Mounties, border officers and cyber spies shut out of early retirement incentive

Front-line security and intelligence workers including Mounties won’t be able to access the government’s penalty‑free early retirement incentive as federal public safety agencies focus on getting more people in the door — not out. 

The early retirement incentive (ERI) is part of the government’s larger goal to trim the federal public service, and allows eligible federal employees to leave early without being penalized for cashing out their pension.

Tens of thousands of eligible public servants have until July 24 to apply. Approved applicants must retire by Jan. 20, 2027.

However, a growing number of public safety- and intelligence-related employees are being told they can’t take the offer and exit early. 

That messaging comes as many of Canada’s security and intelligence agencies struggle to attract and retain employees while their operations — from protecting the border to gathering intelligence and investigating cybercrimes — are under increased demand. 

The RCMP said in a statement that the incentive is not available to regular members, meaning its police officers, or to civilian members who work in forensics, intelligence analysis and as specialized investigators for cyber or financial crime. 

Outside of age and years of service, the eligibility parameters require the commissioner to attest that “services to Canadians will be maintained” and  “current and future operational or business needs will continue to be met,” the RCMP said in a statement.

For years, the Mounties have been plagued by chronic shortages and a recruitment crisis.  

Just last month, the auditor general published a report finding the force has not recruited enough new officers, nor effectively assigned its members to meet its operational needs. 

The early retirement incentive is open to RCMP public service employees, said a spokesperson. Those employees are separate from the the civilian members mentioned earlier.

CSE focused on ‘expanding and sustaining’

With the federal government is committing $1.3 billion to bolster border security and hire 1,000 Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) workers, that agency is also limiting who will be able to take the incentive. 

A CBSA spokesperson said employees who are working on the front line at the border or inland, including those working in enforcement, intelligence, targeting, trade compliance, recourse, risk assessment and national security screening, “will not be considered for the early retirement incentive program.”

Employees in non‑operational areas will have their early retirement incentive applications accepted “on a case‑by‑case basis,” said Luke Reimer. 

Reimer stressed the incentive is different from the recently approved and long-fought-for pension reforms that allow thousands of front-line CBSA workers to retire without penalty after 25 years of service.

The country’s foreign signals intelligence agency, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), says it won’t be participating in the ERI program, adding that “expanding and sustaining” its workforce “is essential to meeting our mandate and protecting Canada’s national security.” 

“As Canada’s national cyber security and foreign intelligence agency, CSE is responding to an increasingly complex threat environment, and our operational demands continue to grow,” spokesperson Janny Bender Asselin said.

Earlier this week, CSE’s Ottawa neighbour, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), said it doesn’t expect it will be able to approve many applications, citing “continued operational pressures and growth requirements.” 

“The central role that we play in ensuring the safety, security and prosperity of Canada and all Canadians depends on our ability to maintain and grow the full spectrum of our workforce,” CSIS spokesperson Magali Hébert said in a statement. 

The federal government is predicting the early retirement program will cost $1.5 billion over five years and will save taxpayers an anticipated $82 million annually, largely from pension contributions.