Sitting 25 — September 19, 2025

The House resumed debate on Bill C-3, the Citizenship Act amendments addressing the so-called lost Canadians—individuals born abroad to Canadian parents who were excluded from citizenship by previous legislative gaps. Conservative member Dan Mazier opened debate by acknowledging the need for immigration while raising concerns about health care system capacity and the risk of creating new categories of citizenship by descent without clear limiting principles. The legislation, which had appeared in previous parliaments, was supported across party lines in principle, though members raised questions about its interaction with existing immigration streams and the processing capacity of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Question period reflected the first full week back after the summer recess and was dominated by public safety, justice, and housing. Conservatives attacked the government's record on violent crime, citing statistics showing a 50 per cent increase in violent crime and a 116 per cent increase in gun crime over the preceding decade. Justice Minister Sean Fraser defended the government's record and pointed to forthcoming bail reform legislation. The federal challenge to Quebec's Bill 21 again drew sharp questions from the Bloc Québécois, with Alexis Deschênes characterizing the government's position as an attack on the notwithstanding clause itself. On housing, opposition members criticized the government's announcement of a new housing bureaucracy at a cost of $13 billion to build 4,000 homes, which they characterized as $3.2 million per unit.

Economic concerns featured prominently, with Conservative members pressing on food prices, the delayed budget, and unemployment. The Parliamentary Budget Officer's projection of a deficit nearly double the government's forecast was repeatedly cited. The government in turn highlighted its investments in skills training, school nutrition, and tax cuts. BC Ferries' decision to purchase vessels from a Chinese state-owned shipyard drew condemnation from British Columbia members on both sides of the aisle. Additional questions addressed the addictions crisis, canola tariffs, vaccine injury support, and wildfire response. Several private members' bills were introduced covering debt forgiveness, youth criminal justice, and export permits.