Feb 2 – Feb 8, 2026

Palliser Furniture laid off approximately 40 workers in early 2026 due to staffing reorganization and the impact of Trump-era tariffs. At the same time, the company hired about 20 workers for other manufacturing roles at its Winnipeg plant. The layoffs mainly affected employees doing wood frame building, foam cutting, and assembly, while new hires focus on cutting and sewing material, previously done in Mexico.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced the closure of the Lacombe Research and Development Centre, a historic agricultural research station established in 1907, affecting more than 1,000 employees across multiple sites as part of federal public service workforce reduction efforts. The closure is expected to significantly impact agricultural research capacity, innovation, and producer support across rural Alberta and Canada, eliminating decades of continuous research data crucial to food security and climate resilience.

AWS confirmed that employees in the United States and Canada were notified of layoffs on January 28, 2026, as part of Amazon's broader 16,000 employee reduction. AWS declined to disclose the specific number of Canadian employees affected, roles impacted, or business segments involved in the restructuring. It remains unclear how many Canadian staff were affected by this round of job cuts.

In May 2025, CIBC eliminated more than 500 positions at its credit card call centre in Toronto as part of an operational restructuring. The cuts were tied to efforts to streamline operations and improve efficiency within the bank’s credit card services division.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government is cutting 840 positions (approximately 10% of workforce) at Environment and Climate Change Canada as part of a broader federal public service reduction of 16,000 full-time equivalent positions over three years. On Jan. 27, an email went out to ECCC’s Science and Technology Branch (STB) staff from assistant deputy minister Marc D’Iorio, warning that 120 full-time roles would be cut over the next year, starting in April. Scientists and labour leaders warn the cuts could significantly impact environmental monitoring, weather forecasting, emergency alerts, and public safety services for Canadians.

Parks Canada is facing a 15 per cent annual budget reduction until 2027, with total spending to decrease by 32.5 per cent by 2027-28, affecting staffing across the country. Full-time equivalents will drop from 6,030 in 2026 to 5,285 by 2027-28, a decline of 13.3 per cent, potentially impacting programming and visitor services at national historic sites in Nova Scotia.

TORONTO — Bell Media has announced the layoff of 60 employees as part of its ongoing transformation of its digital media operations. Sara McLaren, Bell Media’s director of communications, emphasized that no positions related to newsgathering or reporting were affected. However, Unifor stated in a news release that on Wednesday, 20 of its members were impacted by the cuts, including 11 journalists working in Toronto, North Bay, Halifax, and Calgary.

Global Affairs Canada is eliminating 483 positions as part of a government-wide workforce adjustment, affecting 3,295 of its 7,657 employees. The department is targeting $1.12 billion in annual savings through 2028-29, prioritizing voluntary departures and natural attrition.

Coca-Cola Canada announced the discontinuation of frozen juice production at its Minute Maid facility in Peterborough, Ontario, resulting in 6 permanent layoffs—significantly less than the initially projected 40 job losses. The union negotiated enhanced severance packages and ensured all remaining employees would stay in Peterborough as other Minute Maid products continue to be produced at the facility.