OTTAWA, May 26 (UPI) -- Some 2,100 civilian jobs at Canada's Department of National Defense will be phased out in the next three years, sources told the Ottawa Citizen.
In a May 11 document leaked to the newspaper, defense staff vice-chief Vice-Admiral Bruce Donaldson wrote most of the job cuts would be achieved through attrition although some military employees would be transferred to other jobs and their former positions would be phased out.
There are about 26,800 full-time civilian positions in the department now and Donaldson's 11-page plan didn't target any specific departments, an e-mail from the department told the Citizen.
"At this time, no decisions have been taken with regard to specific civilian workforce reductions," the e-mail said. "All efforts will be made to achieve any required reductions through attrition."
Donaldson's report said 45 percent of defense funding goes to salaries, an issue that "requires scrutiny and an eye to efficiencies ensuring that the right people with the correct skills are in the right place at the right time."
The Conservative government is scheduled to release its budget in Parliament June 6. The newspaper said it will include a cut of $525 million in defense spending for 2012 and a further $1 billion in cuts in 2013.
