Food inspection agency to cut more than 1,300 jobs, says union

Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — The union representing employees at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says staff have been told there will be 1,371 agency jobs cut as part of the government’s cost-cutting exercise.

The Agriculture Union says it “categorically denounces” the cuts, which it says point toward a “looming food safety crisis” in Canada.

Milton Dyck, national president of the Agriculture Union, says cuts to food safety cause more people to get sick from preventable food-borne illnesses and more poultry and livestock to die from avian flu and other diseases, undermining the food production industry.

More than 10,000 federal public servants have received notices this month warning that their jobs may be cut, say the unions representing them.

Workforce adjustment notices tell employees their jobs may be affected by cuts, though it’s not clear how many of those who received the notices ultimately will be laid off.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says the government is being “reckless” as it moves to cut the public service, and is calling on the government to issue a staffing plan.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press