As you are no doubt aware, 155,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) have been on strike since last Wednesday.
The intent of this page is to provide you with some factual information on the impacts to various Government of Canada services affected by the strike – which has been provided to Members of Parliament by Service Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
- CPP, OAS, and EI payments will continue to be processed as usual by Service Canada. New applications to any of these programs will likely experience additional processing delays.
- Canada Child Benefit (CCB), GST Credit, and Carbon Tax rebates will continue to be processed by the CRA. New applications to any of these programs will likely experience additional processing delays.
- Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) applications (including permanent residency, travel visa, etc.) continue to be processed, however there will be additional delays.
- Service Canada offices offering in person assistance are operating with reduced personnel and with some service limitations during the strike. Click here for a list of offices and the most updated information.
- Passport Applications will only be processed if the applicant demonstrates that the passport is needed because of risk of financial hardship, travel being needed for employment, medical treatments, or bereavement. I would suggest, if you do not fit the above criteria, to wait until after the strike concludes before applying for or renewing your passport.
- Government of Canada’s central call centre – 1-800-O-Canada – will continue to operate, however, expect longer wait times.
- CRA’s Individual Tax enquiries line will continue to operate with fewer agents.
- CRA’s Business Tax enquiries line, Debt Management line and the online chat tool will be closed for the duration of the strike.
- Tax returns filed via paper and mailed to CRA will not be opened until the strike concludes.
Ordinarily, my office can support constituents who are seeking resolution to files with the CRA, IRCC or with Service Canada when processing timeframes have been exceeded. During the strike, these departments have indicated that processing timeframes cannot be honoured, therefore, I ask that unless your situation falls under the criteria as outlined, you refrain from requesting intervention on your file until this situation has been settled.