Thursday’s budget signals that the federal government is spending beyond pandemic spending – wage subsidy ends this fiscal year, for example – while also looking at how COVID-19 could reshape the way the government provides its services. Allowing federal civil servants to work from home more permanently and possibly selling federal buildings could help the government save up to $ 6 billion over five years. The budget proposes to the government to find ways to save money in the areas of “real estate, travel and increased digital services”. Jennifer Carr, president of the Professional Public Service Institute of Canada (PIPSC), said the cuts to the federal bureaucracy – led by former Prime Minister Steven Harper – were still being worked out. “We have serious questions about what exactly they plan to do about the cuts,” he said, adding that he hoped civil servants would be consulted about the process. “We certainly do not want to see anything like the Harper era, where they went so far as to cut 10 percent everywhere.” Many federal office buildings in central Ottawa remain virtually empty as civil servants continue to work from home, and the budget document suggests that in the future, workforce strategies could include “more virtual or remote work arrangements.” “These efforts will aim to save $ 6 billion over five years and $ 3 billion a year by 2026-27,” according to budget documents. A comprehensive “strategic policy review” will be conducted by Mona Fortier, chair of the Finance Council and Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier. Carr said the review is likely to focus – in part – on the government selling out buildings or ending leases in office space that is currently vacant. “We really want to ensure that the strategic review has the least impact on Canadians, the services to Canadians and our ability to provide those services on their behalf,” he said. This review will also assess the “effectiveness of the program” in meeting other priorities such as economic development, integration and the fight against climate change.
New, targeted program costs
In the meantime, there are new proposed expenditures and programs aimed at launching this year in other federal departments and services:
$ 45 million over four years for Canada’s Innovation, Science and Economic Development, which supports projects in the Canadian semiconductor industry. $ 40.9 million over five years on federal sponsorship boards to support targeted scholarships and fellowships for promising black student researchers. $ 272.6 million over five years for Employment and Social Development Canada to support an employment strategy for people with disabilities. $ 20 million over five years for Canadian Health Research Institutes to investigate the long-term effects of COVID-19 infections in Canadians. $ 25 million over three years at the Library and Archives of Canada to support the digitization of documents related to India’s federal day care system. $ 12.1 million over two years at the National Center for the Arts to support creations, co-productions and promotions with Canadian performing arts companies.
