Our membership

If you are classified EC, TR, RCMP-ESS or RCMP-TRL, or if you work at the Library of Parliament (LoP) or at the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (OPBO), you automatically become part of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), the third-largest federal public service union in Canada. 

CAPE then becomes your main bargaining agent, and we work proactively every day to protect your rights and advance your interests so you can bring your best to the work you do.

Explore all CAPE has to offer

To take full advantage of all benefits and privileges available to members, you must register. As a registered member, you gain access to representation and training, you have the right to influence the bargaining process, and you can vote on a new CAPE president and dues, participate in CAPE’s bargaining priorities survey, run for elected office within CAPE, and more.

As a registered member, you’ll also get regular updates from CAPE, so you’ll never miss important collective bargaining news, training and volunteer opportunities, or member events. You’ll also get exclusive offers and discounts from our ServicePlus partners, along with a range of other benefits.

CAPE members

•    EC : economists, policy advisors and statisticians
•    TR: translators, interpreters and terminologists
•    RA-RO (LoP): research officers and research assistants
•    RA-RO (PBO): research officers, research assistants and policy analysts 
•    RCMP-ESS: economists, policy advisors and statisticians
•    RCMP-TRL: translators, interpreters and terminologists

Member benefits and privileges

Read more about the benefits and privileges extended to all our members. Note that registered members enjoy more privileges.

"Rand" or unregistered members 

A certain percentage of CAPE members have not registered in good standing. These members are known as “Rand members”. And while they pay their dues on a monthly basis and are represented by CAPE during collective bargaining, they cannot take advantage of all the benefits and privileges extended to registered members.

This is also known as the "Rand Formula" which is a feature of Canadian labour law. The formula was named for a provision in a labour relations decision handed down on January 29, 1946 by Justice Ivan Rand of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Get involved 

•    Become a steward
•    Join a local
•    Join a sub-committee

Useful information

•    Collective bargaining
•    National Joint Council directives