The sitting was dominated by debate on the government’s Combatting Hate Act (Bill C-9) and by Conservative opposition attacks on the government’s fiscal record, with the central political argument revolving around whether rising deficits and inflation were caused by Liberal spending or by external factors such as U.S. tariffs.
The main item of Government Orders business was the Combatting Hate Act (Bill C-9), which would create new Criminal Code offences for intimidation and obstruction at places of worship, for displaying hate or terrorist symbols, and for hate-motivated crimes as stand-alone offences, while removing the requirement for the Attorney General’s consent to lay hate-propaganda charges. The Liberals argued the bill fulfills an election commitment and gives police and prosecutors needed tools to address a sharp rise in hate crimes. Conservatives opposed the bill, arguing that existing Criminal Code sections already cover the conduct, that removing the Attorney General’s consent removes a safeguard against vexatious prosecutions, and that the bill’s definition of “hatred” omits the word “extreme” from the Supreme Court’s standard, lowering the threshold for prosecution. The Bloc Québécois and NDP raised concerns about the bill’s potential to criminalize peaceful protest and about a religious exemption that would allow hate symbols if displayed for religious purposes. The NDP also criticized the bill for not addressing white nationalist movements. The bill passed second reading on division and was sent to committee.
Oral Questions was dominated by Conservative attacks on the government’s fiscal and economic record. The Conservatives repeatedly cited the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s description of the deficit as “alarming,” “stupefying,” and “unsustainable,” and argued that every dollar of government spending comes out of Canadians’ pockets through higher taxes and inflation. They pressed the Prime Minister on rising food prices, job losses at Imperial Oil and Kap Paper, and the cost of the firearms buyback program. The government’s answers emphasized that Canada has the lowest deficit and debt-to-GDP in the G7, that interest rates are falling, that real wages are growing, and that the government is focused on “spending less to invest more” in nation-building projects. A separate line of questioning from the Bloc Québécois and NDP focused on the Canada Post dispute, with the Bloc accusing the government of provoking a strike by announcing a restructuring without consultation; the government replied that Canada Post is losing $10 million a day and that modernization is necessary. The NDP requested an emergency debate on Canada Post, which was not granted.
During Routine Proceedings, a dozen petitions were presented on topics including public safety, firearms, charitable status for religious organizations, sustainable finance, animal welfare, indigenous languages, Gaza family reunification, and medical assistance in dying. The Speaker delivered a ruling on a question of privilege raised by the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, finding that the right of members to visit penitentiaries is a statutory right under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, not a matter of parliamentary privilege, and therefore not a question for the Chair. All questions on the Order Paper and motions for papers were allowed to stand.