The Conservatives just got a good piece of advice for dealing with the nearly 370,000-strong federal workforce from the man who once headed the Liberals’ public service: get ready to get firing.

On this topic, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre hasn’t offered much of a plan beyond acknowledging the need for fewer bureaucrats and more efficiency. Last month, his deputy leader, Melissa Lantsman, suggested the tactic of attrition: wait for staff to leave, and don’t replace them. (On this front, the Liberals are one step ahead, having deployed a “natural attrition” plan to save costs in the 2024 budget.)