Sitting 9 — June 5, 2025

The House convened for the ninth sitting of the 45th Parliament, with the dominant item of legislative business being second reading debate on Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, introduced by Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree. The 130-page bill, which proposes enhanced border security measures, lawful access provisions for CSIS and police, and new tools to combat fentanyl trafficking, auto theft, and organized crime, drew broad support in principle from the Bloc Québécois while the Conservatives pressed for tougher bail reform. The government also advanced a ways and means motion for an affordability package that would cut taxes for 22 million middle-class Canadians and eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers on homes up to $1 million, with the Finance Minister noting Conservative support for the motion as a positive first step.

The sitting was dominated by an emergency debate on devastating wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, moved by NDP MP Leah Gazan. Members heard that over 100 fires were burning, many out of control, with communities such as Flin Flon, Lynn Lake, and Pimicikamak Cree Nation under evacuation. First Nations leadership criticized the federal response, while the newly appointed Minister of Emergency Management, Eleanor Olszewski, highlighted Canadian Armed Forces evacuation efforts. Green Party leader Elizabeth May linked the fires to the climate crisis and noted the absence of substantive climate content in the throne speech, while NDP MP Lori Idlout raised concerns about fast-tracking resource extraction projects at the expense of Indigenous free, prior, and informed consent.

Oral questions focused heavily on the government's $486 billion main estimates tabled without a budget, with the opposition accusing the Prime Minister of breaking his pledge to cap spending increases at 2%. Conservative MPs cited the Parliamentary Budget Officer's warning that debt interest payments would soar past $70 billion and pointed to grocery price increases of up to 34% for beef and 26% for oranges. Questions on the U.S. trade war intensified as President Trump's 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum took hold, with the Bloc Québécois pressing on 2,000 layoffs in Quebec's forestry sector and the absence of promised support for affected industries. The opposition also challenged the government on the Prime Minister's offshore assets and the appointment of former minister David Lametti as principal secretary.