Gatineau—The Public Service Alliance of Canada—National Capital Region (PSAC-NCR) strongly condemns the closure of yet another Service Canada office in Gatineau today. The office in question, located at 85 Bellehumeur Rd. provided critical services to area residents, including:
employment insurance services
support to veterans
job search assistance
youth services
Previously, a Service Canada office in Gatineau’s Buckingham sector was closed in March 2013, with operations consolidated at the facility closing today.
“This is just the latest example of the impact of successive budget cuts by the Conservatives,” said Larry Rousseau, PSAC NCR’s Regional Executive Vice President. “They always tells us that cutbacks will not impact frontline services, but this is simply not true. We’ve seen it time and again with the closure of Service Canada offices and Veterans Affairs offices across the country.”
Steve McCuaig, President of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU), a component of PSAC, added: “We are saddened and disappointed that the conservative cuts have forced the closure of such an important office. Our members remain resolved to serve those citizens and we can only hope we can do a job that is worthy of the people we serve despite the challenges that are the direct result of the government's corporate agenda.”
PSAC’s bargaining teams representing members working in the federal public service are currently in contract negotiations with Treasury Board. A key goal of these negotiations is defending and strengthening public services for all Canadians.