Conservative Cuts To Public Services: A Shameful Record

This government has cut billions of dollars from public services and thousands of federal government jobs. These cuts are putting public services and public safety on the line. Harper’s shameful record is a resounding failure.

• Front line services to Veterans cut - The closure of nine Veterans Affairs offices and cuts of 25% of Veterans Affairs staff means veterans are waiting longer and travelling further for the services they are entitled to and need.
• Search and Rescue services cut - The closure of marine search and rescue stations in St. John’s and Vancouver has put the lives of those who live and work along Canada’s coastlines at risk.
• Food safety cut - The government is undermining food safety by cutting workers who support the delivery of front line food inspection work. It plans to cut 19% of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s 2010 workforce by 2017.
• Employment Insurance services cut - Legislative changes to EI eligibility and cuts to EI call and processing centres are making it harder for the unemployed, particularly seasonal workers, to access crucial EI benefits and get the support they need.
• Front line tax services cut - The closure of every Canada Revenue service counter in the country and cancelling all counter services has left Canadians and businesses without front line services they need.
• Fish habitat research cut - Cuts to Fisheries and Oceans in British Columbia have reduced the department’s habitat staff to half from a decade ago, including those who would have helped assess the impact of the Northern Gateway pipeline on fish habitats.
• Statistical research cut - Deep cuts to Statistics Canada have left economists and other policy makers without the data they need for evidence-led decision making. By 2017, this government plans to have cut 27 % of Statscan’s 2010 workforce.
• Preservation of Canadian heritage cut - Cuts at Library and Archives Canada have devastated Canada’s ability to acquire and preserve historic documents, meaning Canadians and researchers will have less, if any access to historic documents.
• National parks conservation and maintenance cut - This government is ignoring the need for nature conservation despite findings that 43% of national park ecosystems are in a declining state of health. It’s also refusing to fund maintenance of crucial infrastructure, such as waterways, leaving communities at risk.
• Border security cut - Cuts to front line border workers, intelligence officials and sniffer dog teams are putting Canadian security at risk and making crimes like cross-border gun smuggling harder to stop.
• Support for our military cut - Cuts to DND’s civilian staff mean less support for the Canadian military and its missions abroad and less support for soldiers’ families while they are deployed.

Visit the national website for more information about these service cuts across the country.