The union representing staff at Global Affairs Canada says the foreign service is laying off dozens of its highest-skilled diplomats, while asking other envoys moving across continents to wait months for their personal items.

The cuts come as Global Affairs Canada sets out its plans to meet budget belt tightening requirements laid out by Prime Minister Mark Carney last year.

The department targets for layoffs are causing an uproar among former diplomats and international relations experts, who say the government’s cuts are odds with Ottawa trying to gain influence at a time of geopolitical calamity.

“The attrition rate that they’re looking at is going to hit missions abroad pretty hard,” said Pam Isfeld, a career diplomat and president of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers.

“I just don’t think that things have really been thought through,” she said.

The latest departmental plan for Global Affairs Canada, published on March 13, says GAC will cut 1,240 full-time equivalents by March 2029, a cut of 9.4 per cent of the 13,185 staff equivalent as of March 2025.

4:44
Carney making ‘back-room deals’ to try to ‘stitch together’ a majority, NDP leader says

In January, the department issued notices to 3,095 staff warning they may lose their jobs, though some of those may switch to different roles or be spared if others quit or retire.

Global Affairs Canada previously said it must trim its workforce 12 to 13 per cent by 2030.

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Isfeld said as part of the cuts, Ottawa is disbanding a specialized tier for foreign service officers, known as FS-04. Most are either being reclassified as executives or as one rank lower — but 34 positions are simply being terminated, Isfeld said.

“It’s going to make us all look bad in the long run,” she said. “We already were starting to get a bit of a reputation over the last 20 years for our mouths being a lot bigger than our pocketbooks.”

The department did not respond to a request for comment.

The FS-04 pay band applies to roles with specific knowledge, such as a nuclear specialist deployed to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, according to Isfeld. The union head was herself made an FS-04 when her posting in Warsaw changed to monitoring Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea and keeping track on all matters in neighbouring Belarus.

“It’s a structural mismatch to be saying we’re going to be active and engaged in this ambitious foreign policy — G7 presidency legacy, Indo-Pacific stuff, Africa stuff, Ukraine stuff, climate finance, now all kinds of Arctic stuff, co-operation with the Nordics,” she said.

“You just cut the entire cadre of most experienced, most specialized people,” she said. “Your influence doesn’t come really from your press releases in Ottawa.”

2:21
Ottawa proposing to cut billions in funding from science to tourism and foreign aid

In the departmental plan, GAC projects saving a half-billion dollars in the fiscal year that starts next month, $747 million the following year and then $1.12 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2029. Those savings will come from a number of places, including “refocusing Canada’s international presence in the areas of advocacy and diplomacy,” streamlining trade services and linking foreign aid and security initiatives with economic growth.

The document also says GAC will find unspecified efficiencies across its missions, sell off some properties abroad, and upgrade infrastructure and information security protections at those missions to cut down on the costs of protecting its personnel.

Isfeld said Global Affairs Canada is also cutting back on letting diplomats fly their belonging to postings abroad, and she said some will have to wait six months or more for anything that doesn’t fit in the three suitcases they are allowed to check in at the start or end of a posting.

“Previously, small air shipments were approved as a supplementary shipment option for household effects for some itineraries. This option has been replaced with reimbursement for additional checked bags for all travellers,” the union wrote in a March 4 update to members.

0:57
Carney sets April date for 3 byelections

Global Affairs Canada’s cuts come ahead of a foreign policy review that Ottawa expects to come later in the year, which may generally touch on which regions and nations will see an increase in diplomatic postings, which missions might close or merge with others, and what themes or languages the foreign service aims to focus on.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has said her department already has the broad outlines of Canada’s foreign policy and can thus shape their staffing priorities.

Global Affairs Canada has won some praise from MPs and unions for not issuing layoffs to the two lowest ranks of foreign service officers, which had occurred during budget cuts in 2012 and were widely seen as hurting Ottawa’s ability to replenish its diplomatic workforce over time.

