Regional Vice President Carol Osborne met with John Williamson, Conservative MP for Saint John-St. Croix, New Brunswick on January 21, 2026.
RVP Osborne requested the meeting in order to ask MP Williamson about the federal budget introduced this past fall – and highlighted her concerns about the Comprehensive Expenditure Review and the impacts it will have on the federal public service employees, specifically, members represented by USJE.
MP Williamson inquired about the work USJE members do. He explained that the top concerns he hears from his constituents are affordability and safer Streets.
RVP Osborne took the opportunity to explain that any cuts to the frontline will impact public safety. She provided a USJE handout highlighting that job cuts and increased workload have the potential to put public safety at risk. MP Williamson explained that he voted against the budget and will be maintaining that stance when Parliament returns this January. While MP Williamson noted that another election would not be beneficial for the public, as a member of the opposition, he explained that they are not in support of the budget.
RVP Osborne spoke about the Early Retirement Incentive that is awaiting royal assent. MP Williamson asked if members are supportive of this. RVP Osborne explained that USJE feels that this circumvents the Workforce Adjustment Appendix in the Collective Agreement. Workforce Adjustment provisions are the result of an intensive bargaining process between the Public Service of Canada and the federal Treasury Board and provides more benefits and support to USJE’s members.
MP Williamson asked about Labour Relations, and RVP Osborne explained that USJE members, like hundreds of thousands of other federal public servants, are currently without a Collective Agreement and therefore in a round of bargaining now.
USJE is hopeful that the Treasury Board will come to the table and agree to a fair contract with PSAC. RVP Osborne noted that the recent public service strike in 2023 was the first one in over 20 years and went longer than expected.
RVP Osborne also spoke about PSAC’s campaign on Remote Work and asked MP Williamson about his stance on this. He explained that he understands the bigger centres need for the Return to Office, but that flexibility was in order. He was not definitive on his stance.
The MP did voice concerns about newer, younger staff who require learning and mentoring from other more seasoned colleagues in the workplace. RVP Osborne took the opportunity to explain that it is frustrating when the employer mandates in office work, however, for the purposes of key training, they have opted to insist on primarily virtual sessions only which don’t offer meaningful in person learning for USJE members. MP Williamson empathized with this.
RVP Osborne thanked MP Williamson for his time and extended an invitation to attend USJE’s 3rd Annual Public Safety Awards Ceremony on Parliament Hill where USJE members are recognized for their work to advance public safety—and for their contributions in their communities. He was very interested and requested additional information on when and where it was being held.
Finally, RVP Osborne extended an invitation for MP Williamson to tour the Parrtown CCC and the Saint Jonn Parole Office. He agreed and indicated that May would be a good time for this visit. An invitation was also extended to visit Federal Institutions in the Region.
MP Williamson was engaged and receptive during the meeting – and open to hearing the concerns raised on behalf of the USJE and PSAC. Both RVP Osborne and the MP agreed that they are looking forward to their next meeting.