Today’s letter: PSAC wage demands on Canadian civil servants

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Would you like to raise your nurse’s salary?

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Re: Negotiations are stalled as the civil servant union wants a 13.5% wage increase over the three years of May 18.

I’m so angry that PSAC threatens to strike, so I can’t say a word about how angry I am. By comparison, nurses counting on COVID-19 for the past two years or more receive a 1 percent annual salary increase. They were overworked and forced to wear masks on a 12-hour shift, and many became infected with COVID as a result of their work. Is 1% fair when living expenses rise by 6.8%? Absolutely not.

Deborah Brehme, Nepean

Revise the civil servant pension system

PSAC seems to want a 13.5% wage increase over four years. I say give them that, but as a trade-off, I am amending their defined benefit pension plan to a defined contribution pension plan.

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This modernization of their pension system will keep them in line with the majority of Canadians who have a pension system (many employees do not have a pension system at all). I think federal politicians should take leadership in this area and change their plans. Public service privileges must be terminated.

Brian Tuscona, Ottawa

Listen to us about the environment, right?

Recently, while my morning dog was walking along the beautiful Rideau River between Sandy Hill and the neighborhood of Overbrook, an NCC landscaping crew used a gas-powered weed wacker around signs and large rocks. I saw him mowing the grass. Two RCMP vehicles idling in the parking lot for more than 30 minutes.

Our politicians can sign all the environmental agreements they want, but if our own government agencies don’t talk, who will?

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Christine Aubry, Ottawa

Refugee doctors need to take a break

Re: This Afghan doctor and his family fled to Ottawa as refugees five months ago. He has already given back on May 18th.

This article shows one man’s difficult path to getting a doctor’s license in Canada. He is an Afghan refugee and had a hard time finding a job he could work for before being hired by the desired shepherd. This is the story of many other foreign trained doctors who cannot afford to train here for another four years and are currently working in other areas. Many are engaged in low-paying domestic work, further complicating their ability to carry out more years of research. I admire his tenacity.

Given the chronic shortage of doctors, does it make sense to hire them as doctors’ assistants? This will give them the opportunity to work under the guidance of a trained Canadian doctor while gaining valuable experience. It is also an opportunity to observe if they are likely to be good doctors or mediocre doctors.

Patrick McCartney, Ottawa