Public Service Alliance of Canada begins strike action
After weeks of negotiation, over 155,000 federal public servants will begin striking today.
Though productive discussion took place and progress was made, the federal government was unfortunately unable to reach an agreement in its negotiations with the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
With this nation-wide strike action, federal departments and agencies will face service disruptions.
Here’s how you may be affected:
Certain services will be impacted by partial or full disruptions, such as:
Canada Revenue Agency:
Income tax and benefit return processing will be delayed, particularly for returns filed by paper.
Benefit processing will be prioritized.
Contact centre wait times will be increased.
Employment and Social Development Canada:
Passport services will be disrupted.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program applications will be disrupted.
Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada:
Application processing, in-person immigration appointments, and citizenship ceremonies will be disrupted.
Wait times for contacting IRCC via email, phone or social media will be increased.
Online immigration applications will continue to be available, as well as some emergency services.
Public Services and Procurement Canada:
Security screening processes will be disrupted.
Registration process for direct deposit will be disrupted.
Service Canada
In person services will be limited to clients requiring assistance with EI, SINs, CPP, OAS, and GIS.
Importantly, the T1 tax filing deadline of May 1, 2023 will not be extended. Please ensure your return is filed electronically or by paper in time for the deadline, along with payment for any balance owing.
Essential services that protect the safety and security of the public will continue to be delivered, such as:
Tax filing services through CRA My Account, Auto-File My Return, and Express NOA
Employment Insurance payments
Canada Pension Plan payments
Canada Child Benefit payments
Veterans’ income support
Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement payments
You can find the full list of service disruptions online.
Despite these disruptions, my Constituency Office team and I will continue to work to the best of our ability to help constituents navigate issues with federal services.
The federal government remains committed to reaching collective agreements that are fair to public servants and reasonable for taxpayers.
Like you, I expect both parties to bargain in good faith and find compromise to avoid disrupting the services that Canadians rely on.
I will continue to share updates about service disruptions here on my website at JennaSuddsMP.ca.
