Public Services and Procurement Canada has not answered repeated questions about whether there will be enough office space as unions and workers warn there isn’t enough office space to accommodate the federal government’s new requirements for in-office work.
At the moment, most public servants are expected to be in the office three days per week and executives are expected to attend the office four days per week, with the remaining days being worked remotely.
But executives will be required to be in the office full-time starting in May, and the federal government says other public servants must be in the office at least four days a week starting in July.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada has said there is already a shortage of federal office space and warns “the chaos will only get worse” as workers’ in-office time increases.
Since 2020, when remote work began during COVID-19, the public service has grown by more than 57,000 workers, an increase of almost 20 per cent. Some of those workers have never worked full-time in the office.
At the same time, Ottawa has been trying to off-load office space.
Budget 2024 committed Public Services and Procurement Canada to reducing its stock of office space by 50 per cent over 10 years through sales or leases.
The department said that target will be adjusted to reflect the fact that public servants will be spending more time in the office.
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“Planning in this regard is underway,” said Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesperson Nicole Allen.
Sylvain Routier, a federal public servant living in the Ottawa area, told The Canadian Press booking desk space is already a struggle under the current rules and workers need to sign up a month in advance.
“There’s only so many spots for so many employees. There’s always going to be people who are left out,” he said.
Routier said existing issues with space make the return-to-office policy “much more confusing.”
“If there’s no space, I go home and I work from home,” he said. “It’s going to get worse.”
Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, said several departments still haven’t implemented the current remote work rules due to a lack of space. He said he’s skeptical of the government’s chances of successfully implementing the new rules.
Several unions have issued warnings about the state of federal buildings. Some have cited the presence of pests and have argued that many spaces are in poor condition.
Pests were spotted in federal buildings across the country more than 960 times between April and November 2025. Public Services and Procurement Canada said late last year the pests included — but were “not limited to” — bats, birds, ants, bedbugs, bees, wasps and other small insects, mice and other rodents.
Public Services and Procurement Canada also said 58 per cent of Crown-owned office buildings were assessed as being in “fair or better condition” as of March 2025.
The department said that includes buildings undergoing major, long-term rehabilitation, like Place du Portage III and the Lester B. Pearson Building.
Public Services and Procurement Canada said it is prioritizing repairs in occupied buildings. It said it will ensure that office buildings occupied by public servants are safe, functional and comply with health and safety requirements.
“Like many large real property portfolios, PSPC manages a significant number of aging buildings,” the department said. “As assets age, systems such as heating, ventilation, electrical infrastructure, roofs, elevators, and interior finishes require regular upgrades.
“In recent years, we have focused on essential repairs to address the most critical risks. This resulted in some non-critical work being deferred, while we prioritize others.”
Liberal MP Bruce Fanjoy, who represents an Ottawa-area riding, asked the government earlier this month to reconsider its return-to-office policy for public servants.
Fanjoy said in a social media post there’s no evidence the policy will boost productivity and warned it will increase pollution.
He also said the new policy makes it harder for the government to reduce its operating costs, improve affordability and protect the environment.
The federal directive applies to public servants working in the core departments and agencies under Treasury Board, though some separate agencies — like the Canada Revenue Agency and the National Research Council of Canada — have said they intend to follow the same approach.
Treasury Board said the government will engage with unions to implement the new return-to-office plan to work out things like assigned seating and occupational health and safety.
If there’s not enough office space to accommodate all the workers, does that mean we have too many workers? Before you bash me for saying that, it’s only during Trudeau’s reign of hell that the federal government bloated by 30 percent. The service is not that great either if you sometimes spend hours listening to “your call is important to us” before someone actually answers.
You are wrong Jeff, many people do work from home in various roles.
People who have 5 days in person should not ruin it for those who have remote or hybrid
Oh, b-o-o, h-o-o. Yes good working conditions are very important. But they need to join the real world! The vast majority of Canadian workers do not work from home & have to actually be physically at their workplace if they want a job!
Remote and hybrid work is here to stay and that is the fact.
People can complain, those who work 5 days will always be jealous of the others.
Get with the times, and companies doing 5 days will lose employees
A very large percent of federal workers who work from home are guilty of time theft. All government workers should be required to return to office or lose their job. Many wont agree because they know this is true. Our PM is busy picking daisies while Canada’s team is playing ball. No shock there….
Remote work did NOT begin during COVID. We were able to do 2 days at home for MANY years before that. Get your facts straight. Technology has evolved. Our teams are located all across Canada. The work can be done virtually. Get with the times
What could be more illustrative of the monumental incompetence of the civil service that this headline? Private enterprise: Manager counts the desks ” 12″ number of employees in my department 11 – we’re good” If the number is 13 either fire one or order a used desk from supplier for lowest rank employee.
Its so simple. You fire those who will not return. All these damned excuses and unionists have screwed this country! ENOUGH OF THESE LIBERALS!!
This country is so f’ ing weak it’s unreal. Send everyone back 5 days per week or you’re fired.
Then fire those 57,000 workers!
Wait a minute….did Fanjoy actually say ” it will increase pollution”!? You have got to be kidding me…..NO MORE Liberals! This has got to stop! Where are the adults?
Time for a big layoff!
The Trudeau Era hiring spree was obviously too much.
Maybe it is time to thin out the federal civil servants. How many are being productive and serving Canadians. Show us how we benefit from the hords of people we employ with our tax dollars. Most are valuable. Many are not. If the Unions do not like it, they can be the first to go.
Wow, who knew that having to work in an office was sooo hard. The answer is simple….get rid of the 57000 hired since 2020. Service has gotten worse not better since those hires. Save us taxpayers some money!