Dear AJC Members,
 

The AJC understands that members are concerned about the launch of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER). Agents of Parliament, Courts Administration Service, and the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada are excluded from the CER.

The CER is taking place at a time when public service employees have indicated they feel frustrated by pay issues, workload, discrimination, and occupational health and safety issues related to the hybrid workplace.  The AJC receives hundreds of inquiries from members every month regarding their working conditions. 

The CER requires most departments to develop savings proposals for 15% of their assigned spending base. For example, for the Department of Justice, this means proposals equivalent to 7.5% in 2026-27, 10.0% in 2027-28 and 15.0% in 2028-29 (ongoing) from their spending base. These percentages are not cumulative. Proposals will be assessed and final savings will be presented in the 2026-2027 Main Estimates, which must be tabled by March 1, 2026. The review will focus on operating and transfer payments, not on capital budgets such as infrastructure and technology. There are some rudimentary Questions and Answers available from TBS.
 

Information has and continues to be shared with the AJC through the National Joint Council and departmental Labour-Management Consultative Committees. At recent briefings, Bargaining Agents including the AJC, have pushed for transparency and meaningful consultation during this process. 

The AJC will continue to share any information additional information with the membership. We recognise that the CER increases the stress on an already overworked membership, and will continue to advocate for appropriate cuts that do not involve eliminating jobs.