The Carney Administration has to cut costs. The economy is within a constant readjustment period, facing international Tariff Onslaughts, a cooling marketplace, mass near or future domestic bankruptcies, and a public whose demands increase daily while they are unwilling to pay more to the taxman. Funds are becoming scarce, while overspending has become the word of the day. When the economy is lax, find a super infrastructure project to work on, create jobs while spending, in the hope of initiating regional growth.
The Federal Government has its marching orders to consolidate and acknowledge specific employees who can be reassigned or laid off. Spending has been targeted towards specific projects, and if you’re a Federal Employee and working in a department that is considered temporarily unimportant, look out, and the private sector is far harsher than the Public Service.
The PSAC is very concerned about some 1,775 workers being “readjusted”, and that number will increase over time. Readjusted means simply being sent to other departments, shared temporarily with other departments or laid off temporarily or permanently. These cuts are found in very specific departments, those of national statistics, IT infrastructure and economic development. Shearing a few thousand employees off the Federal Employment Roll may seem the way to go, but once these employees find work in their fields within the private sector, they will never go back to a public organization. Private concerns pay far better than our government.
The PSAC warns that these cuts will affect the public in many different ways. Program cuts/personnel will slow everything down, and the public will have to wait longer for their needs to be met. Smaller communities will have to wait for specific requirements to be placed on a long, slow, but growing waiting line to Ottawa.
Public Services and Procurement Canada: manages procurement, real estate and administrative services. Delays in contracts, maintenance and purchasing of goods and services will slow down.
The Treasury Board Secretariat provides central oversight of government operations and administration. Possible cracks in the operation and internal workings of government can appear.
Also impacted, according to the PSAC, will be the Atlantic Canada Opportunity Agency, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions and the Pacific Economic Development Canada Agency.
Since January 2025, 4,610 PSAC members have received workforce adjustment notices, and these numbers do not include thousands of term employees whose contracts were ended early or not renewed. Sounds just like what happens in the private sector, does it not? Are the PSAC employees somehow less expendable than you and I?
Bruce Roy, GSU National President, warned the public that fewer members of his union serving the public means a possible domino effect upon all Federal and some Provincial Government Departments and the services they offer.
How will the union help their employees? Offering workplace adjustment resources, of course. The packages explain what is going on, and even suggest that some members leave their jobs voluntarily so others can keep their positions. 2,100 members have already signed up for this package.
The Union Movement should be aware of any governmental and corporate policy changes that may affect their membership. The federal government’s move to consolidate began long ago, before the tariff wars appeared, so union leadership possibly lost control of or did not plan any response to these possible happenstances. The government usually moves slowly when policy and application are concerned. Seems the union movement also moves like a inch worm, slowly and seemingly so very carefully. Are these union members being represented properly and treated well by both the union and employers?
The Public Service Alliance represents 245,000 members in every region of Canada, including 180,000 Federal Workers. These unions component unions The Government Services Union and the Union of National Employees, represent a further 39.000 members. Quite the little army, eh? Imagine if these employees called for a National Strike? With negotiations between both parties at a standstill, someone will have to employ different, possibly extraordinary tactics. Legislate an end to the unions’ power to strike, perhaps. And if the union cannot strike, how else can it fight for its membership? What purpose would a union have if its hands are placed in federal handcuffs?
Oh, how the Federal Government Rolls. Drawing out negotiations, laying off and firing unneeded employees. After all The Federal Government is Canada’s largest Corporation right?
Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
