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Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Cap or cuts? Public servants have 40,000 reasons to worry
Public Service Confidential is a workplace advice column for federal public servants. The following question has been edited for clarity and length. Article content Article content The prime minister said he will only cap the size of the public service. The Parliamentary Budget Officer says significant cuts will be needed to achieve the Liberals' spending promises. Article content Article content So which one is it? What should we expect? Article content Inquiring and concerned minds want to know. Article content That is probably the most stressful question on the minds of public servants this summer, particularly those who are early to mid-career. Article content Let me start by saying that no one knows for sure how deep the new prime minister and his government will go with cuts to the public service in their efforts to reconcile their election promises and new spending commitments with the current tax and revenue base. Article content While they will undoubtedly have a rough idea, even the prime minister and his closest advisors likely do not have final numbers yet as the details are probably still being sorted as part of preparations for the fall budget. Article content Article content Given this, the best I can do is provide a sense of what to expect, recognizing that I, like the PBO, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and a host of political pundits, will have to make some planning assumptions and speculate a little to answer your question. Article content Article content Here is what we know so far. Article content In their election platform, the Liberals stated that, 'A Mark Carney led government will launch a comprehensive review of government spending … [and] are committed to capping, not cutting, public service employment'. Article content It isn't clear what level the government will set its 'cap.' But what is clear is that the government's intent is to reallocate a significant amount of spending towards new priorities. Article content For those employees whose jobs will be impacted by savings measures, it will feel like a cut, regardless of how the government spins its overall 'reallocation' plan, even within the idea of a 'cap.' Article content We also know that the government's savings target is at least $28 billion. This is a cumulative number over several years. The number that matters most in the government's election platform is the $13-billion target in ongoing savings starting fiscal year 2028-29. Article content 'Ongoing' in this context means a permanent reduction in spending in current programs. This was an electoral commitment made before more recent additional spending announcements, including in defence. Article content The report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives stated that hitting these savings targets will require a 24 per cent cut to the public service. I believe this number is overstated because it is derived from a spending base of $89 billion and relies heavily on salary savings only. Article content A more accurate spending base is likely annual direct program spending, which is roughly $230-$240 billion, and includes both personnel expenditures (think salary dollars) and operating expenditures (think consultant dollars). Given this, the starting point base target of $13 billion more likely represents a 6 to 7 per cent cut in spending on current programs. Article content Article content There are currently roughly 360,000 to 370,000 federal public servants. So, a cut in program spending in the realm of 6 to 7 per cent would translate into a reduction of approximately 22,000 to 26,000 FTEs (full-time equivalents). Given new spending commitments, this is likely the minimum. Recent news reports suggest the target is 7.5 per cent to 10 per cent and higher in 2028-2029. A 10 per cent target translates closer to 40,000 FTEs or significantly more, depending on the portion of savings derived from salary. Article content I also say FTEs (not jobs) on purpose. An FTE does not represent a job cut one for one. A funded FTE can be a vacancy, where the salary budget for the FTE gets reduced, with no direct job impact on an employee. Article content Figuring out the size of the reductions, however, is only the first and easiest step. More challenging and important to the people and employees impacted by savings measures will be how the cuts get managed, and the speed with which savings must be realized. Article content Article content Once final decisions are made, public service executives and managers will have the daunting task of realizing identified savings. The rolling three-year average attrition rate in the federal government is roughly 4 per cent or 10,000-12,000 employees per year. So, even at 40,000 FTEs, a significant portion of the desired FTE savings can likely come from not staffing current vacancies and using attrition. Article content Reductions that can't be absorbed will likely result in the use of workforce adjustment to help employees find another job within growing sectors of the government or make the transition out of the public service altogether. Article content I was the lead director general for implementing the Deficit Reduction Action Plan targets at the CBSA from 2012 to 2014, under the government of then-prime minister Stephen Harper. We had to cut more than 1,000 FTEs. Article