Tories plan cuts to climate change programs

Last Updated: Wednesday, April 5, 2006 | 11:10 PM ET

CBC News

Forty per cent of this year's budget for climate change programs has been slashed from the departments of Natural Resources and Environment, CBC News has learned.

The cuts include the much-advertised One Tonne Challenge, 40 public information offices across the country and several scientific and research programs on climate change.

"If it's not in the taxpayers' interest to fund programs that are not effective, then we are not going to," said Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn.

Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn says the government is looking after taxpayers' money. (CP file photo)

Lunn would only confirm funding has been cut to some environmental groups, but did not provide details.

David Layzell, who runs BIOCAP, a research program that looks at how agricultural and forest waste can be turned into fuel, said the program gets 80 per cent of its money from the federal government.

He said it's now in limbo with millions of dollars in research at stake.

"We will lose researchers, we will lose funding partners, we will lose a number of industries that have been looking at opportunities to move to, for example, new energy sources," said Layzell.

Environmental groups are furious at the cuts, pointing out the longer Canada takes to form a climate change plan the less likely Canada will keep its Kyoto promises.

"We're the only country that's ratified Kyoto that's cutting back on its spending on climate change," said John Bennett of the Sierra Club of Canada.

The government said it will come up with its own new climate change plan within the next few months.