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
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹ӰÊÓ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
A new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
Hezbollah targets base near Haifa after Israeli strike in Beirut killed 37, including top commander
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group’s senior leaders as well as women and children.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
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.