Thursday, 09 February 2012 10:09
OTTAWA, February 9, 2012 – Senator Maria Chaput asked the government, during Question Period, for answers about the massive restructuring of Service Canada, which will result in the closure of 98 offices across Canada over the next three years.
Last year the government provided the communities with contradictory information about the Service Canada reorganization. Now with the closure of 98 of the 120 employment insurance claim processing centres and the elimination of 600 positions, Senator Chaput is working to ensure that the communities are fully informed.
An information request has therefore been submitted to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, calling for a complete portrait of the communities that will be affected by these cuts. Also requested was the exact number of offices and positions designated bilingual that will be affected. Senator Chaput promises to share this information with all Canadians on her website, www.mariachaput.ca, as soon as she receives it. These cuts are of particular concern since Service Canada has long served as a model given its commitment to official-language minority communities.
Senator Chaput also has some concerns about the appropriateness of the decision to cut 600 Service Canada employees responsible for processing employment insurance claims at a time when 80,000 claims are significantly delayed and the government has been forced to reassign an additional 400 employees to claims processing in recent months. The announcement that the already inadequate workforce is being slashed is therefore alarming. Senator Chaput believes that budget cuts, while necessary, should not be carried out in a way that disproportionately affects Canadian workers.
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For an interview with the senator, please contact:
Suzanne Belliveau at 613-943-2435 or by email:
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