Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
editor@qctonline.com
About 100 civilian employees at CFB Valcartier have been on strike since Jan. 22.
Non-public funds (NPF) staff at the base, represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), include ac- countants, financial services personnel and gym and reha- bilitation staff including kine- siologists, receptionists and equipment rental managers. According to Capt. Hermione Wilson, public affairs officer at CFB Valcartier, daytime, pre- and postnatal and advanced classes at the base’s fitness centre are cancelled due to the strike. The Clement-Boulanger Arena on the base is closed and the Centre Castor outdoor centre has reduced hours with no access to the restaurant or equipment rental facility. Three of the four messes are closed, and the on-base store and dépanneur are operating on reduced hours.
The strike is part of an On- tario- and Quebec-wide move- ment. Along with Valcartier employees, NPF staff at bases in Bagotville, Kingston, Mon- treal, Ottawa, Petawawa and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu are also on strike. A total of 500 NPF workers are on the picket line.
PSAC executive vice president for Quebec Yvon Barrière said the current collective agreement expired in 2022, and the union hopes to cor- rect a longstanding imbalance. “Our members in Valcartier are paid 30 per cent less than those in Ottawa for the exact same tasks,” Barrière said. “We also have staff working 31.5 hours per week because at 32 hours a week, the federal govern- ment has to pay insurance costs. There are inappropriate salary differences between us, military members and federal civil servants…. We are the least well paid in the federal government. There are a lot of obsolete elements in our agreement.”
Barrière also accused the federal government of attempting to hire strikebreakers, an allegation which Wilson did not address.
The union made headlines after blocking the entrance to CFB Valcartier on Route de la Bravoure on Jan. 22 and 23. Workers moved the picket line after the Ville de Shannon asked the Sûreté du Québec to intervene. “It’s true that traffic slowed down, but if we don’t cause disruption, we don’t have an impact,” Barrière said.
“Although the city respects workers’ rights, it asked stakeholders to quickly find solutions to stop obstructing the entrances to Base Valcartier and restore access to the Route de la Bravoure to the population of Shannon and surrounding areas,” Shannon communications director Marie-France Lambert said in a statement. “Rest assured that the city will keep citizens informed of any developments of which it is informed in connection with this situation.”