Sitting 49 — November 3, 2025

The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-14, the government’s bail and sentencing reform act, and a Conservative concurrence motion on a committee report about youth unemployment. The central political argument was over public safety: Conservatives accused the Liberals of creating a “catch-and-release” justice system through earlier bills and said Bill C-14 did not go far enough, while the government defended the bill as charter-compliant, widely consulted and capable of passing before year-end if the opposition allowed it.

Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, would amend the Criminal Code, Youth Criminal Justice Act and National Defence Act to clarify that the principle of restraint does not require release when detention is needed to protect the public, expand reverse-onus offences to include violent auto theft, home invasion, human trafficking and extortion involving violence, and require courts to consider outstanding charges when setting bail. It would also add aggravating factors, mandate certain consecutive sentences, restrict house arrest for sexual offences and strengthen youth custody rules. The government said the bill was a charter-compliant, victim-focused response to consultations with provinces, police and victims’ groups. Conservatives argued it left the principle of restraint intact, did not repeal Bill C-75 or restore mandatory minimums, and still allowed house arrest for robbery, gun crimes and trafficking. The Bloc Québécois said the bill had positive elements and should be studied in committee. No amendments were moved or decided during this debate.

Bill C-238, a private member’s bill from Liberal MP Viviane Lapointe, would amend the Criminal Code to allow courts to order restitution to community organizations that incur measurable costs from drug or human trafficking offences. Lapointe argued it would make offenders pay for the harm they cause and give judges a clearer tool. Conservatives opposed the bill, saying restitution is already available under section 738, that proving causation would be nearly impossible, that it would add complexity and delay to sentencing, and that most orders would never be collected. The Bloc Québécois also opposed, arguing it could put victims in competition with organizations and that existing victim surcharge and civil remedies are sufficient. The bill was at second reading; no vote was taken.

Oral Questions focused almost entirely on the next day’s budget. The opposition repeatedly asked the government to table an “affordable budget for an affordable life” and to scrap the industrial carbon tax, fuel regulations and plastics rules, which they called hidden taxes on food and housing. The government answered that the budget would be a “generational” document focused on building the economy, cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians, eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers and making the national school food program permanent. A second theme was the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down mandatory jail time for possession of child sexual abuse material; Conservatives demanded the government use the notwithstanding clause to restore mandatory sentences, while the government said it would introduce new measures to protect children and noted it had already brought forward Bill C-14.