The federal government’s 2024 budget was presented on Tuesday with a focus on spending to address the housing crisis – offset by budget cuts, including the loss of 5,000 full-time public sector jobs over the next four years through attrition. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) is not looking at this option favourably, as it comes down to asking federal employees to do more with less, which will adversely impact the delivery of services that Canadians depend on.
Asking departments and employees to redistribute the burden of responsibilities left in the vacuum of attrition could slow things down considerably and eventually force the government to contract out, which CAPE strongly opposes. Outsourcing is more expensive, less transparent, results in poorer quality, and often ignores critical factors, such as diversity and inclusion, and official language requirements. The government should have opted for budget cut options that can reduce its dependence on outsourcing, rather than creating the potential need to rely on contractors even more.
“We all know that attrition is just another way of asking federal employees to double their already heavy workload, by working longer hours with less help and fewer resources,” said CAPE President Nathan Prier. “This budget proposes financial savings on the backs of federal employees who are already struggling from the government’s failures to provide the basics, like a functional pay system, an adequate health care plan and a safe working environment. We refuse to allow federal employees to be further sacrificed for political gain.”
Following 15 years of massive cuts, the current government has increased the size of the public service – in an effort to restaff at a minimum level to be functional. It is imperative that the public sector keep up with Canada’s growing population to provide a basic standard of service. New job losses will likely be a major setback.
CAPE welcomes the proposal to release government buildings for housing development. This is a necessary step to increase availability and affordability in the housing market. But this commitment should go hand-in-hand with increasing public sector employees’ ability to telework – further reducing operational costs while increasing employees’ safety and productivity.
CAPE also notes the proposed funding to expand the Translation Bureau’s translation and interpretation capacities in Parliament, applauding the focus on further protecting and promoting official languages. However, any new funding should also go to addressing interpreters’ ongoing health and safety concerns as they continue to suffer career-threatening on-the-job injuries at an unacceptable rate.
Budget 2024 promises to make life fairer and more affordable for all generations. But, without a strong public sector to deliver these critical programs, those promises may never be realized.