content We harvested salary savings from funded vacancies, used voluntary departures through early retirement, internally deployed staff from cut positions to vacancies, found offsets from new spending to deploy cut personnel to new jobs (where skill sets fit), and employed targeted use of workforce adjustment. In the end, the CBSA managed to realize its savings from 2012 to 2014 with fewer than 100 employees who lost their jobs involuntarily. Article content I think it's reasonable for you and many public servants to be concerned about the next federal budget and coming FTE cuts. Few people know for certain how deep the cut side of the ledger will be (as opposed to the reinvestment side of new spending under a new 'cap'). In any scenario, I would be doing you an injustice to say 'don't worry' because the net impact will be hard on people. Article content I will, however, leave you with the following advice. The real issues that will come into play are not about the numbers – the cuts will be about real people with real lives. Try to be kind, take care of yourself and colleagues to the extent you can, and have empathy with the people impacted, particularly the employees who may have to live through workforce adjustment and job loss, but also the managers and executives who must implement the savings measures. Article content I can honestly say from personal experience that it will be hard on everyone. But, as the public service has proven in the past, it will find a way to rise to the challenge. Article content
Ottawa Citizen
16-06-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Is the public service doing enough to train new leaders?
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A longtime federal employee paid out of pocket for leadership development. They're worried the next generation won't get the same chance. A former public servant asks what kind of leadership development opportunities exist in the federal government. This illustration does not depict the public servant's personal details. ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT CROSS Photo by GETTY IMAGES / POSTMEDIA Public Service Confidential is a workplace advice column for federal public servants. The following question has been edited for clarity and length. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Dear Public Service Confidential, As a federal public servant for just over 10 years, I took on my own training in leadership, management and team building. And I paid my own way. Some of this training was through my church, and some was through a U.S.-based program. I got to know many employees of the federal government, including public servants, Mounties and military personnel at a level and depth that would never otherwise have been possible. Given that so many of today's public servants are relatively new to their jobs and mostly focused on mastering and delivering their specialty files, what provision is there now and could there be for leadership formation in the public service of the future? — A public servant who worries about the future Thank you for your letter. Good for you. It's commendable that you took the initiative to pursue leadership, management and team-building training independently and at your own expense. I'm sure the relationships you forged across the federal landscape during your pursuits were invaluable. You asked, '…what provision is there now and could there be for leadership formation in the public service of the future?' At present, leadership development opportunities do exist within the federal public service, though their accessibility can vary significantly across departments. Some departments offer in-house training, while the Canada School of Public Service provides a wide array of leadership programs and learning resources. In addition, external academic institutions, professional associations and non-governmental organizations offer further avenues for development. However, budgetary constraints in certain departments have limited formal training options. In such cases, some employees have chosen to pursue self-directed development by way of unpaid or self-funded leave. Furthermore, informal leadership development in the public service remains equally critical. Many public servants grow as leaders through acting assignments, mentoring relationships, cross-functional projects, and secondments or deployments. These experiential learning opportunities build the essential competencies needed to navigate the complexity of today's public sector environment. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While these approaches to leadership development have proven effective over time, a critical rethinking of what constitutes a renewed leadership profile is undoubtedly top of mind for both senior management and leadership development providers alike. Looking to the future, leadership formation must evolve to meet the demands of a fast-changing world marked by technological disruption, hybrid workplaces and global uncertainty. A modern approach to public sector leadership should include redefining leadership for hybrid environments, emphasizing team cohesion across virtual and in-person settings, and shifting evaluation from presence to outcomes. It should also include implementing a structured, tiered development framework, aligned with career stages and featuring micro-credentials in areas such as ethical decision-making, digital fluency and change management. This approach should involve developing