The sitting was dominated by a Conservative opposition motion calling for a "Canada Sovereignty Act" to repeal environmental and energy regulations, which the government and opposition parties rejected as a rehash of the Conservative election platform. The main political argument was over whether Canada’s economic problems stem from federal over-regulation, as Conservatives argued, or from global headwinds that the government is addressing through trade diversification and targeted affordability measures.
The opposition motion, moved by Shannon Stubbs (CPC), called on the government to introduce a Canada Sovereignty Act that would repeal the Impact Assessment Act, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, the federal industrial carbon tax, the oil and gas emissions cap, the electric vehicle sales mandate and plastics manufacturing prohibitions; reward provinces that remove internal trade barriers; and require the Minister of Industry to present plans to keep Canadian innovations from being sold abroad. Conservatives argued these measures would restore investment confidence, lower food costs and reduce dependence on the U.S. The Liberals opposed the motion, saying it was the defeated Conservative election platform and that the government was already streamlining projects through Bill C-5 and the Major Projects Office. The Bloc Québécois opposed it, arguing the oil sands are largely foreign-owned and that the motion would weaken environmental protections and provincial jurisdiction. The Green Party also opposed it, defending the tanker moratorium. The motion was not adopted; a recorded division was requested.
Oral Questions focused on food inflation, which the Conservatives said was the highest in the G7 at 6.2%, and they blamed Liberal carbon taxes and deficits. The government replied by announcing the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, which would provide up to $1,890 for a family of four, and cited job creation and tax cuts for 22 million Canadians. A secondary theme was extortion and organized crime, with Conservatives demanding mandatory minimum sentences and the government pointing to its own bail reform bills, which it accused the Conservatives of obstructing. The Prime Minister confirmed he spoke with the U.S. President the previous evening about trade.
In Routine Proceedings, Julie Dzerowicz (Lib.) tabled four reports from the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association. Angelo Iacono (Lib.) presented the Environment Committee’s report on climate impacts in the financial system; David Bexte (CPC) presented a dissenting report calling it an ideological attack on energy companies. Chris Bittle (Lib.) presented and moved concurrence in the Procedure and House Affairs Committee’s 13th report on committee membership; the motion was adopted. Heather McPherson (NDP) introduced Bill C-259, the Fair Representation Act, to amend the Canada Labour Code to protect workers’ right to independent union representation; it was deemed read a first time. Petitions were presented on nuclear disarmament, on withdrawing Bill C-9 over religious freedom concerns, and on removing GST/HST from massage therapy. All outstanding questions on the Order Paper were allowed to stand.