'We cannot allow government overspending to drive up the cost of the things, or else our people will be priced out of the goods they need'
Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, has pledged to slash federal spending on consultants by $10 billion a year — part of a broader strategy he claims will curb inflation and restore economic balance.
In a campaign stop in Surrey, B.C., the Conservative leader spotlighted government outsourcing as a contributor to inflation, holding up a bag of onions to dramatize how overspending drives up prices.
“We cannot allow government overspending to drive up the cost of the things that we buy, or else our people will be priced out of the goods they need,” he said, according to a report from The Globe and Mail.
The campaign claims the $10-billion figure is grounded in analysis from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), though precise PBO data will only be released alongside the full platform, according to the report.
In January, news about the layoffs of more than 800 federal government workers surfaced just days after news that thousands of other public servants would also be let go.
Poilievre focused on cuts
The Conservative Party leader has previously cited $21-billion as the annual spend on consultants—a figure that actually refers to a broader category labelled “professional and special services,” which encompasses legal advice, architecture, training, and other outsourced roles. According to The Globe and Mail, true spending on management consulting services in 2023-24 was $837.8 million.
Poilievre did not disclose how much a Conservative government would continue to spend on consultants after the $10-billion cut, nor did he detail how departments would absorb the loss of services. The campaign has positioned this announcement as part of a broader inflation-fighting agenda, according to the report.
The announcement comes as Poilievre attempts to draw a sharp fiscal contrast with the Liberal Party, now led by Mark Carney. On Saturday, the Liberals released a policy and fiscal framework that includes $28-billion in spending cuts over four years but relies heavily on deficit financing.
“Mark Carney is even more costly than Justin Trudeau,” Poilievre said, arguing that another Liberal term would risk “out-of-control inflation.”
PSAC criticises Poilievre’s plan
Poilievre had previously noted that Canada needs a “massive patriotic tax cut”.
“We… need fewer bureaucrats,” he said, according to a report from The Maple. "We’re going to cut bureaucracy, cut the consultants, cut foreign aid, cut back on corporate welfare to large corporations,”
However, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) had opposed those plans.
“A Poilievre government would: slash programs that families rely on; shrink the size of the government so he can give away tax breaks to his corporate friends; and sell off and privatize public services to put more tax dollars in the pockets of private contractors,” the group said, according to The Maple.
PSAC’s members process passports and immigration claims, administer Employment Insurance, respond to natural disasters, manage parks, inspect workplaces, and more.
“It is common sense that fewer people helping a growing population isn’t going to solve the problems families are facing today,” the statement said.
Previously, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) emailed employees about its “budget situation” which would result in job cuts of about 3,300, according to a previous CBC report.
Government employees in Canada earned nearly $150 million in standby pay on top of their regular salaries last year, with some taking home six-figure sums on top of their regular salaries, according to a previous report.
Nearly half of Canadians (47%) believe that the number of public sector workers should be reduced, according to a previous report from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).
Previously, the three political parties in the country detailed how they plan to support workers amid the issue of the US tariffs.
