The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-15, the Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1, and by Conservative attacks on the immigration minister’s competence, which consumed most of Oral Questions. The central political argument pitted the government’s claim that it is restoring control over immigration and building a stronger economy against Conservative assertions that the minister is incompetent and that Liberal policies have driven up debt and housing costs.
Bill C-15, the budget implementation bill, occupied the bulk of Government Orders. The NDP moved dozens of amendments to delete clauses that would repeal the digital services tax, the underused housing tax and the luxury tax on private jets and yachts. NDP MP Don Davies argued that repealing these taxes would hand a victory to U.S. tech giants and the ultrawealthy while the government cuts services. The Bloc Québécois moved amendments to delete clauses related to the Alto high-speed rail project, arguing that the bill strips expropriated landowners of their right to a hearing before a hearing officer and prevents farmers from rebuilding structures after a disaster. Bloc MP Jean-Denis Garon said the government is creating two classes of citizens. Conservative MP Sandra Cobena highlighted amendments her party secured to limit a “Henry VIII” provision that would have allowed individual ministers to exempt entities from federal law; the amendments added mandatory public consultation, dual ministerial approval and a report to Parliament. Conservative MP Michael Barrett opposed the high-speed rail provisions, saying the project would sever roads, harm farms and cost $90 billion with no stop in his riding. Conservative MP Blake Richards criticized cuts to veterans’ services, including changes to pension indexing and demands for repayment of disability benefits. Green Party MP Elizabeth May called the bill “offensive,” citing retroactive changes to veterans’ law, weakened environmental protections and the power-granting provisions. The government defended the bill as a nation-building measure that invests in housing, dental care and a school food program. After debate, the House voted on the amendments; the results were applied by consent to subsequent votes, with the government’s position prevailing on most divisions.
Oral Questions was dominated by a sustained Conservative attack on the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Conservative MPs cited a CBC article quoting unnamed Liberal MPs questioning her competence, pointed to a backlog of 300,000 asylum claims, 86% of rejected claimants remaining in Canada, and nearly three million temporary residents with expiring permits, and demanded the Prime Minister fire her. The government’s answers, delivered by the minister herself and several cabinet colleagues, argued that asylum claims are down by a third, international student numbers are down by a third, and the population decreased slightly from July to October 2025. Ministers accused the Conservatives of divisive politics and of opposing legislation, such as Bill C-12, that would strengthen border controls. A secondary theme was the economy, with Conservatives citing record household debt of $2.6 trillion and a $78-billion deficit, while the government pointed to investments in child benefits, child care and housing. The Bloc Québécois raised the Cúram software cost overruns and cuts to public transit funding; the government said it is negotiating with Quebec on transit investment.