The Union obtained a near 50% return on the ballots sent out and 96% of Customs staff, which includes Customs, Trade, Intelligence and Investigations Officers, voted they had lost confidence in these two (2) senior managers.

Though not at all surprised with the results, CEUDA’s National President Ron Moran stated in Ottawa today that “the non-confidence this country’s first line of defence staff have in their senior managers is such that it can only compromise Canada as a country.”

“There are currently too many outstanding labour issues in the Customs service,” Moran went on to say.  CCRA Commissioner Wright stated to a Staff Relations Board last year that, in his view, the primary role of Customs remains tax collecting and not public security.  “That statement clearly identifies the fundamental reason behind the countless problems in the Customs service,” stated Moran.  “The CCRA is trying to run what is clearly, to everyone else, a law enforcement service as though it were a bank.”

Our members are not provided with the proper tools or the proper protective equipment.  They are replaced by students who never receive the full training and who sometimes work the frontline not having obtained their security clearance.  Staffing and job classification levels are such that employees are fed up and infuriated. “Morale is at an all time low, and the quality of the work being performed can only suffer from this,” said Moran.

“We appeared before seven (7) Senate and House of Commons Committees last year and stated that border security is an illusion, it’s a myth.  Instead of addressing the issues, the CCRA has now engaged in trying to intimidate our more militant and vocal members … which only adds fuel to the fire,” concluded Moran.

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