Vegreville

(Please see attached PDF for formal version. Text is reproduced below.) Dear Minister Hussen, Last week (January 24, 2019), you announced a new pilot program to “enable smaller communities to enhance their economic, social and demographic vitality.” If your government is a friend to rural Canada, it will come as a complete surprise to our members.

On the heart-breaking final week for employees of the Vegreville Case Processing Centre (CPC), the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has won an important but bittersweet victory for our members.

PSAC went in front of the federal Labour Board mid-June to fight for the rights of PSAC/CEIU members at the Case Processing Centre (CPC) in Vegreville, Alberta.

The union representing workers at the Vegreville immigrant and refugee case processing centre is still trying to fight the relocation of 236 jobs to Edmonton before the federal government's targeted move-in date this fall.

The Promise: In January 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a Town Hall at the University of Saskatchewan. In response to a question about the Vegreville Case Processing Centre closure, he said: "Compensation and packages will be made available to those employees who do not wish to relocate." The Reality:

In one month – on October 19, 2017 -  it will be the second anniversary of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government. It is also day that the federal government has chosen to impose as a deadline for employees of the Vegreville Immigration Centre. 

The NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship—along with a small group of politicians—travelled to Vegreville on Wednesday, July 19 to sit down with affected workers from the Vegreville Case Processing Centre (CPC).

Workers will take to the street today to rally against the attack on rural Alberta communities like Vegreville, where the federal government plans to close the Case Processing Centre (CPC) and move it to Edmonton at a cost of $46.6 million.  

Today, in the House of Commons, Serge Cormier (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship) stated that "a letter was sent from our department to the union, dated March 1, 2017, outlining the costs requested by the member opposite." (See the transcript below)