For two years, former Treasury Board President Anita Anand promised that government spending cuts wouldn’t harm the services families depend on – but those promises keep falling short.

First, it was about savings through remote work, then selling government buildings, and later cutting thousands of federal public service jobs through natural attrition. Now, they’ve widened the net, targeting term and casual employees – and even opening the door to slashing permanent workers through workforce adjustments as part of their Refocusing Government Spending Initiative.

• For more information about your rights in the workplace, visit PSAC’s workforce adjustment resource section of the website.

To make matters worse, the government won’t announce where the cuts will happen or how deep they will be until mid-2025, leaving our members and their families in limbo. Federal public service workers and unions aren’t being told which essential programs will be cut, and members are left wondering if they’ll have jobs next summer, unable to plan their lives or meet their financial obligations.

The government’s measures to reduce term employment are another example of how they are failing to respect workers and their contributions to Canada. Thousands of public service workers have spent years on term employment contracts working hard with the hope of securing stable jobs to support their families.

Now, they face the threat of being pushed out due to arbitrary budget cuts.

This approach doesn’t save money: it weakens Canada’s public service, and the essential programs people rely on. Workers should not have to live in uncertainty, unsure if they will have jobs or if they can pay their mortgages, start families, or manage their debts.

The government’s lack of transparency is troubling. Since 2022, they have failed to consult with unions or workers about these changes. We still don’t know how many term employees will be affected or how widespread these cuts will be.

This destabilizes workplaces and undermines the services Canadians rely on.

We’ve seen this story before, and it doesn’t end well for Canadians

Under the Harper government's Deficit Reduction Action Plan, tens of thousands of federal public service jobs were cut, leading to reduced capacity in delivering essential services.

The consequences were clear: fewer food inspectors, fewer border guards, delayed help for veterans, inaccessible unemployment benefits, and more. All this weakened public services, increased workloads for remaining workers, and eroded the quality and accessibility of support for Canadians.

With so many families already struggling, this is not the time to weaken the services Canadians count on. The government can’t claim to save billions without cutting these critical programs.

This government must do better

Instead of targeting public service workers, this Liberal government should address the billions wasted on outsourcing and take advantage of the savings remote work offers. Families shouldn’t have to pay the price for poor decision-making, and it’s time for all Canadians to demand better.

PSAC has met with Treasury Board President Anita Anand to call for a halt to unilateral public service cuts and engage in genuine consultation with federal bargaining agents before any decisions about job losses are made. Simply informing us after the fact is not true consultation.

We also urge the government to provide full transparency regarding department-wide budget cuts. The piecemeal information we have received so far hinders our ability to provide meaningful input. Reports in the media indicate cuts are being made at Canada Revenue Agency and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

When we have a clear understanding of planned spending reductions, we can better support departments in making informed decisions and assist workers who are impacted.

Public service workers deserve stability, respect, and transparency, and PSAC will continue fighting until they get it.

• For more information about your rights in the workplace, visit PSAC’s workforce adjustment resource section of the website.