‘A little bit backwards’: public servants grapple with options for early retirement amid job cuts

With thousands of jobs cut entirely from the public service and thousands more retiring early, 'that could put operations, in some places, at risk,' warns union leader Pamela Isfeld, noting the early retirement program has already seen significant interest.

Government data shows just under 4,800 late-career public servants have applied an early exit, on top of the more than 9,000 jobs expected to be cut by Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. Some unions have protested the program, saying it’s a workaround to workers’ rights enshrined in collective agreements.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY MARLO GLASS

April 24, 2026

The leader of a union representing Canadian diplomats abroad says the government’s rollout of the early retirement program has been “a bit backwards,” as Treasury Board data shows just under 4,800 late-career public servants have put their hand up to take an early exit...

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