Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press

Ottawa's chief data officer says he thinks the introduction of artificial intelligence to federal government operations will lead to "some" job cuts in the public service.

In a recent interview with The Canadian Press, Stephen Burt said he thinks the impacts are going to vary widely and will be job-specific, with different outcomes in different areas.

While he wouldn't identify the risk of job losses in specific areas of government, Burt said the goal will be to ensure employees receive opportunities to retrain and change jobs.

Canada's ministers of finance and procurement have given officials in charge of most federal contracting 45 days to come up with a plan to review all existing and planned federal contracts to find ways to save money.

The directive made by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Public Works and Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound is the latest cost-savings directive from the federal cabinet as Prime Minister Mark Carney looks to cut government operating spending by 15 per cent over the next three years.

Politicians in Canada are speaking out about political violence after Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday at a Utah college event.

Prime Minister Mark Carney offered condolences to Kirk's family and friends.

"There is no justification for political violence and every act of it threatens democracy," he said on social media.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Kirk's shooting must be strongly denounced.

The federal government says it has found almost 500 ways to streamline regulations and cut costs following a 60-day red tape review exercise.

Departments and agencies have published reports identifying measures to make them more efficient and eliminate complicated or redundant regulations or processes.

Examples include a Canada Border Services Agency proposal to end the rule requiring that travellers arriving in Canada only on their way to another country, be examined by the agency before making their way to their departing flight.

Federal public servants were less likely to call in sick to work during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, new government data shows.

The figures shared by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat indicate that in 2020-21, when the pandemic had most office employees working entirely remotely, the average number of sick days for the public service was 5.9.

That number grew to 8.1 in 2021-22, 8.8 in 2022-23 and 9.2 days in 2023-24.

The Canada Revenue Agency has offered contract extensions to around 850 call centre employees as their union sounds the alarm over staffing levels. 

CRA spokesperson Etienne Biram says the workers, whose contracts were set to expire in September, were contacted about the decision last week.

The federal union representing workers at the tax agency recently launched an online campaign denouncing staffing cuts. 

Employees at the Canada Border Services Agency and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service are the least likely to recommend their office as a great place to work, a survey of federal public servants suggests.

The 2024 Public Service Employee Survey asked federal government employees a range of questions about their satisfaction with their workplace, including about their leadership, well-being and compensation.

One question asked public servants if they would recommend their department or agency as a "great place to work."

When Prime Minister Jean Chrétien got hit in the face with a pie 25 years ago, the only thing hurt was his pride.

A quarter-century later, Canada's security landscape has changed radically. Threats of violence against politicians have become far more common. What seemed like a harmless prank then looks more like a warning now.

"There is this view that you're a politician, it's all fair game," said Catherine McKenna — who was herself the target of multiple threats of violence while she served as a federal minister.

National galleries and museums across the country have seen a 15 per cent increase in attendance so far this summer, after the federal government introduced free or discounted admission through the new Canada Strong Pass.

The Canada Strong Pass, which took effect on June 20 and is available until Sept. 2, offers free national museum admission to children 17 and under, and a 50 per cent discount for those aged 18 to 24.

The pass also offers free admission to national parks and sites maintained by Parks Canada.

A new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says the federal public service could shed almost 60,000 jobs over the next four years as Ottawa looks to cut costs.

Earlier this month, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne sent letters to multiple ministers asking them to identify cuts to program spending at their departments of 15 per cent by 2028-29.

The report, written by Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives senior economist David Macdonald, says the federal public service could lose up to 57,000 employees by 2028.