587 jobs to be cut at Canadian Food Inspection Agency

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

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will cut 587 positions as part of the federal government’s move to reduce the size of the public service by 28,000 positions by 2029.

Federal unions say their members received workforce adjustment notices from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) this week that their jobs may be cut.

A CFIA spokesperson confirmed to CTV News Ottawa on Thursday that 587 positions will be eliminated as a result of savings identified through the comprehensive expenditure review.

“From the outset, the agency set out to protect front-line inspection capacity and emergency readiness and remain focused on our core mandate of food safety, animal and plant health, science, and enabling international trade,” the CFIA said in a statement.

“The reductions reflect these principles and focus on targeted changes to program delivery, operational efficiencies, and reinvestments in front-line capacity.”

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it will “remain focused” on protecting food safety, managing animal and plant health risks, using sound science and evidence, prioritizing actions based on risk and impact, maintaining strong emergency readiness and supporting businesses and enabling trade through clear, predictable regulation.

The 2025 federal budget directed the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to find $235 million in savings over four years, along with $80.5 million in ongoing savings.

“To meet up to 15 per cent in savings targets over three years, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will reduce overlap and duplication within the organization, such as by ensuring accountability for each business line, reducing non-core research activities to focus on high-priority diagnostic methods, and consolidating lab services to focus on essential testing and avoid the need for costly capital upgrades,” the budget said. “At the same time, investments in secure digital platforms and export certificate digitalization will be made to increase efficiencies and better support our exporters.”

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) is “sounding the alarm” over the job cuts at the agency, warning “that food safety, public health, and Canada’s agri-food economy are being put at serious risk in the name of ‘efficiency.’”

A total of 504 PIPSC members received notices this week that their jobs may be eliminated.

In a statement, PIPSC said the cuts to staff represent the “loss of nearly one million hours of food safety and inspection expertise every year.”

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“These cuts don’t just affect public servants – they affect every Canadian who eats,” Sean O’Reilly, president of PIPSC, said.

“When you strip away food safety research, inspection capacity, and emergency coordination, you increase the risk that disease or contamination goes undetected until people are already sick.”

The Canada Strong Budget 2025 outlined a plan to cut another 28,000 positions from the federal public service over the next four years and find $60 billion in savings.

Approximately 18,000 federal public servants have received a notice over the past two months that their jobs may be cut. Data provided by three federal unions show 30 federal departments and museums have issued notices to employees so far in December and January.

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Several departments have confirmed to CTV News Ottawa how many positions will be cut as part of the comprehensive expenditure review.

Here is a look at the number of confirmed job cuts at each department:

• Statistics Canada: 850 positions
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada: 569 non-executive positions, 45 executive positions
• Environment and Climate Change Canada: 840 positions, just under 40 executive roles
• Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada: 655 positions
• Natural Resources Canada: 400 positions
• Canadian Museum of History, Canadian War Museum: 67 positions