The letter asserts that because of these situations and effective immediately:

CEUDA is terminating all union management relations with CCRA Commissioner Rob Wright and Assistant Commissioner Denis Lefebvre. The situation is regrettable, but we strongly believe we have reached the point where we have no choice but to formally question the capacity of these two senior officials to lead the Agency's Customs Program.

Situations cited in the letter describe how these two officials,
among other shortfalls, exercised what-the-union-considers-to-be extremely poor judgment when establishing priorities and when managing finances, that they usurped the will or Parliament, and that they engaged in preferential treatment of the Management Group over other groups... ultimately to the detriment of thousands of frontline Customs and Trade employees in the CCRA.

Among incidents described, the letter also exposes the mandarins' deceit, double standards, disrespect, amateurism, and nonchalant denial of facts as key reasons why the union can no longer trust and work with the officials.

All told, these officials' behaviour and cavalier attitudes contributed to the non-confidence vote by the union's members who work in the Trade and Customs streams at the CCRA.  Results of the vote indicated that 96% lack confidence in Messrs. Wright and Lefebvre.   How can Canada Customs, as a law enforcement organization going through a critical period of change and expected to play a vital role in border security, function effectively when the working-level staff have lost confidence in the senior-most managers?

As its broadside, the letter asserts:

A (CCRA) mandate confused by rhetoric unmatched in actions, and a mass of new initiatives driven out at huge costs without adequate planning, consultation, funding, or training, therefore accomplishing little, have considerably demoralized your employees at a time when they need to be focused, motivated, and recognized for their contributions - as has happened without question along with acclaim and praise to their U.S. counterparts.

The union urges Cabinet to give serious consideration to altogether carving out the Customs Program from the CCRA and placing it in a portfolio that would be more consistent with its border protection mandate.

"We want to be clear that we have absolutely nothing against economists and career bureaucrats; however, we strongly believe they should not be placed at the helm of law-enforcement / border security organizations," said Ron Moran from his office this morning.

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