The facts behind the campaign

We are facing the largest cuts to Canada’s public service in decades.

Prime Minister Carney’s proposed budget cuts will reduce the size of the public service by 40,000 jobs, rivalling or surpassing the Harper and Chrétien cuts, which severely impacted everyone who depends on public services.

Public service cuts put the burden on workers and families.

The government’s Budget 2025 includes plans to slash the jobs of 40,000 public service workers who deliver critical programs, hurting workers, families, and communities across the country. These cuts mean longer wait times for employment insurance, childcare and pension benefits; fewer social programs; and a government that isn’t there for ordinary people when they need it most.

We’ve been here before. Chrétien’s “Programs Review” cut federal spending by 18.9%, which resulted in over 45,000 federal public service workers losing their jobs and increased interest rates on late tax payments, CPP, and EI. Workers and families end up paying the price for public service cuts.

Cutting public services means people get left behind.

Harper’s sweeping cuts closed 9 Veterans Affairs Service Centres and 98 call centres that processed employment insurance, leading to a historic high number of unemployed workers unable to access support when they needed it. At the remaining call centres, call wait times skyrocketed, and more calls than ever were dropped or abandoned. Prime Minister Carney’s cuts could rival Harper’s in 2012, which will impact the services veterans rely on.

Investing in public services strengthens our economy.

According to research by the Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques (IRIS), every dollar invested in Canada’s public service generates $1.22 in GDP growth, in our communities, outperforming the private sector.

Public service cuts threaten the supports that seniors rely on.

As of 2023, over 7.6 million people in Canada were 65 or older, making up almost one fifth of the population. Supporting Canada's aging population means investing in public servicesto provide the care they depend on.  

Remote work would save taxpayers billions.

The government’s own research shows that implementing remote work for federal workers would save taxpayers $6 billion dollars by repurposing half of its federal buildings.

Those cost savings could be reinvested into improving public services or reducing the tax burden on Canadians.

Not only is remote work a cost-saving measure for the government, it is also more affordable for workers, allowing them to save on gas, childcare, car repairs and more.

AI can’t replace public service workers.

During the border power outage, it wasn’t AI that kept people safe — it was border officers. When departments replace trained staff with automated systems, errors rise and outages leave people stranded. Studies show that AI-driven service delivery often increases wait times for complex cases and fail when people need help most.

Artificial intelligence isn’t a shortcut to “make government more efficient”. People who rely on public services are looking for help from real people – not a chatbot or endless automated loops.

Public service cuts will worsen economic inequality.

People in Canada who are already struggling will be hit hardest by cuts to public services. Less workers to provide critical services mean that key programs will become less accessible to those who need them.

Cuts to federal public services will only worsen gender and racial inequalities in Canada. Equity groups  who depend on public services will be disproportionately impacted by these cuts.