Ottawa – As the Carney government moves ahead with plans to slash potentially tens of thousands of federal public service jobs, new polling by the Public Service Alliance of Canada shows that people in Canada are concerned about the impact of cuts on already strained public services and want to talk to humans — not chatbots — when accessing federal benefits.
Conducted by Crestview Strategy in September, the national survey of 2,000 adults reveals that a clear majority of respondents (51%) oppose widespread layoffs of tens of thousands of federal public service workers. When asked about the government’s planned 15% cuts to most federal departments, respondents were far more likely to express concern (45%) than optimism (19%) about the impact on services and jobs. Instead, most respondents (60%) want the government to prioritize addressing the cost of living.
“People don’t want reckless cuts to the services they rely on — they want a government focused on making life more affordable,” said PSAC National President Sharon DeSousa. “This polling confirms what we’ve been hearing for months: people see the strain on public services every day, and they know cuts will only make life harder for everyone.”
When asked why they were concerned about the impact of government’s spending cuts, respondents listed reduced access to public services and longer wait times (33%), potential job losses and increased unemployment (30%), and concerns about the quality and efficiency of public services (16%) as their top three concerns. A majority also agreed that departments delivering essential frontline services — such as public health (66%), food inspection (61%), passports and benefits (61%), environmental protections (51%), tax administration (55%) and national parks (50%)— should be protected from cuts.
These attitudes reflect a broader sense that federal public services are not bloated, but rather understaffed and strained, an assessment with which a majority of respondents agreed.
Key findings:
- Inflation dominates public concern: 60% said bringing down the cost of food and essentials should be the federal government’s top priority compared to just 28% who prioritized reduced government spending.
- Concern outweighs optimism: More than 45% of respondents were concerned about the impact of budget cuts on public services, compared to just 19% who were optimistic. Younger respondents between the ages of 18–34 were most concerned (54%) about spending cuts.
- Public services seen as strained: 64% agreed federal public services are strained and backlogged, and 48% said frontline services are understaffed.
- Trust in human workers: 56% preferred a human case manager to handle taxes, benefits, and pensions rather than artificial intelligence.
“The takeaway here is clear: the vast majority of people trust and support public service workers,” said DeSousa. “They see the value of what our members do every day, and they don’t want the government to make services worse by cutting corners or public service jobs.”
The Public Service Alliance of Canada is one of Canada’s largest unions, representing nearly 250,000 workers in every province and territory in Canada, including more than 180,000 federal public service workers.
The study’s findings are based on an online survey with a sample of 2,000 Canadian adults. A combination of quotas and weights were applied to ensure a sample that is representative of the population based on census data for age, region, and gender. The survey was in the field from September 14–18, 2025. A comparable probability sample has a margin of error of ±2.2% at a 95% confidence level.
