“Mr. Speaker, I am following up on a question I asked in the spring about an issue called spaceport. The government awarded a 10-year contract for $200 million to fund a national defence company called Maritime Launch Services through National Defence. One of the egregious factors in this lease is that Maritime Launch Services does not own the land the government is paying for a lease on, but leases it from the Government of Nova Scotia for $13,500 per year. We are paying a $20-million lease on land that the company is leasing for $13,500, which is ridiculous in itself. Now, my colleagues across the way will say how much value has been added by the development of the site by Maritime Launch Services. That nonsense, of course, is completely defied by the company’s financial statements. In June 2025, the company had negative value and its paper assets, before considering any of its liabilities, were only $13 million. Again, that is $13 million, against which we are going to pay $20 million annual rent for the land. It is ridiculous again. The government had decided to pay this $20 million, but the second most egregious part of it, of course, is that it is paying a year in arrears when they were not even on the land. It is basically a grift, a gift to some of their connected insiders that is beyond what should happen with any responsible government. Let me read from Maritime Launch Services’ actual audited statement from the middle of 2025: “As a result, there is material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt as to whether the Company will have the ability to continue as a going concern.” It is almost a bankrupt company, and the government decided to give them $20 million from defence, in addition to a $10-million line of credit from none other than Export Development Canada. Now, we have seen Export Development Canada, of course, involved in so many other slush fund operations where the government is throwing Canadian taxpayers’ money out the door. We have got a few corporations in here. Now, what is Maritime Launch Services? Let us look at its role in this. It is really a sandwich organization between renting from one government and getting a big contract from the other government. It is a penny stock, a worthless company on the stock exchange, publicly traded, now doing the government’s bidding and getting paid egregious amounts of money for doing next to nothing. Now, we know there is a whole bunch that has to happen here, as far as spaceport goes, but this is an example of money being thrown out the door. If this is what the government is talking about, about how we spend money in defence procurement more effectively, it is completely wrong. This is a way to throw Canadian taxpayer dollars away, not actually trying to make sure it gets into the pockets of the right people. No sooner than it put $20 million into an almost bankrupt company than the principal of the company gets the lift from that, the $20 million onto a balance sheet, from five cents a share to 60¢ a share, and he unloaded almost 2 million dollars’ worth of his shares. That is a grift, through and through, and the government has to be held to account for it. It is the definition of pump and dump. I will let the government respond to that, and I will continue to push on this. This is not the way any democratically elected responsible government should be acting.”
Statement grade
B–
The average of Signal, Relevance, Reasoning, Respect and Clarity is 77. The grade is held to 71, 30 above Signal.
71 / 100, held down by Signal
A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.
This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.
Mr. Speaker, Positioning · 80 wordsthe question is not whether Canada should invest in a sovereign space launch capability.The question is, rather, how to develop this capability and the role it will play in strengthening Canada’s national defence and, indeed, our economic future.The defence industrial strategy marks a major turning point in how Canada approaches defence procurement, innovation and industrial development.No reason givenAt the heart of this strategy, space launch is clearly defined as a sovereign capability essential to Canada’s long-term security and autonomy.PositioningClaims · 60 wordsLast year, the Department of National Defence assessed Canadian options for developing a sovereign launch capability.1In doing so, DND considered a range of factors, including regulatory readiness, the suitability of various locations, alignment with defence research and development, Canada’s launch the north rocket challenge, the ability to launch payloads into orbit and the proximity to military and industrial assets.2Procedure · 4 wordsThe objective is straightforward.ProcedurePromise · 44 wordsWe want to establish a sovereign launch capability as quickly and effectively as possible to support Canadian industry and avoid unnecessary delays and costs along the way.Vague promiseWe are also committing to reduce our reliance on out-of-country providers as we strengthen Canada’s strategic autonomy.Vague promiseReasoning · 9 wordsThat is why our government selected a partnership-based model.Positioning · 20 wordsPerhaps the clearest demonstration of Canada’s commitment to a sovereign space capability is through our partnership with Maritime Launch Services.PositioningClaims · 45 wordsCanada has secured access to an existing launch site near Canso, Nova Scotia, 3which I know very well, through a 10-year, $200-million agreement signed in January.4The agreement also supports the construction of critical launch infrastructure and essential services required to establish domestic launch capability.Reasoning · 60 wordsWe believe this approach will reduce delivery timelines, mitigate risk and provide a more cost-effective path to achieve results.Vague promiseBeyond its defence and security benefits, the agreement includes contract milestones, reporting requirements and oversight provisions that link continued funding to demonstrated results.5At its core, the investment is about strengthening Canada’s sovereignty, enhancing defence readiness and building long-term economic opportunity.Claims · 24 wordsIn fact, the contract requires that at least 90% of these public funds, 6or $180 million, be spent with Canadian businesses or in Canada.Reasoning · 24 wordsThis ensures that the vast majority of funding is invested and reinvested in Canadian workers, Canadian companies, Canadian expertise and Canada’s defence industrial base.Vague promiseProcedure · 47 wordsThe member also raised the question of timing of the lease, the signing date of the contract and the payment of $20 million for the first year of the term, so let me speak about that as well.We took each of these steps for two reasons: ProcedureReasoning · 70 wordsfirst, to accelerate the spaceport’s path to fully operational status; and second, to enable the launch the north rocket research and development activities to begin as early as next summer.7This project is part of a broad effort to expand our space capabilities in order to support the Canadian Armed Forces and defend Canada.All of this is done while ensuring that Canadians benefit and Canada benefits from economic spinoffs.Positioning · 67 wordsI will conclude by saying we are at a moment in time when we want to be not just actively involved in the space industry but leading it.It is investments like the ones I mentioned and the strategy that we have put in place that will enable us to lead the way.No reason givenWe do that with partners, with provinces, municipalities, the private sector and first nations, PositioningProcedure · 9 wordsand that is what this project is all about.Procedure
