On May 23, more than 200 members of CAPE and members of other federal unions, including the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), alongside local community activists, gathered early in the morning outside of Ottawa City Hall to demand remote work flexibility and a more progressive vision for Ottawa – one that does not rely on public sector employees to fuel the downtown economy.
Check out our photos from the rally.
This rally coincided with the monthly Mayor’s Breakfast taking place inside, where Treasury Board President Anita Anand was the guest speaker. Since the announcement increasing the amount of time federal employees must work in an office, federal unions – who were not consulted about the change – have been seeking to speak with Minister Anand to express their frustrations and concerns about this policy and the impact it will have on employee productivity.
Union leaders, including CAPE President Nathan Prier and PIPSC President Eva Henshaw, attended the breakfast to hear directly from Minister Anand. Prier questioned the Treasury Board president on the in-office mandate, highlighting the direct contradiction with the government’s own budget proposal that seeks to convert 50 per cent of federal real estate into housing. He also spoke with local members of Parliament, city officials and members of the Ottawa Board of Trade, advocating for more remote work flexibility and new solutions to revitalize Ottawa’s downtown core.
CAPE Vice-President Annie Yeo and EC Director Masha Davidovic addressed the rally crowd, along with executives from PIPSC, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and Horizon Ottawa, a grassroots community organization dedicated to building a city that works for everyone. They shared a mutual desire for increased remote work flexibility for federal employees as part of a push to create a more vibrant downtown.
CAPE continues to push for a remote work policy that lets members decide the environment that works best for them.
Thank you to all the CAPE members, members of other federal unions and community leaders who joined us to demand remote work rights and a shift in focus to build a better Ottawa.
About CAPE’s ongoing telework campaign
CAPE is actively mobilizing members to stand up for up telework rights and organize action to push back on the current mandate. If you want to get involved check out our Telework Rights Working Group. This working group will offer members more ways to contribute and determine how the campaign will unfold.
