Canadian Government Reaches Tentative Deal with Canada Border Services

Late last Friday, Canada’s border agents reached a new tentative agreement with the Canadian government. The deal came after 36 straight hours of negotiations. There was immense pressure to get a deal done, after a daylong work-to-rule campaign by CBSA workers left long lines at international gateways. Because 90% of CBSA workers are deemed essential, they are not legally allowed to strike, but what they did was follow procedures to the letter, which slowed down operations immensely. Reported commercial wait times in Surrey, BC, reached 5 hours by Friday afternoon.

The new deal is a four-year deal, dating back to 2018. In provides CBSA employees with an average wage increase of more than two percent a year, addresses workplace culture issues, and includes improvements to the handling of grievances, among other things. The deal comes days before the Canada/US border opened on Monday to fully vaccinated American travelers.

Source:
1. Feds reach tentative deal with border guards days before restrictions ease, CTV News, August 6, 2021. Accessed Aug 8, 2021.