Health Canada the latest federal department to issue layoff notices

More than 2,000 public servants have been told this week their jobs may be affected by federal government job cuts. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

More than 3,000 employees at Health Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have been notified their jobs may be affected as federal departments continue to issue notices about possible layoffs in the public service.

Health Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are the latest departments to notify employees of possible job cuts in January, as the federal government looks to cut 28,000 jobs over the next four years.

• Here is the latest on possible job cuts in the federal public service

The Public Service Alliance of Canada said 897 of its members received a workforce adjustment letter from the department this week, while the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) says over 700 of its members received a notice. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) told CTV News Ottawa that 331 of its members received notices at Health Canada.

PIPSC warns “deep workforce cuts at Health Canada will weaken the systems Canadians rely on.”

“These cuts don’t just affect workers — this is health care, they affect every Canadian,” Sean O’Reilly, president of PIPSC, said in a statement. “These are the experts who make sure the medication in your cabinet is safe to take, the food in your fridge won’t make your family sick, and dangerous products are pulled off store shelves before they cause harm.”

CTV News Ottawa has reached out to Health Canada for details on how many workforce adjustment letters were issued to employees, and how many positions will be cut.

According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Health Canada employed 9,628 employees in March 2025, down from 10,118 employees in 2024.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada notified more than 1,000 employees on Thursday that their jobs may be cut, as the department looks to eliminate 665 positions. The department says the Deputy Minister sent a message to all employees on Tuesday.

“The message notified employees that 1043 affected letters would be issued and 665 positions eliminated. Affected employees are being notified on January 22,“ a department spokesperson said.

“As outlined in the message, details will be shared with employees first, in keeping with the Department’s obligations and out of respect for its personnel. As such, we do not have any additional information to share at this time.”

CAPE also said on Thursday that 294 of its members at Environment and Climate Change Canada received affected notices.

Several federal departments began notifying public servants that their jobs may be impacted by workforce adjustments over the past two weeks, including Statistics Canada, Shared Services Canada, Global Affairs Canada, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada said approximately 1,100 indeterminate employees would receive notices that their positions may be impacted by the comprehensive expenditure review. A total of 45 executive and 569 non-executive positions will be cut. Approximately 700 employees received notices at Natural Resources Canada, with the department planning to cut 400 positions.

Statistics Canada confirmed last week that it will cut 850 positions over the next two years, including 100 positions being eliminated immediately.

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.