A submission to the pre-budget consultation is a key part of policy advocacy at PIPSC. It advances our union’s priorities, gets the attention of the Department of Finance and political decision-makers, and most importantly, it draws a spotlight onto the issues that affect PIPSC members.
Our work over the years proves that PIPSC advocacy around the budget has an impact.
For instance, all of the savings found during the government's controversial spending review were achieved by curbing outsourcing rather than cutting services – a major focus of PIPSC advocacy throughout 2022 and 2023. We also called for the creation of a beneficial ownership registry to help deter corporate tax evasion – a policy intervention important to our members at the CRA. Last year, the federal government tabled legislation to create one.
This year, we are looking to continue making progress on our core issues that support PIPSC members and help keep public services strong.
Here’s what PIPSC is calling for in Budget 2024:
1. Refocus government spending and achieve savings by continuing to limit outsourcing, developing in-house capacity, and encouraging fair and flexible work-from-home arrangements.
2. Ensure greater transparency and enhanced consultation for AI integration within the federal government to address our concerns.
3. Focus on Phoenix. After almost a decade of disaster, public servants deserve a paycheque they can trust.
4. Provide $1 million of ongoing support for our career tool Navigar to help workers remain agile and ready to embrace the future.
5. Fix federal healthcare with fully funded and permanent public-sector solutions.
6. Invest $1.4 billion in Research and Development within federal departments and agencies to reverse negative trends.
7. Institute a set of 6 tax fairness policies in response to the growing economic adversity facing Canadians and the current tax structure that enables tax avoidance.