QUESTION PERIOD — National Defence
Reserve Force
February 10, 2026
On another very serious note, Canada’s military reserves are essential to our national defence, yet your government’s record on addressing reservist health care and benefits inequities remains deeply troubling. This week, Canada’s National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman once again highlighted a decade-long failure to fix systemic gaps in compensation and health care supports for reservists. These gaps leave part-time service members with unequal access to care compared to their Regular Force counterparts, which undermines recruitment and retention. Reservists should never be subjected to a two-tiered system.
Why has your government ignored repeated warnings from the ombudsman and failed to ensure that reservists receive clear, consistent health care and benefits commensurate with their service?
Respectfully, Senator Martin, why did your colleagues at the House of Commons vote against the budget while you are asking for more spending here in this chamber?
Budget 2025 is investing more than $81 billion in defence over the next five years. Those are not words. Those are not only commitments, those are investments.
At the same time, you are asking for more money, but when the government put money in the budget, your Conservatives in the other place voted against those measures. You have to follow the message: Either you are against or you are for, but you have to decide.
Leader, specifically how much of that is for the reservists? That is the point I am making. There has been a decade of neglect. The ombudsman’s report shows that these issues have persisted for years, and have contributed to morale problems and administrative frustration in the reserves.
Will your government commit today to implement all of the ombudsman’s recommendations in full so that the men and women who serve Canada part-time are treated with the fairness and respect they deserve?
The announcement of the Prime Minister concerning our investment in the Canadian Armed Forces is unprecedented; the total investments are unprecedented. I could provide you with the spreadsheet of how much has been invested in the reserves, but the fact is that when the government wants to spend $81 billion on the Canadian Armed Forces, you vote against that.
