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CBC News has confirmed that thousands of federal employees have received notice that their jobs could be in jeopardy since the government promised in November’s budget to shrink the public service.
Not everyone who receives a “workforce adjustment notice” will get a pink slip, but most will see their jobs change significantly.
The notices come after the Liberal government conducted a wide-ranging spending review in 2025. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget then announced plans to shrink the bureaucracy by 16,000 full-time equivalent positions — which is not necessarily the same as 16,000 individuals — over three years.
That would shrink the federal workforce to 333,000 by 2029, a reduction of 40,000 positions from its peak in 2024.
The downsizing is a major preoccupation in Ottawa and Gatineau, where slightly less than half of the core federal workforce is based, and where many of those workers live.
The government has not publicly disclosed which departments it’s targeting, nor has it said when the affected workers will be told.
That’s why CBC News is working to confirm information as it trickles out from individual departments and public service unions. If you have a tip to share, please use the Google form embedded at the bottom of this story.
Here’s what we can report so far, with the latest numbers at the top. We’ll update this file as soon as we know more.
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Public Services and Procurement Canada issued 730 notices, according to a Jan. 16 update from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).
People enter the federal government’s Portage IV building in Gatineau in January 2026. (Radio-Canada)Treasury Board Secretariat
PSAC said on Jan. 16 that the Treasury Board Secretariat has issued 125 notices.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) confirmed on Jan. 15 that 1,100 employees will receive written notice indicating their positions are affected.
The department estimates 569 non-management positions and 45 management positions will be eliminated over the next three years. ISED had 6,526 employees at the end of March 2025.
Shared Services Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) said on Jan. 14 that 737 members who work for Shared Services Canada have received notice.
PSAC said 530 of its members have also received word from the department.
Shared Services, which provides IT services and support across government, had a workforce of 8,894 in 2025.
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada told employees on Jan. 12 that 850 positions will be eliminated from the department over the next two years. The agency had 7,274 employees at the end of March 2025.
In all, the department will send 3,274 workforce adjustment notices to employees whose services may no longer be needed. Most of the notices will be sent out by Jan. 27.
Natural Resources Canada
In December, PSAC said in a news release that 219 workers at NRCan received warning that their positions could be cut.Â
PIPSC told Radio-Canada that 200 of its members at NRCan were also given notices of a potential layoff.
The Canadian flag flies over a downtown office building in Ottawa, just a few blocks south of Parliament Hill, in January 2026. (Félix Desroches/Radio Canada)Public Service Commission of Canada
PSAC announced in December that 157 of its members could lose their jobs at the Public Service Commission of Canada as a result of the workforce adjustments.
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
PSAC said 186 employees at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada were told in December about potential job losses.
Department of Finance
PSAC members at Finance learned in December that 74 positions could be eliminated.
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