer and was not part of PSAC and other unions’ negotiations on a new health care plan.

This transition has caused frustrating challenges for plan members and their dependents. Unfortunately, Canada Life has not been able to keep up with the influx of new members, retirees, and dependents that they now administer, and it is having a significant impact on people who depend on these benefits for their health and drug coverage.

Before the move to Canada Life, PSAC provided the government with recommendations for a smooth transition for plan members, including for Canada Life to hire additional staff and increase its call centre capacity.

Nearly two months later, tens of thousands of federal workers are still experiencing issues with their new health care coverage. Many have been unable to register or log into their accounts and face long claim processing delays. These problems are compounded by members’ inability to reach a Canada Life customer service agent to help them.

Since July, Canada Life has made some improvements, including expanding their call centre hours to seven days a week and hiring additional staff to assist plan members.

As of August 25, Canada Life has reported that 99% of plan members have been successfully enrolled under the new benefits plan. But customer service wait times remain too long, and too many calls remain unanswered. This poorly managed transition prevents our members from fully taking advantage of their benefits.

The Government of Canada made the decision to transition to Canada Life and it is their responsibility to hold Canada Life accountable for the many problems that members are facing.

PSAC has requested a meeting with Treasury Board President Anita Anand to discuss how the delivery of benefits can be improved for plan members as soon as possible.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

Alternative Federal Budget sets roadmap for stronger public services

Read the 2024 Alternative Federal Budget

This year’s AFB focuses on investing in our public health care system, affordable community housing, anti-poverty and food insecurity initiatives, a green transition to combat climate change, stronger labour legislation, and a tax system that ensures the wealthy pay their fair share.

To achieve these goals, AFB 2024 recognizes the federal public service must be well-equipped to meet these ongoing challenges and deliver the services Canadians depend on. These recommendations include:

  • Adequate funding to rectify pay problems caused by the Phoenix pay system to ensure workers are paid accurately and on time every time;
  • A full review of staffing levels based on the needs of Canadians;
  • The creation of an independent consultation body to reduce the government’s reliance on private consultants;
  • A comprehensive review and amendment of the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act that improves the way unions like PSAC negotiate new contracts with the government;
  • Full funding for settlements of class action lawsuits, including the Black Class Action and the Indigenous Class Action, and more efforts to address oppression and discrimination;
  • Stronger whistleblowing legislation to protect workers;
  • Transparency and consultation in the use of AI and other automated decision-making tools;
  • An ongoing commitment to build a more inclusive federal public service.

The public service recommendations of AFB 2024 are reflective of the recommendations that PSAC made to the Finance Committee of the House of Commons (FINA), in preparation for their pre-budget consultation process.

“Public service workers are on the frontlines of program delivery to people in Canada. Our members see every day what works, and what can be improved,” said PSAC National President Chris Aylward. “We’ve made suggestions to FINA, and through them to the Minister of Finance, for a 2024 budget that will build robust programs and services that will put the needs of people first, creating the resiliency to see Canada through these difficult economic, social, and environmental times.”

By addressing these issues, Canada’s public service can remain a robust and flexible institution capable of serving Canadians effectively now and into the future.

Read the 2024 Alternative Federal Budget

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

CBSA: Twenty years of undermining the human element

Photo of CIU flag

Recently, CBSA shared a post on social media celebrating its twentieth anniversary. What should have been an innocuous statement instead shed light on just how disconnected the Agency is from its history, its personnel, and its mission towards Canadians.

It’s hard to believe such a short publication could so succinctly embody much of what is wrong with the Agency’s vision for Canada’s borders.

From the ill-advised attempt at using an archive photo from what looks to be the 1930s to represent the turn of the millennium to the post’s sole focus on travel facilitation through automation, it’s clear the Agency understands little about the passage of time, and even less about what CBSA stands for.

While it’s easy to laugh at the idea that a federal agency seems to think that the early 2000s are indistinguishable from the first half of the past century, CBSA’s obsession with automation and facilitation is undoubtedly more concerning.

It will likely not come as a surprise to most border personnel who are used to the Agency’s ways, but it is telling that CBSA chose to highlight twenty years of existence by touting its automated kiosks without touching upon any aspect of border security whatsoever. It’s also telling that the Agency chose to illustrate the current state of affairs by using a sterile picture of its eGates with nary a person — traveller or Border Services personnel alike — in the foreground. Clearly, for CBSA, the human element is of little importance.

So, too, it would appear, is the security aspect of its mission. Our Border Services Agency plays a role far greater than simply facilitating entry at airports. As Canada’s first line of defense, CBSA officers are dedicated to protecting our communities. For the past twenty years, they have played a crucial role in keeping all manner of public safety threats that could harm Canadians out of our country — including dangerous offenders involved in trafficking illegal firearms, drugs, and child pornography. How little must the Agency think of this work to leave it out of a simple celebratory post? How little must it think of its personnel or its responsibility to Canadians?

Again — and sadly — this probably won’t come as a surprise to those working for the Agency. For years, CIU has called upon the government and CBSA to better support its officers and invest in its personnel, and for years the Agency has disregarded this, preferring to pursue the very opposite. Still, CBSA’s position has rarely been made as evident as it is in this latest social media post: The Agency is telling us loud and clear what it is, and it’s not good for Canadians. We should listen.