Bell Canada’s parent company, BCE Inc., announced plans to reduce its workforce by nearly 700 employees as part of ongoing cost-cutting measures across the Canadian telecommunications sector. The layoffs were communicated to staff in recent weeks and will impact both unionized and non-unionized employees across various roles nationwide.

BCE specified that it will lay off 460 non-unionized workers, including some management personnel, while offering voluntary departure packages to unionized employees with an aim to cut 230 unionized positions. As of the end of 2025, BCE employed 38,683 people, with unionized staff representing 39 percent of the total workforce, according to the company’s latest annual report. Bell Media operations will remain unaffected by the current cuts.

The reductions come amid broader industry challenges, including slower immigration rates that are limiting customer growth and competitive pressures leading to lower cellphone plan prices, which have constrained revenue growth. BCE spokesperson Luc Levasseur said the workforce adjustments are part of a three-year plan to achieve sustainable growth in a highly competitive market. He noted that the reductions reflect ongoing initiatives such as transitioning customers to a more resilient fiber-optic network and improving operational efficiencies.

Despite the job cuts, Levasseur emphasized that Bell continues to invest in key areas that drive long-term business growth, noting the creation of hundreds of new jobs across Canada. In particular, the company is focusing on expansion in artificial intelligence, evidenced by its ongoing $1.7-billion investment in an AI data center under construction in Saskatchewan.

BCE’s recent earnings report for the first quarter of 2026 showed higher revenue driven by its U.S. fiber internet acquisition and improved media revenues, offset by declines in its telecom division and lower net earnings. Company executives indicated plans to further sell assets and reallocate funds toward strategic growth areas.

This latest workforce reduction follows previous cuts announced by BCE, including the layoff of 650 non-unionized employees last November and severance offers made to 1,200 unionized workers earlier in the year. Those previous moves were attributed to significant challenges in the Canadian telecommunications industry.

Separately, earlier this year, Bell terminated a small number of staff for violations of the company’s code of conduct. The employees involved allegedly engaged in repeated falsification of attendance records by swiping key cards to mark presence without actually remaining on site. Employment law firm Samfuriu Tumarkin LLP reported receiving inquiries from several dozen former Bell employees affected by these terminations.