A CBSA strike could soon snarl border traffic. Here's what you need to know
Just as the summer travel season gets into gear, Canadians and visitors could find themselves waiting in long lines at the border — delays that could also deal a blow to the economy.
It all depends on what happens with a potential strike by workers at the Canada Border Services Agency, which could start as soon as Thursday.
What’s going on?
More than 9,000 Public Service Alliance of Canada members who work for the CBSA, including border guards, have secured a strike mandate. The two sides go into mediation on June 3, and the union will be in a position to strike as of June 6.
The union says similar action three years ago "nearly brought commercial cross-border traffic to a standstill, causing major delays at airports and borders across the country."
But the Treasury Board says 90 per cent of front-line border officers are designated as essential, which means they can’t stop working during a strike.
So how disruptive could a strike be?
Union members could use work-to-rule, a tactic where employees do their jobs exactly as outlined in their contracts.
Ian Lee, an associate professor at Carleton University’s school of business, said that means a border crossing could take much longer than it usually does. That wouldn’t just be a problem for tourists, but disrupt the economy, given $2.5 billion a day in goods crosses the border, he said.
The Treasury Board says "employees in essential services positions must provide uninterrupted border services. They cannot work to rule and they cannot intentionally slow down border processing."
A spokesperson said the CBSA will discipline workers who "engage in illegal job action."
But Lee noted border workers have broad discretion when it comes to asking questions. He said it’s unclear how the government can argue a guard is "breaking the law by using their full discretion and authority."
Stephanie Ross, an associate professor of labour studies at McMaster University, said there is a logistical barrier to the government taking action. She pointed out that work-to-rule means following job duties to the letter.
"People would be doing their work, albeit very thoroughly. How can you discipline people for following procedure?"
Ross said work-to-rule can be very effective.
A border crossing where it might take an extra 10 minutes to get across because the officer is doing everything by the book can "have an enormous disruptive effect magnified by the thousands of individuals, semi-trailers, various kinds of transport coming into Canada," she said.
What do CBSA employees want?
Mark Weber, the national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, which is part of PSAC, said work-to-rule could be disruptive, but the union is "not there yet."
Weber said members want pay parity with other law enforcement agencies, with the union looking to how much first-level RCMP constables are paid for comparison.
CBSA is also short thousands of officers, and the union wants those openings to be filled with permanent employees, not contract replacements.
Other issues include pension benefits and protections around "heavy-handed discipline," Weber said.
Another concern for the union is technology taking over jobs officers would be doing otherwise, like the kiosks that have popped up at Canadian airports.
Weber said the CBSA "are trying to almost create a self-serve checkout kind of system, like you see at grocery stores, at our borders."
He said that amounts to "almost waiting for smugglers to self-declare with no officers present, which from a national security point of view is extremely concerning."
And there’s the link to the public service unions’ fight over work-from-home arrangements.
What does the new public service in-office mandate have to do with border guards?
Ottawa recently announced that federal employees must work from the office at least three days a week, starting in September. Public service unions responded by pledging a "summer of discontent" over the new policy.
Then-PSAC president Chris Aylward indicated that includes the CBSA strike, saying in an earlier press conference the "government has to be prepared for a summer of discontent. Whatever that looks like, whether it’s at the borders, whether it’s at the airports."
Weber said telework is a key issue for the union, and more than 2,000 of its members work remotely or did so previously, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. The union wants to see work from home enshrined in the collective agreement.
He said the government previously promised to set up panels and consult on work-from-home arrangements, and then broke its promise by announcing the three-day-a-week mandate for everyone.
That means the union would be skeptical if government only offers another letter of understanding. "What value does that have anymore?" Weber said.
How likely is a strike?
"We remain at the bargaining table, committed to negotiating a deal that is fair to employees and reasonable to the Canadian taxpayer," Treasury Board spokesperson Martin Potvin said in a statement.
"With a shared commitment to good faith bargaining, we are optimistic that an agreement can be reached quickly."
Weber said it’s in the government’s hands "to put a contract forward to avoid a strike. We're always ready to sit down and negotiate a fair contract."
Ross said in the lead-up to a strike, there is always an element of posturing, but the 96 per cent vote in favour of strike action was "very strong."
Many of the problems are the same as when the union went on strike in 2021, she noted.
"If we take a bit of a longer-term view, there are reasons to believe that things have been festering at CBSA, and that makes the mobilization that we're seeing in the union side more important to take seriously."
The workers have been negotiating without a collective agreement for two years, meaning, Ross noted, "there's a lot of built up frustration around their wages falling behind."
She said this is the moment where the two sides are waiting to see which one is willing to blink.
The government might not believe the union "has enough organization and unity to pull off a work to rule that would be disruptive," she said.
But they might find out. We all might find out."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2024.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We have a responsibility:' Trudeau urges global leaders to support pact for future
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is telling world leaders to either bury their heads in the sand or put differences aside for the sake of future generations.
An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.
Air Canada union head says she'll resign if pilots reject deal
The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she'll step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline, raising the stakes as aviators mull whether to accept hefty salary gains or drive an even harder bargain.
Toronto police say they are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot and killed his brother in an argument at a Scarborough housing complex late Saturday night.
2 suspended from U.S. college swim team after report of slur scratched onto student's body
At least two students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania have been suspended from the swim team after a report that a racial slur was scratched onto a student's body, officials said.
John Mulaney and Olivia Munn have second child, a daughter named Mei
Comedian John Mulaney and actor Olivia Munn now have a second child, a daughter named Mei June Mulaney.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, makes first public appearance after cancer treatment
Kate, the Princess of Wales, made her first public appearance Sunday since she announced she had completed chemotherapy and would return to some public duties.
How does your health measure up? Criticism of long-time tool used to track progress
Body mass index, a long-time tool used to measure a person's health, may soon be out the door as some health professionals push for a system they say is more accurate.
Ontario's police watchdog has decided there are no grounds to believe Sudbury police committed a crime during a difficult arrest in May where the suspect's neck was broken.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.