New in-office mandate could send more public servants out the door, union says

NDP MP Heather McPherson says introducing the new four-day, in-office mandate for the core public service during widespread job cuts is 'a bad choice' by the Liberal government.

The Treasury Board Secretariat, led by President Shafqat Ali, announced on Feb. 5 that executives in the core public administration will be required to work in-office full-time as of May 4, and all other staff four days per week as of July 6. Separate agencies within the public service are 'strongly encouraged' to follow suit.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY MARLO GLASS

February 6, 2026

A public service union leader says the newly announced mandate requiring civil servants to be in-office four days a week, and ending hybrid work for executives, could be a tactic to reduce the bureaucracy's headcount amid thousands of notices of potential job layoffs.

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