The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-12, the government's second attempt at border and immigration legislation after the controversial Bill C-2 was withdrawn, and by a sustained political argument over the Leader of the Opposition's remarks about the RCMP. The government also introduced Bill C-14 on bail and sentencing reform, and a private member's bill on divorce proceedings was debated.
Government Orders were consumed by second-reading debate on Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act. The bill would amend multiple statutes to tighten border security, including giving the CBSA new powers to inspect exports, creating a faster pathway to ban fentanyl precursor chemicals, allowing the Coast Guard to conduct security patrols, and imposing a one-year deadline for asylum claims after entry. Conservatives, who spoke for most of the day, said they would support sending the bill to committee but criticized it for not including mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl traffickers, for failing to address the government's "catch-and-release" bail policies, and for lacking a plan to hire promised border officers. The NDP opposed the bill outright, arguing its asylum deadlines were arbitrary and would violate the rights of refugees. The Bloc Québécois indicated openness to the bill but wanted amendments at committee. Liberal members spoke only briefly, with one defending the bill as a balanced reform that modernizes the system while maintaining compassion. The government also introduced Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act, which would tighten bail rules for repeat violent offenders and end house arrest for sex offenders; the Minister of Justice said it was developed with provinces and police.
Oral Questions focused on the economy and youth, after the Prime Minister's pre-budget speech in which he told students they would have to make sacrifices. The Conservatives pressed repeatedly on youth unemployment, which they said had reached a 15-year high, and on housing unaffordability, arguing that young Canadians had already sacrificed enough. The government replied that its upcoming November 4 budget would be a "generational" investment in major projects, tax cuts for 22 million Canadians, and the removal of GST on new homes for first-time buyers. A second major theme was the Leader of the Opposition's description of the RCMP's leadership as "despicable"; Liberal members demanded an apology, while Conservatives countered by citing former prime minister Justin Trudeau's characterization of the RCMP as systemically racist. Other questions covered the auto sector layoffs, the CRA's service failures, and the foreign influence transparency registry, with the Public Safety Minister promising the registry would be operational by year's end.