Sitting 47 — October 30, 2025

The House devoted the bulk of its time to Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act, with the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime opening debate by emphasizing that the legislation represented the most comprehensive update to Canada's bail and sentencing laws in decades. Members from all parties engaged in detailed discussion of the bill's provisions, including the expanded reverse onus for certain offences, restrictions on conditional sentences for serious crimes, and measures targeting repeat violent offenders. The NDP justice critic raised concerns about the over-representation of Indigenous and racialized people in the criminal justice system and questioned whether reverse onus provisions would exacerbate these disparities, while Conservatives argued the bill did not go far enough to undo what they described as the damage caused by Bill C-75.

Question period was animated by the approaching budget and ongoing trade tensions. Conservatives continued their line of questioning on food bank usage, executive bonuses at Crown corporations, and what they termed hidden Liberal taxes on food. The government highlighted its investments in housing, child care, and the school nutrition program, and repeatedly suggested the opposition was seeking to trigger an election. A significant exchange occurred on the Prime Minister's personal finances, with Conservatives alleging that his former company Brookfield had avoided billions in taxes through offshore structures, to which the government responded by pointing to Canada's stringent ethics regime. Forestry industry questions featured prominently as members from Quebec and British Columbia pressed for action on U.S. softwood lumber tariffs that had reached 45%.

Private members' business saw debate on Bill C-239, which would amend the Canada Health Act to require provinces to report on health care spending and outcomes as a condition of federal transfers. The sponsor, the member for Surrey Newton, argued that accountability was essential given the $52 billion in annual federal health transfers, while Bloc members raised jurisdictional concerns, characterizing the bill as federal intrusion into provincial health care administration. The sitting also included statements marking Women's History Month, tributes to community leaders, and adjournment proceedings on fisheries and employment issues in the forestry sector.