The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-11, the military justice system modernization act, which was the sole item of Government Orders business. The central political argument pitted the government and opposition over the Liberals’ record on sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, with Conservatives accusing the government of a decade of inaction and cover-ups while the government defended the bill as a necessary step to restore trust.
Bill C-11, the military justice system modernization act, would amend the National Defence Act to remove the Canadian Armed Forces’ jurisdiction over Criminal Code sexual offences committed in Canada, transferring their investigation and prosecution exclusively to civilian authorities. It would also establish a victim liaison officer and enhance the independence of military justice actors. The Liberal member who opened debate argued the bill responds to recommendations from former Supreme Court justices Louise Arbour and Morris Fish, and that it centres the rights and dignity of survivors. Conservative speakers, including Michael Cooper and Ziad Aboultaif, said they would support the bill at second reading but criticized the government for taking ten years to act on the 2015 Deschamps report, and questioned whether transferring cases to the civilian system would actually serve victims given court backlogs and the Jordan decision. Frank Caputo, a former prosecutor, argued the bill was symptomatic of a broader Liberal failure to address sexual offences generally, noting that sex offences against children can still result in house arrest. The Bloc Québécois member Marie-Hélène Gaudreau raised concerns about cultural change beyond legislation. The bill was read a second time and referred to a committee on division.
Oral Questions focused overwhelmingly on the economy and jobs, with the Conservatives hammering the government on youth unemployment, which they said had reached 14.7%, and on the Prime Minister’s pledge to invest $1 trillion in the United States. Government parliamentary secretaries repeatedly countered that Statistics Canada reported 60,000 net new jobs in September, including 106,000 full-time positions, and pointed to affordability measures such as making the national school food program permanent and introducing automatic tax filing. A secondary theme was public safety and bail reform, with Conservatives accusing the government of weak bail laws that they said had led to a rise in violent crime, while the government side argued that the principle of restraint predated its legislation and that it was working with provinces on constitutional bail reform. Other recurring topics included auto and forestry industry tariffs, Via Rail service in Quebec, and the government’s response to Chinese tariffs on canola.
In Routine Proceedings, the House gave first reading to Bill S-227, An Act respecting Arab Heritage Month, which would designate April as Arab heritage month in Canada. The bill was introduced by a Liberal member and passed unanimously on a voice motion. All questions on the Order Paper were allowed to stand, and the House agreed by unanimous consent to call it 2:30 p.m., effectively ending the sitting early.