Today, as part of its new action plan, the Liberal Party recommitted to amending the Public Service Superannuation Act to expand early retirement eligibility for frontline workers, including border services officers.
The Customs and Immigration Union is glad to see the Liberal Party and Prime Minister Carney reiterate this commitment. Earlier this year, Minister of Public Safety David McGuinty had made clear that “25 and out” was a priority for the government, although the only avenue to implement the required changes was through legislative measures passed by Parliament. Today’s announcement reinforces this commitment, and we look forward to the implementation of these measures when Parliament reconvenes after the elections.
Additional resources for the border
As part of today’s announcement, the Liberal Party also proposed to train 1,000 additional CBSA officers, and to add new resources at the border “to target more suspicious shipments at [Canada’s] land borders, ports, and railyards”. CIU is pleased to see the Liberal Party take CBSA staffing requirements seriously. Ultimately, putting in place a sustainable staffing plan is crucial in the face of emerging border challenges, and we urge all parties to also consider the urgent need for additional training facilities to better meet current and future staffing pressures.
