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.”
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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.
Freeland said the challenge the potential strike poses to travellers’ ability to cross the border “is absolutely an important issue.”
“Our government is very seized of it. The parties are at the table working hard. The best deals are reached at the table,” she said, repeating her earlier comments.
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