Public Service of Canada

Public Service of Canada

The Government of Canada signature (above) and wordmark (below) is used to identify Public Service organizations under the Federal Identity Program
Organization overview
Formed	1867
Jurisdiction	Government of Canada
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario
Employees	367,772 (2024)
Organization executives	John Hannaford, Clerk of the Privy Council Bill Matthews, Secretary of the Treasury Board

Politics of Canada
Government (structure)
The Crown Monarch (list): Charles III Governor General (list): Mary Simon Monarchy in the provinces Lieutenant governors Royal prerogative
Executive King’s Privy Council Prime minister (List of prime ministers): Justin Trudeau Cabinet (List of Canadian ministries): 29th Canadian Ministry President of the Privy Council Clerk of the Privy Council Privy Council Office Public Service Provincial and territorial executive councils Premiers
Legislative Federal parliament (List of parliaments) Senate Speaker of the Senate Government Leader in the Senate Opposition Leader in the Senate Senate divisions House of Commons Speaker of the house Government Leader in the house Opposition Leader in the house His Majesty's Loyal Opposition Leader of the Opposition Shadow cabinet Provincial and territorial parliaments
Judicial Supreme court (List of justices) Chief Justice of Canada: Richard Wagner Courts of the Provinces and Territories Federal courts Military courts Constitution Constitution Acts Peace, order, and good government Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Elections Federal electoral districts Federal electoral system (List of federal elections) Provincial electoral districts Politics of the provinces
Local government Municipal government
Foreign relations Global Affairs Canada Minister: Mélanie Joly Diplomatic missions of / in Canada Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy Canada–Latin America relations Canada–European Union relations Proposed annexation of Turks and Caicos Islands
Crown and Indigenous peoples Canadian Aboriginal law Aboriginal self-government First Nations bands Indigenous law Indigenous Peoples in Canada Métis Inuit Nunangat
Related topics Conservatism Constitutional law Federalism Liberalism Office-holders Political culture Provinces and territories Regions Republicanism
Canada portal Politics portal Other countries
v t e

The Public Service of Canada (known as the Civil Service of Canada prior to 1967) is the civilian workforce of the Government of Canada's departments, agencies, and other public bodies.

While the Government of Canada has employed civil servants to support its functions since Confederation in 1867, positions were initially filled through patronage until 1908, when the Laurier government enacted the Public Service Amendment Act, which established the merit-based appointment system which governs hiring within the federal public service today. As of 2020, the Public Service employs 319,601 people,^[1] and is Canada's largest single employer.

There are 137 distinct organizations within the Public Service, including 23 ministerial (line) departments, 3 service agencies, 17 departmental corporations, 50 departmental agencies, 12 special operating agencies, and 6 agents of Parliament.^[2] While Crown corporations are owned by the federal government, employees are generally not considered to be public servants and are instead employed by the corporation itself. Over 40 per cent of the Public Service of Canada is located in the National Capital Region, many public servants are situated at approximately 1,600 locations throughout Canada.

Public service organizations are divided into the Core Public Administration (CPA), defined as organizations listed under schedules I and IV in the Financial Administration Act (FAA),^[3] primarily consisting of ministerial departments and departmental agencies such as Global Affairs Canada and the Correctional Service of Canada, and Separate Agencies, which are listed under schedule V of the FAA, which includes organizations such as the Canada Revenue Agency and Parks Canada.

The Clerk of the Privy Council is the head of the Public Service, and is the most senior public servant within the Canadian federal government. John Hannaford has served as the Clerk since June 24, 2023, replacing Janice Charette who had retired.^[4]