The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) formally served the Treasury Board with a notice to bargain on 28 February on behalf of more than 9,000 border services officers in the FB bargaining unit. Delegates from every Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) branch will convene in Ottawa from 24–26 March to set priorities and elect a negotiating team; the current collective agreement expires on 20 June 2026.
During the last round of talks, year-long job-action threats caused significant slow-downs at land crossings and airports, spurring contingency staffing by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). This time, key issues include wage parity with other law-enforcement bodies, retirement eligibility at 25 years’ service and reclassification of front-line positions.
While a work-to-rule campaign would be months away, corporate travel departments should track bargaining milestones. Even limited overtime bans can create cascading line-ups at Toronto Pearson and Vancouver International, jeopardising tight connections for high-value executives and cargo.
![CBSA Front-Line Officers File Notice to Bargain, Raising Spectre of Summer Border Slow-Downs]()
For organisations and individual travellers who want an extra layer of certainty as staffing disruptions loom, VisaHQ’s online platform can streamline Canadian visa, eTA and work-permit applications with real-time tracking and expert support—visit https://www.visahq.com/canada/ for quick, up-to-date assistance.
Employers moving talent across the border should build in additional lead time for port-of-entry work-permit issuances from late spring onward and consider flag-poling alternatives via smaller crossings. Logistics teams may also pre-clear shipments through trusted-trader programmes like C-TPAT and FAST to mitigate potential disruptions.
The notice to bargain is only the opening bell, but with cross-border trade approaching C$3 billion daily, even minor delays could ripple through supply chains and corporate relocation schedules.
During the last round of talks, year-long job-action threats caused significant slow-downs at land crossings and airports, spurring contingency staffing by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). This time, key issues include wage parity with other law-enforcement bodies, retirement eligibility at 25 years’ service and reclassification of front-line positions.
While a work-to-rule campaign would be months away, corporate travel departments should track bargaining milestones. Even limited overtime bans can create cascading line-ups at Toronto Pearson and Vancouver International, jeopardising tight connections for high-value executives and cargo.
For organisations and individual travellers who want an extra layer of certainty as staffing disruptions loom, VisaHQ’s online platform can streamline Canadian visa, eTA and work-permit applications with real-time tracking and expert support—visit https://www.visahq.com/canada/ for quick, up-to-date assistance.
Employers moving talent across the border should build in additional lead time for port-of-entry work-permit issuances from late spring onward and consider flag-poling alternatives via smaller crossings. Logistics teams may also pre-clear shipments through trusted-trader programmes like C-TPAT and FAST to mitigate potential disruptions.
The notice to bargain is only the opening bell, but with cross-border trade approaching C$3 billion daily, even minor delays could ripple through supply chains and corporate relocation schedules.
