OTTAWA — The union representing employees at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said staff have been told 1,371 agency jobs will be cut as part of the government's cost-cutting exercise.
The Agriculture Union said it "categorically denounces" the cuts, arguing they point toward a "looming food safety crisis" in Canada.
The union said the cuts are a "massive blow that cannot be absorbed by an already struggling agency."
The number of jobs at CFIA has decreased already over the last few years and a cut of another 1,371 positions would amount to more than one-fifth of the workforce.
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat data shows the Canadian Food Inspection Agency had 6,380 employees as of March 31, 2025, down from 6,833 employees in 2024 and 6,929 in 2023.
The CFIA has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Milton Dyck, national president of the Agriculture Union, said cuts to food safety cause more people to get sick from preventable food-borne illnesses and more poultry and livestock to die from avian flu and other diseases, undermining the food production industry.
"Fewer CFIA inspectors means fewer frontline workers to catch food that should be recalled," said Dyck in a news release.
"And food recalls increased by 150 (per cent) over the last decade. You can do math, and it doesn’t look good. Food safety experts have been warning us that CFIA can’t take any more hits, but the government isn’t listening. They are putting short-term savings over the health of our country."
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