In last year’s election, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s campaign platform said he intended “to deploy more Canadian diplomats and officials abroad, to expand our trade, and to restore Canadian leadership.”

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An unknown person has been found dead after a large house fire in Mississauga, Ont., authorities confirmed Tuesday.

Emergency crews were called to the home at Mirage Place and Select Court at around 10:40 p.m. Monday, where the structure was already fully engulfed in flames.

According to officials, multiple callers reported a large explosion from the house before it became fully involved.

Peel Regional Police Const. Tyler Bell said one individual was found dead in the home, although it is not clear yet who the individual is.

“The coroner’s office will be investigating the cause of the death of the individual inside,” Bell said. “If any of those investigations determine criminality, Peel police will then take over the investigation.”

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Police say all known residents of the home have been accounted for and were out of the country at the time of the fire.

“Now we have the difficult task of trying to determine who is the [deceased] individual. We don’t have details like age, gender…. We have no reason to believe anyone should have been in the home that’s associated with the residence at this time,” Bell said.

The Office of the Fire Marshal is leading the investigation into the cause and origin of the fire, which remains unknown.

“This is preliminary,” Jim Demetriou with the Office of the Fire Marshal said. “We are here to find the origin, cause and circumstances around the fire.”

Demetriou said it is too early to determine whether the explosion caused the fire or where in the home the fire started.

Officials say the structure is currently too unstable to allow for a full search.

The Office of the Fire Marshal has called for support, including heavy equipment to assist with debris removal. An engineer is also expected to assess the safety of the building before investigators continue their work.

So far, only one person has been found inside the home, though police say that could change as the search progresses.

There is currently no indication of criminal activity.

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An aviation expert says Canada is losing more air traffic controllers to retirement than it is hiring, despite efforts to ramp up recruitment.

John Gradek, a faculty lecturer with McGill University’s aviation management program, said Canada is short about 1,500 air traffic controllers, and 150 more retire each year.

“So guess what? You’re not even covering off retirements,” Gradek said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

Gradek said air traffic controllers are highly specialized with a “special skill set.”

“We know three dimensions. The trick about controllers is they need a fourth dimension, and they have to understand the fourth dimension being time,” Gradek told The Canadian Press.

“And so I make a decision to move an aircraft up 1,000 feet or down 1,000 feet, or turn left or turn right. I’m making that decision because I want this airplane to be in this location at this time and in the future.

“So that’s a special skill set. Not everybody has it.”

2:02
Major YVR delays, flights cancelled due to NAV Canada constraints

Air traffic controllers in the United States have been thrust into the spotlight following the crash of Air Canada Flight 8646 at LaGuardia airport in New York on Sunday.

Both pilots were killed, and more than 40 people were injured when the jet crashed into a fire truck on the runway shortly after landing late Sunday night. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation is in the early stages, with investigators from Canada’s Transportation Safety Board also on the ground for it.

Nav Canada, which certifies and hires “air traffic service professionals” declined a request for an interview on the shortages of controllers in this country. In a statement, it said it is working to address staffing through a multi-year strategy.

“Canadians and travellers can be reassured, we are in solution mode: focused on strengthening service resiliency, supporting our people, working constructively with industry partners while upholding the highest standards of safety they rightly expect,” spokesperson Gabriel Bourget said in a statement.

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Bourget said since 2023, the agency has licensed more than 600 air traffic professionals, including more than 300 controllers.

The agency would not provide information on vacancy rates, but Gradek said those numbers aren’t keeping up with the retirement rates.

The union representing air traffic controllers also declined to comment.

There are a number of different roles encompassing “air traffic professionals.”

The term “air traffic controllers” includes area control centre controllers (or ACC controllers) which issue instructions to pilots and ensure that aircraft are kept a safe distance apart while airborne.

It also includes tower controllers, which provide pilots clearances and instructions to maintain separation during takeoff and landing.

