OTTAWA—Canada’s efforts to combat climate change could be scaled down as Environment Canada braces for more budgetary belt-tightening over the next three years.

A recently released report on Environment Canada’s plans and priorities reveals the department plans to reduce spending from $1.01 billion in 2014-2015 to $698.8 million in 2016-2017.

While the report noted current fiscal year’s spending is somewhat inflated due to a one-time payout, the department is still projected to spend about $162 million less in 2016 than it plans to in 2015.

Spending on the department’s climate change and clear air program is projected to decrease from $234.2 million this year to $54.8 million in 2016-17 .

The report notes that much of the projected belt-tightening can be attributed to programs winding down , and the Conservative government could decide to extend or even enhance those programs.

“Outcomes of such decisions would be reflected in the department’s future budget exercises and estimates documents,” the report noted.

The Star requested an interview with Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq’s office to discuss the report. In response, Environment Canada reiterated that the planned spending decrease is largely due to temporary programs that could be extended, altered, or enhanced — depending on the government’s direction.

Nevertheless, the department’s report anticipates lean times to come. The report projects Environment Canada’s full-time equivalent positions — the common measurement for federal departments’ workforces — to decrease to 5,348 in 2016-17 from 6,400 this year.

Staffing levels at the climate change division are expected to see a sharper drop to 338 FTEs in 2016-17 from 699. The projections are based on Environment Canada’s estimates for how much it will pay out in salaries, divided by the average salary at the department.

“Knowing what the situation is with greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, one would think they got the numbers backwards. And that we would be ramping up rather than ramping down,” said Halifax MP Megan Leslie, the opposition New Democrats’ environment critic, on Tuesday.

“That is a shocking decrease, it really is.”

Under the Copenhagen Accord, Canada is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020. Environment Canada’s most recent projections indicate Ottawa will not achieve that target without significant action in the next five years.

According to the department, with current measures in place since 2005, Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will hit 734 megatonnes in 2020 — almost exactly at 2005 levels, and well above the target of 612 megatonnes.

While the department noted current measures have had a substantial impact on emission projections, a recent report on emissions trends indicated “further efforts will be required in order to meet the Copenhagen target” set in 2009.

The Conservatives have long maintained they prefer a “sector-by-sector” approach to curbing emissions to balance environmental concerns against economic considerations.

And the federal government has moved toward more stringent requirements of the electricity and passenger vehicle sectors, two of the biggest contributors to GHG emissions in Canada.

But Leslie noted long-awaited regulations for the oil and gas sector have yet to be introduced. And the oil and gas sector alone is projected to contribute 200 megatonnes of GHG emissions in 2020 — almost a third of Canada’s target under the Copenhagen Accord.

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“This is a sector with the fastest growing emissions and we’re still waiting,” Leslie said.

“They’ve given up on this file. They’ve given up with their actions, they’ve given up on the programs that they do have, and now they’re giving up funding it money and staffing it with people.”

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