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Canadian Customs
Officers do US Customs work for half the pay “Our members will be checking travellers and commercial exports heading into the US, before they enter the US,” says Ron Moran, National President of the Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise, representing 10,000 members Canada-wide, of which 4,200 are Canada’s front-line Customs Officers, “and they’ll be doing this to assist the Americans, at the request of the US. Americans asked Canada for security assistance as US Democrats hold their National Convention this week in Boston.” US Customs Officers are paid $61,000 USD while Canadian Customs Officers are paid $48,000 CDN – or 58% what their American counter-parts are paid. “The disparity between US and Canadian Customs Officers just shows you how little the Canadian government seems to value border security and the people it employs to provide it,” explains Moran. Everyone is now aware that, for the past few months, those who work as Intelligence, Trade, Investigations, and front-line Customs Officers in Canada have been protesting to obtain the job reclassification that was promised to them more than four years ago, when Criminal Code enforcement became a part of their duties. Asking them to do the enforcement duties that would be worth almost twice as much as if carried out by US Officers 600 feet down the road now represents the latest slap in the face for Canadian Customs Officers. “Tempers are understandably higher then they have ever been,” says Moran. - 30 - |
