Parks Canada notifies 2,917 employees of potential job losses in second round of cuts

Parks Canada entered a second phase of workforce cuts on Tuesday, October 20, notifying 2,917 employees that their positions may no longer be required. The affected notification does not automatically mean layoff, but signals the start of a process offering alternative employment opportunities to permanent public servants whose jobs are eliminated.

The notification affects more than half of Parks Canada's workforce, which employed 4,773 people as of March 2026 (down from 4,842 in 2025). The first phase of cuts began during the summer; this second phase follows PM Mark Carney's comprehensive expenditure review in the federal budget, which aims to find $60 billion in savings over five years from operational budgets. Parks Canada is targeting $144.9 million in cuts over the next three years.

Interim president and CEO Andrew Campbell said in an email to staff that the agency chose "meaningful transformation" rather than eliminating term positions or reducing all programs. "We have sought to proactively shape a more efficient, flexible and delivery-focused organization, while leveraging our collective creativity to find new ways of working together and with others to deliver our mandate," Campbell said in all-staff meeting notes. The high number of affected letters was intended to allow the highest number of voluntary departures possible. Campbell has not disclosed the target number of permanent jobs to be eliminated across both phases.

Additional cost-control measures already in place include limited hiring, approved all early retirement requests, and maintained "organizational holes" rather than filling vacant positions. The agency's cutting strategy, per planning documents, targets non-essential internal services and "underperforming areas and sites with low visitation."

Alex Silas, national executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, expressed concern in June about the impact on programs like the Canada Strong Pass, which offers free national park admission and museum and gallery discounts. "While they're trying to promote access to Parks Canada parks and historic sites, they're also weakening our ability to preserve and maintain these historic sites and parks," Silas said, describing the timing as "odd."