Statistics Canada is delaying the four-day in-office mandate for federal public servants in the national capital region until the new year due to a lack of office space. As of July 6, all federal public employees in the core public service are required to be in the office a minimum of four days a week, while executives must be on-site five days per week. Statistics Canada was one of three federal departments that initially delayed the four-day office mandate due to a lack of office space. A spokesperson for Statistics Canada told CTV News Ottawa that Statistics Canada employees in the Ottawa-Gatineau area will be required to report to the office three days a week until January 2027. “Additional time is required to ensure sufficient office space is available and ready to accommodate 80 per cent employee occupancy,” the spokesperson said. Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also delayed the four-day in-office mandate for its employees over the summer. As of last Monday, IRCC employees in the national capital region are required to be in the office a minimum of four days a week. “IRCC is complying with the government-wide directive on four days of on-site work and continues to advance its implementation across the Department. As of October 19, the four-day on-site requirement takes effect in the National Capital Region,” an IRCC spokesperson said in a statement. “Outside the NCR, IRCC is working closely with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to address office space requirements and support the transition to four days on-site, in alignment with the government-wide directive.” Global Affairs is delaying the four-day in-office requirement for public servants due to a “multi-year renovation project” at the Lester B. Pearson Building on Sussex Drive in Ottawa and other buildings in the national capital region. The Department of National Defence has previously said workspace “may be limited” at certain buildings when public servants are required to be in the office four days a week starting this summer. Public Services and Procurement Canada said last month that its existing office space can accommodate approximately 90 per cent of staff on-site four days a week, “through a combination of assigned and unassigned workstations.” The department hopes to be able to accommodate 95 per cent of federal public servants in the office four days a week by March 31, 2027.
