Job Cuts. Representational Image by Unsplash/The Jopwell Collection
Ottawa/CMEDIA: Reportedly 3,300 positions are being eliminated at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), a federal union has warned.
The potential job cuts were issued in a statement by The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU) calling it a “devastating blow to the public services families, businesses and communities Canada rely on.”
With more information to be announced in mid-Feb, at present there are no “clear details” about who will be affected by the job cuts.
“These massive cuts will hurt families and businesses who rely on these critical public services and make a growing immigration crisis even worse…always hurt Canada’s most vulnerable populations…unsure if they’ll be out of a job next month,” Sharon DeSousa, PSAC National President, has said in a statement.
There were 13,092 employees at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in 2024, according to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat up from 10,248 in 2022 and 7,800 in 2019.
Employees at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada are, the union says, “essential in processing citizenship, permanent and residency applications, passports, conducting interviews, and ensuring Canada can attract the talent needed to strengthen our economy.”
Plans to reduce 5,000 public service jobs through attrition over four years were outlined in 2024 federal budget
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced In November that by mid-December it was eliminating approximately 600 temporary and contract employees across the country.
“The newly announced cuts at IRCC are the most significant so far, but more are expected as federal departments are being asked to find savings across the board,” the unions said.
The Canadian government is being urged by the PSAC and the Canada Employment and Immigration Union to collaborate on real solutions, including replacing outsourcing contracts.
“Last month, immigration processing wait times continued to reach record-breaking backlog levels…businesses grappling with critical labour shortages… suffer the consequences of this reckless decision,” Rubina Boucher, national president of the CEIU has said
According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat there were 367,772 employees in the federal public service in 2024.
