Around 6,200 public servants apply for early retirement as deadline looms

OTTAWA — About 6,200 federal public servants have applied to retire early, with just more than two months to go until the deadline.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat website says 6,214 applications have been received as of May 12 and that eligible employees have until July 24 to apply.

The program, which was launched in late March, is part of the government’s efforts to reduce the number of public servants and allows some federal workers to retire early without a pension penalty.

About 68,000 public servants have received notice that they may be eligible for the program.

The Liberals’ 2025 budget outlined a plan to slash the public service by 10 per cent by the end of the 2028-29 fiscal year and the government has said it’s hoping to reduce the number of layoffs through the early retirement program.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat website says not all applicants will be approved to retire early and that applications will be reviewed by department heads before they’re submitted to the pension centre.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press