Our union just came out of one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. This was a historic fight to secure fair wages and better working conditions for more than 155,000 federal public service workers. 

I am grateful to each and every one of you who answered the call and joined over 100,000 members from coast to coast to coast on the picket lines - your willingness to put everything on the line and fight for a fair contract for yourself and your fellow workers is the true meaning of solidarity.  

I’m also grateful to all the PSAC members who were not part of the strike, yet still showed your support in so many ways. Your solidarity was crucial.  

This was a hard-fought victory not only for PSAC members, but for all workers in Canada – private, public, unionized, and non-unionized. Our strike was proof that when workers stick together, we can make real gains.  

This employer fought tooth and nail against us. They pushed back on every reasonable bargaining demand. There was no urgency to get to a deal.  

For nearly two years the government dragged their feet and refused to meaningfully negotiate a contract with our Treasury Board units and Canada Revenue Agency members. They did this because they know that when bargaining moves slowly it takes the wind out of our sails – it makes it harder to get to the deal federal public service workers deserve. 

While we aim to push bargaining forward, deficiencies in the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act and related legislation – including the Public Interest Commission process – negatively affect our ability to get to a deal quickly. That’s why – in advance of the next round of bargaining – we’re turning our focus to pushing this government to make changes to the legislation. 

It’s time to bring legislation in line with the same measures and protections many PSAC members outside the federal government enjoy. It’s time to fix a broken labour relations regime that frustrates the bargaining and representation processes for all parties.  

Our strike didn’t just secure better working conditions for our membership – we built a stronger union for years to come. I saw a new generation of PSAC activists on picket lines each day. The passion and energy you bring to our union will set the foundation for stronger locals everywhere. 

Now that the strike is behind us, it's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work on modernizing the federal labour relations act, while continuing with our efforts to make our workplaces and communities better places for everyone.  

In Solidarity, 

Chris Aylward