The total training time ranges from 10 to 18 months for tower controllers, and 20 to 27 months for ACC controllers.

Those who don’t make the cut can take jobs as “flight service specialists” which can sometimes manage traffic on the ground at smaller airports, but aren’t tasked with giving instructions to planes in the air.

“Only about 10 per cent of the controllers that you take into class make it out as a full-fledged controller,” Gradek said, adding the U.S. rate is about three per cent.

“It is a small number of people that are able to start the program, finish the classroom training and then spend two years exercising some of their skill sets and demonstrating their ability to do what they’re supposed to do in a complex world and graduate at the end.”

And while Gradek said Canada’s training and air navigation systems are “second to none” in the world, some graduates are taking jobs abroad.

2:00
CAE training future air traffic controllers in Montreal to meet growing demand

Nav Canada wouldn’t say how many of the 300 air traffic controllers it licenced since 2023 took up jobs in Canada, other than “a vast majority.”

“Australia is hiring controllers like crazy, and New Zealand is hiring, the U.S. is hiring, the U.K. is hiring. So it’s not, it’s not as if this is a Canadian-only job,” Gradek said.

The salary range for a Canadian controller can top $200,000 a year after they’re fully certified — according to Nav Canada — while controllers in training earn about $60,000. The median pay for American controllers in 2024 was $US144,580, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“So the equipment you’re working with is leading edge — or I would say bleeding edge — equipment when you’re working here in Canada as a controller. So there’s a lot of incentives to stay,” Gradek said.

“But we’re not putting handcuffs on these people. They are Canadians, and they’re free to move. So, that’s a risk we take as well.”

On Monday, Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said he is working with Nav Canada to figure out solutions to the shortage of controllers.

“I’ve asked Nav Canada to continue to come up with solutions for recruitment so that we can reduce the undue reliance we have on a smaller number of air traffic controllers than we would wish to have,” MacKinnon told reporters when asked about the issue.

As for Canadians going through the rigorous training system only to take jobs abroad, MacKinnon said he wasn’t aware of that being a problem.

“I’ll take a closer look at that,” he said.

MacKinnon on Tuesday emphasized the safety of the country’s transport systems — notably in aviation — affirming they are “among the most rigorous in the world.”

“I do want to be very reassuring that we take every precautionary measure and make sure that Canada continues to perform at the highest levels of security,” he told reporters on his way into a cabinet meeting in Ottawa.

“The Americans have very high standards, and we have a very collaborative relationship with the U.S., and I know they’ll be as eager as we to find the answers.”

The death of Air Canada Jazz pilot Antoine Forest, who perished when his plane collided with an emergency vehicle at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday, has sparked an outpouring of sympathy in his hometown southwest of Montreal.

Since late Monday, many citizens have been calling city hall in Coteau-du-Lac to offer their condolences to the family of Forest, who died alongside co-pilot Mackenzie Gunther.

The attention has surprised and touched the mayor and city staff.

Mayor Andrée Brosseau told The Canadian Press that they’ve been directing people to their Facebook page, where a post about the pilot’s death has garnered hundreds of comments and shares.

2:07
Latest on the Air Canada Express crash at LaGuardia Airport

“We’re telling them to leave a comment,” said Brosseau, adding that if the family ever wants to see the comments, “it will be there, on social media.”

Brosseau said she is “heartbroken for the family” and “available to provide them with any necessary support.”

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Coteau-du-Lac has a population of about 7,800, so “everyone knows someone who knows the family,” she said. Forest’s death has deeply affected the community, she added.

Many of the messages have also come from beyond the region. Louis-Cédrik Leduc, a communications staffer for the town, said even U.S. citizens have expressed their sadness and condolences to the city.

Cédric Forest, Antoine’s brother, paid tribute to him in a personal Facebook post on Monday night.

“Have a good flight, my brother!” he wrote. “Oh yes, we’ve heard that phrase often, but this time it will be the last. You were always coming and going, always full of new projects. You left us again, too soon to say goodbye.”

