The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-9, the combatting hate act, and a government motion to limit further debate on it. The central political argument was whether the bill would protect communities from rising hate crimes or threaten religious freedom by removing a long-standing defence for good-faith religious expression.
On Government Business No. 6, the government moved that debate on Bill C-9 be not further adjourned, effectively imposing time allocation to end a filibuster at the justice committee. The bill would create new offences for obstructing access to places of worship, create a stand-alone hate-motivated offence, and criminalize the public display of hate or terrorist symbols. The government and the Bloc Québécois supported the motion, arguing the bill had been studied for over 30 hours and that Conservative obstruction was preventing a vote. Conservatives opposed the motion, arguing the bill had been amended in committee to remove the religious exemption from hate speech provisions, which they said would criminalize the good-faith reading of sacred texts. The government countered that the Charter of Rights already protects religious freedom and that it had offered a further clarifying amendment. The Green Party also opposed the motion, saying the bill needed more debate.
Oral Questions focused on two themes: public safety and the economy. On public safety, the opposition pressed the government on the shooting of three synagogues in Toronto, the presence of hundreds of IRGC-linked individuals in Canada, and the disappearance of an Iranian activist. The government replied that it had listed the IRGC as a terrorist entity, sanctioned over 200 Iranian officials, and was working to remove inadmissible individuals. On the economy, the opposition blamed the government’s carbon pricing and clean fuel regulations for rising food and fuel costs. The government replied that the industrial carbon price has a negligible effect on food prices and that its policies are creating economic opportunities, including for canola farmers.
In Routine Proceedings, the government tabled a response to one petition. The Standing Committee on Human Resources presented a report on seasonal workers and EI, with a Conservative dissenting opinion opposing EI premium increases. Several private members’ bills were introduced, including Bill C-263 (silver alert national framework) and Bill S-226 (jury duty appreciation week), both read the first time. A series of petitions were presented, the majority calling on the government to reject amendments to Bill C-9 that would remove the religious exemption, with others addressing climate change, Jewish refugees, Falun Gong, salmon allocation, medical assistance in dying, farmland protection, public safety regarding Iranian regime-linked intimidation, and arms exports. Questions on the Order Paper were allowed to stand.