The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, which passed all remaining stages and was sent to the Senate. The central political argument pitted the government and Conservatives, who both supported the bill as a necessary crackdown on repeat violent offenders, against the NDP and Green Party, who argued it was a rushed, evidence-free measure that would worsen pre-trial detention rates without addressing root causes. The Bloc Québécois supported the bill while criticizing the truncated committee study.
Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, would tighten bail rules for repeat violent offenders, strengthen sentencing for serious crimes, and amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The government argued it was a balanced, targeted response to calls from premiers and police chiefs. The Conservatives supported the bill but said it did not go far enough, criticizing the retention of the “principle of restraint” in bail and the failure to impose consecutive sentences for multiple murders. The NDP opposed the bill outright, with Lori Idlout (NDP) calling it a “knee-jerk reaction” that would deepen inequality and over-incarcerate Indigenous people. The Bloc Québécois voted in favour but lamented that the bill was rushed through committee in only three meetings. The Green Party, through Elizabeth May (GP), moved eight motions in amendment to delete or narrow several clauses, including provisions on conditional sentencing and reverse onus; none of those motions were adopted. The bill was read a third time and passed on division.
Oral Questions focused overwhelmingly on housing and the economy. Conservatives repeatedly pressed the government to adopt their proposal to remove the GST on all new homes under $1.3 million, citing a CMHC forecast that housing starts would fall by up to 18% by 2028. Government parliamentary secretaries defended the Build Canada Homes agency and the housing accelerator fund, and accused Conservatives of voting against housing measures. A second major theme was the Cúram software system for Old Age Security, which the Bloc Québécois said had caused problems for 85,000 pensioners and incurred $5 billion in cost overruns; the Bloc demanded an independent public inquiry, while the government replied that the system was a necessary modernization and that it was working to resolve individual cases. Other recurring topics included the status of promised Chinese tariff reductions on Canadian canola, unpaid work by flight attendants, and the cost of groceries.
In Routine Proceedings, the government secured unanimous consent for a motion to impose a tight timeline on committee study of Bill C-15, the budget implementation act, requiring all amendments by February 19 and clause-by-clause completion by February 23. A separate government motion to expedite third reading of Bill C-14 was not agreed to. Several Conservative members presented petitions objecting to provisions in Bill C-15 that would allow cabinet ministers to exempt individuals or companies from federal laws, and other petitions addressed religious freedom concerns related to Bill C-9 and funding for brain cancer research. The House also adopted a motion to deem Government Business No. 5, concerning a special joint committee on medical assistance in dying, as adopted. A point of order was raised by Michael Barrett (CPC) arguing that Bill C-2 could not proceed because it was substantially similar to Bill C-12, which had already passed the House; no ruling was delivered during the sitting.