Around 10,000 federal employees have been given notice this week that they may soon lose their jobs, according to the unions representing the workers.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) said that about 5,000 of its members received “workforce adjustment notices,” warning they may lose their jobs as the federal government looks to cut the public sector over the next three years.
DeSousa said that the job cuts will result in “slower services, longer waits, and weaker programs.”
The union said that the notices were given to 1,172 employees at Global Affairs Canada, 775 workers at Transport Canada, 598 employees at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 895 employees at Health Canada, 446 workers at Environment and Climate Change Canada, and 261 workers at Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Other federal departments impacted by notices include Public Safety Canada (391 employees), Canadian Heritage (303 workers), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (206 employees), Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada (22 workers), and the Canada School of Public Service (10 workers).
The union said that nearly 9,400 of its members have received notices over the past 12 months, on top of 5,500 term employees who had contracts terminated early or not renewed.
The notices tell employees that they may be laid off due to cuts, but it is not clear how many workers who receive a notice will lose their jobs.
The Canadian Association of Professional Employees said about 2,550 of its members received notices this week, including 534 employees at Employment and Social Development Canada and 103 people at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Another union, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, said more than 2,700 of its members have also received notices this week.
The union said the cuts could impact the country’s ability to respond to emergencies.
“These are the experts who prevent oil spills from becoming catastrophes, who ensure dangerous goods don’t explode on our railways, who make sure Canadians can trust weather warnings, and who protect species from extinction,” Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada president Sean O’Reilly said.
The job cuts follow the 2025 Liberal budget, which said the government was looking at adjusting the public service to “a more sustainable level.”
About 40,000 public service jobs are expected to be cut, with 10,000 already having been eliminated over 2025. The cuts will include 1,000 executive positions over the next two years, and a 20 percent reduction on management and consulting services over three years.
