BACKGROUND

n recent years, Parks Canada met its obligation to contribute to the Government's deficit reduction objective. In total, appropriated funds were reduced by $104 million or 25 percent of Parks Canada's total budget. This, in relation to other departments, was not unusual. However, at the same time, the Government made a commitment to extend the systems of national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas without providing the Parks Canada Agency with new funding. The Agency managed to re-direct appropriations into system extension until the 1999-00 fiscal year. The demands of operating the heritage places that currently exist are such that the Agency is able to invest in the expansion of the systems only at a very modest rate.

SIGNIFICANT DATA

Table 1 displays Parks Canada's total income during the planning period.

Table 2 presents the income that will be deposited into the New National Parks and National Historic Sites Account.

Table 3 presents revenue projections from all sources. Note that the Townsites Revolving Fund is under review and a business plan is being prepared to outline long term strategies. Subsidies will continue to offset the cost to operate townsites.

Table 4 provides an initial estimate of funds allocated to Parks Canada's eight service lines. These data will be refined through the analysis of future business plans (for field units, service centres and national office directorates). There is general stability in planned spending by service line over the next five years. However, in order to achieve some overall budget flexibility, there will be reductions in spending in several service lines but mainly in the visitor services service line and subsequent re-allocation to service lines that reflect Parks Canada's priorities of ecological and commemorative integrity and heritage presentation.

Table 5 displays funding by expenditure type; of particular interest is the modest level of capital funding available to establish new heritage places and to recapitalize the existing $7 billion built asset base. The capital definition for Parks Canada has changed for the purpose of being more compliant with Generally Accepted Accounting Priorities (GAAP) and now reflects only those expenditures relating to the development, acquisition, construction or improvement of assets with a $10,000 threshold.

Table 6 shows capital projects exceeding $2 million and major development programs. The significance of these data is that all funds available for systems expansion initiatives (see New Parks and Historic Sites Account) are fully committed throughout the planning period.

Notes:
Some tables have been updated from the 2000-03 Report on Plans and Priorities to reflect revisions in the long term capital plan and to reflect financial decisions that are consistent with the key strategies identified in this Corporate Plan.

Last Updated: 2002-05-07

Important Notices