OTTAWA—Meteorologists, scientists, chemists and engineers are among more than 700 Environment Canada employees on the chopping block as the department launches sweeping cuts to cope with federal belt-tightening.

The shakeup could be a taste of further cuts in other departments to come as the Conservative government reins in spending to eliminate a $32 billion deficit.

The cuts represent 11 per cent of the workforce at Environment Canada, calling into question the department’s ability to carry on its mandate, said Bill Pynn, national president of the Union of Environment Workers, which represents 476 of the affected workers.

“It’s massive,” Pynn said, saying he can’t recall cuts of a similar scale in Ottawa in the last two decades.

“I think it speaks volumes about this government’s priority as it relates to the environment,” he said. “To be honest, I don’t know how they’re going to manage this.”

Grim-faced union representatives were given official word of the looming cutbacks Wednesday as Environment Canada officials grapple with orders to trim spending.

“It’s certainly a sad day,” said Gary Corbett, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, which represents 227 of the affected workers.

Corbett said the job losses will badly hurt the ability of the science-based department to do its job on issues such as climate change, monitoring water and air quality and wildlife species.

But he highlighted the cut of 19 meteorologists — most of them in Ontario and the Prairies — at a time when concerns about extreme weather events are on the rise.

“We can all see the impact of freak weather when it happens,” Corbett said.

Corbett said he was surprised by the magnitude of the proposed reductions and is now trying to get details of the affected programs.

“I just didn’t think it would be in the hundreds. I just don’t think the department can continue to do its science with that magnitude of cuts,” he said.

A department spokesperson justified the reductions, saying the Conservatives received a “strong mandate” in the spring election to balance the budget by 2014-15.

“Environment Canada has taken a hard look at its spending to ensure the department is spending its resources on priorities like improving air quality and cleaner water for Canadians,” John Morris said in an email.

He said the department was eliminating 300 positions, rather than the more than 700 positions cited by the unions. Attrition will cover many of the losses, while others affected will get help to transition to new jobs.

“While difficult, this decision will allow our government to continue to invest in clear air and a healthier environment for Canadians,” Morris said, adding that the department has no fewer employees than when the Tories took office in 2006.

The list of those affected includes two biologists, seven chemists, 45 computer scientists, 37 engineers, 19 meteorologists and 92 physical scientists.

“We’re concerned from a science point of view . . . We need to know what the government is doing in terms of its program changes,” Corbett said.

The department cited “government-wide fiscal restraint” as the reason for the program cuts, according to a letter sent to the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.

“There will be an impact on the continuance of existing positions with Environment Canada,” the letter said.

The department expects the belt-tightening to continue for the “next couple of years.”

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In the Wednesday meeting, senior managers bluntly admitted they didn’t have the funding to pay for all the employees now on the payroll, Pynn said.

“They don’t have the money . . . They’re reductions to meet salary levels,” Pynn said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about money.”

Employees working in jobs targeted for elimination will be notified in the coming days. Over the next three months Environment Canada will determine which employees will get new jobs and which ones will be deemed “surplus” and out of work.