Every day, millions of people in Canada rely on public services they rarely see but cannot live without. From everyday workers applying for Employment Insurance to seniors accessing their hard-earned benefits, the workers represented by the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU) are the backbone of our country’s support systems.
Instead of strengthening these essential lifelines, the federal government is implementing reckless staffing reductions at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration and Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), with potential cuts at the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). These aren't just administrative changes; they are cuts to the people who support businesses impacted by tariffs, help newcomers integrate, ensure dental coverage for families, answer EI, OAS, CPP, disability benefit calls and serve the public at Service Canada offices.
For members on the front lines, especially in call centres processing centres and Service Canada Centres, workforce cuts are pushing services to the breaking point. The result? Longer wait times, mounting backlogs, and Canadians left in limbo when they are at their most vulnerable.
A strong Canada depends on a strong public service. Cutting the workers behind these programs doesn't create efficiency, it creates a system that fails exactly when it is needed most.
Call on your MP to stop the cuts and invest in the frontline workers who keep Canada running.
Talk to your friends and family about why these services matter. Public trust is built on public support.
Have you experienced long wait times at a Service Canada office, delays with EI, or delays with an IRCC application such as a work permit, study permit, permanent residence file, or citizenship application? Are you a worker seeing the impact of these cuts firsthand? Your experience is the most powerful tool we have.
Cuts to CEIU-represented departments have real consequences that ripple through our communities and our economy. Here is what is at risk:
Financial uncertainty for families: When staffing at ESDC is reduced, EI claims take longer to process. For a family relying on that income to pay rent or buy groceries, a delay isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s a crisis.
Families kept apart and economic potential lost: Cuts to IRCC and IRB mean application backlogs grow. This keeps families separated for years and leaves skilled workers and students in a state of permanent uncertainty. When we stall these applications, we fail to fill critical gaps in our labor market, preventing newcomers from fully contributing to the Canadian economy.
The "Automation Gap": As staffing levels drop, the government is increasingly turning to AI to replace human decision-making. This increases the risk of errors in sensitive cases where a human touch is irreplaceable. We have already seen the devastating cost to taxpayers when the government prioritizes flawed automated systems over people, as seen with the billion-dollar failure of the Phoenix pay system. We cannot afford to repeat those mistakes.
Economic instability: Delays in work permits fuel labour shortages for Canadian businesses. When our public service is slow, our entire economy slows down with it.
Stop the cuts: We are calling for an immediate halt to staff cuts across ESDC and IRCC, and no cuts at IRB. We cannot deliver 21st-century services with a shrinking 20th-century workforce.
Prioritize human judgment over AI: Technology should support workers, not replace them. We must protect the integrity of our systems by ensuring that critical decisions about people's lives are made by trained workers , not algorithms.
Reduce the backlogs: Canadians deserve timely answers. We need adequate investment in capacity to clear the queues for passports, work permits, and benefit claims once and for all.
Invest in Services: Public service workers deserve fair workplaces and the resources necessary to do their jobs well. Supporting worker well-being is the only way to ensure high-quality service for the public.
Uphold our commitments: From dental care to tariff-support measures, the government makes promises to people in Canada and the world. Those promises are only as good as the CEIU members who work every day to fulfill them.
These are essential building blocks of a public service that remains reliable, accountable and ready to serve people in Canada when it matters the most.
