A government document containing highlights of the translation bureau’s business plan for 2025 to 2030 says the bureau plans to drop 339 employees through natural attrition over five years to ensure its financial viability.
Attrition is the gradual reduction of positions through retirements and resignations.
The document says the plan reflects "an overall drop" in demand for traditional translation services.
It also says departments are turning to online translation services "via free internet tools" or are "investing on their own to deploy translation tools powered by artificial intelligence."
Mario Morneau, spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Canada, said in an email the plan is to accomplish the reduction through attrition and because it's based on client demand, the final number could vary.
"This attrition is expected to occur across a range of occupational groups, including translation, administrative and management positions," he said.
The Canadian Association of Professional Employees is condemning the plan and says the decision puts Canada’s official languages at risk.
The union said more than 90 per cent of translations in the federal government are from English to French and that when the quality of translation declines, it is francophones who feel the impact.
"The result is a two-tier system by degrading the language services francophones depend on to access public services and Canada’s democratic institutions in their own language," said the union.
After several weeks of intense negotiations, Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended trade talks with the U.S. on Aug. 21 and summoned Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and the rest of the negotiating team back to Canada.
In a media conference, Carney accused U.S. negotiators of trying to limit Canada's ability to negotiate other trade deals, restrict its protections for language and culture and reduce tariffs for cars but not trucks.
Carney cited both the visibility of Canadian content on streaming services and French-language product labelling when he described the collapse of the trade talks. Four days later, a government official, who refused to be quoted on the record, told The Canadian Press that French labels were never part of the conversation.
LeBlanc then told Radio-Canada that while the U.S. had identified French-language labels as a trade irritant in the past, the issue on the table just before the trade talks ended was online discoverability.
Those rules, which are currently under development at the CRTC, would ensure Canadian and French-language content is available and visible on online streaming platforms.
U.S. representatives have maintained they don't have an issue with French language protections.
Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron said in the House of Commons last month that "we cannot use French as a shield against Donald Trump and then turn around and regard it as an unnecessary expense that needs to be cut."
"While being a useful tool, artificial intelligence can never replace human judgment and a nuanced understanding of human language," he said. "We will not attract the next generation of talent by allowing people's working conditions to deteriorate. A strong internal capacity within the public service is essential to preserving French."
Kelly Burke, Canada's official languages commissioner, said in a statement that the government must ensure the substantive equality of Canada's two official languages in federal services and communications.
"This means, among other things, that translation and interpretation services must meet the highest standards of quality in order to respect the language rights of all Canadians," said Burke.
The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages’ 2025-2026 annual report said federal institutions must ensure that their language obligations and their employees’ language rights are respected and taken into account during any budget reduction exercises.
"I will continue to monitor this situation closely," said Burke.
Burke added that while artificial intelligence can be useful for translation and interpretation when deployed properly, a qualified professional needs to be involved to avoid errors.
Morneau said the translation bureau will adjust its plans if demand for translation services increases.
"The Bureau remains fully committed to providing quality linguistic services in both official languages, tailored to the needs of our clients, budgetary realities and the expectations of Canadians," he said. "It will maintain the in-house capacity required to fulfil the demand for high-quality translations while continuing to draw on the expertise of Canada's language industry when needed."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
-With files from Anja Karadeglija
By Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Spacious suburban home surrounded by lush greenery.Joe Kehoe | RE/MAX
Elegant spiral staircase in a modern home.Joe Kehoe | RE/MAX
Indoor pool with wooden ceiling and soft lighting.Joe Kehoe | RE/MAX
Spacious kitchen with modern appliances and elegant wood cabinetry.Joe Kehoe | RE/MAX
Voici quand tu devrais «booker» tes vacances pour voyager durant les fériés 2023 au Canada
Va falloir t'y prendre d'avance si tu veux avoir du choix!
Chalet mignon devant un lac avec feu extérieur pour faire griller des guimauves, villa sur la plage avec vue sur de magnifiques couchers de soleil, ce n'est pas pour rien que ces logements de rêve se booke comme de petits pains chauds. Afin de t'aider à mettre toutes les chances de ton côté, l’entreprise de location de maisons de vacances, Vrbo, une filiale d'Expedia, a publié les meilleures dates pour faire la réservation de ton logement.
Selon la compagnie, les mois de janvier et de février seraient les plus populaires pour faire une demande de location puisqu'après les Fêtes, plusieurs Canadien.nes commencent déjà à organiser leurs vacances. Marque bien les dates proposées dans ton calendrier, car elles pourraient t'être bien utiles si tu désires t'offrir un repos bien mérité dans un décor haut en couleur. Eh oui, il faut faire vite pour avoir la chance de siroter son café sur son balcon dans les montagnes.
Vrbo prévoit, d’ailleurs, qu'en 2023, les réservations augmenteront grandement : « Toutes ces dates sont avancées de deux semaines par rapport aux années précédentes. Ces deux semaines sont déterminantes pour permettre ou non l'obtention d'un chalet de montagne convoité pour un voyage de ski pendant les vacances de printemps ou d'un chalet en bord de mer pour les vacances d'été annuelles. »
Ainsi, il te faudrait effectuer tes réservations environ deux mois à l'avance. En plus d'avoir une plus grande offre de logements et l'opportunité d'économiser, ce délai te permettrait d'obtenir plus de flexibilité pour des annulations ou modifications.
Voici les dates recommandées par l'entreprise de location :
Si ta maison de rêve se trouve à l'extérieur du pays ou de l'autre côté du Canada et qu'il te faut prendre l'avion, sache que l'agence de voyages Expedia a récemment publié sa liste des meilleurs trucs pour obtenir les prix les plus bas des compagnies aériennes et ça vaut assurément la peine d'y jeter un coup d'oeil . Tu pourras ainsi savoir quels sont les meilleurs jours et la bonne heure pour acheter tes billets au plus bas prix, quand est-il mieux de partir en voyage si l'on veut économiser et plus encore.
Avec ces astuces en poche, cela peut te permettre de te gâter sur des activités ou de bons repas.