The following op-ed by Sharon DeSousa, PSAC National President, was published in the Ottawa Citizen

The growing threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to Canada’s economy, security and sovereignty will impact all of us. In times of uncertainty, workers and families rely on public services more than ever.

As tensions rise and the U.S. trade war pushes our country into rough economic waters, Canada’s public services will be the lifeline ordinary people can depend on.

In response to the U.S. tariffs, the federal government has announced $6.5 billion in aid for businesses and loosening some employment insurance (EI) requirements for workers seeing fewer work hours. These programs are an example of the crucial public services that PSAC members deliver every day.

But in order to efficiently process the influx of EI and work-sharing applications that will come from these initiatives, we need to ensure that there will be enough public service workers to process them. If we want to weather the economic storm of the U.S. tariffs, departments such as Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) cannot proceed with planned reductions to public service positions. Workers across the country will be counting on these public servants to deliver financial relief when they need it most.

It’s not just protecting workers and businesses: Our families, our borders, our entire communities depend on a fully funded public service. The public service workers who go to work every day to provide these services are the thread that binds us as everything else seems on the verge of unravelling. Yet, at a time when we need strong public services to keep our country secure, politicians are talking about cutting thousands of public service jobs under the guise of “refocusing government spending.”

Let’s be clear about what that means: It means longer wait times for new parents accessing maternity and parental benefits. It means fewer food inspectors to ensure the food you eat is safe. Public service cuts would put Canada’s safety net at risk.

The U.S. tariffs are threatening our livelihoods as workers, as we’ve already seen with the steelworkers. These workers are the pillars of our communities. The workers, small businesses and Canadian industries, from agriculture to fishing, will all need this safety net. The last thing we need right now is more good jobs lost.

To make it through this crisis, and the next, we need to protect public services, and that means supporting the hundreds of thousands of workers who provide these vital supports. This federal election, Canadians have a choice: we can stick together in the face of adversity and elect a government that will support public services, good jobs and a secure future. Or we can let fear and division take us down the failed path of cuts, privatization, and instability.

I know where I’m standing. It’s with you, Canada — and the public service workers who make our country strong.