The facts behind the campaign

We are facing the largest cuts to the public service in decades

Prime Minister Carney’s proposed budget cuts would rival or surpass Harper and Chrétien’s cuts, which impacted workers and families that rely on public services such as parental benefits and other benefits.

Public service cuts put the burden of cost-recovery on workers and families

Chrétien’s “Programs Review” cut federal spending by 18.9%, which resulted in over 45,000 federal public service workers being out of work and increased interest rates on late tax payments, CPP, and EI. We don’t yet know how many thousands of public service workers could be out of a job or which services would be weakened under Prime Minister Carney’s expenditure review cuts.

Cutting the public service means people get left behind

Harper’s "plan" closed 9 Veterans Affairs Service Centres and 98 call centres that processed EI, leading to a historic high in unemployed workers who were unable to access support when they needed it most. At the remaining few call centres, call wait times skyrocketed, and more calls than ever were dropped or abandoned. Prime Minister Carney’s cuts could rival Harper’s in 2012, which will impact the services veterans rely on.

Investing in public services strengthens our economy

According to research by the Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques (IRIS), every dollar spent on public services generates $1.22 in GDP growth, outperforming the private sector.

Public service cuts threaten the supports that seniors rely on

As of 2023, over 7.6 million people in Canada were 65 or older, making up almost one fifth of the population. Supporting Canada's aging population means investing in enough federal public service workers to provide the services they depend on.