OTTAWA: A report indicates a decrease in the number of students working under the federal government. Data from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat suggests a reduction of approximately 20 percent between 2024 and 2025, with the number dropping from 9,120 in March 2024 to 7,370 in March 2025. The largest reduction occurred at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), where the number dropped from 1,356 to 268. The CRA stated that this decrease is part of the ‘Quiet Cuts’ in public service and is being implemented for economic reasons.
The figures were released after Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne hinted that adjustments would be made to the public service. Officials, including the President of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), have warned that these cuts will alienate the most talented young workers from the public service and will create a shortage of middle and senior managers in the future. The current situation is further raising concerns, as the youth unemployment rate has risen to 14.6 percent.
