The Treasury Board of Canada is facing major hurdles in fully implementing its new return-to-office mandate (RTO4), which requires federal public servants to work on-site at least four days a week. According to recent reports, nearly 10 percent of the federal unionized workforce—roughly 34,000 employees—cannot comply due to a critical shortage of available office desks and seating.
Infrastructure Shortages
The lack of physical workspace has severely impacted major government departments, including Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Statistics Canada, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). In several regions and headquarters, a significant portion of staff is temporarily being permitted to maintain a three-day in-office schedule until additional facilities are secured or existing spaces are renovated.
Government Timeline
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the agency managing real estate across government departments, is actively searching for new office spaces and optimizing existing layouts. PSPC aims to reduce the proportion of unaccommodated public servants from 10 percent to 5 percent by the end of March 2027.
Union Pushback
Leading public service unions, including the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), have strongly condemned the mandate. Union representatives argue that forcing workers back without providing basic infrastructure creates logistical chaos and wastes time. They demand that affected employees be allowed to continue working from home under flexible hybrid arrangements until adequate working conditions are established.
