To: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Treasury Board President Anita Anand
Stop the Forced Return to Office: Protect Our Environment and Workers' Rights
The Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) has recently mandated that Canadian public servants return to the office three days a week—a decision made without consulting employees or unions. This policy shift has serious consequences for both the environment and workers' rights, affecting all Canadians.
Why This Matters:
1. Environmental Impact:
The forced return to office will drastically increase commuting times, leading to higher carbon emissions, fuel consumption, and traffic congestion—particularly in cities like Ottawa, where an ongoing public transit crisis is already pushing more people to commute by car. This decision undermines Canada's efforts to combat climate change, increasing the carbon footprint of public servants by up to 50%.
The forced return to office will drastically increase commuting times, leading to higher carbon emissions, fuel consumption, and traffic congestion—particularly in cities like Ottawa, where an ongoing public transit crisis is already pushing more people to commute by car. This decision undermines Canada's efforts to combat climate change, increasing the carbon footprint of public servants by up to 50%.
2. Labour Rights:
By implementing this policy without consulting workers or unions, the government has disregarded the rights of public servants to have a say in their working conditions. Remote work has proven benefits: reducing environmental harm, increasing work-life balance, and boosting productivity. The forced return undermines these gains, setting a dangerous precedent for labor rights across the country.
By implementing this policy without consulting workers or unions, the government has disregarded the rights of public servants to have a say in their working conditions. Remote work has proven benefits: reducing environmental harm, increasing work-life balance, and boosting productivity. The forced return undermines these gains, setting a dangerous precedent for labor rights across the country.
We Call on the Government to:
- Reconsider the TBS return-to-office mandate and explore alternative, flexible work-from-home policies that reduce the environmental impact of commuting.
- Engage in meaningful consultations with public servants and unions before making any further decisions on workplace arrangements.
- Prioritize climate-friendly policies that support Canada's environmental goals, while protecting the rights of workers to safe, flexible, and sustainable working conditions.
Public servants shouldn’t be forced to make choices that harm our environment and infringe on their rights. Stand with us in urging the government to protect both our planet and our workers.
Sign this petition to demand that the government reverse the TBS mandate and create policies that prioritize sustainability, workers' rights, and the well-being of all Canadians.
Why is this important?
The forced return to office will increase pollution, worsen traffic, and undermine Canada’s climate goals. At the same time, it erodes the labor rights of public servants by ignoring their voices and disrupting the work-life balance that has benefited so many during the pandemic. This decision affects us all—by harming our environment, straining public infrastructure, and setting a harmful precedent for workers' rights across the country. Canadians deserve sustainable, fair policies that protect both our planet and our people.