Conservative MP Kyle Seeback accused Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government of directing $500 million in Canadian taxpayer funds to the European Space Agency, alleging the investment indirectly benefits Brookfield Asset Management—a firm Carney chaired—through its partial ownership of a U.K. science campus hosting an ESA facility.
In Thursday’s Question Period in the House of Commons, Seeback referenced the ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) at Britain’s Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, which Brookfield has owned a 50 per cent share for several years.
“Apparently it’s now Canada’s number one job to fund overseas projects that involve Brookfield,” Seeback said, adding the $1-trillion firm relocated its headquarters from Toronto to New York in 2024 — a source of contention for Conservatives.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organization of 22 member states dedicated to space exploration and research. Headquartered in Paris, it operates science satellites, leads missions to Mars and the Moon, and runs the European Astronaut Centre. Canada has been an associate member since 1979.
The funding, announced by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, represents a tenfold increase in Canada’s contributions to ESA programs, aimed at strengthening ties with the European Union and advancing joint space initiatives like the Artemis lunar program.
Critics, including Seeback, question the value amid domestic priorities.
Brookfield and Carney have not been formally accused of wrongdoing and allegations and insinuations have not been tested in court.