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PSAC is doing everything in its power to ensure that the pay system is fixed so that our members in the federal public service get paid correctly and on-time. We are also demanding the government address the difficulties our members are facing because of Phoenix.

The federal government’s budget, delivered on March 22, failed to address the biggest problem currently facing the public service. The disastrous Phoenix pay system has affected thousands of public service workers over the past year, leaving some workers with no pay for months.

Last week, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen sent a letter to PSAC reaffirming the department's plan to close the Vegreville Case Processing Centre and move it to Edmonton. In response, PSAC National President Robyn Benson wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemning him for "betraying rural communities."

Questions and answers about the Phoenix pay system

On the first anniversary of Phoenix, the three largest federal public service unions are urging the government to include a $75 million Phoenix contingency fund in the upcoming federal budget.

The union representing workers at the Vegreville Case Processing Centre met with the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, yesterday to discuss the planned closure of the CPC in Vegreville. Following that meeting, several media outlets covered the story. See the media clippings below.

The union representing workers at the Vegreville Case Processing Centre met with the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, yesterday to discuss the planned closure of the CPC in Vegreville.

On February 8, the government provided an update on the Phoenix pay system. The update shows that, although some progress is being made in addressing important issues, there is still a lot of work ahead.

Local business owners, educators, volunteer groups, and community leaders explain the impact of the closure of the Vegreville Case Processing Centre on their community in this great video produced by the Town of Vegreville. "If you're not here, you don't necessarily understand the impact on rural Canada and these positions are really important and people deserve to have them in rural locations," says Scott Dixon, Owner of Boston Pizza Vegreville. "This isn’t a Vegreville problem, this is a Canada problem."

On January 18, 2017, Marianne Hladun sent a letter to Mr. Ahmed Hussen welcoming him to the role of Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and briefing him on the ongoing issue of the closure of the Vegreville Immigration Centre. The letter on behalf of the 280 PSAC members affected by the closure, also included all past correspondence to and from former Minister John McCallum. All previous correspondence with the former Minister, and the latest letter to the new Minister, are attached below.