The sitting was dominated by debate on Government Business No. 13, a programming motion to force Bill C-22, the lawful access act, through all remaining stages, and by opposition accusations that the Liberal government was shutting down parliamentary scrutiny. The central political argument was whether the bill’s surveillance powers were necessary for public safety or an overreach that violated privacy and democratic process.
Government Business No. 13, moved by the government, imposed a retroactive deadline for submitting committee amendments to Bill C-22, limited committee clause-by-clause to 30 minutes, deemed report stage completed automatically, and restricted third-reading debate to 20 minutes per party. The Conservatives, Bloc Québécois, NDP, and Green Party all opposed the motion, arguing it was an unprecedented abuse of power that prevented proper scrutiny of the bill’s controversial Part 2, which would require electronic service providers to retain metadata and assist police. The government argued that law enforcement had been demanding these tools for years and that the opposition was obstructing public safety legislation. The Speaker ruled the motion admissible, stating the House has the power to regulate its own proceedings. The Conservatives moved an amendment to split the bill into two parts, passing Part 1 swiftly and sending Part 2 back for further study with Privacy Commissioner testimony, but the amendment was defeated. The motion itself was then adopted on a recorded division, with all Liberals voting yes and all other parties voting no.
Oral Questions focused overwhelmingly on the economy, with the Conservatives repeatedly accusing the Prime Minister of driving Canada into a recession and claiming that affordability was the worst in decades, citing food bank usage, crowdfunding for basic needs, and the Prime Minister’s inflight catering costs. The government replied by citing job creation figures, new trade agreements announced at the G7, and programs like child care and the groceries and essentials benefit, accusing the Conservatives of voting against those supports. A secondary theme was Bill C-22 and the government’s use of closure, with the Bloc Québécois and Conservatives accusing the Liberals of authoritarian tactics and insider trading on amendment deadlines; the government replied that the bill was needed to fight crime and child exploitation.
In Routine Proceedings, several private members’ bills were introduced, including the Housing Cost Transparency Act (C-287), the Protection Against Online Fraud Act (C-288), the Stopping Supply to Save Lives Act (C-289), a Criminal Code amendment on theft of cultural property (C-290), and a small business impact assessment bill (C-291). Numerous petitions were tabled on topics including coal mining, police K-9 care, drowning prevention, Chinese Canadian heritage month, and electoral reform. The Speaker delivered a ruling on the admissibility of Government Business No. 13, finding it within the House’s power to regulate its proceedings. The House also agreed to extend the time for presenting petitions by 10 minutes.