Sitting 51 — November 5, 2025

The second day of budget debate opened with the Leader of the Opposition delivering a lengthy speech in response to the budget, characterizing the $78-billion deficit as the costliest in Canadian history outside the pandemic and accusing the Prime Minister of abandoning every fiscal commitment made during the election campaign. He argued that the budget would drive up inflation, increase interest costs to $55 billion annually, and burden future generations with unsustainable debt. Liberal members defended the budget as a necessary response to a changing global economic order, citing Canada's strong credit rating, low debt-to-GDP ratio, and the need for generational investments in infrastructure, defence, and trade diversification.

Question Period saw the Prime Minister facing questions from the Leader of the Opposition on food prices, the industrial carbon tax, and what the opposition characterized as accounting tricks that disguised the true size of the deficit. The Bloc Québécois focused on the budget's environmental provisions, arguing that tax credits for carbon capture and the elimination of the emissions cap for oil and gas represented a capitulation on climate action. The Finance Minister and government House leader repeatedly emphasized that Canada maintained the best fiscal position in the G7 and that the budget was designed to protect sovereignty and affordability.

Private members' business saw debate on Bill C-237, which would amend the Fisheries Act to improve access for Atlantic groundfish recreational fishers. The bill, sponsored by a Conservative member from Newfoundland and Labrador, received support across party lines, with members from Atlantic Canada and Quebec sharing perspectives on the importance of the recreational food fishery to coastal communities. The adjournment proceedings covered carbon pricing, the toxic drug crisis and safe consumption sites, and indigenous affairs, particularly hunters and trappers organizations in Nunavut.