One day after Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne's budget projected a $62.3 billion deficit, Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals asked Parliament for another $24.4 billion in spending authority for the current year, through Supplementary Estimates (B), its second request this year for money beyond the main spending plan.

Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali tabled the estimates on November 6. They seek $22.1 billion in voted spending, the part MPs must approve, for 71 organizations, plus $2.3 billion in statutory spending, which existing laws already authorize.

The voted request alone is 9.2 per cent more than Parliament approved in the Main Estimates and the spring supplementary round combined. With this round, planned federal spending for the year reaches $538.3 billion: $263.7 billion voted and $274.6 billion statutory.

Go Ad Free

The Hill Times reported the $22 billion request the day it was tabled and highlighted the defence items.

The largest single line is $2.4 billion for Employment and Social Development Canada, described in the estimates as funding "to address short term funding gaps" in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system. The document does not say what the gaps are or why the $10-a-day program needs the extra money.

National Defence follows with $1.9 billion for the Program Icebreaker Project and $1.6 billion for the Enhanced Satellite Communications Project, Polar. Crown-Indigenous Relations seeks $1.2 billion for "the Federal Indian Boarding Homes (Percival) litigation" and $760.3 million for the Specific Claims Settlement Fund.

Seven regional development agencies share $841.2 million for the Regional Tariff Response Initiative. Health wants $821.6 million more for the Canadian Dental Care Plan, whose benefits the Auditor General found $1.1 billion over budget in its first two years, in a report tabled October 29. VIA Rail gets $615 million for operating and capital needs, and Canadian Heritage and Telefilm Canada get $600 million for "Canada's audio and audiovisual sectors."

Ukraine draws $403.4 million for Operation UNIFIER across National Defence, Global Affairs and CSIS, plus $300 million in "military aid to Ukraine" at National Defence.

Canadian Heritage asks for $4.4 million "to establish the Digital Safety Commission of Canada," the regulator that Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, would create. Parliament has not passed that bill. It cleared second reading in the House of Commons on October 29 and is now before the Commons Canadian Heritage committee.

The Interim Federal Health Program, which pays for health care for refugees and asylum claimants, would get $349.8 million more. That single item raises Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's operating budget from $2.05 billion to $2.40 billion, a 17 per cent jump. The department is also moving $2.5 million to the Courts Administration Service "in recognition of immigration litigation pressures." Separately, Employment and Social Development Canada asks for $69.9 million for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

The Vaccine Impact Assistance Program would get $15.7 million in new funding, plus another $5.5 million moved over from the Public Health Agency of Canada's grants budget. The agency took over the program, formerly the Vaccine Injury Support Program, on April 1.

Public Safety Canada asks for $75.8 million more for the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program, the gun buyback, and the RCMP asks for $39.3 million for the Canadian Firearms Program, paid as contributions to provinces, territories and communities.

Canadian Heritage's grants and contributions budget rises 41 per cent, from $1.75 billion to $2.47 billion. The Treasury Board's transfer payment listing shows $441 million going to the Canada Media Fund, $67 million to the Canada Music Fund and $51 million to the Indigenous Screen Office. Heritage also asks for $30.1 million for Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy. Crown-Indigenous Relations asks for $1 million in "Funding to address Indian Residential Schools denialism."

Veterans Affairs gets $34 million "to stabilize and modernize service delivery for Veterans and Royal Canadian Mounted Police current and former members." Its $6.36 billion grants budget, which pays veterans' benefits, is unchanged. Natural Resources Canada asks for $75 million for the Woodfibre LNG Limited Partnership contribution agreement, and Transport Canada for $91.9 million for the Electric Vehicle Affordability Program.