Ottawa cuts civil service jobs in Nunavut, other territories

A total of 64 Government of Canada workers in the northern territories may have lost their jobs April 30, as the impact of the Harper government’s recent budget is felt close to home.

Seventeen out of 25 potential cuts for the Aboriginal Affairs Northern Development in the North are in Iqaluit, said Geoff Ryan, a regional vice president for the Public Service Alliance of Canada in the North. Six jobs, previously announced, have been cut at CBC North and two jobs in Parks might also face cuts.

Some of the jobs being affected might have a “surplus status,” where intermediate employees are appointed to another position until their status is rescinded, until they resign, until their status is removed or until a specific pre-determined lay-off date is met.

Others will lose their jobs immediately.

ln all, 3,872 federal civil servants across Canada have received notices of possible layoffs.

Ryan, who talked to Nunatsiaq News from a somber PSAC conference in Ottawa, is livid about the government’s plan to cut workers

“I think it’s harsh, and [even more so] when you realize these cuts are funding corporations and buying fighter jets,” said Ryan. “I think the Conservative government has it backwards. They should be spending money on public service and not fighter jets or putting aboriginal people in jail.”

Most people are upset that they cannot provide for their families anymore, Ryan said.

“It’s very stressful days. I’ve had people come to me saying it’s not just my job, it’s my life,” said Ryan. “One woman here is from the Yukon, she’s in her early 50s, been a government employee for over 20 years, she’s a single mom of two teenage girls, and they told her that her job is gone.”

Ryan also said the cuts could severely damage the Northern economy. People might leave because of them, and there is then less tax being paid to local governments.

“These cuts are impacting peoples lives and their families. These people will then end up leaving the North, which will start a ripple effect [on the economy].”