Sitting 9 — June 5, 2025

The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, the government’s first major legislative priority, and by the evening’s committee-of-the-whole session on the Main Estimates. The central political argument was whether the bill’s new law-enforcement powers would fix a border and immigration system the Conservatives said the Liberals had broken over a decade, or whether it was a necessary modernization that the Conservatives were blocking with exaggerated civil-liberties claims.

Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, would amend more than a dozen statutes to give border officers new powers to inspect exports, allow police to obtain warrants to open Canada Post mail, create new asylum ineligibility rules, and strengthen anti-money-laundering tools. The Liberals argued it was a direct response to the election mandate and was supported by police associations. The Conservatives said it was an omnibus bill that ignored bail reform, did not repeal their own soft-on-crime laws, and contained warrantless-search provisions that threatened privacy. The Bloc Québécois supported the bill in principle but demanded thorough committee study, citing staffing shortages at the border. The NDP and Green Party raised concerns about civil liberties and the bill’s impact on refugees, with the Green member asking for the bill to be split for study by different committees. No amendments were moved during second reading.

A ways and means motion to introduce a bill on affordability measures was concurred in by unanimous consent, with the government noting it would cut taxes for 22 million Canadians and remove the consumer carbon price.

Oral Questions focused on the absence of a federal budget, with the Conservatives repeatedly demanding a spring budget and citing Parliamentary Budget Officer warnings that debt interest would hit $70 billion. The government replied by listing existing programs such as dental care and child care. A second major theme was the U.S. tariff increase to 50% on steel and aluminum; the Bloc and Conservatives pressed for immediate support for affected industries, while ministers said they were working with industry and provinces. Other recurring topics included housing affordability, immigration caps, and the government’s record on bail and crime, with the government citing recent crime drops in Toronto.

Routine Proceedings included a unanimous-consent motion to set committee membership for the 45th Parliament, which was adopted. A series of petitions were presented on medical assistance in dying, government priorities, Eritrea, pornography, Venezuela, Cyprus, human rights in Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, and India. The member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan was repeatedly called to order for reading petitions at length. The House later held tributes to former minister and astronaut Marc Garneau, who had died, with all parties delivering statements of condolence. No other procedural motions or votes were decided.