Federal public servant wages are at the centre of a fight that Andrew Caddell says tells you something about where the government’s priorities actually are.

A New Governor General and a Wage War

Mark Carney is expected to announce a new Governor General, and Andrew Caddell, a former foreign affairs official, runs through the names most likely to be considered, including Louise Arbour and Louise Fréchette, while putting Mary Simon’s tenure in context. On the wage dispute, the federal union called a 3.5% raise over four years insulting. The union’s own ask was 4.75% per year over three years. Andrew Caddell says as a former public servant he finds that number embarrassing, and Lesley Kelly says the private sector precedent being set here matters well beyond the federal workforce.

$7 Tuna and the Receipt Nobody Wants

Lesley Kelly found a can of tuna for almost $7 at her local Saskatchewan grocery store and stopped. Andrew Caddell says he has started declining his receipt at checkout because he would rather not see the total. Both agree the cost of living conversation is no longer abstract. Lesley Kelly notes a bad year on the farm can mean losing a million dollars, and the grocery store is not offering any relief.

Topics: federal public servant wages, Governor General Canada, cost of living Canada, federal union wage dispute, Saskatchewan farm costs

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Originally aired on2026-05-04