QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Public Service Cuts
November 25, 2025
Leader, I hope you can clear something up for me.
My first question is about the actual number of public servants. When the federal budget was introduced, the government committed to reducing the number of federal public servants by 40,000. How many public servants are there, in fact?
On page 206 of the 2025 budget, it says that, after cutting 40,000 public servants, the government will reach its target of 330,000. In 2023-24, there were almost 368,000 public servants. However, according to the Treasury Board website’s numbers over a period of seven years, there were 266,433 public servants as of March 31, 2024.
That’s not all. Adding to the confusion, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who received the 2025-26 departmental plans, stated that the number of full-time equivalents as of July 15 —
I’m sorry, Senator Carignan, but your time is up.
I did indeed notice some confusion in your question. You didn’t have time to finish your question, Senator Carignan, but I can guess where you were going with that, so I’ll give you an answer.
The government has made a commitment to reduce the size of the public service in a responsible manner through attrition and retirement. I think that’s what Canadians want, and that is what the government has committed to do.
We will have an opportunity in the coming weeks to study the government’s budget in detail. A motion has been tabled to that effect. I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity, at the many committee meetings you’ll attend, to ask questions that interest you regarding all the mathematical equations, which are too complex for a one-minute question here.
Leader, how many public servants do you have in the government? Is it 266,433, 370,000 or 441,000 full‑time equivalents? Is my question clear enough?
What is also clear is that the government has made a commitment to reduce the number of public service employees, because the Canadian government is responding to what Canadians want. It will do so, as I explained in my answer to your overly long question, through attrition and retirements. I’m sure you will have an opportunity to add to the very important question you’re asking, Senator Carignan.
