A look at the controversy in national parks funding
In the face of recent claims regarding the Parks Canada budget, many are questioning the truth of what Environmental Minister Leona Aglukkaq told the House of Commons: that the “overall budget [for Parks Canada] has increased by 26 per cent.” In truth, this statement only somewhat accurate.
With recent lack of activity due to the winter curtail of park operating season, the Conservative government has faced inquiries regarding their commitment to the national parks system.
The view from Bow Summit – of Banff National Park, Alberta – is one of many treasured Canadian landscapes that stands to benefit from a budget increase.
Parks Canada, which operates over 200 national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas across the country, faced a hard year in 2012 when the government announced its decision to cut their $631-million budget to $29.2 million over three years. These cuts have had their consequences, as in the 2012-13 fiscal year, the agency was forced to lay off 13 per cent of their workforce.
In response to the budget cuts, however, Parks Canada simply stated that they would “align its season, hours of operation, and services to better reflect patterns of visitation.” As a result, most national parks adopted a three-season model.
At the end of February, however, Aglukkaq announced that the budget had increased. The statement has left many questioning: has the agency’s budget gone up despite the cuts, or not?
For Parks Canada, the budget approved for 2014-15 was $800 million, while the main budgetary estimates for 2015-16 indicate that the government intends to spend $737 million on Parks Canada. The increase is mainly for fixing highways and bridges, perhaps related to last year’s independent consultant indicating the structures of Parks Canada being in much worse shape than the agency had estimated.
In terms of spending, the amount used won’t be clear until 2016, and so the best option to discover the truth in Aglukkaq’s statement is to compare previous budgets and spending.
Going back a decade, Parks Canada has routinely spent less than that available. Looking at the change from last year’s budget, the indication seems to be that there is a decrease of 7.8 per cent. If, however, one examines the budget in comparison between the amount the agency actually spent last year – $671, 385, 496 – and what the government is proposing, there would be an increase of 9.8 per cent.
The problem with looking at the budget in this way is that it does not take into account inflation or account for the amount the agency will actually spend. Looking at the overall budgetary record between the government and Parks Canada is somewhat helpful here: in 2005-06, before the Conservative government took power, Parks Canada spent $535 million, compared to in 2014-15, where Parks Canada reported spending $671 million. When one looks at this only in monetary terms, this would indicate a 25.4 per cent increase – as Aglukkaq said.
The situation, as is usually the case, is more complicated than simply dollars and cents, however. Factors like whether the department’s responsibilities are expanding or taking on major new projects – like the development of Toronto’s Rouge National Urban Park – will influence spending, as well. Parks Canada will have to move money around as they balance their need to safeguard those assets with delivering to other programs that they are in charge of, which explains their lack of winter services, despite a budget increase.
Overall, what can be said on the issue is that it is hard to conclude the budget has increased in the past year without knowing how much the government will actually end up spending by the end of this year. As well, the major new park project and infrastructure problems continue to be issues for Parks Canada to work on. When examining the difference from 2005 to 2006, however, it is reasonable to conclude to at least some truth behind Algukkaq’s statement.