Western Canadian MP concerned with federal Liberal plan to ground snowbirds until 2030s

The Snowbirds flying over the airport in Villeneuve won’t be flying around there much longer.

The federal government announced on Tuesday, May 19, that the Snowbirds will be temporarily grounded after the 2026 season, with Defence Minister David McGuinty saying the CT-114 fleet will remain on the ground until the early 2030s, at the minimum.

In their place, McGuinty says Ottawa will be procuring CT-157 Siskin II planes.

“(It is) the future of the Snowbirds,” said McGuinty.

The CT-157 Siskin II planes will serve as the official training and air demonstration aircraft and will be based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, home of 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

A timeline for the planes is unclear.

For Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan Conservative Member of Parliament Fraser Tolmie, this news is disappointing.

“It’s very un-Canadian,” said Tolmie. “I’m very, very disappointed in the way this has been rolled out.”

Tolmie says the Snowbirds account for less than a percentage point of the defence budget, and that grounding them could lead to recruitment problems in the future.

“Canadians want to be inspired by Canadians,” said Tolmie. “At a time when our sovereignty is being challenged, our national identity is being questioned; this is not the time to sacrifice the land here.”

The announcement is personal for Tolmie. He was the mayor of Moose Jaw from 2016 to 2021, and prior to that, served on city council from 2009 to 2012, with the southwestern Saskatchewan city being home to 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

Like Saskatchewan, Alberta has a strong military presence. 4 Wing Cold Lake, about 300 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, is where the CF-18 Hornet flies out of.

In speaking with other MPs from Western Canada, Tolmie says the move to wind down the Snowbirds after this year isn’t landing well with them either.

“Michael (Cooper), part of his riding is the RCMP, the musical ride. Is that something else that we’re going to be sacrificing under this Liberal government?” he said.

“I think the Prime Minister needs to change his decision.”

The Snowbirds are slated to fly over Alberta in July and early August, with visits to Villeneuve, Cold Lake, Red Deer and Grande Prairie scheduled.

By David Boles, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Original Published on May 27, 2026 at 11:45