The Federal Public Service has been reduced for the first time since 2015, after throwing almost 10,000 jobs during the last year, according to new data published by the Secretariat of the Treasury Board (TBS).
Of the 9,807 jobs cut between 2024 and 2025, a significant majority, 7,051, or 72 percent, were in federal agencies such as Parks Canada, the National Capital Commission and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The rest, 2,756 or 28 percent, was in the central public administration.
In March 2024, 367,772 federal public servants were employed between agencies and administration. A year later, that number had fallen to 357,965, a 2.6 percent decrease in the general labor force.
These data do not include members of the RCMP, the Canadian Armed Forces or some other employers.
The last time the Federal Public Service was reduced a decade ago. There were 262,817 public servants in 2013, which fell to 257,138 in 2014, and again at 257,034 in 2015. The number had constantly increased so far.
CBC has communicated with TBS to ask how many of the lost works were in Ottawa and Gatineau, but has not received that information.
Most affected CRA
In November, the Treasury Board updated the public services unions on how it was instructing the departments that reduce the expenses to meet the savings objectives of $ 15 billion for four years, and the unions warned that employment cuts were approaching.
The cuts were not distributed evenly in the departments and agencies: most of the recent cuts took place in CRA, where 6,656 jobs were lost, leaving the fiscal agency with 52,499 employees.
CRA has announced rounds of layoffs during the last year, and more will come this week.
“These successive cuts affected our members with force, but also greatly affect the population and Canadian companies,” the national president of Taxations Taxations (UTE) employees (UTE) in a statement on Friday, told Friday.
“With each eliminated position, delays in processing grow more, calls are unanswered, files accumulate and citizens are left behind in uncertainty. [CRA staff] Those who remain are being pushed beyond their limits. “
Among the central departments, immigration, refugees and citizens of Canada also received great success, lost 1,944 employees and left it with 11,148 workers.
A handful of departments and agencies saw a growth in their labor forces during the past year, including the natural resources of Canada, which won 293 employees, National Defense (381 employees), Global Affairs Canada (218 employees) and the communications security establishment (196 employees).
During the recent federal electoral campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney and conservative leader Pierre Poilievre promised to stop unnecessary expenses in the Federal Public Service.
Pailievre said that a conservative government would reduce both the size of the public service and the use of contractors. Carney said that his government would limit public service and emphasize the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
The liberal government has not published a budget since it was elected. Carney has said he will do it in autumn.
