Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's always a pleasure to be here. I genuinely miss this committee, I have to say, after spending close to three years on it prior to the election. It is great to be here.
President, it is great to see you. Thank you so much for coming here today. I'm so sorry that we haven't had time to meet for coffee yet. I hope your schedule allows for it sometime soon.
Minister, you're here today to defend your government's 2026-27 main estimates, which detail over $502 billion in spending. That's $15 billion higher than your 2025-26 main estimates, and it's a stark contrast to the promise of savings that you, the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister pledged to Canadians.
Your press release for the main estimates begins with these words: “Prudent fiscal management combines the efficient use of public funds with investments to support Canadians and drive economic growth.” I want to focus on the phrase “efficient use of public funds” specifically.
You sit in a Liberal cabinet that, in 11 years since forming government, has not once presented a surplus budget. You are a member of a Liberal government that, since 2015, has doubled the entire spend of the federal government, putting the Canadian taxpayers of not only today but also tomorrow—my children and your children—on the hook for your reckless spending.
It's reckless spending that includes a minimum of $60 million on the ArriveCAN application, $300-plus million on the PrescribeIT program and $6.6 billion on a benefits delivery program that has left tens of thousands of seniors without access to crucial benefits such as OAS. That's just to name a few.
It's reckless spending that has seen the total cost of professional and special services across the government rise to an incredible $26.6 billion in the main estimates alone.
I want to talk specifically about your comprehensive expenditure review. I've questioned you before on this plan and have noted how actions speak louder than words. This is still true today.
Since announcing the CER, the government has tabled the 2025 budget, which saw $90 billion in net new spending announced. You've tabled the supplementary estimates (C) for 2025-26, which asked for an additional $5.4 billion in spending last year, and you've tabled these main estimates, which ask for $502.8 billion in approvals.
None of this spending is less, President, and none of this has shown any progress in the CER. In these main estimates specifically, you presented a plan that sees 64 departments and agencies requesting more money in 2026 than last year. This includes your own department, which has $11 billion more spending this year over last.
Not only is the total spending on departments higher, but the actual cost of bureaucracy or personnel is up as well in the main estimates, with personnel spending up $3 billion and 62 federal organizations boosting their personnel spending from last year. This is coming despite your promise to rein in the size of the federal public service, which your government has nearly doubled in the past decade.
Then comes the spring economic update. As shadow minister for the Treasury Board, I was holding out high hopes that this update would finally outline progress made with the CER or showcase how the government is taking its responsibility of being the efficient steward of public funds seriously, as you and your superiors have promised. However, this wasn't the case. The spring update doubled the deficit that Justin Trudeau had expected for 2026-27 and added another $37 billion in net new spending to our debt.
In fact, the words “comprehensive expenditure review” appeared just four times in the 167-page document, with one of these mentions being tied to consultant spending. Even the Liberal-appointed Parliamentary Budget Officer raised flags with this yesterday in her report on the spring economic update. Despite previous government initiatives to cap or reduce spending on consultants, the public accounts indicate that this spending item has increased consistently in recent years.
Canadians expect prudent fiscal management of their tax dollars; however, your government is not delivering on that, President. With the spring update, we learned that, as a result of the past decade of Liberal spending, the cost to service the national debt will now be $59 billion—