Conservatives balancing their budget on the backs of public service workers

It came as no surprise that the Conservative government attacked current and retired federal public service workers in yesterday’s federal budget.

“As expected, public service workers are paying for the government’s race to beat the deficit. It is only by inventing stories, like wrong sick leave numbers, to discredit our public service workers that Conservatives were able to hit their budget targets,” said Treasury Board critic Mathieu Ravignat (Pontiac).

“The government should be working with public service workers to provide better service to Canadians—instead they’re attacking them for political gain,” added Nycole Turmel (Hull—Aylmer).

In their budget, the Conservatives confirmed their plan to review public service workers’ disability and sick leave coverage, while also handing down a greater share of the plan’s costs to retirees.

“This is an especially heavy blow to retired federal servants, who are on a fixed income,” added MP Paul Dewar (Ottawa-Centre). “The Conservatives are targeting them to create a surplus. It’s not only unfair; it’s also just bad management, and there is no reason for it.”

The NDP will continue to oppose these partisan attacks on civil servants who provide our public services.