Government cutting 100 food-safety inspectors
OTTAWA — Canada's food-safety inspection force will shrink by as many as 100 inspectors — cuts the workers' union says will have an impact on the safety of food purchased by Canadians.
The union representing food inspectors says the cuts, to be implemented over three years to help save the Canadian Food Inspection Agency $56 million in operating costs by 2014-15, will reverse increases to the inspection force that were put in place in response to the deadly listeriosis outbreak in 2008.
"This decision will make the inspector shortage worse, not better. And because the government has failed to consult its own inspectors, they are cutting food safety blindly with little understanding of the consequences," Bob Kingston, president of the Agriculture Union of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said Wednesday.
Overall, the food-inspection agency will be cutting 308 employees as a result of the cuts announced in the Conservative government's budget, unveiled last month.
This includes veterinarians, who are in charge of inspecting and certifying animals and meat products, as well as members of the agency's scientific and analytic group.
Kingston said the agency is emphasizing that about half of the positions to be cut are from the workforce in Ottawa and will have little impact on food safety. But Kingston said he doesn't buy it, adding the work done by many of them has a direct impact on the safety of food purchased by Canadians.
For example, he cited the Ottawa-based unit responsible for approving meat product labels, which will be dismantled in favour of "downstream enforcement" involving inspectors catching fraudulent claims when products hit stores shelves.
"After these cuts, Canadians can expect more fraudulent meat labels like we have seen for other products because CFIA pre-approval of meat product labels will be eliminated," Kingston said.
In addition to CFIA, at least nine of other federal departments or agencies are expected to send notices Wednesday to hundreds of employees across the country that their jobs will be "affected" by the $5.2 billion in spending cuts unveiled in the federal budget.
According to the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, they include: Agriculture Canada, Canadian Space Agency, Canada Border Services Agency, Citizenship and Immigration, Correctional Service Canada, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Industry Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada and Treasury Board.
Others say town hall-style meetings are scheduled this week at Veterans Affairs Canada, Health Canada, Canada Border Services Agency and the Canadian International Development Agency to brief employees on future plans.
In the budget, the government downplayed the 19,200 job losses and spending cuts and argued 70 per cent of the $5.2 billion will be savings in operations. It is banking on savings from three streams — a refocus on programs it provides; cutting red tape and modernizing and reducing "back-office" operations.
Back office typically refers to internal services that all departments use, such as finance, human resources, information technology, communications and procurement.
Corbett said the notices are being issued to nurses, chemists, psychologists, biologists, doctors, veterinarians, historical researchers, procurement officers and engineers. About 344 of the more than 14,000 computer systems and IT specialists who work in government have received notices but they are from departments rather than Shared Services Canada, whose mandate is to consolidate and streamline all back office or internal services.
About 37 per cent of the government's 600 defence scientists, all of whom work at the Department of National Defence, have been sent notices. About 24 per cent of federal veterinarians, all at CFIA, and 18 per cent of the food-inspection agency's scientific and analytical group, received notices.
Government cutting 100 food-safety inspectors
OTTAWA — Canada's food-safety inspection force will shrink by as many as 100 inspectors — cuts the workers' union says will have an impact on the safety of food purchased by Canadians.
The union representing food inspectors says the cuts, to be implemented over three years to help save the Canadian Food Inspection Agency $56 million in operating costs by 2014-15, will reverse increases to the inspection force that were put in place in response to the deadly listeriosis outbreak in 2008.
"This decision will make the inspector shortage worse, not better. And because the government has failed to consult its own inspectors, they are cutting food safety blindly with little understanding of the consequences," Bob Kingston, president of the Agriculture Union of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said Wednesday.
Overall, the food-inspection agency will be cutting 308 employees as a result of the cuts announced in the Conservative government's budget, unveiled last month.
This includes veterinarians, who are in charge of inspecting and certifying animals and meat products, as well as members of the agency's scientific and analytic group.
Kingston said the agency is emphasizing that about half of the positions to be cut are from the workforce in Ottawa and will have little impact on food safety. But Kingston said he doesn't buy it, adding the work done by many of them has a direct impact on the safety of food purchased by Canadians.
For example, he cited the Ottawa-based unit responsible for approving meat product labels, which will be dismantled in favour of "downstream enforcement" involving inspectors catching fraudulent claims when products hit stores shelves.
"After these cuts, Canadians can expect more fraudulent meat labels like we have seen for other products because CFIA pre-approval of meat product labels will be eliminated," Kingston said.
In addition to CFIA, at least nine of other federal departments or agencies are expected to send notices Wednesday to hundreds of employees across the country that their jobs will be "affected" by the $5.2 billion in spending cuts unveiled in the federal budget.
According to the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, they include: Agriculture Canada, Canadian Space Agency, Canada Border Services Agency, Citizenship and Immigration, Correctional Service Canada, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Industry Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada and Treasury Board.
Others say town hall-style meetings are scheduled this week at Veterans Affairs Canada, Health Canada, Canada Border Services Agency and the Canadian International Development Agency to brief employees on future plans.
In the budget, the government downplayed the 19,200 job losses and spending cuts and argued 70 per cent of the $5.2 billion will be savings in operations. It is banking on savings from three streams — a refocus on programs it provides; cutting red tape and modernizing and reducing "back-office" operations.
Back office typically refers to internal services that all departments use, such as finance, human resources, information technology, communications and procurement.
Corbett said the notices are being issued to nurses, chemists, psychologists, biologists, doctors, veterinarians, historical researchers, procurement officers and engineers. About 344 of the more than 14,000 computer systems and IT specialists who work in government have received notices but they are from departments rather than Shared Services Canada, whose mandate is to consolidate and streamline all back office or internal services.
About 37 per cent of the government's 600 defence scientists, all of whom work at the Department of National Defence, have been sent notices. About 24 per cent of federal veterinarians, all at CFIA, and 18 per cent of the food-inspection agency's scientific and analytical group, received notices.
Government cutting 100 food-safety inspectors
