News Releases:
Jobs cuts at CFIA will lead to a food safety crisis in Canada
For Immediate Release Ottawa, January 28, 2026 – Yesterday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced sweeping job cuts as part of a government-wide expenditure review ordered by Mark Carney. The Agriculture Union categorically denounces these cuts,...
Cuts to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Harm Workers, Farms and the Planet
For Immediate Release Ottawa, January 26, 2026 - The Agriculture Union unequivocally denounces the recent job cuts at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), impacting roughly 1043 people across the country. Our union represents 2,500 employees at AAFC, all of whom...
Demystifying your collective agreement – family leave
In this semi-regular section of the newsletter, we’ll take a deeper dive into your collective agreement, and explain some of the most commonly misunderstood articles. Your collective agreement is your best protection in the workplace, and so it’s all the more...
Truth, reconciliation and indigenous food sovereignty
September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, also known as Orange Shirt Day. It is a time to honour residential school survivors, remember those who never returned home, and reflect on the histories of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis...
Getting active, getting local
Get involved in your Agriculture Union local today! It can be fun, exciting, and a great way to learn new skills and get to know your colleagues better Locals are the beating heart of the Agriculture Union – YOUR union. Large national unions can sometimes seem like...
CFIA: Work in COVID-infected meat plants, or else
CFIA is ordering its staff to work in facilities that are not safe, and without the proper personal protective gear.
Union News:
Canada’s food strategy leaves safety behind
On June 11, 2026, the Canadian government published its new National Food Security Strategy. The strategy had been announced in the government’s Spring Economic Update, and the details were finally made available to the public. The strategy contains several measures...
CFIA bargaining: first bargaining days set
[The following article was posted to the PSAC website on June 18, 2026] The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has agreed to meet the Agriculture Union (PSAC-AGR) bargaining team on September 22 and 23 for a first...
Local 60006 shows support for their bargaining team
Agriculture Union 60006 (AAFC & CFIA Fredericton, NB) recently organized a bargaining and mobilization gathering to demonstrate their support for the Treasury Board bargaining teams represented within the local. June 2 was selected as the date, as one of our...
Buried in Bill C-30: New Powers Could Exempt Companies from Food Safety Laws, Unions Warn
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Buried in Bill C-30: New Powers Could Exempt Companies from Food Safety Laws, Unions Warn OTTAWA, June 8, 2026 – Unions representing federal food inspectors, scientists, and regulatory professionals are warning that sweeping new powers...
World Food Safety Day – a message from the president
Today, June 7th, is World Food Safety Day. It is a day marked by invisibility. When food systems work well, we don’t notice them. You cook, you eat, and you go on about your day. We don’t think too much about it, until we get sick. What this invisibility hides are the...
new podcast episode on food safety first
The National President and 1st V-P of the Agriculture Union, Milton Dyck and Patrick St-Georges, recently joined the Union of Safety and Justice Employees' (USJE) podcast "The Union Safety Net". Milton and Pat were special guests in studio to talk about our new Food...
As food safety crisis looms, workers launch campaign to protect food inspectors and agricultural science
For Immediate Release Ottawa – May 19, 2026 – Food recalls are up 150%, a federal allergy testing lab is on the chopping block, and seven agricultural research farms—some over a century old—are set to close. Today, federal workers in food inspection and agricultural...
Parliamentary Committee Report Confirms Farm Research Centre Closures Threaten Jobs, Agriculture, and Food Security
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa, May 7, 2026 — The Agriculture Union says a new report from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri‑Food confirms what agricultural workers and communities across Canada have been saying for months: planned closures...
For media requests, please contact:
Aaron Lakoff
343-596-4400
LakoffA@psac-afpc.com