Sitting 33 — October 3, 2025

The sitting featured second reading debate on Bill C-8, the Cyber Security Act, which would establish a regulatory framework for critical infrastructure providers in telecommunications, finance, energy, and transportation. Parliamentary Secretary Jacques Ramsay presented the bill as essential to protect Canada's digital infrastructure, emphasizing that it includes privacy safeguards and a reasonableness standard for government directions. The Bloc Québécois expressed concerns about individual freedoms and Quebec's jurisdictional autonomy, particularly regarding Hydro-Québec, while the NDP raised civil liberties issues around mandatory information sharing. Conservative members supported the bill in principle but pressed for stronger privacy protections.

Question period was dominated by economic exchanges, with Conservatives citing the latest Parliamentary Budget Officer report describing the deficit as alarming and unsustainable. Opposition members linked government spending to inflation and rising food prices, while Liberal ministers pointed to tax cuts, falling interest rates, and the dental care plan reaching five million Canadians. The forestry sector featured prominently after new U.S. tariffs of 10% were announced on top of existing 35% duties on softwood lumber, with opposition members calling the situation devastating for mill towns across British Columbia and Quebec.

Justice and bail reform continued as a major theme, with Conservatives pressing for immediate repeal of Bill C-75 and highlighting cases of repeat offenders released on bail who went on to commit violent crimes. The government promised forthcoming comprehensive legislation while defending Bill C-75's provisions on intimate partner violence. The Canada Post crisis also featured, with the Bloc Québécois accusing the government of triggering the labour dispute through precipitous reform announcements. Other topics included veterans' affairs, agricultural seed regulations, and a Russian fertilizer tariff that critics argued was ineffective.