Number of casual federal public servants plummets by 25 per cent

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From details of a government task force to data on how much has been spent on federal properties in the past 10 years, here are four federal public service updates you need to know.

1. Number of casual public servants plummets by 25 per cent
2. Government unveils members of public service productivity study group, pushes back deadline
3. Government has spent almost $200 million on property in the past 10 years, taxpayers federation says
4. Federal union warns of cuts to the CBSA

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1. Number of casual public servants plummets by 25 per cent

The number of casual employees working for the Government of Canada has dropped significantly since last year, according to new data released by the Public Service Commission of Canada.

In its annual report, published on Dec. 12, the commission said the population of casual employees (employed for a fixed amount of time) was 6,922 as of March 31, 2024, representing a 25-per-cent decrease from the previous year.

Despite the drop, the entire population of the federal public service population rose by three per cent (8,349 employees), increasing to 282,568 employees overall. While the number of permanent employees increased by 4.3 per cent and the number of term employees rose by 5.4 per cent, there was an 8.2 per cent decrease in the number of students working for the federal government.

According to the commission, the “moderate population growth” was tied to a 12.8-per-cent decrease in external hiring.

While the government hired 22.7 per cent fewer casual employees, there was also a 13.5-per-cent drop in the hiring of term employees (those hired for up to 90 days each calendar year) and a 10.1-per-cent drop in the hiring of permanent employees. There were only seven fewer hires of students, which the commission equated to a zero-per-cent decrease.

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Applications to public service jobs also fell 1.5 per cent in the past year, with 417,165 people applying for externally-advertised jobs.

2. Government unveils members of public service productivity study group, pushes back deadline

Months after Treasury Board President Anita Anand announced plans for a new government-led task force to analyze productivity in the public service, the list of those undertaking the project is now public.

According to the Government of Canada website, seven people are taking part in the study. They include:

• Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress
• Benoît Robidoux, former senior associate deputy minister at Employment and Social Development Canada
• Laura Dawson, executive director of the Future Borders Coalition
• Neil Yeates, former deputy minister at Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• Shingai Manjengwa, senior director of education and development, talent and ecosystem at AI research institute Mila
• Trevor Tombe, professor at the University of Calgary’s department of economics
• Wendy R. Carroll, associate professor at Saint Mary’s University’s Sobey School of Business

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The website says the group is expected to meet “at least six times” starting in December 2024.

Previously, the website said the group would present an interim report by Dec. 20 and a final report by Feb. 28. The newly-updated website now states that the deadline for the final report has been pushed back to March 31.

The website no longer mentions that an interim report will be prepared.

3. Government has spent almost $200 million on property in the past 10 years, taxpayers federation says

Global Affairs Canada has spent $186 million on property over the past decade, according to access-to-information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

According to the document, the federal government owns over 400 properties in more than 70 countries, including the United Kingdom, Lebanon, China, Thailand, Barbados and Peru.

The taxpayers federation said in a news release that Global Affairs Canada had spent $38.4 million on official residences since 2014. The government recently came under fire for its purchase of a $9-million condo to serve as the official residence of the Consul General of Canada in New York.

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“Global Affairs Canada’s real-estate portfolio is bloated and the taxpayer tab is ludicrous,” said Franco Terrazzano, the federation’s federal director. “Someone in government must explain what value taxpayers are supposedly getting for the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on all these lavish properties in far flung countries.”

The federation said the government had spent $12.5 million on vacant land in Senegal and $41 million on three properties in Kabul, Afghanistan, which have since been abandoned to the Taliban.

“With the government more than $1 trillion in debt, taxpayers need to know why the government is spending so much of our money overseas,” Terrazzano said.

4. Federal union warns of cuts to the CBSA

The Public Service Alliance of Canada is raising the alarm about millions of dollars in cuts at the Canada Border Services Agency, which it said “will undermine both national security and trade relations.”

While the union said cuts will reach $68 million, citing parliamentary committee notes, the CBSA website states that the net decrease from the 2023-24 to 2024-25 Main Estimates is $48.5 million “mostly due to the Refocusing Government Spending (RGS) reductions for a total of $62.8 million.”

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In a news release published on Dec. 11, the union also said the agency was dealing with a “critical shortage” of 2,000 to 3,000 front-line officers.

“PSAC is calling on the federal government to reverse planned budget cuts to CBSA operations and immediately launch an aggressive recruitment campaign,” the union said in a statement, adding that, while the government had promised to enhance border security through technology, that wouldn’t fix the staffing crisis.

“The union advocates for a balanced approach that combines human expertise with technological support, rather than attempting to replace officers with automated systems, drones or helicopter surveillance.”

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