Question Period Note: Early Pension Eligibility for Safety and Security Workers

What is the government doing to deliver on its promise to provide early retirement for frontline safety and security workers?

The Government of Canada values the important work of our frontline public service safety and security workers.
• Budget 2025 proposes amendments to the Public Service Superannuation Act to expand early retirement eligibility for frontline safety and security workers that participate in the public service pension plan.
• Newly eligible employees will include frontline firefighters, paramedics, correctional service employees, border services officers, parliamentary protection officers, and search and rescue technicians.
• This will provide consistency across federal employee groups that support safety and security, recognizing the demanding nature of their day-to-day duties.

Further to an announcement by the Prime Minister on October 17, 2025 Budget 2025, proposes to amend the Public Service Superannuation Act to expand the operational service early retirement program (also known as “25 and out”) to frontline employees of the following additional occupational groups participating in the public service pension plan:
1. Firefighters (federal and territorial governments) 
2. Paramedics (federal and territorial governments) 
3. Correctional service employees (territorial governments) 
4. Border services officers (federal government) 
5. Parliamentary protection officers (federal government) 
6. Search and rescue personnel (federal and territorial governments) 
Participation in the operational service program would allow the newly eligible employees to access a special early retirement benefit. More specifically, they will be able to retire early with an immediate unreduced pension after completing 25 years of actual operational service, or at age 50 with 25 years of actual and deemed operational service combined (at least 10 years must be actual). This special benefit is currently only available to employees of Correctional Service Canada working in a federal correctional institution.
Implementation of the expanded operational service program will require amendments to the Public Service Superannuation Act, as well as the completion of additional actions, such as the finalization of regulatory amendments and changes in the pay and pension systems. The implementation date of the expanded program will be announced at a later date following the completion of all the required implementation actions.
The proposal in Budget 2025 mirrors a commitment made in the Government’s most recent election platform. It also mirrors a commitment made by the former Government, with that commitment being informed by a recommendation from the Public Service Pension Advisory Committee. The required amendments to expand the operational service program were previously included as part of the implementing legislation for the 2024 Fall Economic Statement, however, that legislation did not proceed due to the dissolution of Parliament on March 23, 2025.

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