December 2025

General Motors paused production of an electric cargo van at its Ingersoll, Ontario plant, resulting in 1,000 job cuts. The layoffs were attributed to impacts from U.S. President Donald Trump's import tariffs on Canadian goods affecting the auto industry.

The North Bay Regional Health Centre announced the reduction of 40 positions, including front-line positions, prompting a protest outside MPP Vic Fedeli's constituency office. The cuts have raised concerns about quality of care and emergency room wait times, with supporters calling for increased hospital funding instead of workforce reductions.

Over 200 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) working at Natural Resources Canada received notices of potential job loss as part of federal budget cuts. The layoffs are expected to impact critical programs including the Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO), which tracks wildfires, floods, and other geohazards, as well as forest pathologist positions.

Algoma Steel is laying off 1,000 workers at its Sault Ste. Marie facility in March 2026. The United Steelworkers Union and Canadian Skills Training and Employment Coalition have launched the POWER Action Centre to provide employment support, training advice, and peer-to-peer assistance to affected employees.

Conestoga College laid off 181 full-time faculty positions effective March 16, 2026, with the majority of cuts (143 employees) occurring at the Kitchener Doon campus. The layoffs are attributed to financial troubles resulting from a significant drop in international student enrollment, following a 20,000 student decline after federal international student caps were implemented.

Mohawk College is offering voluntary buyout packages to full-time administrative, faculty, and support staff, with applications open until the end of January. This follows massive layoffs of 255 full-time jobs (20% of workforce) that occurred between December 2024 and February 2025, which were driven by a projected $50 million deficit and reduced international student enrollment.

The City of Regina has proposed laying off more than 50 firefighters as part of a potential budget cut exercise that includes closing two fire stations. The proposal is among 139 hypothetical cost-saving measures totaling $71.5 million that city council will deliberate on December 15-19, 2025.

Democracy on Locke, a vegan café in Hamilton, Ontario, closed suddenly and laid off approximately a dozen workers a week before Christmas. The closure came just months after workers unanimously voted to unionize in March 2025 and signed their first collective agreement in October, with the owner citing resignations of key management as the reason for the shutdown.

The Canadian federal government has begun notifying public servants of possible job cuts as part of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review, with plans to cut 28,000 positions and achieve $60 billion in savings by 2029. The goal is to reduce the federal public service from 357,965 employees (as of March 31, 2025) to 330,000 by 2028-29 through job cuts, attrition, and early retirements, with approximately 68,000 early retirement notices already issued to public servants.

Aurora Group of Companies laid off all 90 of its mechanics and welders at the Ekati diamond mine in the Northwest Territories due to missed payments from mine owner Burgundy Diamond Mines, which owes approximately $8 million in arrears. The layoffs occurred in stages between June and September 2025 as the company faced financial challenges attributed to record-low diamond prices and U.S. tariffs disrupting the global diamond trade.

Domtar announced the permanent closure of its pulp mill in Crofton, British Columbia, resulting in 350 workers being laid off effective February 2026. The company cited lack of access to economically viable wood fibre as the primary reason for the closure.

Laurentian Bank of Canada announced the sale of its operations after 179 years in business, with approximately 700 of its 2,800 employees to be laid off as all 58 Quebec branches are closed. The bank's commercial operations are being sold to Fairstone Bank of Canada while retail and small business portfolios go to National Bank of Canada.

Scotiabank reported a $373-million restructuring charge in Q4 2025 related to job cuts that resulted in 2,291 fewer employees by the end of the fourth quarter compared to the first quarter. The bank stated that these actions were undertaken to simplify operations and free up capacity to invest in technology and revenue-generating sales staff.

Public Service Commission of Canada is eliminating 40 positions (40 employees) as part of the federal government's Comprehensive Expenditure Review (Budget 2025). This total includes vacant positions, projected attrition, and positions to be eliminated through formal workforce adjustment. Of these, 38 currently filled positions (38 employees) are undergoing formal Workforce Adjustment (WFA) or Career Transition (CT) proceedings — the most direct indicator of employees facing displacement. 42 "affected" or "at-risk" status letters have been issued (42 to employees, 0 to executives). These notices indicate potential impact and do not necessarily result in departure from the public service. The organization employs 803 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.

Newell Brands announced the elimination of 900 jobs and closure of Canadian Yankee Candle stores as part of restructuring efforts. The company stated there is more work to do in optimizing its operations.

Privy Council Office is eliminating 179 positions (157 employees and 22 executives) as part of the federal government's Comprehensive Expenditure Review (Budget 2025). This total includes vacant positions, projected attrition, and positions to be eliminated through formal workforce adjustment. Of these, 126 currently filled positions (118 employees and 8 executives) are undergoing formal Workforce Adjustment (WFA) or Career Transition (CT) proceedings — the most direct indicator of employees facing displacement. 239 "affected" or "at-risk" status letters have been issued (221 to employees, 18 to executives). These notices indicate potential impact and do not necessarily result in departure from the public service. The organization employs 1,208 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.

Natural Resources Canada is eliminating 807 positions (785 employees and 22 executives) as part of the federal government's Comprehensive Expenditure Review (Budget 2025). This total includes vacant positions, projected attrition, and positions to be eliminated through formal workforce adjustment. Of these, 445 currently filled positions (433 employees and 12 executives) are undergoing formal Workforce Adjustment (WFA) or Career Transition (CT) proceedings — the most direct indicator of employees facing displacement. 688 "affected" or "at-risk" status letters have been issued (678 to employees, 10 to executives). These notices indicate potential impact and do not necessarily result in departure from the public service. The organization employs 6,044 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.

Of these, 16 currently filled positions (16 executives) are undergoing formal Workforce Adjustment (WFA) or Career Transition (CT) proceedings — the most direct indicator of employees facing displacement. 188 "affected" or "at-risk" status letters have been issued (175 to employees, 13 to executives). These notices indicate potential impact and do not necessarily result in departure from the public service. The organization employs 1,892 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1, Phase 3 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.

Public Health Agency of Canada is eliminating 53 positions (53 employees) as part of the federal government's Comprehensive Expenditure Review (Budget 2025). This total includes vacant positions, projected attrition, and positions to be eliminated through formal workforce adjustment. The organization employs 3,372 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.