Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for allowing me the opportunity to present to you today.
My name is Chris Aylward. I'm the national executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. The Public Service Alliance of Canada represents the majority of federal government workers in Canada, more than 172,000 people who deliver crucial services and programs to Canadians across the country.
Since the 2012 budget was tabled in the spring, more than 18,000 of our members have been told they may lose their jobs. They are anxious for their futures and for their families, but they are also worried about what these cuts mean for those who rely on the services and programs they deliver.
Mr. Chair, committee members, I'm here today to call upon you to do two things. First, we want this government to reverse course. Federal government cuts are bad for Canadian families, communities, and the economy. Second, we want this government to start listening to Canadians before making decisions.
We were encouraged to learn last week that after hearing from communities about how their economies would be hurt, the government backed off on its decision to cut the seasons for Canada's waterways and canals. That was a good first step. Now we need the government to do the same for all of Canada's national historic sites and parks, because the communities that depend on them are saying their economies are going to suffer as well.
Mr. Chair, it is clear that public services and the workers who provide them are a major contributor to the prosperity of our families and communities. Economists estimate that the last federal budget could amount to the loss of 55,000 public sector jobs and 61,000 private sector jobs across the country. That's bad for our economy.
The government needs to listen to people like Mayor Claude Elliott of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, who says that losing 30 Service Canada jobs there means losing about $1.5 million per year from their economy, and that's in salaries alone. He put it best when he told us,“When you're out there trying to expand and grow by attracting new businesses to the community, it doesn't give businesses a good sense of profitability when the federal government is out cutting jobs.”
Brad Barkhouse, the owner of a bookstore in Gander, who told us, “When the cuts hit here, it's going to affect my customers. All of the businesses will be affected. There's a snowball effect, and it takes money out of everyone's pocket.”
The government also needs to listen to Canadians about how these cuts are undermining our health and our safety. As of last week, we had 15 confirmed cases of illness caused by food contaminated with E. coli, food that came from XL Foods' slaughterhouse in Brooks, Alberta. This follows a $56 million cut to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's budget.
The government says it has hired 700 new inspectors, but refuses to give anyone a breakdown of where they are. What we do know is that none of these new hires went to inspecting slaughterhouses like the one at XL Foods. What we also know is that this government continues to push for less hands-on inspections and more self-regulation by the industry. That is putting lives at risk. The government needs to listen to Canadians and recognize that this is not the time to cut back on food safety.
The government also needs to stop ignoring people who live and work along Canada's coasts. Last year we spoke to this committee about lives being put at risk by the shutdown of the St. John's and Quebec City search and rescue stations, and now B.C.'s fishing, tugboat, and pleasure boat communities are protesting the government's decision to shut down the Kitsilano Coast Guard station in Vancouver. They say that lives will be at risk because calls for help from Vancouver harbour will now go to the Sea Island station in Richmond, 17 nautical miles and 35 minutes away. The government needs to listen to what the experts there have to say and reverse that decision too.
The government needs to listen to Canada's veterans and reverse its decision to shut down nine Veterans Affairs district offices across Canada. That includes the one and only office in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. One of our local presidents there told us,“The Charlottetown district office has the highest ratio of walk-in clientele in Canada. We deal with veterans who are young and old, but depending on their different abilities and disabilities, a trip to New Brunswick may not even be possible for them.”
If I had more time today, I could talk to you about so many more examples of how the economy, families, and communities are being hurt by this government, or I could talk to you about the cuts to the fisheries habitat staff and the shutdown of the internationally renowned Experimental Lakes research centre. What will that mean for our environment?
I urge you to read our full submission, which was mailed directly to you, Mr. Chair, back in August, which we have distributed here today.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.