OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney's commitment to reducing the size of the public service through attrition has been labeled as "misleading" and "reckless" by Sharon DeSousa, the national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. This criticism follows Carney's response to media inquiries about whether he plans to adhere to his election promise to cap, rather than cut, the public service as the government seeks operational savings.
During a recent press conference, Carney emphasized that the cap "relates to the overall level and the adjustments that will happen naturally through attrition." He highlighted that attrition would occur due to various reasons as members of the public sector leave the workforce, citing both retirement and the pursuit of attractive opportunities outside the public sphere. However, DeSousa countered this assertion, stating that many public servants are facing job cuts due to direct layoffs rather than voluntary departures, thus contradicting the Prime Minister's claims.
According to DeSousa, the current trend of job losses is already straining critical public services like the Canada Revenue Agency, employment insurance, and childcare benefits. She criticized the federal government's austerity measures as "lazy," "reckless," and "short-sighted." Meanwhile, Finance Minister François Philippe Champagne corroborated the need for adjustments within the public service as Ottawa prepares to trim operational spending in the upcoming fall budget, with requests for a 15% reduction in spending over the next three years sent to cabinet colleagues.
As multiple federal departments, including Library and Archives Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, invoke staffing cuts, experts raise concerns about the sustainability of the public service. Evert Lindquist, a professor at the University of Victoria's School of Administration, noted that while normal employee turnover will continue, many positions may not be filled, potentially leading to inefficiencies in public service delivery.
Lindquist pointed out the tendency of governments to overshoot targets during staff reductions, ultimately finding themselves short-handed to perform essential functions. He stressed that a well-defined labor force strategy is crucial, as the current reliance on attrition appears random and could raise concerns about effective governance and service provision.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has also expressed concerns, predicting that austerity measures could eliminate nearly 57,000 jobs from the public service by 2028. Senior economist Marc Lee expressed skepticism towards the government's reliance on attrition to achieve public service reduction, suggesting that the upcoming federal budget, anticipated in November, may be one of the most significant in decades.
Treasury Board data reveals that over 12,800 employees departed from the public service in the 2023-24 period, a decrease of 4%, which included about 8,000 retirements and 2,200 resignations. Lee argues that even without hiring any new public servants over the next three years, the government would struggle to meet its 15% savings target, emphasizing the need for deeper cuts or reductions in transfers to other governmental levels, non-profits, and individuals.
In this challenging fiscal landscape, stakeholders are questioning the government's approach, seeking clarity on how it plans to balance budgetary constraints while continuing to deliver essential services to Canadian citizens.
