The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-3, an act to amend the Citizenship Act, which occupied the entire Government Orders period. The central political argument pitted the government and the Bloc Québécois, who argued the bill corrects a court-struck-down injustice for "lost Canadians" and children born abroad, against the Conservatives, who argued the bill goes too far by creating multi-generational "chain migration" with a weak connection test that devalues Canadian citizenship.
Bill C-3 would expand citizenship by descent beyond the first generation by replacing the current first-generation limit with a "substantial connection" test requiring a Canadian parent to have been physically present in Canada for 1,095 cumulative days. It would also automatically restore citizenship to "lost Canadians" — those born between February 15, 1977 and April 16, 1981 who lost it by failing to apply before age 28 — and to women who lost citizenship by marrying a non-Canadian before 1947, and would grant citizenship automatically to children adopted abroad by Canadian citizens. The government and the Bloc Québécois supported the bill, arguing it responds to an Ontario Superior Court ruling that struck down the first-generation limit as unconstitutional and corrects historic injustices. The Conservatives opposed the bill in its current form, arguing the 1,095-day test is too weak and would allow citizenship to be passed in perpetuity to people with no meaningful connection to Canada, that the bill lacks language requirements and criminal background checks, and that the government cannot estimate how many new citizens it would create. Conservative speakers repeatedly called for the bill to be sent to committee for amendments, while the government parliamentary secretary urged them to allow it to proceed to committee rather than continue debate.
During Oral Questions, the recurring themes were the government's economic record, broken promises, and public safety. The Opposition, led by the Leader of the Opposition, repeatedly accused the Prime Minister of breaking promises on economic growth, grocery prices, job creation, and deficit reduction, citing rising food inflation, shrinking GDP, and high unemployment. The government responded by citing tax cuts for 22 million Canadians, the removal of GST on new homes, and major housing and infrastructure investments. On public safety, Conservatives pressed the government on rising violent crime and weak bail laws, demanding tougher sentencing for repeat offenders; the government replied that it would introduce bail reform legislation this fall and pointed to investments in police and border security. Other topics included Canada-U.S. relations, housing starts, temporary foreign workers, and immigration backlogs.
In Routine Proceedings, the government tabled a treaty with the European Union on passenger name record data, two reports from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and responses to 11 petitions. The Standing Committee on Science and Research tabled two reports, with the Conservatives filing dissenting opinions opposing unfunded spending recommendations. Members presented petitions on the prison needle exchange program, rising crime, the Atlantic Loop, forestry industry support, and the opioid crisis. A request for an emergency debate on youth unemployment was made but not granted, and a question of privilege regarding members' access to federal penitentiaries was raised. The government answered over 80 written questions on the Order Paper.