Sitting 133 — June 10, 2026

The sitting was dominated by debate on several major government bills—the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act (C-14), the Protecting Victims Act (C-16), and the Strong and Free Elections Act (C-25)—with the central political argument revolving around the Conservatives accusing the Liberals of causing a recession through economic mismanagement, while the government defended its record by citing job creation and trade surplus figures.

On Government Orders, the House considered a message from the Senate on Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act. The government moved to accept two Senate amendments—one allowing limited judicial discretion for sureties in exceptional circumstances, and one requiring pretrial detention data in annual reports—while rejecting a third amendment that would have required a justice to ask on the record about certain bail provisions, arguing it was unnecessary. The government also proposed modifying a fourth Senate amendment to remove a mandatory consultation requirement for the minister when preparing bail reports. Conservatives opposed the surety amendment, arguing it undermined the original prohibition on convicted individuals acting as sureties. The Bloc Québécois raised concerns about the bill’s treatment of assaults on transit workers, suggesting health investments would be more effective than aggravating factors.

On Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, the government argued it would criminalize coercive control, recognize femicide as first-degree murder, and address AI-generated deepfakes and digital exploitation. Conservatives opposed clause 63, which would allow judges to disregard mandatory minimum sentences for serious offences, arguing it would let violent criminals off lightly. The Bloc Québécois expressed support for many provisions but questioned why the government rejected an amendment requiring judges to consider a range of factors in coercive control cases. The government defended the safety valve as necessary to ensure mandatory minimums are constitutional, noting it had reinstated several that were struck down by courts.

On Bill C-25, the Strong and Free Elections Act, the government argued it would strengthen election security by expanding prohibitions on foreign influence year-round, banning cryptoasset and prepaid money order contributions, and creating new offences for disseminating false election information and deepfakes. The government also introduced a notice of time allocation to limit debate at third reading. Conservatives supported measures to counter the “longest ballot committee” but criticized the bill for failing to close loopholes allowing foreign money to flow through third parties, and expressed concerns about the commissioner of Canada elections gaining powers to compel evidence without judicial authorization. The Bloc Québécois supported the bill but questioned whether restricting voters to signing only one nomination form went too far.