The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
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Letter to CRA Commissioner Hamilton

July 7, 2017

Mr. Bob Hamilton
Commissioner of the CRA
7th Floor
555 MacKenzie Avenue
Ottawa ON  K1A 0L5

Dear Commissioner Hamilton,


    I am writing to convey my members’ serious concerns about the recently announced Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Service Modernization plan at the Canada Revenue Agency. This is a significant change for the approximately 2,000 employees who are members of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). The most affected are the 1,000 of our members who will be transferred from their current work location to one of the following tax services offices: Toronto West (Mississauga), Toronto North (North York), Toronto East (Scarborough) and Toronto Centre (Downtown).

Given the size of the GTA, this change will have a significant impact on employees and their families. They will have a longer commute, which will impact their work-life balance and will mean incurring greater travel expenses. In fact, the proposed change does not support Prime Minister Trudeau’s commitment to improving work-life balance for federal employees; it worsens it.

Since they are committed to their public service careers, professionals working at the CRA have made housing decisions based on their place of work. Without a doubt this will significantly impact them, their families and their ability to participate in their communities. It will wreak havoc on child care, schooling and elder care arrangements.

It is disheartening to observe the lack of sensitivity shown employees, when the CRA totally ignores such concerns.
This is especially evidenced by CRA having taken the position that the relocation of these work units is not a Workforce Adjustment (WFA) situation nor subject to the Relocation Policy, without possibly knowing or understanding the impact on employees. CRA established employees’ new work locations before even offering them an opportunity to express their preferences where an option existed. Employees are understandably very upset at a management decision that was taken without input or consultation from their bargaining agents.

You should also be concerned that while CRA asserts “the Workforce Adjustment provisions are not applicable”, the Agency is conducting itself as if they were. CRA’s actions leave us little option but to consider exercising rights to formal recourse to ensure and protect your employees’ – our members’ – contractual rights. PIPSC believes that, given the scale of the change, both the Workforce Adjustment (WFA) provisions and the Relocation Policy may be applicable.  Given the advanced ability for employees to connect electronically, insisting on disruptive moves also seems very shortsighted. As it stands, we have many questions and concerns that remain unanswered.

Canada Revenue Agency has operated successfully for decades with the current structure within the GTA. Similar to the closure of Veterans Affairs offices, this change will worsen the quality of services for Canadians. Taxpayers will now have to travel across the GTA if they need to visit a tax service office, incurring the same frustration, lost time and expense that our members will have to incur on a daily basis. If this is a cost savings measure we oppose that it be done at the expense of employees and Canadians.

I am asking that you immediately halt the implementation of the GTA Service Modernization plan and look at ways that service delivery to Canadians can be continued and improved without causing unnecessary disruption to the lives of employees who deliver these key services.

I look forward to your timely response and an opportunity to meet and discuss the GTA Service Modernization at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Debi Daviau
President, PIPSC