Following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement, CAPE thanks him for his service and acknowledges that his leadership paved the way for progressive programs that improved the lives of Canadians in the last decade. CAPE also applauds his government’s effort to rebuild the federal workforce – following years of cutbacks – to restore it to a level that could better meet the needs and expectations of all Canadians.
CAPE welcomes the prime minister’s decision and calls for a thoughtful and prudent transition.
With a Liberal Party leadership race imminent and a general election looming in the spring, CAPE urges aspiring candidates from all parties to carve out a robust plan to ensure federal employees across the country are well-equipped to serve Canadians. This means preserving the integrity of the current workforce, investing abundantly into modernizing the federal workplace’s policies and practices, and ensuring that, if work needs to be done, it is done by accountable public servants, not shadowy contractors.
There is a real opportunity for the next government to inject renewed trust in federal employees and build stronger relationships with other bargaining agents of the Canadian public service. A strong federal workforce is the cornerstone of any government. CAPE members have been at the forefront of ensuring the public service remains effective, efficient, ready to respond to emerging crises, and dedicated to serving the needs of all Canadians.
CAPE will continue to follow this development with great interest and will work with sister unions and other allies to ensure the next leadership prioritizes the needs of Canadian public sector employees and recognizes their critical importance in the shaping of our collective future.
