A looming Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) strike was put on hold at the last minute on Friday to allow negotiations to continue.
A statement from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU), which represents more than 9,000 CBSA workers, was issued right at the 4 p.m. EST deadline for job action to begin.
“All strike action by 9,000 CBSA personnel is on hold as mediation will continue until Wednesday,” the union said. “Picket lines will not be in place until further notice.”
The union had been threatening job action would begin Friday afternoon if an agreement was not reached with the CBSA and Treasury Board by then, potentially affecting border crossings across the country.
“The Government of Canada is pleased that the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has committed to remain at the table to continue negotiations,” the Treasury Board Secretariat said in a statement.
“To date, discussions have been productive, and we remain committed to reaching an agreement that is fair and reasonable for members of the Border Services Group as quickly as possible.”
Earlier Friday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the federal government is “very focused” on how the looming strike would impact the economy.
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“It is something our government is very seized with. Very focused on. The parties are at the table working hard and our view is, the best deals are reached at the table,” Freeland told reporters when asked how a border strike could impact Canada’s economy.
“That’s what we are very much working towards and hoping for and I do share your view about the absolute importance of trade to Canada and of goods moving efficiently and effectively across the borders.”
CBSA workers have been without a contract since the last one expired in June 2022. The union has been pushing for higher wages and retirement benefits, including early retirement after 25 years of service, that they argue should be aligned with other Canadian law enforcement agencies including the RCMP and Correctional Services Canada.
They also want clear remote work rules and assurances that vacancies won’t be filled with contracted workers.
“These aren’t unreasonable, pie-in-the-sky demands,” CIU national president Mark Weber told Global News in an interview Thursday.
“We’re really asking to be given what pretty much everyone else has. So I really think there’s room for a deal to be had.”
While essential CBSA workers can’t walk off the job, the union has said Canadians would still feel the effects, highlighting a brief strike three years ago that “nearly brought commercial cross-border traffic to a standstill, causing major delays at airports and borders across the country.”
The Treasury Board said Thursday that 90 per cent of CBSA workers are considered essential, and that while it respects the right to strike, “unlawful job action will not be tolerated.”
It added the government “is fully committed to reaching an agreement that is fair for them and reasonable for taxpayers,” but suggested the union was unwilling to make concessions.
“Negotiation is a process of give and take,” the Treasury Board’s statement said. “The government is prepared to make concessions, but there needs to be movement on both sides.”
A strike is still possible if an agreement can’t be reached by Wednesday, and could mean Canadians and visitors find themselves in long lines at the border yet again during the busy travel season.
Freeland said the challenge the potential strike poses to travellers’ ability to cross the border “is absolutely an important issue.”
“Our government is very seized of it. The parties are at the table working hard. The best deals are reached at the table,” she said, repeating her earlier comments.
—With files from Global’s Travis Prasad
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