PBO information requests regarding Planned Reductions under the 2025 Comprehensive Expenditure Review: Follow-up
This note provides a follow-up on information requests regarding the 2025 Comprehensive Expenditure Review from Budget 2025.
Budget 2025 outlined the scope and general methodology used to identify savings under the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER), structured around three themes: modernizing government operations, streamlining program delivery, and recalibrating federal programs. It also provided high-level outcomes associated with the planned savings and included an annex presenting a departmental breakdown by theme.
That said, consistent with our reports[^1] on the Budget 2012 spending review exercise, there is a lack of detail regarding the impact on individual programs within each organization, including the reduction in personnel and potential service-level impacts. It is unclear if or when the Government plans to publish this information, or how it will report on the progress and results of the exercise. In the absence of such detail, as noted in testimony to the House and Senate, it is difficult for PBO to assess the fiscal and operational risks to achieving the stated savings and therefore the Government’s ability to respect its fiscal anchors.
To address this gap, on November 5, 2025, the PBO submitted information requests to the following organizations subject to a savings target of up to 15 per cent, seeking program-level details on planned savings, staffing reductions, and service implications:
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Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
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Canada Economic Development for the Quebec Regions
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Canadian Food Inspection Agency
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Correctional Service of Canada
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Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
On November 10, 2025, the Treasury Board Secretariat, on behalf of these organizations, indicated that the requested data would not be provided within the requested timeframe, disregarding its legislative obligations under the Parliament of Canada Act to provide “free and timely access” to information required for the performance of the PBO’s mandate. Instead, the Government stated that the data would be shared only after parliamentary approval of the CER, citing concerns that early disclosure could compromise employee trust and jeopardize management-union relations.[^2]
The PBO sought a legislative remedy by referring the matter to the Speakers of the Senate and House of Commons. Ultimately, the House of Commons Government Operations Committee requested the data on behalf of the PBO, and the information was provided on December 16, 2025—the deadline set by the Committee.
Information Received
For each organization, the PBO received a breakdown of planned savings by program, including projected personnel reductions and potential service-level impacts for 2026-27 to 2029‑30. All five organizations requested that the data remain confidential until federal employees are notified of potential human resource impacts. The PBO considers this confidentiality acceptable for fulfilling its mandate, though parliamentarians may wish to assess whether their fiduciary needs are being met.
The five organizations detailed $1.5 billion in planned savings over four years, with a collective reduction of 1,927 FTEs by 2029-30 (Table 1). Information on service-level impacts was limited and varied across organizations, but all indicated that the planned reductions are expected to have a “low” or “limited” impact on existing service levels.
Next Steps
PBO will submit information requests to all remaining departments and agencies affected by the CER seeking the same information. Ongoing monitoring will assess whether the implementation of the CER aligns with the planned savings presented in Budget 2025 and whether the reductions will result in “low” or “limited” service-level impacts.