The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada is demanding the federal government explain its new return-to-office mandate, citing contradictions with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s published support for remote work and a lack of transparency in policy planning.
The union, which represents over 85,000 public-sector professionals, says the mandate arrives as federal workers face job cuts and program reductions, and contradicts assurances Treasury Board officials gave union leaders days before the announcement.
“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.”
Last-minute policy reversal
At a meeting with PIPSC on Jan. 30, Treasury Board representatives told union leaders they had no information on when a new return-to-office mandate would be announced or what it would involve, according to the union.
“Either senior officials responsible for workforce policy have been kept in the dark, or union representatives were not being told the truth,” said O’Reilly. “Neither inspires confidence.”
PM’s published views on remote work
The union pointed to statements Carney made in his 2021 book Value(s), in which he praised remote work’s efficiency and flexibility.
“The transition from home to work involves only a few steps from bed to computer… I prefer that,” Carney wrote, according to the union. He also emphasized that flexibility and purpose-driven employment are essential to attracting and retaining a modern workforce.
“The government is abandoning the very principles its own Prime Minister has championed,” said O’Reilly. “Carney is using one set of values in print, and another in practice.”
Union seeks evidence and consultation
PIPSC is calling on the government to pause the new return-to-office mandate, release the evidence justifying it, and engage with workers and unions before implementing the policy.
The union says federal public servants have delivered critical services while working remotely over the past several years, demonstrating productivity and adapting to evolving workplace models.
