Four federal departments account for approximately 40 per cent of all early retirement applications filed by federal public servants, as the federal government looks to cut the size of its workforce by 2029. The federal government received 10,006 applications for the Early Retirement Incentive Program, which will allow employees to apply to retire with an “immediate pension based on years of service, with no reduction for retiring early.” As of Tuesday, 9,438 applications have been confirmed to meet the criteria and approved for early retirement. The government says 68 applications were denied and 106 applications “have been discontinued.” New data from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat show employees in 55 federal departments submitted an application for the Early Retirement Incentive program. The Canada Revenue Agency was the top department for early retirement applications, with 1,552 employees submitting an application. The CRA employed 48,774 people as of March 31, 2026. According to the government, 1,053 employees at Employment and Social Development Canada applied for early retirement, 764 employees at the Department of National Defence applied and 705 applications were submitted by employees at Public Services and Procurement Canada. Federal employees approved for the early retirement package must retire by Jan. 20, 2027. Front-line officers and staff in operational roles at the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were not eligible to apply for the Early Retirement Incentive program. Public service employees with the RCMP were eligible to apply for the early retirement incentive. The government says 282 employees at the RCMP applied for the early retirement package. The Canada Strong Budget 2025, released in November, outlined a plan to cut the size of the federal public service by 28,000 positions by 2029, including 12,000 employees and 350 executive positions cut through attrition and early retirement packages. Applications for early retirement packages The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat released data on the number of employees in each department that applied for early retirement packages.
