Global Affairs delays 4-day office mandate for some workers due to lack of office space

A Government of Canada building is seen in this undated photo. (Getty Images)

Some Global Affairs Canada (GAC) employees in the national capital region will not be required to report to the office four days a week starting this summer due to a lack of office space.

A new Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat directive says as of May 4, executives will be required to work on-site five days per week. All other federal employees in the core public service will need to be in the office for a minimum of four days per week, as of July 6.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Global Affairs Canada said a “multi-year renovation project” at its headquarters and in other buildings in the national capital region “is affecting the availability of office spaces.”

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The department is changing the return-to-office mandate for some employees “to temporarily manage the increased on-site presence, until there is enough workspace available.”

As of May 4, all Global Affairs Canada executives will be required to work full-time on site five days per week. All managers and deputy directors who report to a director or above will be required to work on site four days per week, phased in between July 6 and Sept. 15.

All other Global Affairs employees based in the national capital region, as well as some employees in GAC regional officers in Canada, will be required to be present on site three days per week.

“As renovation projects advance and additional renovated space becomes available, on-site presence will increase in line with TBS direction, ensuring employees have the space needed to carry out their work effectively,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement Friday morning.

All federal employees are currently required to be in the office for a minimum of three days a week.

Public Service Alliance of Canada President Sharon DeSousa is criticizing the federal government’s return to office mandate.

“This flip-flop confirms exactly what we’ve been stating from the beginning: forcing everyone to return to the office is a logistical mess,” DeSousa said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

“Carney’s government is moving forward blindly with a mandate that comes with no plan, only to finally be forced to face reality. With no evidence whatsoever that four days in the office are actually necessary, this ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is nothing but pure improvisation and shows a total lack of respect for workers.”

Global Affairs Canada had 7,657 employees as of March 2025.

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