The sitting was dominated by a Conservative opposition motion demanding the government recover $64 million paid to the contractor GC Strategies and impose a lifetime ban on the company, following a scathing Auditor General’s report. The central political argument pitted Conservatives, who accused the Liberals of systemic corruption and waste, against Liberals, who insisted they had already taken action and that the motion was a partisan distraction from economic priorities.
The main item of Government Orders business was the opposition motion on GC Strategies. The motion called on the government to recover taxpayer money within 100 days and impose a lifetime contracting ban on GC Strategies, its subsidiaries, and its founders. Conservatives argued the Auditor General found no proof of work for many of the $64 million in contracts, that security clearances were missing, and that the ministers responsible had been promoted rather than held accountable. The Bloc Québécois supported the motion, though some members questioned the 100-day deadline as unrealistic. The NDP also supported the motion. The Liberal government opposed the motion, arguing it had already suspended GC Strategies, revoked its security clearance, banned it from contracts for seven years, referred the case to the RCMP, and launched legal action to recover funds. Liberal speakers repeatedly said the Auditor General made no new recommendations and that the existing rules needed to be followed, not replaced. A separate Government Orders item saw the House adopt the 2026 parliamentary calendar by unanimous consent.
Oral Questions focused overwhelmingly on the GC Strategies scandal, with Conservative members repeatedly asking why the government would not support the motion to recover the money and impose a lifetime ban. The Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement replied each time that the government had terminated contracts, revoked security clearances, banned the company for seven years, referred the case to the RCMP, and taken legal action. Other themes included the government’s use of closure on Bill C-5, which the Bloc criticized as bypassing Parliament; the economy and the absence of a budget; tariffs on Canadian canola and steel; and the invitation of certain leaders to the G7, which the Bloc criticized on human rights grounds. The government’s answers consistently emphasized its new mandate and focus on building one Canadian economy in response to U.S. tariffs.
In Routine Proceedings, the Albanian Heritage Month Act (Bill C-209) was introduced and deemed adopted for first reading. A petition on veterans’ disability back pay was presented. Questions on the Order Paper were allowed to stand. No other procedural motions or votes of substance occurred beyond the adoption of the calendar.