1:27
1 of 2 Air Canada pilots killed in LaGuardia crash graduated from aviation program in Peterborough, Ont.

“I love you, my brother,” he added. “You can leave with your head held high.”

Quebec’s forest fire prevention service, known as SOPFEU, also offered its condolences on Tuesday to the friends and family of the two pilots who died.

“During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Antoine worked on SOPFEU operations as a spotter pilot with Exact Air,” the agency said in a social media post.

“He was a very kind, highly professional and well-liked colleague.”

The agency also extended its sympathies to Gunther and all the other victims of the accident.

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Yet another Saskatoon overpass has been struck by an oversized vehicle. This time, a train bridge overpass on Circle Drive was hit, just metres from where a similar collision happened about two weeks ago.

It’s the fourth time in less than a month that a large vehicle has collided with an overpass in Saskatchewan. Three of those incidents have been reported in Saskatoon.

This latest overpass strike happened on Circle Drive, between Attridge Drive and 108^th Street. Traffic was flowing again in both lanes after being reduced to just one lane as crews inspected the damage.

The collision follows another incident involving oversized equipment at Highway 16 and Highway 11 on March 5. A similar incident followed that about a week later, when an overpass was struck at 108^th Street.

Then, on March 16, another overpass was hit east of Moose Jaw.

“Compliance has got to be a priority for the trucking industry. There are permits that they are supposed to purchase to move over-height equipment. If they are over 4.15 metres, they need a permit,” said Susan Ewart, executive director of the Saskatchewan Trucking Association.

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Those permits clearly state where a driver needs to go and the best way to get there.

“If companies are trying to move their own equipment and they’re not following some of the same regulations as those carriers in that space… they typically know what those rules are,” Ewart said.

Ewart thinks there should be tougher penalties for those who are caught not following the rules.

“We’re sending people out to check all the overhead structures to ensure that we’ve got nothing that’s changing, any of the parameters around those structures.”

At the same time, the province plans to do an evaluation of every span throughout Saskatchewan.

“We’re sending people out to check all the overhead structures to ensure that we’ve got nothing that’s changing, any of the parameters around those structures,” said Gartner.

“Inspections are done on an ongoing basis and we’ll evaluate. We’re sending people out to check the overhead structures to ensure that we’ve got nothing that’s changing any the parameters around those structures.”

There’s no word yet on charges in this latest incident.

However, charges, including driving without undo care and attention and operating with a major defect, have been laid through Saskatchewan highway patrol in connection with a collision on March 5, after an overpass was struck at Highways 11 and 16.

Drivers can face fines from the city for damaging infrastructure, up to $10, 000 for individuals and up to $20,000 for corporations under its traffic bylaw.

The city has said it intends to pursue all legal avenues to collect damages for the first two incidents.

0:37
Overpass strike backs up Saskatoon’s Circle Drive for second time in a week

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The Ford government says its planned cap on ticket resales will be in force ahead of Toronto’s World Cup matches — a move one observer says will be “completely unenforceable.”

As part of its upcoming budget, the province is planning to ban people from reselling tickets to sports matches and concerts for more than their face value.

Those who break the rules face as-yet-undetermined fines.

The government said its policy is designed to come into effect when it passes through the legislature and becomes law. It will apply to all events held after it is passed, including all six Toronto World Cup matches.

The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement said it would apply to the World Cup — and would essentially retroactively ban resales of tickets to their original sale price.

For example, if someone had originally bought their World Cup ticket for $600 and then resold it for $1,200 to someone else, that person would have to resell it for $600 — potentially leaving fans who have already bought resale tickets high and dry.

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Kingsley Bailey, a veteran ticket broker and the general manager of the website Vancouverticket.com, said the policy was “completely unenforceable” and would not take effect.

“When I first heard about it I laughed. And then, listening to the boiler plate response from Ticketmaster (that) it’s going to increase prices, I laughed even more,” he told Global News.

