A federal union is warning more job cuts at the passport office will delay passport services for Canadians.
The Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU) says Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is cutting 250 jobs in the passport program.
“Late last week, some 250 union members received news their position was affected, and this follows on the heels of 800 term cuts to the Passports program this past May,” the union said in a statement Monday morning.
“These cuts are not just numbers on a balance sheet. They represent a direct attack on workers who have tirelessly served Canadians through waves of unprecedented demand.”
In May, approximately 800 jobs were eliminated at the passport office, as Service Canada reduced its workforce.
“Cutting passport staff when the government is trying to kickstart a faltering economy makes no sense,” said Rubina Boucher, CEIU national president.
“Global mobility is rebounding and Canadians rely on their passports for work, family and travel, so this decision flies in the face of the government’s economic ambitions.”
The Public Service Alliance of Canada’s president says when the “government cuts passport jobs, it’s Canadians who pay the price.”
“Delays, backlogs, and service disruptions are the inevitable result. Instead of slashing the very services families, workers and businesses rely on, the government should be working with us to strengthen public services and protect workers,” Sharon DeSousa, PSAC national president.
“Cutting staff is not a plan, it’s a recipe for failure.”
