PSAC-CIU recommends the government strengthen its bill to give civilian oversight to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) by expanding their scope to eliminate systemic discrimination and abuse of power by managers.

Mark Weber, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU), doubts that the C-20 bill will bring real systemic change within the CBSA if it does not guarantee the maintenance of rights provided for in the collective agreement, and it does no means are provided for reporting abuse and privileges by managers.

The bill provides for the establishment of a civilian RCMP and CBSA Review and Complaints Commission.

“We agree that it is critical that our government and its agencies develop the necessary tools and resources to address issues related to abuse, systemic discrimination and abuse of power,” said Mark Weber. The bill appears to fall short when it comes to addressing systemic problems that already exist within the agency, which has a notorious reputation among its staff for allowing gross abuses by management to slip through. »

In addition, the draft law does not specify the deadlines for filing a complaint or conducting an investigation, or the rights set out in the collective agreement, such as representation of unions in administrative investigations.

Under current wording, CBSA officers and other employees cannot report unfair or abusive disciplinary action to the Board. This situation is particularly worrying when we know that managers have a habit of ignoring complaints, only to resort to the current comprehensive disciplinary process to punish workers.

PSAC-CIU testimonies also indicated recurring problems with the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security : the replacement of human resources by technology, Arbitrary cancellation of anti-racism training And Hiring security guards from the private sector, ill-prepared, in detention centers. The introduction of stricter regulations would help address deep-rooted cultural issues in the administration of the CBSA.

Recognition of CBSA officers as public safety personnel in all federal statutes

The bill is also an opportunity for the government to recognize that CBSA law enforcement officers deserve the same salaries and benefits as other public safety personnel in Canada.

During the last round of FB negotiations, the PSAC negotiated with the Treasury a commitment to move forward to provide FB members with a fair retirement plan. The Treasury Department has committed to re-tabling the group’s proposal to make legislative changes to include an improved early retirement scheme, also known as ’25-year retirement’, under the Civil Service Plan. The government must now implement these legislative changes to make early retirement a reality.

“Our law enforcement agencies are an integral part of the nation’s public safety, but this still doesn’t get recognized in key laws that govern public service, like the Public Service Superannuation Act and the Income Tax Act,” says Mark Weber. The government needs to be consistent in its approach: For the bill to be meaningful, all federal legislation must confirm that CBSA law enforcement officers actually provide public safety. »