Sitting 49 — November 3, 2025

The sitting opened with the Speaker's ruling on a point of order concerning the admissibility of committee amendments to Bill C-4, the government's affordability legislation, after which the House turned to debate on Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act. This legislation, which proposes significant changes to the Criminal Code including reverse onus provisions for repeat violent offenders and tighter bail conditions, drew extensive participation from all parties. Conservatives argued the bill was a belated admission of the failures of prior Liberal justice legislation such as Bills C-75 and C-5, which they contend created a revolving-door justice system, while government members emphasized that the reforms represented an election commitment to strengthen public safety and keep repeat violent offenders off the streets. The Bloc Québécois indicated support in principle while flagging concerns about judicial discretion.

Question period was dominated by exchanges on the upcoming federal budget, with Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre pressing the government on rising food bank usage, which had reached a record 2.2 million visits in a single month, and characterizing the impending budget as the tenth costly Liberal deficit. Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon repeatedly framed the choice as between supporting an affordable budget or triggering an unwanted Christmas election. The Supreme Court's decision to strike down mandatory minimum sentences for possession of child sexual abuse material also featured prominently, with Conservatives demanding the government take immediate legislative action, to which the government pointed to Bill C-14 as its response.

Private members' business saw second reading debate on Bill C-238, which would amend the Criminal Code to permit courts to order offenders to pay restitution to community organizations that assist victims of crime. A substantial portion of the day was consumed by debate on a concurrence motion in a committee report on human resources, during which Conservatives used the opportunity to highlight what they described as a crisis in youth unemployment under the Liberal government, with members citing statistics showing youth unemployment approaching 15%. The sitting also included a ministerial statement marking Veterans' Week with all-party tributes, routine proceedings presenting numerous petitions, and adjournment proceedings addressing the economy and the automotive industry in the context of U.S. tariffs.