News release

July 27, 2005

Federal government abandons vulnerable regions

Ottawa –The federal government will cause a grave disservice to Canadians, particularly those living in Northern Canada, the Atlantic and Saskatchewan by closing nine Public Services Commission (PSC) offices, according to the largest union representing federal government workers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

“The federal government is supposed to provide services to Canadians across the country” said the Madeleine David, National Director of the Agriculture Union, a PSAC Component. “By closing the PSC District Offices, the federal government will deprive millions of Canadians with access to the quality services they have access to in larger centres”.

The district office closures will result in the loss of 94 full-time jobs and an unspecified number of term workers. David indicated that the intent of the Public Service Modernization Act is to delegate staffing functions to lower levels of management. This, in turn, requires a larger monitoring and enforcement function on the part of the PSC which it will now have a reduced capacity to fulfill it’s important mandate.

The federal government announced that it is reducing its 16 current points of service to seven locations: Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. The closures will occur in Victoria, Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Iqualuit, Regina, Québec, Moncton, Charlottetown and St. John’s.

“Under the pretense of modernization and efficiency, the federal government continues reducing the quality of services to Canadians in the most vulnerable regions of the country” said Bob Kingston the national vice-president of the Agriculture Union. “Moreover, people away from the major centres have access to fewer resources; it is an injustice to reduce those resources even more.”

The PSAC and the Agriculture Union indicated that they will lobby the government and mobilize people in the communities affected in order to ensure continued quality of services to the public and the protection of jobs of its members.

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For information: Alain Cossette, PSAC Communications (613) 560-4317