News Analysis
Job action by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has come at an opportune time for the union, but some analysts and private sector advocates insist that neither the Treasury Board nor taxpayers can afford generous public pay hikes.
More than 155,000 federal public servants represented by PSAC have been on strike since April 19, affecting everything from passport processing to Employment Insurance claims, tax returns, and the agriculture sector.
David Leis, vice-president of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, says PSAC chose an ideal time for job action against a vulnerable government, as it is a minority government beholden to NDP support, and also it can’t afford to have Canada Revenue Agency employees on strike given that it’s tax season….