Sitting 43 — October 24, 2025

The sitting was dominated by report stage debate on Bill C-3, the Citizenship Act amendments, with the NDP moving multiple amendments to restore the original government version of the bill and remove the committee amendments adopted through a Conservative-Bloc alliance. The NDP member for Vancouver East argued passionately that the amendments creating a two-tier citizenship system with additional requirements for second-generation born-abroad children were discriminatory, while Bloc and Conservative members defended the committee's work and expressed frustration that the government was collaborating with the NDP to overturn amendments that had passed with majority support at committee. The debate touched on questions of parliamentary process and the role of committees in a minority Parliament.

Question period was heavily shaped by the morning's news that President Trump had called off trade negotiations with Canada. Opposition members across party lines pressed the government on the Prime Minister's unfulfilled campaign promise to negotiate a trade agreement by July 21, with Conservatives cataloguing job losses in the automotive sector—3,000 in Brampton, 1,200 in Ingersoll, 700 in Oshawa, and 300 in Sainte-Thérèse—and in the forestry industry. The Minister of Foreign Affairs repeatedly drew a distinction between what Canada could and could not control, emphasizing domestic supports including a $5-billion strategic response fund while maintaining readiness to resume negotiations. Youth unemployment was also a major theme, with Conservatives arguing the Prime Minister's reported comment that young Canadians would need to make sacrifices was tone-deaf given existing economic pressures on that demographic.

A notable development was the raising of a question of privilege by the Conservative member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes concerning the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, alleging that the Commissioner had improperly altered disclosure forms on her website while a committee study was underway. The government House leader took the matter under advisement. Private members' business featured Bill C-222, Evan's Law, which would amend the Employment Insurance Act to provide bereavement leave for parents who lose a child. The debate was notably emotional and non-partisan, with members from all parties sharing personal experiences and expressing unanimous support for the legislation. The sponsor, the member for Burnaby North—Seymour, acknowledged that while the bill would not change the world, it would make a world of difference for the affected families.