Public servants under pressure to enact ‘delivery-and-execution agenda’ in 2026 with job cuts on the horizon

But broad-based reform may not be coming in the near feature, says ex-civil servant David McLaughlin, calling it 'a heavy lift' that requires 'sustained commitment' from senior bureaucrats and cabinet.

Prime Minister Mark Carney was elected with a mandate to 'do things,' and is focused on building homes, artificial intelligence, procurement and defence spending, and less concerned with broad-based public service reform, says former high-ranking public servant David McLaughlin.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY MARLO GLASS

December 30, 2025

While grappling with job cuts and the looming spectre of a full-time return to office, the federal public service will be under the microscope to deliver on ambitious files key to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s mandate in 2026, from trade negotiations to defence procurement ...

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