Feds short of space as staff return to office

In less than three months, the federal government’s order requiring most public servants to attend the office four days a week — up from the current benchmark of three days — takes effect.

There’s just one hitch. It doesn’t have room for all of them.

Michèle LaRose, a spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Canada, said the department’s analysis shows certain departments will need more workstations or more space in certain locations to accommodate the shift to in-office work four days a week.

LaRose said she couldn’t say which buildings are short of workstations or how many more spaces are needed.

“We are currently working with departments to define their specific operational requirements,” she said. “Because this collaborative process is still underway, we are unable to provide exact figures regarding the four-day on-site presence requirement over the next several months.”

LaRose said the department is working with other departments and agencies to find solutions by identifying underutilized space and renewing existing leases, and possibly by acquiring additional space.

“PSPC uses its operating budget to invest in maintenance, ensuring that buildings remain safe and suitable for employees as on‑site work requirements increase,” she said.

Core federal employees have been working three days in-office since September 2024, after the standard increased from two days. In March 2020, most public servants were told to work remotely as the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The new directive officially applies only to public servants working in the core departments and agencies under Treasury Board, though some separate agencies — like the Canada Revenue Agency and the National Research Council — have said they intend to follow the same approach.

Under the directive, executives in the public service will be required to be in the office full-time as of May 4.

The government says it doesn’t anticipate any problems finding space for the executives — but that’s not the case for most workers.

Since 2020, when remote work began, the public service has grown by more than 57,000 people — an increase of almost 20 per cent. Some of those staffers have never worked full-time in a federal office.

Meanwhile, Ottawa has been trying to off-load office space.

Budget 2024 committed Public Services and Procurement Canada to reducing its stock of office space by 50 per cent over 10 years through sales or leases.

The department said earlier this year that target will be adjusted to reflect the fact that public servants will be spending more time in the office.

In a recent memo to federal employees, the department said it’s keeping several co-working spaces across the country open for six months beyond March 31.

There are about a dozen such spaces, known as “GCcoworking sites,” in the National Capital Region and in cities across the country, including Dartmouth, N.S., and Vancouver. Some of those spaces opened in 2019.

The memo said one site in Gatineau, Que., is closing in June.

“This extension will help ensure decisions are informed, sustainable and aligned with the newly announced four-day in-office direction,” said the memo.

The memo said the co-working sites provide additional workspace options and are not meant to replace departmental workplaces. It said staff needing a workspace for hybrid work requirements should contact their supervisor or departmental workplace authority.

Federal unions have warned that many departments have struggled even the current three-days-a-week return-to-office rules because of a lack of space.

Public servants have said that, in some departments, employees need to book desk space a month in advance, with different staff using the same desks on different days.

Sharon DeSousa, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said in an email the union has warned from the start there isn’t enough office space or workstations to support a four-day in-office mandate.

“Under the current policy, shared desks are already fully booked in many departments,” she said.

“This is to say nothing of the deplorable state of many government buildings, where workers are dealing with workplaces infested with bedbugs, mice and even bats.”

Pests were spotted in federal buildings across the country more than 960 times between April and November 2025. Public Services and Procurement Canada said late last year the pests included — but were “not limited to” — bats, birds, ants, bedbugs, bees, wasps and other small insects, mice and other rodents.

Public Services and Procurement Canada said 58 per cent of Crown-owned office buildings were assessed as being in “fair or better condition” as of March 2025.

The department said that includes buildings undergoing major long-term rehabilitation, like Place du Portage III in Gatineau, Que., and the Lester B. Pearson Building in Ottawa.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2026.