Sitting 102 — April 14, 2026

The sitting was dominated by an opposition day debate on a Conservative motion calling for the elimination of federal fuel taxes—including the excise tax, the GST on gasoline and diesel, the industrial carbon tax, and the clean fuel standard—for the remainder of 2026. Conservative MP Jasraj Hallan led the debate, arguing the four-point plan would save families approximately $1,200. Midway through the debate, the government pre-empted the motion by announcing the suspension of the federal excise tax on gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel through Labour Day—a measure the Conservatives dismissed as adopting only one-third of their plan for one-third of the year. The Liberal side emphasized that combined with the carbon tax elimination, the total savings amounted to 28 cents per litre. Bloc members raised concerns about the environmental and fiscal implications of broad fuel tax cuts, while the NDP highlighted rising inequality and argued for taxing windfall oil company profits.

Question Period covered multiple fronts: the Prime Minister's fuel tax announcement was both applauded by the government and criticized by the opposition as insufficient; the Cowichan Tribes court decision in British Columbia generated heated exchanges about private property rights, with the government insisting it was appealing the ruling and that homeowners remained protected under provincial law; and the Alto high-speed rail ethics controversy continued, with Conservatives pressing on why the Finance Minister had introduced and voted on legislation affecting a project for which he had declared a conflict of interest. The government confirmed it was on track to meet NATO's 2% defence spending target. In Private Members' Business, the House debated Bill C-231 (Youth Criminal Justice Act amendments, known as "David's Law") and Motion No. 15 on conservation tax incentives.

The bill debate also touched on the Quebec tramway project and the broader question of infrastructure investment. Liberal MP Joël Lightbound highlighted federal contributions to the Quebec City tramway, claiming $10.5 billion in economic spinoffs, while Conservatives remained critical of both the cost and the process. The Bloc Québécois raised the ongoing crisis in regional French-language news media, arguing that the CRTC's decision to add 15 English-language Global stations to the independent local news fund without proportionate funding increases was starving francophone outlets. Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller pushed back, accusing the Bloc of unnecessarily pitting English and French media against each other.