The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-3, an act to amend the Citizenship Act, and by Conservative attacks on the government’s record on public safety, housing and the economy. The central political argument was whether the Liberals were weakening Canadian citizenship and failing to control crime and immigration, or whether the Conservatives were proposing simplistic, imported solutions while blocking government bills.
Bill C-3, the government’s citizenship bill, would remove the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent, replace it with a “substantial connection” test requiring a Canadian parent to have spent 1,095 non-consecutive days in Canada before a child’s birth, automatically grant citizenship to adopted children born abroad, and restore citizenship to “lost Canadians.” Conservatives supported the provisions for adopted children and lost Canadians but opposed removing the first-generation limit. Dan Mazier (CPC) called the bill a “broken car” that would create “Canadians of convenience” and open citizenship to people with criminal records, citing the 2006 Lebanon evacuation. Kyle Seeback (CPC) argued the test was too weak and that no security check was required, noting that peer countries cap citizenship at the first generation. Scott Anderson (CPC) said the bill “cheapens Canadian citizenship” and warned of 115,000 new citizens at a cost of at least $21 million. Stéphane Lauzou (LIB) defended the bill as a principled response to a court ruling, saying it would reunite families and correct “the Harper government’s mistakes.” The government requested a recorded vote on the bill.
Oral Questions focused on public safety, with Conservatives repeatedly demanding the government support a “three strikes and you’re out” motion to deny bail after three violent convictions. They cited rising violent crime and specific cases of repeat offenders. Minister of Justice Sean Fraser (LIB) said the government would table its own bail reform legislation in the fall and argued the Conservative approach had failed in every jurisdiction where it was tried. The government pointed to Bill C-2 as its own border security and anti-crime legislation. Other themes included housing starts, which Conservatives said were down 16%, and the cost of the new “build Canada homes” agency, which they calculated at $3.2 million per unit. The government replied that the agency would build at a scale not seen since the Second World War. Questions also touched on the Governor General’s expenses, the federal government’s Supreme Court intervention on the notwithstanding clause, Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola, and the Oxaro vaccine-injury support contract.
In Routine Proceedings, four private members’ bills were introduced and read a first time: Bill C-230 (Financial Administration Act, debt forgiveness registry), Bill C-231 (Youth Criminal Justice Act, addiction treatment programs), Bill C-232 (Corrections and Conditional Release Act, maximum security offenders), and Bill C-233 (Export and Import Permits Act, arms export loopholes). Several petitions were presented, including on charitable status for religious organizations, twinning Highway 1 through Yoho National Park, aid to Gaza, the Penticton Shooting Sports Association lease, and invasive water soldier in Lake Simcoe. The House agreed to let questions on the order paper stand and, by unanimous consent, saw the clock at 2:30 p.m. to adjourn.