Federal government begins notifying public servants of possible job cuts

Some federal departments have begun notifying public servants their jobs may be impacted by a review of government spending. CTV’s Josh Marano reports.

Some federal departments have begun notifying public servants if they will be impacted by workforce adjustments, as the federal government begins to implement the results of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review.

The Canada Strong Budget 2025 outlined a plan to cut another 28,000 positions from the federal public service and achieve $60 billion in savings by 2029.

The goal is to reduce the size of the federal public service by 40,000 jobs through job cuts, attrition, and early retirements from its peak of 367,772 employees in March 2024, to 330,000 by 2028-29. There were 357,965 federal employees as of March 31, 2025.

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The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) says more than 200 employees at Natural Resources Canada received notices this week warning they may lose their jobs.

The largest federal public service union says 109 members at the Public Service Commission of Canada, 92 employees at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and 74 at the Department of Finance also received notices saying government cuts may affect their jobs.

“Cuts are already hurting Canada’s most vulnerable populations, and now our environmental protections will pay the price too,” Sharon DeSousa, PSAC national president, said in a statement.

“You don’t build a stronger Canada by gutting the programs that protect us.”

CTV News Ottawa has obtained a letter sent to federal public servants working at Natural Resources Canada, saying executives will meet with employees “this week who are affected by workforce adjustment to inform them of the impacts and issue letters.”

“For those that receive letters, this is the beginning of a process that will take several months to consider the various options and decision points,” the letter said.

“We will support and work with our employees to have the lowest number of involuntary departures as possible.”

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, a spokesperson for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) said the department will not provide further details on possible job cuts until it completes “advising its affected employees.”

“Receiving a letter signals the beginning of a process that takes several months for employees to consider various options available to transition to another job in the public service, consider early retirement, or pursue employment outside the public service,” the NRCan spokesperson said.

“In the end, NRCan would anticipate that only a small number of those who receive letters would leave involuntarily.”

• Federal government to cut another 28,000 public service jobs by 2029

On Thursday, Shared Services Canada employees received an email from the president and executive vice-president outlining the expenditure review.

“As we move forward to implement SSC’s CER reductions, there will be impacts on work units and positions within our organization. Our top priority is to reduce the impacts on employees by using all available options, including attrition, negotiated workforce adjustment provisions and career transition measures for executives,” the letter said, provided to CTV News Ottawa by the department.

“Employees impacted by workforce adjustments will be notified in January 2026.”

Employment and Social Development Canada said the department’s “workforce adjustment process and a reduction in our executive complement will launch in January.”

“While we are still reviewing the impacts of the government’s decisions on ESDC’s programs and services, we acknowledge that an adjustment in our staffing levels, including indeterminate positions, will be required,” the department said in a statement Friday morning.

“We cannot confirm how many positions will be reduced at this time. However, ESDC will continue to leverage attrition and workforce planning, aiming to minimize impacts on employees to the maximum possible extent. The goal of the process, wherever possible, will be to ensure continued employment for those who want to remain in the public service.”

Early retirement notices

Earlier this week, the government issued early retirement notices to approximately 68,000 public servants outlining information on the planned early retirement program.

A spokesperson for Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali said employees will continue to review updates on the Comprehensive Expenditure Review and the Early Retirement Initiative as they become available.

“Approximately 68,000 early-retirement notices have been issued,” Matthieu Perrotin said.

“As proposed in Budget 2025, workforce reductions will be managed to the greatest extent possible through attrition and voluntary departures. The Early Retirement Initiative is proceeding with an emphasis on voluntary, structured options to retire early with clarity and predictability.”

Budget 2025 did not specify where jobs will be cut within the government or how much will be saved by cutting 28,000 more positions in the public service, but it outlined directions to departments as part of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review to reduce budgets by up to 15 per cent.

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