Sitting 76 — January 29, 2026

The House continued second reading debate on Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, with Conservative members arguing that while the bill contained worthwhile measures—including criminalizing coercive control, creating a new offence for deepfake intimate images, and reinstating certain mandatory minimum penalties—the Liberal government's overall record on crime had been soft. Members cited the rise in violent crime, sexual assault, and extortion since 2015, and pointed to what they described as 17 blocked attempts at the justice committee to prioritize bail reform legislation (Bill C-14). Liberal members countered that Conservatives had themselves filibustered crime legislation and that Bill C-16 represented one of the largest Criminal Code updates in a generation.

Question Period was dominated by exchanges on the rising cost of living and food inflation. Conservative MPs cited Statistics Canada data showing 6.2% food inflation—the highest in the G7—and pointed to the industrial carbon tax and clean fuel regulations as contributing factors. The government announced a new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit that week, and Liberal members framed it as direct relief for 12 million Canadians while arguing the industrial carbon price had a negligible effect on food costs. A particularly pointed exchange followed a CTV interview in which a reporter noted the $11 billion in new spending was not in the budget, raising questions about the government's fiscal management.

The Bloc Québécois pressed the government on problems with the Cúram software system, which had delayed old age security payments for some seniors. The government acknowledged the delays while maintaining that 98% of applicants received benefits on time and that the modernization of a 60-year-old system would ultimately improve service. Other topics included the Major Projects Office, which Conservatives argued had not approved a single project despite the extraordinary powers granted by Bill C-5, and the housing crisis, with new data showing gen Z Canadians had virtually no disposable income after expenses. The evening private member's hour featured Bill C-222, Evan's Law, which would amend employment insurance and the Canada Labour Code to relieve grieving parents of administrative burdens following the death of a child—a bill that received all-party support.