House of Commons returns for fall sitting after turbulent summer

Prime Minister Mark Carney is seen in Ottawa earlier this month.

(Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

The Latest

• Members of Parliament are returning to Ottawa today from across the country for the next sitting in the House of Commons.
• Parliament resumes for the first time since late June, with ongoing tension with the United States expected to dominate.
• Prime Minister Mark Carney, fresh off an investment summit in Toronto and speech to the European Union, said his Liberal Party this sitting will see "some of the most consequential legislation … in decades."
• Meanwhile, the Conservatives under leader Pierre Poilievre will be searching for a foothold in a national conversation dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war with Canada.

• September 21

  5 minutes ago

  A new sitting, not a new session

  Darren Major

  Forgive the pedantic rant from a parliamentary nerd, but today is not the start of a new session. Today is the first day of the fall sitting.

  What's the difference? Parliamentary sessions only begin after an election or prorogation. In both of those situations, the legislative agenda is reset and all bills that hadn't passed "die on the order paper." A session always begins with a throne speech.

  MPs are returning today after a break in the session over the summer. The session is continuing today and all the bills leftover from the spring sitting can still be voted on and debated.

• 6 minutes ago

  Here's what to watch this sitting

  Darren Major

  

  In this sitting, the government will have to balance new bills they want to bring to the House floor this fall with legislative work they have left over from the spring.

  The prime minister gave some hints of what to expect in the upcoming budget during last week's investment summit. During an address at the event, Carney said the government will be able to balance the operating budget — which it loosely defines as day-to-day spending on government programs — by next year, one year ahead of schedule.

  Carney also announced that he plans to build on a tax deduction announced in last year's budget by introducing a productivity "mega-deduction" that will allow companies to expense the total cost of new investments across a number of sectors.

  Bill C-31, which officially implements portions of the 2025 budget, will be before committee this fall and needs to clear a few more votes in Parliament before it passes. That bill includes tax changes and defence procurement provisions.

  There are a number of other bills left over from the spring, including legislation to restrict access to social media platforms for kids under the age of 16, create a framework to protect drinking water in First Nations communities (which is receiving heavy scrutiny) and tighten privacy rules and regulations for companies handling Canadians' data.

  A number of new bills are expected to be brought forward this fall, starting with legislation to extend the excise tax holiday on gasoline, which will be introduced this week.

  The Liberals are also expected to table legislation to further streamline the review process for major projects and make changes to the Labour Code.

• 13 minutes ago

  The House of Commons is back for the fall sitting

  Darren Major

  

  Members of Parliament are heading back to the House of Commons today to pick up where they left off in June. While the summer break is usually a quiet time in the political world, this one seemed anything but.

  U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs in July (including over wildfire smoke) and trade talks subsequently ramped up only to collapse in August. Prime Minister Mark Carney made moves to deepen Canada's ties with the European Union.

  All of this happened after the final whistle blew at the FIFA World Cup — which, to some, may feel like far more than two months ago.

  Carney's government will now be turning from diplomacy to its legislative agenda with an opposition that will be pushing for answers.