Executive public servants received more than $146 million in performance pay

By Canadian Press on February 3, 2026.

OTTAWA — Executives in the core federal public service received more than $146 million in performance pay last year.

Data from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat shows 7,987 executives earned performance pay, which is awarded for achieving specific performance objectives.

It says there were 8,140 executives at the time in the core public service — departments and agencies under the purview of the Treasury Board — meaning just over 98 per cent of executives earned performance pay.

The data also shows 559 executives received bonuses as part of their performance pay, which are calculated as a percentage of salary and only awarded for exceptional performance.

Departments and agencies across the public service have started notifying staff of coming job cuts as the government looks to cut program spending and administration costs by about $60 billion over the next five years through its “comprehensive expenditure review.”

The plan will see the elimination of about 40,000 public service jobs from a peak of 368,000 in 2023-24, and a reduction of 1,000 executive positions, over the next two years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press