Sitting 28 — September 24, 2025

The centrepiece of this sitting was second reading debate on Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Crime Act, introduced by Justice Minister Sean Fraser. The bill aims to codify the definition of hatred in the Criminal Code and strengthen penalties for hate-motivated offences. Conservative justice critic Larry Brock pressed the minister on how the codification would differ from existing jurisprudence, while the Bloc Québécois raised concerns about the interplay with Quebec's secularism legislation. The government emphasized that the legislation would complement existing protections under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms without infringing on provincial jurisdiction.

Question period was dominated by two intertwined controversies: the leaked recording of Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree in which he allegedly characterized the firearms buyback as a politically motivated program that would not enhance public safety, and the ongoing dispute over the federal government's Supreme Court challenge to Quebec's Bill 21. Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre seized on the recording to argue the government was wasting $750 million targeting law-abiding gun owners while gun crime had risen 136 per cent. The Prime Minister, present in the chamber, defended the voluntary buyback program as an efficient way to remove prohibited weapons. On Bill 21, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet accused the government of attacking Quebec's parliamentary sovereignty and the notwithstanding clause itself, while the Prime Minister maintained the government was simply defending the Charter.

Economic questions again centred on food inflation and the delayed budget, with Conservative members pointing to a 142 per cent increase in food bank usage. The government highlighted its school nutrition program and tax cuts as immediate relief measures. Members' statements reflected a broad range of concerns, from the recognition of Palestinian statehood—praised by Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi and condemned by Conservative MP Roman Baber—to Gender Equality Week, Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and the plight of Canadian farmers facing Chinese tariffs on canola.