The federal public sector union has warned that the Liberal government’s plan to cut government spending will cut jobs in the public service, saying it would cut “billions of dollars without cutting the critical services people rely on. I can’t find it,” he said.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada said the government held a briefing with unions on Thursday to discuss the “Government Spending Refocus Initiative,” and PSAC said, “Without prior consultation, the government has announced plans to cut costs across the federal public service.” “It was announced unilaterally.”
“We’ve seen this horror movie before, and it always ends badly for families across the country,” PSAC National President Sharon D’Souza said in a statement.
“Make no mistake about it: when public services are cut, ordinary people always have to pay the price.”
According to the Treasury Department, on October 31, federal departments were told by Finance Commissioner Anita Anand to “carefully consider” spending and redesign operations to streamline operations and provide “better value for money.” He said he received a letter asking him to identify business processes that could be implemented. .
The 2023 federal budget includes plans to cut public sector spending by $15.4 billion over five years, and the fall 2023 fiscal update includes cuts in government spending by $345.6 million in 2025-26; It includes a pledge to “extend and expand” the $691 refocus effort. $1 million annually from 2026 to 2027 onwards. In April, the government announced plans to cut 5,000 civil servant jobs over four years through layoffs.
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat did not provide savings targets for each department to CTV News Ottawa, but said savings “will be drawn solely from the operating budget and natural attrition to the extent possible.”
In a media release titled “Canada’s public services at risk,” PSAC said the government is “expanding coverage and considering reducing temporary and temporary employees; “This opens the door for ministries and agencies to reduce the number of regular employees through personnel adjustments.”
“Federal departments have been assigned specific budget reduction targets for salary items. PSAC insists that unions should be consulted while these targets are reviewed,” the union said in a statement. Ta.
“These targets are protected by cabinet privilege and will remain classified until published in June 2025.”
The number of federal civil servants is 376,772, up from 357,247 in 2023, according to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. A total of 282,152 employees work in the core administration.
“Workers and families are waiting in limbo. Those who benefit from critical programs don’t know whether the services they rely on will be cut,” DeSouza said. “Civil servants don’t know if they’ll have a job, renew their mortgage, start a family, or pay off their student loans by next summer.”
PSAC is calling on the federal government to find savings through contracting out public services and “proposing significant remote work savings for Canada’s public services.”
The Canadian Association of Public Service Professionals has also raised concerns about the government’s spending review, citing a “lack of consultation” and a “clear lack of preparation” by the Treasury Board Secretariat.
“We look forward to genuine engagement with our members and consultation at the departmental level,” PIPSC Chair Jennifer Kerr said in a statement.
“Without this, we risk the same type of across-the-board cuts we saw during the Harper era, which negatively impacted the programs and services that Canadians depend on.”
PIPSC said the federal government’s promise that any spending cuts would not impact services “sounds hollow given the reality of population decline”.
“Every position that is not filled represents real work not being done and real services not being provided to Canadians,” Kerr said. “Open positions mean fewer people are available to do the same amount of work, or more. Burnout among members is an inevitable consequence of this approach.”
As of September, all federal employees in core public services are required to be in the office at least three days a week, and executives are required to be in the office four days a week.
An Anand spokesperson said the second phase of the refocusing government spending plan will identify operational savings of $4.2 billion total and $1.3 billion on an ongoing basis from 2025-26 to 2028-29. It is said that instructions have been given to all ministries and agencies.
“These savings are expected to be extracted through operating budgets and natural attrition to the extent possible,” Mya Tomasi, spokesperson for the Office of the Governor at the Board of Finance, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa. “This must be done in a way that continues to support a diverse public service workforce without impacting the programs and services that benefit Canadians.”
Federal departments received a letter on October 31 outlining instructions for finding savings. Mr Tomasi said the minister had “made clear to all sectors that the focus is on finding savings without making redundancies”.
“In a letter to colleagues, Minister Anand said he had carefully considered the organization’s spending and identified operations that could be streamlined, including through the use of artificial intelligence technology, to deliver better value for money. “We specifically reiterated the need to identify business processes that can be redesigned,” Tomasi said.
“Furthermore, as we develop our proposals, we must keep in mind the importance of not negatively impacting the delivery of benefits to Canadians and supporting regional representation and a diverse public service workforce.” ”
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat said the federal government aims to reduce spending without impacting programs and services.
“Savings will be derived solely through operating budgets and natural attrition wherever possible, without impacting programs and services that benefit Canadians, and in a way that continues to support regional representation and a diverse public service workforce.” ” Friday’s statement said. afternoon.
“Each organization is in the process of developing proposals to achieve specific savings targets. Approved savings amounts will be set out in the Main Estimates and Sectoral Plans for 2025-26. Out of respect for trust and the integrity of our process, we do not offer sectoral savings.”Target. ”
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Ted Raymond
