Question Period Note: Size of the Public Service

Why has the government allowed the massive expansion of the public service?

• The Government has committed to balancing our operating budget over the next three years.
• To get there, we will bring our spending down by cutting waste and ending duplicative programs.
• We will cap the size of the public service and deploy technology to boost public sector productivity.
• The spending review is about focusing on priorities and finding ways to better deliver on what matters most for Canadians. This will not be an arbitrary cost-cutting exercise.
• Our federal workers will be focussed on what matters most: delivering essential services to Canadians, and helping Canada meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.
• Planning is underway and more details will be shared as soon as possible.

The population of the federal public service was 257,034 in 2015 and grew to 367,772 in 2024 and then reduced to 357,965 in 2025.
The population of the federal public service compared with the Canadian population grew from 0.72% in 2015 to 0.90% in 2024 and reduced to 0.86% in 2025.

Year: 2015
• Federal Public Service: 257,034
• Canadian Population: 35,606,734
• % of Canadian Population: 0.72%
Year: 2016
• Federal Public Service: 258,979
• Canadian Population: 35,970,407
• % of Canadian Population: 0.72%
Year: 2017
• Federal Public Service: 262, 696
• Canadian Population: 36,397,141
• % of Canadian Population: 0.72%
Year: 2018
• Federal Public Service: 273,571
• Canadian Population: 36,903,671
• % of Canadian Population: 0.74%
Year: 2019
• Federal Public Service: 287,983
• Canadian Population: 37,437,243
• % of Canadian Population: 0.77%
Year: 2020
• Federal Public Service: 300,450
• Canadian Population: 38,006,941
• % of Canadian Population: 0.79%
Year: 2021
• Federal Public Service: 319,601
• Canadian Population: 38,140,918
• % of Canadian Population: 0.84%
Year: 2022
• Federal Public Service: 335,957
• Canadian Population: 38,683,567
• % of Canadian Population: 0.87%
Year: 2023
• Federal Public Service: 357,247
• Canadian Population: 39,739,633
• % of Canadian Population: 0.90%
Year: 2024
• Federal Public Service: 367,772
• Canadian Population: 41,012,563
• % of Canadian Population: 0.90%
Year: 2025
• Federal Public Service: 357,965
• Canadian Population: 41,012,563
• % of Canadian Population: 0.86%

Managing hiring, talent and departures within organizations is the responsibility of deputy heads.
The size and composition of the public service adjust to meet government priorities, with deputy heads ensuring the workforce aligns with departmental mandates and program delivery requirements.
Since the start of the pandemic, the public service expanded significantly to support emergency response efforts and recovery programs and other government priorities, such as immigration. Despite this growth, the public service remains relatively stable as a proportion of Canada's population, currently representing 0.86% in 2025. This is still lower than the levels seen in the 1980s and early 1990s, when the proportion was higher. Annual growth slowed to 2.9% between 2023 and 2024 and then experienced a 2.7% annual reduction between 2024 and 2025, compared to an average annual growth of 5.5% from 2019 to 2023.

Budget 2023 announced the Refocusing Government Spending initiative to reallocate spending starting in 2023–2024 from across departments to priority areas. Details of specific budget reallocations by department are available online at Refocusing Government Spending: Refocusing Government Spending: Results for 2024–25, 2025–26, and 2026–27 - Canada.ca
Budget 2024 announced the second phase of refocusing government spending, requiring departments to cover part of their increased operating costs through existing resources starting on April 1, 2025. These savings are expected to be achieved primarily through natural attrition to the extent possible.
The platform of the Liberal Party of Canada included an explicit commitment to “capping” public service employment and ensuring that the size of the federal public service meets the needs of Canadians.
Prime Minister Carney’s announcement on May 2, 2025, outlined the Government’s priority to “… balance our operating budget over the next three years by cutting waste, capping the public service, ending duplicative programs and deploying technology to boost public sector productivity”.

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