Canada's Auditor General Sheila Fraser, in a report to parliament, said "the Canadian Space Agency is unable to carry out its required activities under the Canadian Space Program because of funding obligations."
"The agency's hands are tied. It is unable to meet its existing commitments under the government-approved Canadian Space Program, and new initiatives must compete with existing programs for resources."
The agency received a paltry 300 million Canadian dollars (192 million US dollars) in annual funding for the current fiscal year and, she said, cost increases had made that budget irrelevant.
This budget covers Canada's participation in the International Space Agency as well as its partnerships with other space agencies -- such as the European Space Agency (ESA) -- in the launch of international communications satellites.
Fraser suggested that cost increases in these international space programs were often outside of Canada's control due to actions by partner organizations such as ESA and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
As a result, these international space programs were eating up a far greater proportion of the agency's budget than had been forecast, she added.
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