Canadian businesses push Ottawa to bring workers back to office

November 1, 2022

A group of 32 business associations is calling on Ottawa to bring public sector employees back to their places of work.

While many employers have implemented return-to-the-workplace plans, some governments are “significantly lagging” in this regard, say the business leaders in an open letter to Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board Secretariat.

“We call upon all governments that have not implemented plans to bring their employees back to do so as rapidly as possible,” say the leaders who include Bob Masterson, president and CEO of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada; Carol West, president and CEO of the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers; and Sandra Marsden, president of the Canadian Sugar Institute.

“The federal government is not only a major employer in cities and communities across Canada, but in many places it is the anchor employer. As businesses in these communities assess their long-term viability given the pandemic’s damaging effects on downtown centres, restoring normal economic activity requires the federal government to act now.”

Source: HR Reporter