About 50 Yukoners gathered in front of the Elijah Smith Building at noon Thursday to protest upcoming cuts to the public service.

The rally was led by the Public Service Alliance of the Canada (PSAC) North and the Yukon Employees Union. It was organized after the federal government announced it will table the federal budget March 29.

"On March 29th, we will begin to realize the extent of the damage it (the budget) will reap on all Canadian workers, families and on their communities,” said Julie Docherty, the regional executive vice-president of PSAC North.

"Instead of reducing corporate tax breaks, Conservatives have created an austerity budget that serves to take away jobs, obliterate public services and promote privatization and deregulation of industry.

As union representatives handed out fleece gloves and slices of pizza, Docherty told the crowd $8 billion has been cut in public sector spending. When the budget drops, she continued, 100,000 public sector workers will be out of a job.

"I see the $8 billion as just the tip of the iceberg.”

Although the Conservatives have been talking about an austerity budget for much of the past year, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told reporters in Ottawa the upcoming blueprint is a "jobs and growth” budget earlier this week.

According to a Toronto Star article, Flaherty said warnings the government is planning to eliminate tens of thousands of federal service jobs are "outrageous.

"I don't know where they are getting their numbers from,” Docherty said.

Yukon MP Ryan Leef was unavailable for comment this morning.

Docherty said the most vulnerable — low-income families, seniors, First Nations and the unemployed — will be hit the hardest.

Last week, PSAC held a press conference revealing a video in its third choice campaign.

The campaign uses a pesky, giant squirrel in an attempt to show Canadians the government doesn't have to cut valuable public sector jobs to reduce the deficit.

Docherty's comments Thursday echoed the message at that press conference. She said Canadians deserve more than cuts to the meat inspection agency, Environment Canada and search and rescue crews across the country.

A 14-year-old-boy just died in Newfoundland after search and rescue crews weren't activated until 48 hours after the boy was reported missing. The helicopter crew found him only 19 kilometres from town, she said.

"Enough is enough. We've had it. No more!”

Docherty also talked about the government's lack of transparency in preparing the budget. Even our elected officials have no idea what the document will look like, she said.

"The Conservatives have not provided any information to us, whatsoever,” Docherty said.

Steve Geick, the president of the Yukon Employees' Union, spoke on the importance of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

He said the agency is forecasting a reduction of $41.5 million in its annual budget, or around 234 jobs.

"So what do we do? We do what we typically do, and hope that our security blanket we call the Yukon insulated us from what happens in the rest of the country?” asked Geick. "I'm not prepared to take that gamble.”

Kate White, the NDP MLA for Takhini-Kopper King, touched on cuts to Environment Canada.

She asked the crowd how we can protect our "home, land, air and creatures” without supporting our environmental stewards.

"We demand a Canada that takes care of its citizens and its nature,” said White.

"If the Harper government cared about Canadians, we'd be investing in Pharmacare, public services and not super-prisons.”

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