Federal public servants seek legal advice as they face job cuts

OTTAWA — Several law firms in Ottawa say they’re getting an influx of calls from federal workers looking for advice as the public service faces job cuts.

Malini Vijaykumar, a partner at Nelligan Law, said unionized employees need to go through their unions to file grievances or complaints.

She said she has also seen an increase in inquiries from non-unionized executives and employees in human resources who are navigating the changes.

Vijaykumar said some employees have been told that their positions may be affected about a year from now, while others have heard layoffs may come within months.

“They are really stressed out and trying to understand what their options are,” she said.

A government program and spending review is looking to eliminate about 40,000 public service jobs by 2029, from a peak of 368,000 positions in 2024.

That includes 1,000 executive positions over the next two years.

Vijaykumar said that, unlike workers in the private sector, public servants typically can’t engage in individual severance negotiations.

“Instead, you’re looking at the decision-making process and seeing if there was something discriminatory about it,” she said. “Just the fact that you’re being affected in a workforce adjustment … that’s not typically something that you can negotiate or contest if you’re a government employee.

“The system is just so different and a lot of the education for folks has been letting them know that.”

Federal unions have warned of threats to services and public safety as a result of job cuts. The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada staged a demonstration Friday in Ottawa to protest cuts at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The union set up a public display of commonly recalled food products to show the potential impact of federal cuts at the agency.

The union representing employees at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said late last month that staff have been told 1,371 agency jobs will be cut as part of the government’s cost-cutting exercise.

The Agriculture Union said it “categorically denounces” the cuts and warns they point toward a “looming food safety crisis” in Canada.

Christopher Achkar, managing partner at Achkar Law, said the business is seeing a “surge” due to the workforce adjustment in the federal public service.

“Many people are receiving these notices and are unsure what they mean and how they affect them,” he said. “This is across the board and many people are unsure of their options.”

A government website providing data on workforce reductions as of Feb. 1 shows the government is targeting a reduction of 8,706 employee positions and 465 executive positions across almost 30 departments through the workforce adjustment or career transition processes.

The federal government has not yet confirmed the number of jobs being eliminated for some departments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press