‘Offshoring telecommunications jobs isn’t just a blow to workers, it undermines our digital sovereignty’
A new national alliance of telecommunications workers is calling on the federal government to crack down on the offshoring of Canadian telecom jobs, warning the practice threatens employment, privacy, security and national sovereignty.
The Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance – a coalition of Unifor, the United Steelworkers of Canada (USW) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) – said thousands of positions have been moved overseas by major telecommunications corporations over the past decade.
According to the alliance, almost 20,000 jobs in the telecommunications sector have been outsourced in the last 10 years to countries including the United States, India, the Philippines and Egypt.
“We cannot build a resilient economy while shipping essential work overseas. Offshoring telecommunications jobs isn’t just a blow to workers, it undermines our digital sovereignty,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “We are standing together to demand the federal government protect Canadian jobs and ensure our critical infrastructure is operated and secured by Canadian workers.”
Offshoring Canadian jobs
The alliance argues that offshoring is not only eliminating Canadian jobs, but also increasing risks to Canadians’ personal information. It says large telecommunications companies are using subcontractors abroad “who aren’t subject to Canada’s rules and protections, and entrust them with instant access to Canadians’ personal data.”
“Telecommunications is critical national infrastructure. When jobs in this sector are offshored, it doesn’t just hurt workers – it weakens accountability and puts Canadians’ privacy at risk,” said USW National Director Marty Warren. “Protecting good telecom jobs in Canada is inseparable from protecting our data, our security, and our digital sovereignty.”
Over half (52.2%) of businesses reported that they have outsourced tasks, projects or short contracts in the last 12 months, according to a previous report from Statistics Canada (StatCan).
And larger firms outsource more than small firms: Only 45.5% of businesses with 1–4 employees outsourced any work, compared with 66.8% of businesses with 100 or more employees.
Amid all these, numerous employers in Canada — including the Canadian federal government — have been laying off Canadian workers.
Impact on communities and sovereignty
Mark Hancock, National President of CUPE, said offshoring is undermining communities across the country.
“In this moment where our economy and our sovereignty are facing real threats, we should be doing everything possible to protect good jobs in Canada, rather than rolling over and letting big telcos hollow out our communities and ship livelihoods overseas,” Hancock said.
The alliance describes the telecommunications sector as “an essential sector for Canada’s security and sovereignty, and a vital component of our national infrastructure” and says increasing foreign operational control risks compromising that infrastructure.
Together, Unifor, USW and CUPE represent more than 1.3 million workers, including 32,000 workers in the telecommunications sector.
The alliance is calling for federal legislation to protect Canadian jobs, Canadians’ privacy and the security of Canada’s telecommunications infrastructure.
