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OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is accusing the Conservatives of cutting funding to a federal immunization program even as public skepticism about vaccinations was growing.

Trudeau’s charge comes a week after Health Minister Rona Ambrose chided Canadians who have failed to vaccinate their children, calling them irresponsible amid an outbreak of measles in a number of North American communities.

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Government documents reveal the Conservatives have slashed funding to the federal immunization program by 23% since 2006.

The program educates Canadians about the importance of vaccinations.

Since 2006, government-commissioned polling suggested Canadians were growing increasingly skeptical about vaccinations, especially during the 2009 H1N1 scare during which some respondents said they heard conflicting information about the safety of the swine flu vaccine.

A 2012 audit of the immunization program also found that it was short-staffed, and questioned whether immunization education efforts were proving successful.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the government has always educated Canadians about the importance of vaccinations against measles and other illnesses, and will continue to do so.