Sitting 69 — December 8, 2025

The sitting opened with an emotionally charged second-reading debate on Bill C-231, the friends of David act, a private member's bill sponsored by Conservative MP Luc Berthold to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Drawing from the recent loss of his son to a drug overdose, Berthold called for empowering judges to refer young people to treatment rather than defaulting to criminal sanctions, a measure that drew heartfelt and cross-partisan expressions of condolence and support from Liberal, Bloc Québécois, and Conservative members alike.

The dominant business of the day was resumed debate on Bill C-15, the Budget 2025 Implementation Act. Conservative speakers attacked the bill as inflationary and fiscally reckless, pointing to rising food prices, record food bank usage, and the Prime Minister's alleged conflicts of interest through Brookfield. Liberal members defended the budget's investments in the national school food program, child care, dental care, and middle-class tax cuts for 22 million Canadians, while the Bloc Québécois criticized the absence of a 10% OAS increase for seniors and demanded higher health transfers. A lengthy procedural debate, sparked by a Conservative motion for concurrence in a Liaison Committee report, saw members from all parties trade accusations over the systematic obstruction of committee work—Liberals pointing to Conservative filibusters on justice and transport committees, Conservatives accusing Liberal chairs of cancelling meetings to block scrutiny of government contracts.

Question Period was dominated by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pressing the government on the newly released Canada's Food Price Report, which projected a further $1,000 increase in annual grocery bills for a family of four in 2026. Liberal ministers countered by citing job creation figures, the middle-class tax cut, and the fact that the industrial carbon price does not apply to farm fuels. The exchange on pipelines and the government's MOU with Alberta continued, with Conservatives demanding clarity on when construction would begin on a west-coast pipeline, while Liberal ministers emphasized the importance of securing B.C.'s consent and first nations consultation. Adjournment proceedings addressed concerns over the budget's climate provisions, pipeline politics, and the economic impact of U.S. tariffs.