Among the issues is the fact FIFA has set up its own resale platform, where tickets can be resold without price limits. Bailey pointed out fans in other parts of Canada could resell tickets for Toronto games on that platform without facing consequences.

A spokesperson for FIFA did not address questions from Global News about Ontario’s resale ban and instead touted its cap-free resale platform in a statement.

“The FIFA Resale Marketplace is available to Canadian, American and international residents,” part of their statement read.

Bailey said that if the Ford government is serious about applying its cap to the World Cup it would have to look at punishing FIFA for allowing unregulated resales.

“FIFA’s created a platform where the consumer can sell their ticket for whatever they want,” he said.

“Right off the bat, if Doug Ford were able to implement this legislation at the provincial level, he’s going to have to fine FIFA for charging excessive amounts for their tickets.”

The legislation is expected to be part of the budget, which will be tabled on Thursday afternoon.

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Swiss media is reporting that the three people killed in an avalanche near Terrace on Sunday were Swiss nationals – a father and his two sons.

Global News has reached out to the Swiss consulate in Vancouver.

The company, White Wilderness Heliskiing, said in a statement Tuesday the avalanche happened near Mount Knauss on the ski run Iridium Shoulder within the White Wilderness Heliskiing tenure.

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Four people were caught in the avalanche and buried, the company said.

They were found through a transceiver search and deployed airbags.

The four people were extricated within 15 minutes of the avalanche, the company said, but the three guests did not survive.

The fourth person, a guide, was critically injured and flown by BC Ambulance to the Terrace hospital.

White Wilderness Heliskiing said the guide is now in stable condition and undergoing surgery in Vancouver.

“The WWH team sends its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the three guests who lost their lives in this incident. Our deepest sympathies are with the families of the victims,” the company said.

They confirmed that operations have been suspended until further notice.

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The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is speaking out publicly for the first time in days amid mounting pressure for accountability, after the federal government asked it to repay millions of dollars in spending.

In a news release shared online by the FSIN, the organization is defending its $28.7 million in spending between April 2019 and March 2024, calling the audit conducted by KMPG into its spending a “fundamental disagreement in interpretation” and not a misuse of funds.

“At no point has there been any finding of fraud, personal gain, or intentional wrongdoing. Instead, the issues raised relate to classification, allocation, and evolving interpretations of administration,” the statement reads.

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) sent a letter to FSIN dated March 12, sharing its response to the audit and detailing ineligible and unsupported expenses in several categories, including COVID-19, administration, fleet vehicles purchased, and a new office building. Just over $4.8 million is deemed “ineligible,” while $23.9 million is considered “unsupported.”

COVID-19-related expenditures make up most of the unsupported costs, totalling more than $23.2 million. The ISC said in its letter that this spending line was largely due to a lack of documentation to validate purchases of personal protective equipment, along with their delivery and distribution to First Nations.

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In its Tuesday statement, the FSIN defends its COVID-19 relief spending, saying it has documentation supporting its personal protective equipment rollout, including chiefs who signed off on the deliveries.

“The efforts of FSIN staff that put their health and the health of their families at risk to deliver PPE during COVID should be celebrated — not denied,” the statement reads.

Some chiefs supported FSIN’s handling of the pandemic on Monday at a press conference to which the organization only invited Global News and one other publication.

“We are saying clearly today that First Nation governments cannot be expected to carry the burden of over-recording, shifting rules and public criticism while being denied the respect owed to governments,” said Michael Starr, chief of Star Blanket Cree Nation, on Monday.

2:19
‘We will go to court’: Chief pushes back after FSIN asked to repay $28.7M

The statement goes on to say that the FSIN “remains committed to transparency and accountability,” adding that accountability “must be grounded in fairness, consistency, and respect for the Treaty relationship.”

But for political strategist Jennifer Laewetz, the FSIN is not taking accountability for its actions.

“Every organization has the capacity to make mistakes,” Laewetz said.

