Carney’s government is cutting hundreds of environment and science jobs. What does this mean for Canadians

Scientists who monitor Canada’s environmental health and protect Canadians from extreme weather events and industrial disasters may soon find themselves in the crosshairs of the federal government.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government is in process Reducing the size of your public service. Thousands of jobs are on the line, including 840 positions at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

As public servants wait to learn their fate, scientists and labor leaders are warning that these cuts could have a significant impact on the health and safety of Canadians, as well as Canada’s wildlife and environment.

“I believe this is the kind of research that Canadians need and want at this time,” retired ECCC scientist Christine Bishop told host Laura Lynch. What on earth. “They have to look for other ways to trim the fat in government.”

‘Canadians should be very concerned’

Carney’s first budget, delivered in novemberannounced a plan to reduce the federal bureaucracy by 16,000 full-time equivalent positions over three years – which does not necessarily equate to 16,000 individuals.

ECCC will reduce its workforce by approximately 10 percent, or the equivalent of 840 full-time roles, department spokeswoman Samantha Baird wrote in an email.

Despite the cuts, he wrote that the department “remains committed to advancing its mandate and Canada’s leadership in environmental protection, nature management, science and climate services, clean technology and building a greener, more sustainable future.”

Sean O’Reilly, president of the Professional Institute of Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), does not agree that the department can cut hundreds of jobs and remain true to its mandate.

PIPSC represents thousands of public servants who are facing job cuts, including at the ECCC.

While he’s concerned about his union members, O’Reilly says he’s also concerned about the safety and well-being of Canadians.

“These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. This is real science that is being harvested,” he said. “You can’t cut public science or staff without increasing public risk.”

On January 27, an email from Assistant Deputy Minister Mark D’Iorio was sent to ECCC’s Science and Technology Branch (STB) staff, warning that 120 full-time roles would be cut over the next year, starting in April.

“Essential scientific programs that support policy, operations and services for Canadians will be maintained or strengthened,” read the memo, which several ECCC staff shared with CBC.

“The focus will be on efficiency, integration and impact rather than eliminating key functions. Some cuts were targeted in areas where extensive expertise exists outside the department or public service.”

The ECCC did not respond to CBC’s questions about D’Lorio’s email or specifically which teams would face cuts.

Although PIPSC doesn’t yet know which areas of research will be affected, O’Reilly says the people at ECCC do essential work.

“They deal with avalanches, tornadoes and severe weather events. What happens to those alerts in Canada if those people aren’t there to do that job?” He said.

“(They’re) the ones who keep oil spills from becoming catastrophes, you know, the ones who are making sure that dangerous stuff doesn’t explode on our railways.”

He says that throughout Canadian history, failure to invest adequately in public service has had real and sometimes fatal consequences.

He pointed to a fatal 2013 train crash in Lac Mégantic, Que., which researchers at York University in Toronto “attributed to Decades long process of regulation and fewer resources “At Transport Canada, or on Canada’s struggle to respond quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, for which some doctors were blamed Chronically inadequate resources at the Public Health Agency of Canada.

“These cuts today could potentially create a crisis tomorrow,” he said.

The ECCC did not respond to questions about whether the cuts would affect weather forecasting and warning systems.

Pesticides, microplastics and forever chemicals

Bishop, who spent decades working as a federal ecotoxicologist before retiring three years ago, says the team was already a “skeleton crew,” and any staff cuts were likely to have a devastating impact on essential research.

He and his colleagues worked with indigenous communities to monitor the effects of environmental pollutants on wildlife and the environment – ​​things like pesticides, microplastics, forever chemicals or bitumen diluted with oil sands.

He believes this is the kind of work that matters to everyday Canadians.