“The government is spending $200 million on a spaceport in Nova Scotia. The company cannot launch American rockets without a signed deal with the United States. Negotiations ended in August, but the deal is still not signed. I want the minister to tell us when it will be finished.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am rising to follow up on a question I asked the Minister of National Defence about the now infamous Maritime Launch Services’ so-called spaceport in Nova Scotia. Clearly this is a project where federal money is being spent, and has been spent, without proper due diligence. It is, of course, also being spent very quickly. Just to recap, it was $200 million over 10 years for a piece of property that the company is paying only $13,500 a year to lease. That is a great ROI for the company, but it is not so good for the Canadian taxpayer. One area of concern I want to follow up on is the technology safeguards agreement. I see my colleague looking a little puzzled, so I will give him the opportunity to google it while I am asking my question. The technology safeguards agreement is a great idea. It is a government-to-government agreement that sets out the rules for protecting sensitive U.S.-origin space technology and technology that is used outside the U.S. This is important, because without a technology safeguards agreement, U.S.-origin rockets or U.S.-origin technology cannot be launched from Canada, including from the concrete pad of Maritime Launch Services. Other countries have reached technology safeguards agreements with the United States, including, fairly recently, the United Kingdom. As I understand it, substantive negotiations were completed by Canada and the United States in August 2024, at least according to Global Affairs Canada press releases. Could my colleague give the House an update on the status of that agreement, because it is completed but not yet signed and in force? Without that agreement, the company, which the government is now funding to the tune of $200 million, will be unable to launch any U.S.-origin technology or goods, which is the majority of the market it is seeking to access with its spaceport. Could my colleague give us an update on the government’s status in getting this agreement completed?”

“Canada cannot launch rockets with American technology until we finish this safeguards agreement. The U.S. is ahead of us, and we need our own expertise to catch up. When will the government finish this deal?”

“Mr. Speaker, I am not really debating the member on the potential benefits of having a space industry. That is not really the question. The question goes to the heart of what he suggests is the potential opportunity, because that opportunity, or at least a large portion of that opportunity, will not exist unless we complete this technology safeguards agreement. I would invite him to ask Magellan whether it does anything that does not include U.S. technology. I would hazard to say that it does use U.S. technology, and it cannot be launched by rocketry in Canada if it uses U.S. technology. To access the opportunity, we need to complete this agreement. The reality is that many U.S. companies are further advanced than Canada when it comes to this. That is why a lot of rockets and things are being launched from the U.S. rather than Canada. If we want to do it ourselves, we have to build that expertise and knowledge here in Canada. If the member does not know the answer, could he commit to coming back with an answer, or could he give us an update today? When will we see this agreement completed?”