the capacity to responsibly harness AI-powered platforms — emphasizing ethical data use, bias mitigation and transparent decision-making — within a nuanced understanding of the institutional boundaries that protect democratic accountability, individual privacy and public trust. There must also be an emphasis on preparing leaders for emerging threats, with rapid-response training in cyber resilience, misinformation management, policy agility and complex decision-making. This brief list of leadership training priorities underscores just how compelling the task has become in equipping the leaders of today and tomorrow to meet ever-increasing complex challenges. Many newer public servants are still mastering the technical and procedural elements of their roles. That foundational work is vital. At the same time, if Canada's public service is to remain resilient, adaptive and mission-driven, leadership development must be embedded early and consistently; starting not in mid-career or for executives only but supporting growth throughout the whole journey. Ultimately, your question highlights the need for renewed investment in leadership development; investment that is inclusive, future-oriented, and aligned with the evolving needs of Canadians. Thank you for raising this important issue. — V. C. de la Ronde, Public Service Confidential A person of Indigenous descent, V. C. de la Ronde worked in the federal public service for 25 years in a variety of roles and departments. She has been a mentor and role model for dozens of employees and associates, both in and outside of the public service. She is a martial arts master, holds a teacher's certificate in yoga, has completed two law degrees and is a motivational speaker. She has done all of this while dealing with vision loss since her teenage years. Are you a public servant with questions about your workplace? Write to us anonymously at PSConfidential@ and we'll pick our favourites to send to an expert columnist. No gripe is too small. No topic is too big. Public Service Confidential is an advice column, written for the Ottawa Citizen by guest contributors Scott Taymun, Yazmine Laroche, Daniel Quan-Watson, V. C. de la Ronde and Chris Aylward. The information provided in this series is not legal advice and should not be construed as legal advice.
Ottawa Citizen
26-04-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
How public servants can prepare now for post-election cuts
Article content Public Service Confidential is a workplace advice column for federal public servants. The following question has been edited for clarity and length. Dear Public Service Confidential, This federal election has been one of anguish for many of us in the federal public service. None of the choices seem great. The Liberals have already started a spending review and plan to cap the size of the public service. If elected, their approach to the public service will be quite different to that of the Trudeau Liberals in 2015. The Conservatives, inspired by what's happening in the U.S., seem gleeful to make deep cuts and their leader is always willing to deride public servants, or as he calls them 'gatekeepers.' And the NDP and Greens don't have a chance at forming government. When the dust settles on this election, how should public servants prepare for what's next? — A tired public servant Article content Article content Article content Article content Liberal Leader Mark Carney's platform has stated he will balance the operating budget over the next three years by cutting waste, eliminating duplication and deploying technology. What he really means is cuts to programs, job loss and the use of more artificial intelligence. Article content Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has stated that he will 'streamline' the public service gradually and through attrition 'without mass layoffs' and will wind down the cost of the bureaucracy by hiring back only two people for every three who voluntarily depart or retire. Article content This sounds relatively innocuous, but here's the catch: the platform also aims for savings of $77.7 billion over four years which will come from cancelling programs and finding efficiencies, which again, will mean public service job cuts. Federal workers who were around in 2011 will remember the dreaded DRAP (Deficit Reduction Action Plan) when the Conservatives under then prime minister Stephen Harper cut tens of thousands of positions in four years. Article content Article content Both parties are also on record stating that they will cut back on the use of external consultants, which is welcome news, but neither party mentioned how the work currently being done by those firms will be completed in the future. The smart thing to do would be to take those savings and invest them in the development of the public service of tomorrow. Article content Article content So, yes cuts are coming to the federal public service. Federal public sector workers should think about how vulnerable they may be to any job loss. Article content In Budget 2023, the Liberal government announced it would 'refocus' $14.1 billion over five years from federal departments and agencies, as well as $1.3 billion from crown corporations. This led to a decision to shrink the public service by 5,000 jobs, which government officials originally said would be done through attrition. But since then, they expanded that net to cover laying off term and casual workers, as well as even indeterminate employees.
