Peaceful protest earns disciplinary
action at Customs and Revenue Agency

OTTAWA - The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) spied on its employees, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), when they participated in a peaceful protest, on their own time, on public property and now has disciplined them for demonstrating.

"The CCRA obviously has no understanding of the Charter of Rights as it relates to freedom of expression and freedom of association," declared PSAC National President Nycole Turmel. "Not only did the Agency photograph and tape our members who participated in a legal demonstration, it has also imposed discipline in the form of a letter of reprimand."

After negotiations with CCRA ground to a halt last November, PSAC members started contacting members of the CCRA Board of Management asking to meet them to discuss the outstanding bargaining issues. When the Board member from Alberta refused to meet with the members, 13 of them held a half-hour protest without incident, on public property outside his home business on Saturday, March 31^st. Members of the Board of Management play an active role in the negotiations. A Board sub-committee developed the CCRA’s bargaining mandate which was subsequently approved by the Board of Management as a whole.

According to Turmel, "it is an accepted and legitimate practice in Canada and most countries that hold themselves up as being democratic to allow demonstrations, whether they be outside Parliament, the courts, public institutions, private companies and even the personal residence of those with power over individuals. It’s clear from the CCRA’s actions that Quebec City isn’t the only example of the efforts being made to stifle peaceful protest in Canada."

"In addition to the disciplinary action, CCRA Commissioner Rob Wright has written advising me that ‘the CCRA’s business flexibility has been reduced by the costs of safeguarding the home of the Board members you targeted’," says Turmel. "In other words, those costs will be taken into consideration when the parties return to the bargaining table."

"The fact is there was absolutely no threat to the Board member. Our members had even advised the local police in advance of their plan to demonstrate. In a democracy, it is the role of the police to safeguard individuals and property, not the role of other agencies. The reality is that the costs were associated not with protection but with the surveillance of our members and now Wright wants to pass on the cost of CCRA’s paranoia to them."

Turmel stated, "I have asked Wright to review his position, revoke any disciplinary action and apologize to the members who were called into so-called fact-finding and investigation meetings. Failing that, the PSAC will take whatever action is necessary, whether in the workplace, in the courts, or in Parliament, to challenge the CCRA’s action.

PSAC represents 30,000 employees of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency in two components, the Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise (CEUDA) and the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE).

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For information: Nycole Turmel, PSAC national president, (613) 560-4330
                            Betty Bannon, UTE national president, (613) 235-6704
                            Serge Charette, CEUDA national president (613) 723-8008, ext. 304

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