The sitting was dominated by debate on Bill C-31, the second budget implementation act for 2025, and by a sharp political argument over the morning’s Statistics Canada report that Canada had recorded two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth, which the Conservatives called a recession. The government defended its economic plan, while the Bloc Québécois and the NDP criticized the bill for failing to address the tariff crisis and for prioritizing corporate interests. Later, the House debated amendments to Bill C-222, Evan’s law, a private member’s bill to allow parents who lose a child to continue receiving employment insurance parental benefits.
Bill C-31, the Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 2, is a 330-page omnibus bill that would amend tax, labour, transport, defence procurement and other laws. The Bloc Québécois opposed it, with Yves Perron saying the government had not consulted the opposition since gaining a majority and had ignored 11 specific Bloc proposals, including a wage subsidy for SMEs and an excise-tax exemption for small berry-based alcohol producers. The NDP’s Heather McPherson said the bill protects corporate interests while families struggle with affordability and health care, and criticized the government for not standing up to Alberta’s moves to privatize health care. Conservative MPs Jeff Kibble and Eric Duncan focused their opposition on division 16, which would create a Defence Investment Agency; Kibble called it an “illusion of procurement reform” that lacks a national security strategy and gives a minister up to $1 billion in spending authority with little oversight. Liberal parliamentary secretary Kevin Lamoureux defended the bill as part of a plan to invest in infrastructure, skills and trade diversification, and noted the government had already cut taxes for 22 million Canadians and launched a groceries benefit.
Oral Questions centred on the morning’s economic data. Conservatives repeatedly said Canada is the only G7 country in a recession and accused the Prime Minister of wasteful spending, citing $200,000 in inflight catering bills. They pressed the government on food bank use, youth unemployment and the cost of living. Government ministers replied that Canada faces the same global headwinds as other G7 countries—tariffs, war in the Middle East, energy costs—and that the government has a plan to invest in infrastructure, housing and trade diversification. Parliamentary secretary Carlos Leitão denied Canada is in a recession, saying Statistics Canada had not used that term and that the economy is under threat from tariffs. Other exchanges covered anti-Semitism, asylum-seeker health care, the Alto high-speed rail project, defence procurement, and a Nova Scotia space launch facility.
In Routine Proceedings, the government tabled responses to 13 petitions. Two committee reports were presented: the Environment committee’s main estimates for 2026-27 and the Human Resources committee’s main estimates. Seven petitions were presented, covering the Regina International Airport, a recreation facility in Red Lake, a call for a Robert Bateman exhibition at the National Gallery, the Prime Minister’s attendance at question period, human rights in China, parental benefits after a parent’s death, and coercion related to medical assistance in dying. The government moved that 19 written questions be made orders for return, and the House agreed. At the end of Oral Questions, the government House leader gave notice of a time allocation motion to limit debate at second reading of Bill C-31, saying no agreement had been reached with the opposition.