Sitting 120 — May 8, 2026

The sitting focused heavily on employment and economic concerns following the release of April job numbers showing 47,000 full-time positions lost and youth unemployment rising to 14.3%. Conservatives repeatedly cited these figures in question period, contrasting Canada's performance with lower unemployment rates in other G7 countries and linking job losses to government spending and regulatory policies. Parliamentary secretaries responded by emphasizing the trade war with the United States, major project investments including the Darlington nuclear facility and LNG agreements, and the government's skilled trades training program targeting 80,000 to 100,000 new positions.

The main legislative item was third reading debate on Bill C-11, the military justice system modernization act, which would implement the majority of former Justice Arbour's recommendations, notably transferring jurisdiction over sexual assault cases from the military justice system to civilian courts. The debate centered on whether victims should retain the choice of forum, with Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois arguing for a victim's right to choose while the government and Justice Arbour had concluded this was a false choice that undermined trust in the system. Members also discussed the removal of a sunset clause by the government at committee and the broader context of restoring confidence in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Question period covered additional ground including the Snowbirds demonstration team's future, with the parliamentary secretary promising an announcement on May 19 while insisting Canadians would enjoy the formation for generations; the Cowichan indigenous land rights ruling and its implications for British Columbia property owners; pipeline policy, with the Bloc Québécois pressing the government on potential public funding for new fossil fuel infrastructure; and the PrescribeIT electronic prescription program, which Conservatives characterized as a $300-million failure. Notice was given of time allocation on Bill C-30, the spring economic update implementation act. In private members' business, Bill C-265, which would create a pre-approved list of therapeutic products for special access under the Food and Drugs Act, was debated at second reading with cross-party support for its goal of expediting access to treatments for patients with serious conditions.