Sitting 114 — April 30, 2026

The sitting was dominated by debate on a Conservative opposition motion calling on the government to abandon its proposed Canada Strong fund, a $25-billion sovereign wealth fund announced in the spring economic update. The central political argument pitted Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois, who characterized the fund as a debt-financed slush fund, against the Liberal government, which defended it as a long-term nation-building investment that would allow Canadians to share in the prosperity of major projects.

The main item of Government Orders business was the opposition motion on the sovereign wealth fund. The Conservatives moved that the House call on the government to abandon the fund, arguing that sovereign wealth funds require budget surpluses and resource revenues, that the government has run only deficits for 11 years, that borrowing $25 billion would be inflationary, and that government-directed capital flows to the politically powerful. The Bloc Québécois supported the motion, echoing the critique that the fund was financed by debt, not savings, and that it duplicated the existing Canada Infrastructure Bank. The Liberals opposed the motion, arguing the fund would be independently governed by a Crown corporation, would attract private investment, and would create a retail investment product for Canadians. The NDP did not state a clear position during debate. The motion was not put to a vote during the sitting.

A separate Government Orders item saw the House grant unanimous consent to a motion to welcome Canada’s 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic and Paralympic athletes in a committee of the whole on May 27, 2026.

Oral Questions were dominated by Conservative attacks on the spring economic update, which they called a “costly credit card budget” that doubled the previous deficit and left Canadians paying more in debt interest than in health transfers. Conservatives repeatedly asked when the government would stop deficit spending so families could afford food and housing. The government answered by citing Canada’s strongest fiscal position in the G7, wage growth outpacing inflation, new investments in skilled trades and housing, and the creation of the Canada Strong fund. A secondary theme was the Bloc Québécois’s criticism of new spending on oil and gas while small businesses and media received no support, and a Conservative line of questioning on the immigration minister’s issuance of a temporary resident permit to a former Iranian commander.

In Routine Proceedings, the Minister of Fisheries tabled an international treaty on marine biodiversity. Committee reports were presented on veterans’ suicide prevention, with the Conservatives filing a supplemental report criticizing the government’s response and raising concerns about MAID being offered to veterans. The Environment committee tabled a report on the 2030 emissions reduction plan; the Conservatives and Bloc each filed dissenting reports, with the Bloc calling for an immediate moratorium on new oil and gas projects. The Public Accounts committee requested a new audit of the international student program. Bill S-209, the Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act, was introduced and read the first time with unanimous consent. All questions on the order paper were allowed to stand.