Carney's planned Privy Council Office budget tops that of Trudeau

Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to “spend less on government operations and reduce waste.” But newly released federal records show that he is also on track to spend more on the Privy Council Office (PCO) than his predecessor.

According to the Privy Council Office’s 2026-2027 Departmental plan: “ For 2026-27,  PCO ’s total planned spending is $252,265,293, with 1,246 planned full-time equivalent staff.”

This eclipses the figure of $251,744,189 that was spent during Trudeau’s final full year in office, to the tune of more than half a million dollars.

Staffing in the PCO was on the rise for several years, from 1,180 full-time equivalent staff in 2020 to 1,333 in 2024. It fell in 2025 to an estimated 1,249. The newest report says the plan is to lower those numbers further, to 1,145 by 2028.

The report says it will make reductions in staff by “flattening the executive structure, automating Prime Minister correspondence from the public, modernizing Governor in Council appointments and Cabinet document systems, and digitizing routine messenger services,” as well as reducing HR, Finance and IT staff to align with the smaller PCO workforce, and “discontinuing select functions.”

The total budget for the PCO is also expected to fall slightly over the next several years, to $247,187,902 in 2027, and $239,747,370 in 2028.

The function of the PCO is to provide non-partisan advice to the prime minister, portfolio ministers, Cabinet and Cabinet committees on matters of national and international importance, as well as to “ensure Canada is safe and secure, and promote a fair, transparent, and democratic government (and) f oster an effective, diverse, inclusive, and innovative public service,” per the report.

“This plan reflects the government’s commitment to building our strength at home: bolstering Canada’s security, building one Canadian economy, advancing major nation-building projects, and bringing down costs for Canadians,” Carney wrote in the document.

“Throughout this work, we will maintain a disciplined approach to public administration,” he added. “By modernizing the systems we use, embracing innovation, and holding the line on day-to-day operational spending, the Privy Council Office will help ensure that public resources are focused where they have the greatest impact.”

The report says that the PCO “will drive a coordinated approach to reducing government operating costs by providing timely, integrated and evidence-based advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet.” It adds that the Office will do this in part through “the use of AI in government and the streamlining of procurement processes, while strengthening its capacity to assess trade-offs between operation savings and long-term economic performance.”

• After one year in office, Carney's grades are mixed with a lot of 'waiting for results'
• What we know about Mark Carney shows how little we know our Canadian PM

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.