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Main Estimates, 2026-27

The House debated the Main Estimates for 2026-27, including a motion to approve roughly $18 billion in capital spending for National Defence. Government members said the plan shifts money from day-to-day operations to priorities like defence, housing and infrastructure, pointing to reaching NATO’s 2% spending target early and a pay raise for Armed Forces members. Much of the debate centred on a $20 million payment to Maritime Launch Services for space launch work in Nova Scotia: government members said it builds Canadian space sovereignty and aerospace jobs instead of relying on foreign providers, while Conservatives said the company was financially weak before the payment and asked for documentation, arguing money was going to insiders. Bloc Québécois members criticized cuts to science and research funding, carbon rebate money paid by Quebec, and bills they said give ministers power to bypass other laws, and asked for a military reserve unit in Lac-Saint-Jean. NDP and some members also raised fraud affecting small businesses and banks’ responsibility for it, and some members used the debate to speak about their own ridings.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

106 statements

Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal
“Our government is working with Nova Scotia to build a space launch site. It will create jobs there and help satellite makers in Winnipeg. Canada needs to be able to launch its own satellites. If the member opposes this site in Nova Scotia, where does he want it built?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the member seems a little upset that it is in a Liberal riding. All the ridings in Nova Scotia are Liberal. The Premier of Nova Scotia is actually a Progressive Conservative. What we are seeing is a federal government working in collaboration with a Progressive Conservative government in Nova Scotia to have a space launch sector. There is value in that in terms of the potential of creating jobs. It will have an impact not only in Nova Scotia, but also in my city of Winnipeg where they manufacture satellites and want Canadian sovereignty in allowing Canada to be able to launch these satellites. If you are so much against Nova Scotia, what province would you prefer to see the launch pad in?

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Eric Lefebvre

Conservative
“We support the aerospace industry, but we oppose financial scandals. The government is trying to defend this scandal, and I will stand up for my constituents.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is pathetic to hear the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader speak. The parliamentary secretary is doing the Liberal government’s dirty work, which is indefensible. It is indefensible. We are not against aerospace development. We are against financial scandals. Now the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader is trying to defend them. I commend the parliamentary secretary for courageously doing his party’s dirty work. That is to his credit, but it does not reflect well on his party because, right now, this is a financial scandal, and we are going to stand up for our constituents.

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois

Linked statement

“The government avoids answering our questions in committee meetings just to waste time. The public sees this and does not understand it. I want to know why my colleague thinks the government does this.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, my colleague said something that resonates with me because it is something I have felt as well. According to feedback from the public, when they saw the exchange between my colleague and the Minister of Finance, they did not understand why the minister was not answering. I must admit that, over the past year, this is one of the things I have noticed that really amazes me. When we go to a committee meeting and ask questions, it seems as though the government’s primary goal is to avoid answering questions and just run out the clock. I really do not understand what the point of that is. Does my colleague have any explanation or possible theories to share?

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Eric Lefebvre

Conservative
“The government refuses to answer our questions in committee and in the House. This is especially true about financial scandals. It makes Canadians lose trust in politics.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, whom I hold in particularly high regard and who lives in an incredible part of the country. This is sad. It is something we often say, for example during oral question period, which is aptly named. It is a question period, not an answer period. It is the same in committee. We ask questions, and sadly, we get no answers. There are Canadians who listen to question period and committee hearings. Unfortunately, all this does is fuel their cynicism about politics. People can clearly see that we are not getting any answers from the government. This applies even more in the case of financial scandals like this one.

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Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe

Bloc Québécois
“The government is wasting public money by giving $14 billion to oil and gas companies that are making record profits. I want the member to agree with his leader and call this out as a scandal.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, some things are indeed ridiculous. Public funds are being wasted and there are financial scandals with this government. It never ends. One of the things that the leader of my colleague’s party has said is that he is against corporate welfare. This was in response to a question from my colleague from Jonquière ahout whether the government should stop subsidizing the oil and gas industry, which is getting $14 billion this year. The Conservative leader agreed and said that we need to fight corporate welfare. Will my colleague proclaim loud and clear, like his leader, that one of the current government’s worst financial scandals in the estimates we are voting on is that there is a subsidy of $14 billion that is coming out of taxpayers’ pockets and going directly into the pockets of those who are making the biggest record profits, namely oil and gas companies?

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Eric Lefebvre

Conservative
“Canada's greatest wealth is its natural resources. We must use and develop them.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Canada’s greatest wealth is its natural resources. We have a duty to exploit them.

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