About 800 workers at federal passport offices across the country will lose their jobs by the end of June as more Canadians are choosing to stay home.听
In a written statement shared with the Star, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) confirmed听“approximately 800 term employees will be impacted by the reduced passport application forecast.”
The government will issue “500,000 fewer passports this year,” a source within the federal jobs ministry, who was not authorized to speak on the matter,听told the Star. “Because of what’s happening down south, people are opting to stay in Canada and that’s driving down passport demand.”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, recent reports of detainment and the administration’s听new requirements for “REAL ID,” which took effect earlier this month, have put a chill on cross-border travel.听
Tourist visits to Canada decreased in March compared to the same month last year with a 17.4 per
Road trips by Canadian residents venturing south of the border declined 31 per cent in March, year over year, the Star reported this week.
Overall, travel by Canadians outside the country 鈥斕齮o the U.S. and beyond 鈥斕齢as decreased by nearly 15 per cent in March year over year, Statistics Canada reported.听
Service Canada, which delivers the Passport Program in Canada on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), adjusts its workforce to align with forecasted volumes of workload.听
For privacy reasons, ESDC听said it could not听name the specific offices impacted by the job cuts听but noted affected听employees are located throughout the country, including: 43 in Atlantic provinces, 397 in Quebec, 262 in Ontario and 93 in Western provinces and territories.鈥
Treasury Board Secretariat records show that ESDC employs 39,154 people. The department has added more than 12,000 employees since 2020.听
This is the second major job cuts announcement from the federal public service this week.听On Thursday, the Canada Revenue Agency reported that as many as 280 jobs could be cut due to “workforce adjustments.” Most of the affected roles are based in Ottawa and Gatineau.
The government of Canada website says that, in 2025, a total of 52,499 people work at the CRA, down from 59,155 in 2024. But the number is still about 20 per cent higher than in 2019, when there were 43,908 employees.
The Union of Taxation Employees is calling for 鈥渁n immediate moratorium鈥 on job cuts at CRA.
Workforce changes will affect mostly “internal services,” according to a CRA spokesperson with
鈥淲ith every position eliminated, processing delays grow longer, calls go unanswered, files pile up, and citizens are left behind in uncertainty,鈥 union head Marc Bri猫re said in a statement released earlier this week. 鈥淭hose who remain are being pushed beyond their limits 鈥 expected to do more with less, while working under mounting stress and growing job insecurity.鈥
With files from Patty Winsa and Estella Ren听
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