Details of federal spending review to be released in ‘coming days’

OTTAWA — Canadians are expected to learn soon which programs will be affected by the federal government’s cost-cutting review.

Appearing before the House committee on government operations Tuesday, Secretary of the Treasury Board of Canada Bill Matthews said departmental plans for programs affected by cuts should be tabled “in the coming days.”

The government’s Comprehensive Expenditure Review was launched in July 2025, and most ministers have been asked to find ways to cut their departments’ program spending by 15 per cent over three years.

Matthews said federal organizations were told to find “operational efficiencies” and to target programs and activities that are underperforming, overlap with other programs or are not aligned with government priorities.

Appearing before the same committee today, Public Service Alliance of Canada national president Sharon DeSousa said the government needs to be honest about which programs and services will be affected.

She said cutting public services can cost taxpayers more in the long term and can lead to slower service delivery, reduced administrative capacity and stalled progress on departmental and legal obligations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press