Our PA bargaining team spent three days in mediation with Treasury Board, April 28– 30. While we did see some minor movement at the table after months of delay, most of it was limited to editorial matters. The employer remained focused on pushing concessions instead of seriously addressing members’ priorities. 

Talks came to a screeching halt when Treasury Board tabled an insulting wage offer more than four months after receiving our economic proposal. In light of the disrespect the employer has shown with this proposal and throughout the process, our PA bargaining team is assessing next steps. 

The employer’s offer includes: 

• 2.0% in 2025 
• 0.5% in 2026 
• 0.5% in 2027 
• 0.5% in 2028 

The proposal amounts to less than 1% per year. It’s a clear pay cut at a time when the cost of living has far outpaced wages. It also sends a clear message about how little value the employer places on the work you do every day to deliver critical public services across the country. 

PSAC's wage proposal, tabled in December, called for economic increases of 4.75% per year.  Without supporting Canada’s federal public service workers, projects like Prime Minister Carney’s “Build Canada Strong” plan are set to fail. Slashing public services and offering pay cuts to the workers who provide them plainly shows this government’s disrespect for the services that keep our country running. Public service workers deserve better. 

Cost of living continues to outpace wages 

Over the past several years, the cost of living has soared with food, housing, and everyday essentials rising well above typical wage growth.  

While wages in the federal public service have historically aligned with inflation, that pattern has been thrown out the window. Instead, you are being asked to absorb the impact of sustained inflation without meaningful wage adjustment. 

The federal government regularly talks about affordability and cost-of-living pressures across the country. But when it comes to federal public service workers, the wage offer on the table tells a different story. It would make life less affordable for the people who deliver federal public services every day. 

Recent private-sector wage settlements come in well above what is being offered here, averaging 4.4% in 2024, 3.9% in 2025, and 4.2% in 2026. This is what the government used to set the wages for its MPs. Those increases are designed to keep pace with changing economic conditions. Federal public service workers deserve the same fair treatment 

More delays and game playing 

The fact that it took this long to receive a wage offer is a clear indication of how seriously Treasury Board is taking this process.  

Throughout bargaining, the employer has continued to stall on key issues, including job security and remote work, while repeatedly asking for more information on proposals that have already been fully explained at the table. Instead of moving negotiations forward, they are finding new ways to slow the process down. 

Our members aren't asking for anything unreasonable. Our proposals are about fairness, transparency, and respect, which are all values this government claims to support. If we are going to make progress, Treasury Board needs to stop stalling and start bargaining seriously. 

Members demonstrate solidarity 

As mediation for the PA Group and bargaining for the SV and TC Groups were underway, PSAC members across the country sent a powerful message to the employer during our National Day of Solidarity. 

Thousands of members wore black in solidarity with their bargaining teams, filling workplaces, video calls, and social media feeds with a visible show of support and unity.  

It was a powerful demonstration of what we can achieve when we act together, and it sent a clear signal that members are engaged, organized, and paying attention to what’s happening at the bargaining table. 

Continue to show your support, stay engaged, and make it clear that members will not accept the employer’s insulting approach to collective bargaining. 

Keep the momentum going 

Bargaining power doesn't come from the table alone. It comes from members staying informed, connected, and ready to take action. 

Here's what you can do next: 

• Visit your bargaining page to read our proposals, meet your team, and sign up for updates. 
• Invite a bargaining team member to your next union meeting or event. 
• Show your support at work and online with our "I Support My Bargaining Team" materials. 
• Watch and share our new video series on the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act, and learn why PSAC is fighting to modernize federal labour laws. 
• Connect with your PSAC regional office to learn about upcoming events and actions. 

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