So that’s the financial situation for PSAC
They spent $7.5M yesterday on strike pay and judging by the good crowds today, they're in the same ballpark again
That means if this goes on for a while, they’ll either need to dip into reserves or get help from friends #cdnpoli
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Mackenzie Gray
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National Reporter with & covering Parliament Hill | Always in a white shirt
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PSAC could get donations from other unions to help them pay members to keep striking
CUPE has a $135 M strike fund
UNIFOR has a $143 M strike fund
UNIFOR did give the Ontario teachers $100K last year but PSAC would need significantly more. #cdnpoli
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PSAC does have an additional $128M in their general fund as of 2021.
If they used that money and kept paying members $75 daily, they'd be out of cash in 23 days at the current attendance level and in 41 days at the 50% attendance level #cdnpoli
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PSAC will tell you (as they did on a Reddit AMA, image below), the strike fund number doesn’t tell the full story.
It’s not the only line item they can draw from and other unions will donate to them to help cover costs.
Let’s break that down #cdnpoli
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Let’s say enthusiasm for the strike drops a bit, and PSAC only gets an average of 50% attendance from the 112K members eligible to walk out.
The strike fund is empty at 10.7 days. #cdnpoli
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PSAC's strike fund had $43M in it as of 2021, as per their most recent financial documents. I assumed a 4% jump in 2022 (comparable to previous years), and bumped it to $45M.
If they average the same 89% attendance rate they got yesterday, the strike fund runs out in 6 days
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While PSAC wants a big crowd out picketing, they are paying those members to show up.
It’s $75 a day in strike pay for a four-hour shift, which if current attendance rates stay as they are, could blow through their strike fund relatively quickly #cdnpoli
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Last night, PSAC posted on Twitter and Instagram (then deleted) that 100,000 members showed up to picket yesterday, which a great turnout.
That’s an 89% attendance rate, based on the 112K members who can strike. (112K is what the feds told is non-essential workers) #cdnpoli
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🧵🧵🧵PSAC President Chris Aylward has said they can strike as long as needed to get the deal they want but with each passing day, costs for the union rack up.
I did some math on PSAC’s financial position and here's a quick thread how that could impact the strike #cdnpoli
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Day 1 of one of the biggest federal worker strikes in Cdn history. We look at what civil servants are asking for and what services are being disrupted. #cdnpoli
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My friend spoke to a number of folks at the picket lines today in Ottawa
"Going to work is risking getting sick, I feel like working at home you're still completing your day-to-day tasks, so I think as public servants, we should have the option to choose"
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We were out speaking to striking federal workers today in Ottawa about their demands. Wage hikes and rights to remote work were the main asks. #cdnpoli
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Looks like picketing for the PSAC strike is operate on traditional government business hours #cdnpoli
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All the TV News had the same idea, shoot story sign offs/go live from parliament hill for the PSAC strike.
Workers need to be on the picket line for at least 4 hours to get daily strike pay.
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Martine Richard has resigned as interim ethics commissioner.
Ms. Richard is Dominic Leblanc’s sister-in-law #cdnpoli
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Passport processing is one of the major service interruptions because of the strike.
Karina Gould, the minister responsible, says they receive and process roughly 85K passport applications a week.
If the strike drags on, there could be a substantial backlog #cdnpoli
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PSAC President Chris Aylward won't say if the union has come off their ask of 13.5% wage increase over 3 years or if he's willing to accept a tentative agreement without the right to work from home as a part of the collective agreement #cdnpoli
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The CRA says they offered tax workers now on strike a 9% wage increase over 3 years.
The PSAC-UTE countered with a proposal of 22.5% over 3 years #cdnpoli
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The Canada Revenue Agency responds to the Public Service Alliance of Canada–Union of Taxation Employees’ strike action
ow.ly/mwfP104Ehkm
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There are 250 picket lines across the country, including in front of the Prime Minister’s office.
Not many people here outside PMO, it looks like most people are going up to the hill but the folks who are here, are mainly sitting down #cdnpoli
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Along O’Connor at Wellington (which has been closed since the Convoy), there are porta-potties and small offices where picketers need to sign in and get PSAC swag.
If PSAC members don’t sign in for their four hour shift, they don’t get their $75 a day in strike pay #cdnpolj
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There are maybe 2000ish PSAC picketers up here on Parliament Hill but there is pretty limited enthusiasm.
Some music is playing as folks quietly walk around in a circle on the lawn in front of Centre Block #cdnpoli
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155,000 Public Servants are about to go on strike, after the feds and the Public Service Alliance of Canada couldn't come to a deal by the union's 9 PM deadline.
Here's my late night file on how the strike will impact federal services and what the picketing plans are #cdnpoli
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PSAC and the federal government haven’t come to a deal.
