Sitting 2 — May 27, 2025

The second sitting of the 45th Parliament was historic: King Charles III delivered the Speech from the Throne in person, the first time a reigning monarch had done so in Canada. The King's address, delivered in English and French, acknowledged Canadians' renewed sense of national pride and unity while outlining a government agenda focused on economic transformation in the face of U.S. trade threats. Prime Minister Mark Carney moved that the speech be taken into consideration, describing the occasion as exceptional and moving that debate begin the following day. The government immediately moved to implement its affordability agenda, with Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne tabling a notice of a ways and means motion to cut taxes for middle-class Canadians and eliminate the GST on new homes.

Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali tabled the main estimates for 2025-26, totalling approximately $486 billion—an 8% increase over the previous year—drawing immediate opposition criticism for exceeding the promised 2% spending cap. The President also tabled the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures for 2025. The sitting saw the formal commencement of the Address in Reply debate, with Liberal MP Corey Hogan of Calgary Confederation delivering the government's lead speech, emphasizing the throne speech's focus on housing, nation-building projects, and creating one Canadian economy out of thirteen. Conservative MPs challenged the speech's lack of western Canadian content and concrete energy commitments, while Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Deschênes questioned whether the centralizing language of "one Canadian economy" threatened Quebec's distinct economic interests. NDP MP Jenny Kwan raised housing affordability concerns and promised that New Democrats would hold the government to account despite lacking official party status.

The sitting also featured an early test of the new Speaker's authority over decorum. Green Party leader Elizabeth May rose on a point of order during the tabling of documents to protest excessive heckling, noting that members had made commitments during the Speaker's election to improve parliamentary decorum. Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon concluded by outlining the week's legislative schedule, with six days of debate on the Address anticipated.