As CBSA strike looms, Freeland says Ottawa ‘seized’ by possible impact
Global News
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the federal government is 'very focused' on how the CBSA strike set to begin Friday may impact the economy.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the federal government is “very focused” on how the looming Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) strike may impact the economy.
Freeland said at a press conference Friday that Ottawa is paying close attention to the CBSA strike set to begin Friday afternoon unless a deal is reached in the coming hours.
“It is something our government is very seized with. Very focused on. The parties are at the table working hard and our view is, the best deals are reached at the table,” Freeland told reporters when asked how a border strike could impact Canada’s economy.
“That’s what we are very much working towards and hoping for and I do share your view about the absolute importance of trade to Canada and of goods moving efficiently and effectively across the borders.”
More than 9,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) will begin job action at Canada’s borders starting Friday at 4 p.m. ET if an agreement is not reached with the CBSA and Treasury Board by then.
While essential CBSA workers can’t walk off the job, the union said Canadians will still feel the effects, highlighting a brief strike three years ago that “nearly brought commercial cross-border traffic to a standstill, causing major delays at airports and borders across the country.”
“We still hope to avoid strike action and potential disruptions for travellers and commercial traffic at Canada’s borders. But we’ve set a deadline for Trudeau’s Liberal government to get to work on a fair contract for workers,” PSAC national president Sharon DeSousa said in a press release Tuesday.
The looming strike could mean Canadians and visitors find themselves in long lines at the border yet again during the busy travel season.
The recall covers more than 200,000 electric vehicles from Kia and Hyundai in the U.S. and slightly more than 34,000 Hyundai EVs in Canada.
Quebec’s pension fund manager says it is co-operating with United States authorities after three former employees were indicted in federal court in New York.
St. Lawrence College’s musical theatre students bring two exciting productions to the Thousand Islands Playhouse this weekend. Find out what’s on stage.
Police say an 81-year-old woman is dead following a dog attack involving three dogs who attacked her inside her own residence, in Northern Ontario.
King was a prominent figure in the demonstration that rolled into the national capital in 2022, which saw protesters entrench themselves in downtown Ottawa for three weeks.
Dermo, which has been detected in Canada for the first time, has spread from oyster to oyster in New Brunswick.
The latest draft negotiating text released Friday pledged $250 billion by 2035, less than a quarter of what developing countries requested.
The officials say Ottawa will be chipping in $108.5 million over the next three years to Ontario’s existing Student Nutrition Program and First Nations Student Nutrition Program.
A mother who was struck by a vehicle, along with the father and three other children, has now died from her injuries in hospital just over a month after the collision.
Erin McQueen believes her tools were stolen on Nov.16 while her truck was parked in Kelowna near Ellis Street and Clement Avenue.
"I am fighting for my daughter." How one Regina family is looking to the community to help raise money for a potentially live saving trip to the United States.