Sitting 100 — March 26, 2026

The sitting was dominated by debate on the government’s immigration and border security bill, C-12, and the cybersecurity bill, C-8, with the central political argument revolving around the Conservatives’ accusation that Liberal policies have driven up costs and weakened the economy, countered by the government’s insistence that its programs are stabilizing immigration and meeting NATO commitments.

The Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act (C-12) returned to the House for consideration of Senate amendments. The government proposed accepting one Senate amendment and rejecting another that would have excluded Canadian citizens and permanent residents from a new information-sharing framework, arguing the bill’s purpose is to replace a patchwork of authorities with a coherent regime. The Bloc Québécois supported the bill, citing the need to address a backlog of 300,000 asylum claims and integrity concerns such as 153,000 flagged student permit cases of which only 4,000 were investigated. The NDP opposed the bill, arguing it would deny refugee claimants a full hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board by imposing a one-year bar on claims, and warning that expanded information-sharing could deter migrants from accessing public services. Conservatives criticized the government’s overall immigration record, pointing to 150,000 fraud cases and three million people who should have left the country, and called for the minister’s dismissal. The bill was carried on division.

The An Act Respecting Cyber Security (C-8) was debated at third reading. The bill would amend the Telecommunications Act to make security a primary objective and create the critical cyber systems protection act to safeguard infrastructure such as banking and energy systems. The Bloc Québécois supported the bill, noting that committee amendments had strengthened privacy protections, including a prohibition on decoding encrypted private communications, and had added criteria of necessity, proportionality and reasonableness for information-sharing. The Conservatives argued the bill originally contained overreach, such as allowing the minister to suspend service to individuals, but said they had narrowed its scope through amendments at committee. The Green Party opposed the bill, arguing it still contained constitutional weaknesses and insufficient protection for encryption. The bill was carried on division.

Oral Questions focused on affordability, the economy, and immigration. Conservatives repeatedly pressed the government to scrap the industrial carbon tax, arguing it drives up food and fuel costs and discourages business investment, citing a 25% decline in investment per worker since 2015. The government responded by highlighting programs such as the Canada child benefit, dental care, and the new groceries and essentials benefit, and noted that Canada has met NATO’s 2% defence spending target. On immigration, Conservatives accused the government of allowing the system to spiral out of control, with a 300,000-case asylum backlog and 153,000 flagged student permit cases left uninvestigated. The government defended its record, pointing to a 60% decline in international student permits and a 53% reduction in temporary residents, and said Bill C-12 would give law enforcement new tools to address fraud.