It may be the silly season, but this issue is an important one and it deserves attention:
In the early 1990s, the size of the core public service was about 245,000. But between 1994 and 1998, Jean Chretien's government slashed 75,000 jobs to help curb Canada's deficit.
By 2003, the number of public servants had bounced back to 235,000. The total number of people employed by the government increased to 351,000, excluding Crown corporations and federal business enterprises, at a cost of $25 billion per year.
"By 2002-03 then, the core federal government's effective size was at least as great as in the early 1990s," the report states.
The study also shows that civil servants took a total of 7.74 million days of leave in 2002-2003. On average, each employee took:
- 17.3 days for vacations
- 8.3 days for sick leave
- 1.6 days for family-related leave
"I think the whole idea that public servants are somehow overworked is just a farce," said John Williamson of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
But civil servant Shannon Steele said she earns her pay.
"Of course I get more benefits and stuff, but I think I deserve them," she said. "I do a lot of work, and it's stressful."
No offense to Shannon, but I think the vast majority of working Canadians outside the federal public service would be thrilled to take your job, even with that terrible stress! If there were ever an issue the Harper Tories could seize upon to start getting small-c conservatives energized again, this one would be it.
UPDATE (Monday, 11 pm): Lorne Gunter weighs in.
