Mark Carney is slashing the public service as he boosts the war machine. Unfortunately, the NDP has been too supportive of militarism to effectively boost unions that want the federal government to focus on human welfare rather than corporate warfare.
The Carney government is cutting tens of thousands of jobs from the federal public service. The government’s just announced plan to gut Canada Post will likely add to the layoffs.
Carney never told the public he was going to partially privatize Canada Post or lay off tens of thousands of public servants. In fact, the Liberal Party election platform stated, “We are also committed to capping, not cutting, public service employment.”
Yet after winning the election, Carney directed ministers to cut operational spending by 7.5% for the 2026-2027 fiscal year and to increase the cut to 15% by 2028-2029. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) projects that as a result 44,000 government employees will lose their jobs by 2028 (11,820 jobs will be lost in 2025 due earlier retrenchment policies.) But the Department of National Defence, RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency only need to plan for a 2% cut, which means that federal public service cuts will largely impact agencies that support the working class, First Nations and the environment.
The department projected to experience the heaviest job losses is the Canada Revenue Agency. But worsening services and growing burdens for the remaining staff will also be seen at the Department of Employment and Social Development, Public Health Agency of Canada, Department of Citizenship and Immigration and Department of the Environment. The Department of Indigenous Services, which provides funding for Indigenous health care, social, education and infrastructure programs, is projected to lose 1,311 employees. CCPA predicts that other government transfers to Indigenous communities are on the chopping block too.
The Carney administration is choosing to accelerate public service cuts in favour of a massive $9 billion (23%) annual increase to the Department of Defence budget and to reduce taxes on the rich, including the reversal of the planned capital gains tax increase that would have brought in $17.4 billion over five years. After boosting military spending by $9 billion this year in June Carney agreed an even more radical militarist turn. At the NATO summit the prime minister agreed to reach the Donald Trump inspired target of 5% of GDP on ‘defence’, which would add another $100 billion to Canadian military spending over the next decade.
Unfortunately, the NDP helped lay the ground for these boosts in military spending by supporting the US empire’s bid to stoke conflict with Russia, Iran and China. During the 2025 election campaign former party leader Jagmeet Singh pledged to increase military spending to NATO’s (then) target of 2% of GDP while also advocating to spend tens of billions of dollars to build F-35 jets in Canada. In June foreign affairs critic and NDP leadership candidate Heather MacPherson issued a statement that read, “New Democrats recognize that Canadian Armed Forces personnel and infrastructure were underfunded by successive Liberal and Conservative governments, and there is a need to increase investment in these services” even though Canada’s military budget had already doubled from $20 billion to $40 billion in the decade before.
Amidst the climate emergency and increasing wealth disparity, federal public service jobs should be kept to claw back taxes hidden in off-shore tax havens, safeguard communities from environmental destruction and facilitate genuine reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We should not be cutting jobs and redirecting funds to the military. In fact, Canadians should be asking themselves why Mexico spends about 0.7% of GDP on its military and Costa Rica, Panama and Iceland don’t have militaries. We should be looking at reducing, not increasing, spending on arms and war.
During its 2023 strike the Public Service Alliance of Canada shut down key infrastructure and government buildings. Many PSAC and Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada members live in the Ottawa riding that defeated Pierre Poilievre in the 2025 federal election. An Yves Engler NDP will advocate for a federal public service that is based on the principles of human welfare, not corporate warfare. We want to support unions that have demonstrated the power to make this happen.
To assist, donate or learn more about my bid to lead the NDP check out yvesforndpleader.ca
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