Mr. Chair, it is odd that the estimates are being tabled a little later than usual, yet the government is increasing spending eightfold. I hope that the health transfers will be sizable.
In Quebec, the government is on the defensive because the new computer system for the Société de l'assurance de l'automobile du Québec, or SAAQ, cost twice as much as expected, $1 billion instead of $500 million. One minister resigned. A public inquiry is currently under way to get to the bottom of this.
Meanwhile, in Ottawa, the government thinks it is normal to present estimates that triple the amount allocated to equipment purchases. The budget was $2.7 billion last year, and the government wants to increase that to $10.8 billion. That is a 190% increase, and it has nothing to do with the new spending on military equipment, which is in a separate document.
How does the government explain the 190% increase in spending on miscellaneous equipment purchases?