Federal public servants to return to the office 3 days a week this fall

The federal government will expect public servants back in the office three days a week beginning later this year.

A federal government source who is not authorized to speak publicly about the matter confirmed to RadioCanada what the French-lan‐ guage newspaper Le Droit first reported Monday.

The source said the policy shift is due to come into ef‐ fect in September, but added that could change.

It's a major alteration to the twice-a-week hybrid model that prompted some 155,000 Public Service Al‐ liance of Canada (PSAC) members to walk off the job last year in what their union called a "watershed mo‐ ment" for workers' rights.

"Now, you will be pro‐ tected from arbitrary deci‐ sions about remote work by the government," PSAC said in a statement last June.

Ten months later, both PSAC and the Professional In‐ stitute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) say they've been blindsided.

"It absolutely catches us by surprise," said Stéphanie Montreuil, head of public af‐ fairs for PIPSC. "It came with no warning and no consulta‐ tions from our part."

Montreuil said some members are still heading in‐ to the office only to partici‐ pate in virtual meetings.

"We've advocated for presence with purpose," she said.

3 days 'a good start,' Ford says

In Ottawa on an unrelated visit Monday, Ontario Pre‐ mier Doug Ford reiterated his call for federal public servan‐ ts in the capital to get back to the office and breathe life back into the city's often de‐ serted downtown.

"Three days is a good start," Ford said, reacting to the news. "When you're com‐ ing here, go out for lunch,

maybe go into a store, pick something up, go to the mall - that's what we need, that's what stirs the economy."

Treasury Board President Anita Anand did not com‐ ment on the report.

But Minister of Public Ser‐ vices and Procurement JeanYves Duclos said individual ministries would maintain the final word on how em‐ ployees return to the office.

"All departments need to contribute to the conversa‐ tions that are taking place with Treasury Board," Duclos said.

Neither PISPC nor PSAC would speculate about how members of the two giant unions might react to the news.

In downtown Ottawa, public servant Tannis Labelle wasn't keen on the idea of re‐ turning to the office for a third day.

"It adds to my work day, it takes away from my family life - I think it's a waste of time," she said.

The 2024 federal budget set a 10-year target for cut‐ ting Public Services and Pro‐ curement Canada's office portfolio in half.

With that anticipated re‐ duction of federal govern‐ ment office space and no firm plan for an end to hy‐ brid working on the horizon, many public servants are questioning not only when they'll return to the office, but where and even how.