Health Canada notifies more than 1,000 staff of potential job impacts amid federal cuts
Health Canada has issued workforce adjustment notices to more than 1,000 employees as Ottawa moves ahead with plans to cut 28,000 federal public service jobs over four years.
Copy link
By Torontoer Staff
Health Canada has notified more than 1,000 employees that their jobs may be affected, the latest round of workforce adjustment notices as the federal government pursues cuts across the public service. The notifications come as Ottawa implements the Canada Strong Budget 2025 plan to reduce the federal payroll by 28,000 positions over four years.
Unions representing federal scientists, inspectors and other specialists say the notices will hit core regulatory and consumer-protection work at the department. Health Canada did not immediately provide a department-wide tally of workforce adjustment letters when contacted by media.
Who received notices at Health Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, PIPSC, says more than 700 of its members at Health Canada received workforce adjustment letters this week. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees, CAPE, told CTV News Ottawa that 331 of its members received notices at the department. Combined, the union counts exceed 1,000 employees.
Deep workforce cuts at Health Canada will weaken the systems Canadians rely on. These cuts don’t just affect workers, this is health care, they affect every Canadian. These are the experts who make sure the medication in your cabinet is safe to take, the food in your fridge won’t make your family sick, and dangerous products are pulled off store shelves before they cause harm.
Sean O'Reilly, president, PIPSC
According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Health Canada employed 9,628 people in March 2025, down from 10,118 in 2024. The workforce adjustment letters do not automatically mean immediate layoffs. They are formal notices that a position may be impacted, typically followed by internal staffing processes that can include consultations, redeployment offers and, in some cases, selection or layoff steps.
Other departments issuing notices
Health Canada joins a growing list of departments that have begun issuing workforce adjustment letters in recent weeks. Several federal organizations have already announced or confirmed planned reductions and notice processes.
- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada said roughly 1,100 indeterminate employees would receive notices, and that 45 executive and 569 non-executive positions will be cut.
- Natural Resources Canada sent notices to about 700 employees and plans to cut 400 positions.
- Statistics Canada confirmed it will eliminate 850 positions over two years, with about 100 roles removed immediately.
- Other departments issuing notices include Shared Services Canada, Global Affairs Canada, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Public Services and Procurement Canada.
Departments have framed these steps as part of a broader effort to find savings and reshape federal operations. Union leaders and some public-policy experts have raised concerns about the timing and potential consequences for service delivery and regulatory oversight.
Potential impacts on services and staff
Unions argue that cutting regulatory and scientific roles at Health Canada could slow reviews, weaken safety monitoring and increase workloads for remaining staff. The department oversees drug approvals, food safety, consumer product recalls and other responsibilities that directly affect public health and safety.
Federal officials have said workforce adjustments will be managed through established staffing and labour-management processes. For individual employees, that can mean consultations, internal competitions for roles, opportunities for redeployment and, when necessary, layoff notices with associated entitlements under federal labour rules.
What comes next
Departments that have issued workforce adjustment letters will proceed with internal steps to determine which positions are eliminated and how staff will be transitioned. Unions are pressing for detailed information about which functions and teams will be affected, and for protections to preserve critical capacity.
The cuts at Health Canada form part of Ottawa’s broader plan from the Canada Strong Budget 2025 to pare 28,000 federal positions over four years and identify $60 billion in savings. How those reductions will translate into service changes across government will be decided as departments implement their workforce adjustment processes.
Health Canada and affected unions continue to exchange information as the process unfolds. Departments have said they will communicate with staff and the public as more details become final.
Health Canadapublic servicelayoffsPIPSCfederal budget
