Economics

Canada Revenue Agency to cut more than 200 positions in new round of workforce adjustment

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The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) announced it will hold a strike vote for roughly 120,000 federal public servants. CTV’s Austin Lee reports.

Up to 260 employees are expected to be laid off from the Canada Revenue Agency in the coming months in the latest round of job cuts at the federal agency.

The CRA says it informed employees on Wednesday about its decision to “make workforce adjustments” at the headquarters in Ottawa and regional offices across the country.

A total of 735 executive and non-executive employees were notified that their positions may be affected as part of the workforce adjustments.

“To support continued employment where future opportunities can be reasonably assured, the CRA provided guarantees of continued employment to 110 affected employees,” the CRA said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Thursday.

“This supports the retention of employees in areas that continue to have operational requirements, primarily in compliance. As workforce adjustments proceed, up to 260 employees are expected to leave the CRA.”

The Union of Taxation Employees said 534 of its members at the CRA received workforce adjustment notices on Wednesday. The union says employees work in the Appeals Branch; Assessment, Benefit, and Service Branch; Commissioner’s Office; Human Resources Branch; and Compliance Programs Branch.

“According to the CRA, the reasons vary by branch,” the union said in a media release.

“They include the end of pandemic-related funding and workloads, expenditure reductions and budget pressures, Agency Alignment and organizational streamlining, changes in workload, centralization, harmonization, digital or self-service delivery, and regional and organizational restructuring.”

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) headquarters is pictured in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) headquarters is pictured in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The CRA says it expects “services to Canadians will continue without disruption” during the changes.

“The organizational changes the CRA put in place help align programs, services, and organizational structures with current and future business needs,” the federal department said.

“They support the Agency’s transformation and its priorities: service excellence, revenue generation, and operational efficiency. Throughout this process, the CRA remains dedicated to protecting services that Canadians rely on and to minimizing impacts on employees.”

In April, the CRA said up to 210 jobs were being cut, with the workforce adjustments “mainly linked” to the winding down of the Federal Fuel Charge. Federal unions said more than 450 members received notices that their jobs may be at risk.

“The CRA recognizes the uncertainty these changes create for employees and is committed to supporting them throughout this process,” the department said.

“The CRA has made significant progress in reducing expenditures and finding efficiencies. These efforts have been essential to improving our financial position, largely achieving our expenditure targets, and meeting our savings commitment under the Comprehensive Expenditure Review.”

As of March 31, 2026, the CRA employed 48,774 employees, down from 52,499 employees in March 2025.

The agency’s 2026-27 departmental plan shows the agency is planning $1.2 billion in spending reductions over three years as part of the government’s comprehensive expenditure review.

The federal government launched the workforce adjustment process in the Canada Strong Budget 2025 last November, which outlined the federal government’s plan to reduce the size of the federal public service by 28,000 positions by 2029, with 16,000 full-time equivalent positions eliminated through the comprehensive expenditure review.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat says 9,438 federal public servants have been approved for early retirement packages.