The federal government is expanding its return-to-office mandate for public servants this year.
Letters from the Secretary of the Treasury Board have gone out to workers in federal departments informing them that executives will be required onsite five days per week by May 4, 2026, and all other employees will be required onsite a minimum of four days per week by July 6, 2026.
This order applies to core public service departments. The government says separate agencies are strongly encouraged to take a similar approach.
The federal government’s hybrid work rules, in place since September 2024, currently require public servants in the core public administration to be in the office a minimum of three days per week, while executives are expected to be onsite a minimum of four days a week.
“The Government has put forward ambitious plans to deliver on priorities for Canadians and to strengthen our country,” the letter reads, in part. “Working together onsite is an essential foundation of the strong teams, collaboration and culture needed during this pivotal moment and beyond.”
The letter says the Treasury Board Secretariat would be meeting with unions to seek input, and the discussions could include elements such as the potential for assigned seating and occupational health and safety.
“Public Services and Procurement Canada will work closely with you to ensure that adequate office space is available for your employees,” the letter says.
Unions demand answers
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) said in a news release Thursday afternoon that the union is demanding the government explain why workers are being ordered back into offices now.
“This mandate isn’t about performance, collaboration, or service to Canadians,” said Sean O’Reilly, President of PIPSC. “It’s about optics, imposed on a workforce already dealing with layoffs, budget cuts, and a workplace already in chaos.”
Tens of thousands of public servants have received notices about potential layoffs in recent weeks, as the federal government looks to shrink the size of the public service by 28,000 positions over the next three years.
PIPSC says it met with the Treasury Board last week and heard nothing about plans for a new return-to-office mandate.
“Either senior officials responsible for workforce policy have been kept in the dark, or union representatives were not being told the truth. Neither inspires confidence,” said O’Reilly. “Also, this new directive stands in stark contrast to the views publicly expressed by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has written at length about the economic, social, and productivity benefits of remote and flexible work.”
PIPSC says it is calling on the government to pause the new return-to-office mandate, release the evidence justifying it, and “engage meaningfully with workers and unions before imposing yet another top-down decision that ignores lived experience.”
The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) said this latest move will set the stage for labour conflict.
“This announcement comes on the heels of a recent ruling by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board that telework can be negotiated at the bargaining table,” a news release said. “As CAPE and other bargaining units begin new contract negotiations this year, this sets the stage for completely avoidable conflict.”
CAPE President Nathan Prier said the return-to-office mandate is unpopular with many federal employees.
“This announcement demonstrates that this government has both a willful disregard for reality and absolute contempt for its employees and taxpayers,” said Prier. “As thousands of public servants are watching their jobs disappear and Canadians are watching health and other programs get gutted, this government is committing to making public servants less productive while wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer money. If workers needed another sign that this government can’t be trusted, this is it.”
The union said it will be pushing for full telework rights for all employees who can and want to work remotely.
‘Good for downtown businesses,’ says Ottawa mayor
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe told CTV News Ottawa he believes having federal workers in the office more often will be beneficial for downtown businesses.
“I’ve heard from public servants who don’t want to go back to the office, and their unions have spoken on their behalf and said that they should be able to work more often from home. I get that,” he said.
“But if you’re looking at the downtown economy and revitalizing Centretown and the ByWard Market, it’s good news that there will be more people coming downtown. So, I’m excited from that perspective, but I understand that not all public servants are going to be happy about it.”
The City of Ottawa recently implemented a full-time return-to-office mandate for its hybrid employees.
The directive came into effect Jan. 1. The city had said approximately 85 per cent of municipal staff were already required to be on site or in the office five days a week. Municipal hybrid employees had previously been required to be in the office for a minimum of two days per week.
Provincial employees in Ontario and Alberta have also been issued similar directives.
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Josh Pringle
