Union aims to help those affected by meeting the employer, lobbying decision-makers
With another wave of workforce adjustment (WFA) notices shaking up federal government departments this month, the Association of Justice Counsel (AJC) is standing by its over 3,500 members and thousands of other colleagues impacted across Canada’s public service.
“No matter what lies ahead, the AJC will continue to support and advocate for its members – the public servants who deliver justice,” the AJC said in its announcement.
The AJC acknowledged that seven of its members were still involved in the WFA process. The AJC highlighted that its labour relations team could offer hands-on support to other members potentially impacted by additional WFA rounds.
The AJC stressed the importance of a sufficiently resourced law practitioner workforce to Canada’s government and democracy.
The AJC added that reducing legal professionals in the workforce decreases access to justice, interferes with the proper implementation of the rule of law, and jeopardizes the systems Canadians need to ensure fairness, accountability, and public safety.
According to the AJC, the WFA notices have destabilized public service employees, some of whom are facing serious career and life choices under pressure and uncertainty.
AJC’s efforts
The AJC’s announcement provided the context of the WFA process currently affecting some of its members.
In June 2025, 27 AJC members received notifications of affected status, which meant that their positions were under review and possibly subject to impacts under the WFA process. A comprehensive expenditure review followed.
Through its leaders and labour relations officers, the AJC shared that it has been making efforts to:
- Meet department officials
- Represent its impacted members on WFA committees
- Demand respect for the rights of its membership
- Hold the employer accountable and ensure that it complies with its legal and moral obligations to the affected members
- Lobby members of Parliament and political staff to emphasize that budget reductions and the WFA are negatively impacting Canada’s legal capacity and resulting in real risks for Canadians
- Help its impacted members deal with the WFA process
- Keep an alternation list, which offers a network of possibilities to help affected members interested in staying in the public service avoid losing their jobs by exchanging positions with non-affected members planning to leave
As the union aiming to defend Canada’s legal team, the AJC comprises federal Crown counsel and articling students employed by the Canadian government in the federal justice department and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, as well as in federal agencies, tribunals, and courts across the country.
