CFIA-IN Newsletter/AGM Notice – September 2026

Download the pdf version of the newsletter.

As always, communications from our group can be found on the PIPSC website at https://pipsc.ca/groups/cfia-in.

While browsing, also look at our ServicePlus member benefits program and take advantage of several benefits offered by various partners. For more details, follow the link https://www.serviceplusgroup.ca/.

The draw for the last round of CFIA-IN bursaries took place at the 2025 AGM. The names of all eligible applicants were placed in a container and names were randomly chosen.

We are pleased to announce that the winners were:

1st winner – $500 – Rose Chen (child of Wei Ke)
2nd winner – $250 – Jerry Zhao (child of Ruimei Chen)

If you have any questions regarding the CFIA-IN bursary, please contact one of the Executive members.

It is now time to send your entries for the annual bursary. Eligible applicants are children of Regular/Retired members in good standing or of members who were in good standing at time of death, if the member is part of the IN Group or was part of the IN Group at the time of death. Children of RAND deductees are NOT eligible.

For the purpose of our draw, children can include stepchildren as well as children of partners. There is no age limit.

Applicants may enter any year of post-secondary education in a full-time post-secondary program at an educational institution. This institution must be a member of the AUCC or AICC and includes CÉGEPs. 

Proof of attendance is not required in order to apply for this scholarship. Winners will be required to submit their proof of attendance at an accepted post-secondary educational institution for the Spring 2026 / Fall 2027 semester before the bursary is handed out.

Because of the hybrid nature of this year’s event, you can enter by emailing Casey Howard at choward@pipsc.ca, or in person at this year’s AGM.

The draw will take place at this year’s AGM. The names of all eligible applicants will be placed in a container, and a name will be randomly chosen. The names of the winners may be included in a future CFIA-IN newsletter. 

We successfully negotiated a new agreement with the employer, and it was signed on December 16^th, 2024. The new agreement expired on May 31^st, 2026.

We have submitted our Notice to Bargain for our new agreement to the employer already, and our membership survey was sent in September 9, 2026. Please submit your responses before September 25, 2026.

As always, you can find updates on bargaining on the CFIA-IN group page.

Thank you for your trust and solidarity as we move forward together.

Your Bargaining Team

Your bargaining team consists of:

Spencer Underwood
Casey Howard
Don Kenny

Our PIPSC negotiator for this round is Sumeeta Fernando.

We are always looking for members who want to step up as CFIA-IN Stewards. PIPSC provides the training, and it is a great way to get involved and support your colleagues. Our Stewards are:

Alain Parent – Québec
Carlos Fajardo – West
Casey Howard – Atlantic
Stephan Richard – Atlantic
Marc Durette – Atlantic
Spencer Underwood – NCR
Houman Vafaie – NCR

So, what are stewards? What do they do?

Stewards are the official representatives of the Institute in the workplace and as such represents ALL Institute members, within a specific area of jurisdiction. They deal as equals with the employer and provide a channel of communication between the members, management and the Institute.

Stewards:

attend training offered by the Institute
promote the Institute to the members
act as Institute representative in dealings with the employer
assist in solving members’ work-related problems
communicate members’ concerns and issues to the PIPSC regional office staff and the employer
support and participate in labour actions as required

The steward’s most important responsibility is to ensure that the provisions of the collective agreements are followed by the employer. The steward deals with member complaints, advises, assists and may represent members on the processing of a grievance, provides information to the membership on a variety of activities and issues, and represents members in meetings with management.   

The above information was extracted from the PIPSC’s Pocket Guide for Stewards.  Please consult the guide to know more about stewards.

What did your stewards do for you this year?

This was a year full of upheaval and change. With Employment Transition (also known as WFA outside CFIA), organizational changes and cuts were front and centre.

Your stewards stood with affected staff when asked, working to ensure their rights under our Collective Agreement were respected and helping members navigate the uncertainty of the Employment Transition process.

Health & Safety: We raised serious physical safety concerns at the Moncton branch directly with senior CFIA leadership during management meetings.

AI in the Workplace: We brought the workplace impacts of AI to management’s attention through Union-Management Consultation Committees and continued discussions about AI use at CFIA.

You are invited to the CFIA-IN Group’s next Annual General Meeting on November 6, 2026! Our last AGM was held virtually on September 26, 2025. This year, we are going hybrid: join us in person at the Marconi Centre in Ottawa or participate virtually. Food will be provided on site, and we look forward to welcoming you!

There are currently two vacant positions on the Group Executive. If you want a voice in the decisions that move our group forward—and an opportunity to represent your fellow members—we would love to hear from you!

Elected members to the CFIA-IN Executive select their officers by an internal vote which decides who holds which office.

We, therefore, need more participation to keep our independence and negotiate for our own interests.

In accordance with PIPSC and CFIA-IN Group Constitutions and By-Laws, elections for the CFIA-IN Group Executive are held to elect an Executive to hold office for a term of two (2) years starting one month after the ballots are counted. Each candidate must be nominated by two members of the CFIA-IN Group in good standing (not a RAND deductee). Candidates must indicate the area in which they currently work and are encouraged to provide a brief text. Should an election be required, this information will be printed and distributed, together with the ballots, to the membership.

Please advise a member of the current executive if you want to become a candidate for the CFIA-IN Group Executive.