ottawa –
Congress approved $21.6 billion in government spending in a House vote late Tuesday.
In the final day that funds can be voted on, MPs will add funding to the 2024 budget, which includes funding for a variety of programs such as Indigenous children’s services, dental care and reimbursing Quebec for services to asylum seekers. hurried to raise additional funds.
The Conservatives opposed the entire additional spending, while the Bloc Quebecois opposed only part of it, namely the $1.1 million to Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters last week that his party would vote on a supplemental estimate given the $317 million in additional funding for the government’s new dental care program. .
After the vote, Finance Committee President Anita Anand told The Canadian Press, “I am pleased that the majority of members of this House recognize that the support included in the Supplemental Estimate is the support that Canadians need.” spoke.
It was unclear whether a vote would even take place before Tuesday’s deadline.
Parliament has been paralyzed for months as the Conservatives pressure the Liberals to hand over documents related to hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal spending on the Green Technology Fund. The NDP and Bloc Quebecois want the government to release unredacted documents and are reluctant to break the Liberals out of the impasse.
The issue is the focus of an ongoing privileges debate, and the Conservatives have vowed to keep it up until they get what they want.
The business of government has come to an almost complete standstill, as privilege issues take precedence over nearly all other House business.
When the government first submitted additional estimates, Mr. Anand warned that some ministries could find themselves in financial trouble if the spending was not approved.
But Speaker Greg Fergus, in a ruling last week, cited the House’s rules and procedures and said he would use his power to suspend privilege debate in order to proceed with a vote on government spending.
Asked whether there was a misunderstanding about whether the spending would ultimately pass, given the ongoing privilege debate, Anand said it may not have been widely understood. Ta.
“We have a different process than the United States,” Anand said, referring to the U.S. government shutdown if the spending bill is not approved.
“I’m aware of that, but I don’t know if it’s widely understood.”
Other requests in the supplemental estimate also include $561 million to the Department of Defense for Canada’s multi-role aircraft project.
“This funding is required for quarterly payments under a delivery plan entered into with the U.S. government to acquire up to 16 P-8A Poseidon aircraft,” a Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement. .
The P-8A Poseidon is intended to replace Canada’s current maritime patrol aircraft, the CP-140 Aurora, which has been in service for more than 40 years.
“The first delivery is scheduled for 2026,” a ministry spokesperson said.
The request for the Indigenous Child and Family Services Program is $955.2 million, which Indigenous Services Canada said would be “to ensure continued compliance with the orders of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and to enable the provision of continued support.” ”.
The funding for Quebec’s asylum seekers comes from a request for $581.3 million through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
All three departments said none of these requests seeks money that has already been spent. If funding is not approved, the Immigration Service said it may use federal emergency funds to pay back the state, while the Department of Defense said it will not only get the project off the ground but also meet its contractual obligations. He said there could be problems.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024.
