On International Women’s Day, we come together to recognise the strength, leadership, and resilience of women across our union and our communities. This day is both a celebration and a call to action, it serves as a reminder that progress is neither accidental nor guaranteed, especially in times of austerity.
Currently, in Canada, the federal government has embarked on cuts to the Federal Public Service. These cuts are short-sighted and impact equity seeking groups harder. This is often because precarious, lower paid, or front line roles are the first to go in workforce adjustments. Workers in directly chartered locals and with separate employers also face similar vulnerabilities, where funding instability and restructuring can threaten jobs and the services they deliver. And these roles are often occupied by women, racialised workers, 2SLGBTQIA+ members, Indigenous workers, persons with disabilities, and other equity‑seeking groups. Not only are these roles essential to delivering the vital public services Canadians rely on every day, but cuts also harm the people who depend on those services.
For example, beyond the cuts impact on our members, they will also deeply and negatively harm the broader Canadian population, where women and other equity‑seeking groups rely heavily on federal programs, benefits, and frontline services. When these services are reduced or delayed, it is women, especially single mothers, newcomers, Indigenous women, racialized women, and women with disabilities, who bear the brunt of the fallout. Further, cuts to areas such as employment insurance processing, immigration services, public health, and community safety nets deepen systemic inequities and increase barriers to economic stability and wellbeing. Therefore, austerity disproportionately harms those who are already navigating inequality, widening the gaps that our public service is meant to help close.
These cuts hit women and other equity-seeking communities twice: as workers delivering services and as people relying on them. Taken together these cuts set women and other marginalised persons further back on the road to economic security and further entrench them in systemic inequities impacting their overall quality of life and well-being.
On this International Women’s Day, we recommit to fighting for a public service that is fully resourced, inclusive, and representative.
We stand in solidarity with all members affected by these cuts, and we call on the Government of Canada to prioritise equity, fairness, and long‑term investment in public services rather than short‑sighted austerity.
Today, we honour the ongoing struggle for gender justice and reaffirm that when we defend public services, we defend the rights, livelihoods, and futures of women and equity‑seeking workers everywhere.
Equity is not optional, it is foundational.
In Solidarity,
Sherry Hunt
Regional Women’s Committee Representative
Prairie Region Council
Marianne Hladun
Regional Executive Vice-President, Prairies
Public Service Alliance of Canada