There will be a strike starting at 12:01 AM #cdnpoli
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CBC and SRC are pausing their activities on Twitter #cdnpoli
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Our journalism is impartial and independent. To suggest otherwise is untrue. That is why we are pausing our activities on @Twitter. | Notre journalisme est impartial et indépendant. Prétendre le contraire est faux. C’est pourquoi nous suspendons nos activités sur @Twitter.
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There was no vote on the motion cause the committee moved onto other business but both the Liberals and the NDP were not supportive of the motion, saying they should leave it to the AG to do their review of the donation to the Trudeau Foundation instead. #cdnpoli
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At the Public Accounts committee, CPC MP Garnett Genuis has moved a motion calling for a study into the Pierre Trudeau Foundation.
He is calling for Former CEO’s Morris Rosenberg and Pascale Fournier, the AG, the Revenue Minister and the Industry Minister to testify #cdnpoli
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At the Public Accounts committee, CPC MP Garnett Genuis has moved a motion calling for a study into the Pierre Trudeau Foundation.
He is calling for Former CEO’s Morris Rosenberg and Pascale Fournier, the AG, the Revenue Minister and the Industry Minister to testify #cdnpoli
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PSAC sets a deadline: If there is no deal on a new contract by Tuesday APR 18 at 9 pm, 150K-odd federal goverment workers will strike as of Wednesday.
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The feds have said they will bring in a foreign agents registry to try and help deal with foreign interference, but a backbench Liberal MP, has sponsored a petition calling on the government to reconsider.
Here's my story on why Chandra Arya doesn't want a registry #cdnpoli
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From the start of her testimony, Katie Telford made it clear she wouldn’t be able to say much about alleged Chinese electoral interference but did say, no info is ever held back from the PM
Here’s my story on the testimony, including a new interference allegations by a CPC MP
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CPC MP Michael Cooper says Fmr. CPC MP from Markham-Unionville Bob Saroya got a text message from the Chinese Consul General in Toronto saying he would “no longer be a member of Parliament after the 2021 election.”
Telford couldn't speak to it cause of security reasons #cdnpoli
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I said some words on TV for the first time. Thanks @CTV_PowerPlay for having me!
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BoC Governor Tiff Macklem warned interest rates might stay higher, for longer, saying it’s unlikely the Bank would cut their key rate this year
Here’s my story on why the Bank held rates for the 2nd consecutive meeting and when they think inflation will be under control #cdnpoli
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BoC Gov. Tiff Macklem is speaking with reporters and warned that interest rates could stay higher, for longer, than expected.
Macklem says the market believes there could be a interest rate cut later this year but "that doesn’t look today to our most likely scenario to us"
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The Bank of Canada has kept their key interest rate unchanged at 4.5%.
They are also projecting Canada won’t go into a recession over the next three years and that inflation will be below 3% by the end of the 2023, increasing the chances of a so-called soft landing #cdnpoli
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But the BoC does warn their inflation projections are “subject to considerable uncertainty” and say getting inflation from 3% to their 2% target, will be more challenging.
If it doesn’t get there, they say they're willing to raise rates further to get to the 2% target #cdnpoli
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The Bank of Canada has kept their key interest rate unchanged at 4.5%.
They are also projecting Canada won’t go into a recession over the next three years and that inflation will be below 3% by the end of the 2023, increasing the chances of a so-called soft landing #cdnpoli
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After returning a large donation to a Chinese billionaire with ties to Beijing, there's more turmoil at the Trudeau Foundation. The entire board and CEO resigned this morning, saying it’s impossible to do their job in the current political climate
Here’s my story on the latest i
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PMJT says he's "certain" the Trudeau Foundation will be able to continue it's mission, despite the entire board and CEO resigning this morning, in the wake of returning a donation from a Chinese billionaire. #cdnpoli
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To pay me back for my time as her stylist, treated me to a House of Georgie's slice with gravy on top of it, which is an Ottawa intuition.
I’d love to chat to chat more about this but unfortunately, gravy on pizza is not up for discussion!
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Sure sign the house isn’t sitting, newsroom field trip to House of Georgie @Gray_Mackenzie @TouriaIzri
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For any eagle eyed viewers, you might noticed that I'm wearing the same blazer that my friend did on last nights show!
I helped her out with a little fashion emergency!
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I forgot my blazer yesterday and @Gray_Mackenzie the fashion saviour lent me his and saved the day.
Who wore it better?
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Special Rapporteur David Johnston has been handed a broad mandate by the PM to investigate foreign electoral interference, including what PMJT and his office knew about interference and what they did or didn't do about it.
Here's my story on the latest interference news #cdnpoli
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Advocates say now is the time to boost HIV funding, so why was there no new money allocated in #Budget2023? Happy to bring my pitch to life on the broadcast and online! Getting to work with my friend was the icing on the cake😊
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