Organizations brace for Tory cuts

Hundreds of groups and organizations across the country are waiting anxiously for Ottawa to finish its review of government programs and grants.

The government has spent the last seven months looking for$2 billion in savings.

Next week, it is expected to announce which programs and organizations will have to make do with less money, and which ones will be cut off altogether.

Alison Dewar, a former employee of the National Association of Women and the Law, worked in the organization's downtown Ottawa office until the government funding ran out and everyone was laid off. Now, the association is hopingits funding will be renewed.

"We haven't heard a thing about whether we'll be hearing soon, [or] if it's pending the review," she said.

Groups around the country have been finding out through the media that their funding is being reviewed. But none of them know when or if cuts are coming and which areas will be hit hardest.

Treasury Board president John Baird described the review as a "very modest exercise."

"[It's] designed for one thing: to ensure we are getting effective and accountable spending for Canadian families."

In the budget,the government said it wanted to focus on core responsibilitiesand not overlap provincial programs and jurisdictions.

The government said it is also looking to cut programs that are no longer serving their original purpose.

But organizations contacted by CBC News that are subject to the program review said theywere not consulted at any point in the process or given a chance to make their case for continued funding.

Dewarsaid she's worriedher group is an easy target for the Conservative government because it helps women gain access to abortions and is a strong advocate for social justice.

"Yes, we're concerned, but we are hopeful they will prove us to be wrong."