Messages to Members

I recently wrote to Treasury Board President Scott Brison to express my frustration at being informed that the government is very likely not going to be able to process overpayment claims reported by the January 19, 2018 deadline.

The news that Canada’s largest private-sector union, Unifor, has decided to withdraw its membership from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has taken many by surprise.

It has come to our attention that many of you who are trying to report overpayments by the January 19, 2018 deadline cannot get through to Contact Centre staff because of busy signals or being put on hold for extended periods.

Predictions are rarely 100% accurate. But some offer better-educated guesses than others. Here then are my forecasts (and a few resolutions) for the coming year.

Earlier this month, PSPC Minister Carla Qualtrough asked me if I would be willing to negotiate simplifying some of the pay rules bargained over decades that, some claim, contribute to the dysfunction of the federal pay system.

Canadians should not have to worry about their retirement. But actions taken by the federal government raise questions about its commitment to enhancing retirement security for Canadians – a key promise in the last federal election.