OTTAWA — The federal government has terminated 145 employees and suspended 783 others without pay following a massive review of serious misconduct across 38 departments. The crackdowns come as the government began releasing mandatory annual transparency reports, revealing more than 2,600 founded cases of wrongdoing ranging from financial theft to harassment and “time theft” by remote workers.
The reports detail a wide array of troubling behavior within the public service. Some employees were found to have embezzled government funds into personal accounts or fabricated expense claims, while others were fired for accessing the private tax records of family and friends without authorization. Cases of “time theft” were particularly highlighted, where some staff manipulated software to create fake meetings and simulate activity to hide that they were not actually working.
Five major departments accounted for the bulk of the disciplinary actions. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) reported the highest volume with 680 cases, followed by Correctional Service Canada with 400. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) had 266 cases, which included 25 terminations for standard misconduct and an additional 78 employees fired for fraudulently receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during the pandemic. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the RCMP also reported hundreds of cases involving privacy breaches and workplace violence.
Beyond dismissals and suspensions, thousands of other employees faced lighter disciplinary measures, including 705 written reprimands and over 1,000 demotions or mandatory training orders. In contrast, agencies like the CRTC and the Public Service Commission reported only a single incident of discipline each. The surge in reported cases is partly due to a 2024 directive requiring departments to publish these findings annually to increase accountability.
The findings have sparked strong criticism from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF). Director Franco Terrazzano stated that taxpayers, who fund these salaries, have every right to be “extremely frustrated” by these lapses in integrity. He emphasized that transparency is the only way to hold the bureaucracy accountable and called for stricter oversight to ensure that government employees are fulfilling their duties while on the clock.