“This could have been the opportunity to say, ‘We’re going to be looking at our internal processes, we’re going to be looking at strengthening our processes, what can we do better, and what can we learn from this?’”

Laewetz adds that this ongoing audit saga only detracts from bigger issues in First Nations communities.

“The fact that we’re even wasting this amount of time and this kind of distraction during very big critical items that are hitting the table in this country, including Bill C-5 and Bill S-2, we need these organizations to be very strong.”

The ISC released findings from the audit last fall, noting $34 million in questionable transactions.

Band Members Alliance and Advocacy Association of Canada shared the ISC’s letter to FSIN online last Friday after a whistleblower provided it to them.

The FSIN has until April 2 to dispute the audit’s claims.

FSIN chief Bobby Cameron said Monday he intends to take the matters to court once mandated by chiefs.

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A Calgary city councillor denies knowing why the RCMP seized his devices last week, but said he is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot told reporters Tuesday that he was “completely surprised” when RCMP officers executed a search warrant at his home on Thursday, which is believed to be connected to a corruption investigation first reported by CBC News.

“I have no idea what the investigation is about. I do know that I was asked to provide my devices for them to gather evidence. That’s about as much as I know,” Chabot said.

“I’m fully cooperating with the police. I’m hoping that somehow it will result in something that they can utilize, but at this point I have no idea what they’re investigating.”

Chabot said he was not questioned by police nor does he believe he is under investigation.

The representative for Ward 10 said he would’ve been “more than happy” to have given officers his phones had they asked.

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“This is a bit of a distraction, no question about it, but I’m fully complying,” Chabot said. “I have nothing to hide.”

Defence lawyer Alain Hepner confirmed he has been retained to represent Chabot, who reiterated his client has nothing to hide and is cooperating with police officials.

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he is aware of the situation and that he has not been contacted by the police.

“Because this involves an ongoing investigation with potential legal implications, I have no further comment at this time,” he told reporters Tuesday.

When asked about the investigation, the Calgary Police Service confirmed it received a complaint that was referred to the RCMP in October 2025.

“To protect the integrity and confidentiality of the ongoing investigative process, no further details will be released at this time,” the police service said in a statement to Global News.

The complaint was referred to the RCMP’s Federal Policing Northwest Region, which confirmed the ongoing investigation “relating to a referral we received from Calgary Police Services in October 2025.”

“To protect the integrity of this ongoing investigation, we have no further comment at this time,” an RCMP spokesperson said in a statement.

More to come… 

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Prairie Harm Reduction says it has terminated the employment of its executive director, stating financial management “fell significant short of what was required.”

The organization, which is Saskatoon’s only safe consumption site, said its board of directors was advised on March 5 of a significant financial shortfall in operating funds.

“Over the past year, demand for our services has increased by nearly 300 per cent, and it appears that in our effort to respond to that need and avoid turning people away, PHR spent more than our revenues allowed,” a statement from PHR said.

“This combination of rapid growth in demand and insufficient financial management has resulted in a significant cash deficit.”

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PHR said its investigation into the shortfall has just begun, but added it does not believe there is evidence of fraud, theft or personal misuse of funds.

However, the organization said its board has terminated employment of executive director Kayla DeMong and assumed operational control. An interim lead will also be appointed to oversee the day-to-day operations “while we stabilize our finances.”

External financial experts have also been engaged to conduct an independent review of PHR’s finances, and to strengthen internal controls and advise on a sustainable path forward.

The safe consumption site said it is “urgently seeking aid” to keep its doors open and protect essential services.

“We require immediate community assistance to keep supporting the people who depend on us every day,” the organization said.

The financial crisis for PHR comes only a month after it reported it had treated triple the number of overdoses in 2025 compared to 2024. It said it had also supported 22 per cent more people over the past year and successfully performed more than 150 interventions.

At the time, DeMong had told Global News that many overdoses reversed showed how PHR was a “vital partner in community safety.”

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