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Friday, October 30, 2026 · sitting No. 159

Commons opens second reading debate on medical assistance in dying bill

Liberal MP Sean Fraser moved second reading of Bill C-41, the medical assistance in dying safeguards act, and referred it to committee. The bill would permit advance requests for MAID and maintain the bar on mental illness as the sole underlying condition. Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis and Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron questioned how decisions would be made in the absence of prior directives and whether the bill would conflict with Quebec law.

In question period Conservative MP Luc Berthold said the Parliamentary Budget Officer projects a $733-billion rise in borrowing and warned that higher interest rates will hurt mortgage holders. Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull replied that Canada holds the strongest fiscal position in the G7 and pointed to new business investment and tax cuts. Conservative MP Philip Lawrence pressed the government to meet its own deficit-to-GDP anchor.

Conservative MP Sandra Cobena asked whether the government intends to use pension assets to reduce reported debt. Liberal MP John Zerucelli said the calculation follows standard practice and repeated that Canada retains a AAA credit rating.

From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard

Question Period – October 30, 2026. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube

Who held the floor · 2026-10-30

Government (Liberal)OppositionOver the day: government 48%, opposition 52% of the words spokenGovernment businessQuestion PeriodGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 10:0011:0012:00Last speech 13:10Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 3 h 10 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
30Another sitting that went nowhereThe House spent most of its time debating the Medical Assistance in Dying Safeguards Act with no recorded votes or bills advancing. Question Period produced mostly deflected or misdirected answers while procedural interruptions stayed at zero.AI-rated Score out of 100; the verdict and the answer ratings behind it are a model’s reading. How the AI rates this

AI-rated The sitting score and the rating of each answer come from a language model reading Hansard. How the AI rates this

Provisional score. Question Period for this sitting has not been rated yet, so the score rests only on what was decided and how much time went to the business at hand. It will change when the exchanges are read.

Other moments

Parks Canada

Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron said 742 positions rather than 500 would be eliminated to save $145 million. Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi replied that modernization will preserve core conservation and visitor services.

Read the exchange

Artificial Intelligence

Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron said internal documents show the government favours Alberta natural gas to power AI data centres. Liberal MP Karim Bardeesy said the government is investing in responsible AI development in Quebec with researcher Yoshua Bengio.

Read the exchange

Ethics

Conservative MP Michael Cooper said the Ethics Commissioner receives no records of decisions made under the Prime Minister’s ethics screen. Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux said the Prime Minister follows the same rules established under Stephen Harper.

Read the exchange

International Trade

Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie said nine EU states have yet to ratify the trade agreement and warned of a forthcoming carbon tariff on Canadian exports. Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi said trade with the EU has grown 75 per cent in the past decade.

Read the exchange

Air Transportation

Conservative MP Dan Albas said Transport Canada has not closed the loophole that lets airlines avoid compensation when they swap aircraft. Liberal MP Mike Kelloway said safety decisions remain the airline’s responsibility.

Read the exchange

Question Period, exchange by exchange

AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this

  1. deflected
    FinanceLuc Berthold (Conservative) asked Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). loaded question.The answer promotes Canada's G7 fiscal standing and investments instead of addressing spending control or family costs.There is no denying that Canada has the strongest fiscal position in the G7.
  2. partly answered
    The EconomyLuc Berthold (Conservative) asked Daniel Gobeil (Liberal). substantive question.The answer lists specific affordability measures and states the budget will focus on affordability, directly responding to the budget question.The upcoming budget will continue to focus on affordability.
  3. misdirected
    FinancePhilip Lawrence (Conservative) asked Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the Conservatives with Halloween rhetoric and demands explanations rather than committing to the fiscal anchor.Conservatives this Halloween are handing out tricks and calling them treats.
  4. deflected
    FinancePhilip Lawrence (Conservative) asked Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). substantive question.The answer lists government programs and results without committing to fiscal restraint or addressing the inflation clash.We introduced the groceries and essentials benefit, and it delivered 12 million Canadians a cheque to help with the cost of living.
  5. misdirected
    PensionsSandra Cobena (Conservative) asked John Zerucelli (Liberal). loaded question.The answer denies the claim then pivots to attacking the Conservative leader on Bitcoin instead of addressing pension use.What is dangerous is the Conservative Party leader 's advice to Canadians about how to manage inflation.
  6. misdirected
    PensionsSandra Cobena (Conservative) asked John Zerucelli (Liberal). loaded question.The answer responds with a counter-question about Bitcoin and pivots to G7 position and projects rather than clarifying pension accounting.is the Conservative Party's official position on inflation to buy Bitcoin, yes or no?
  7. partly answered
    Parks CanadaYves Perron (Bloc) asked Yasir Naqvi (Liberal). loaded question.The answer acknowledges public servants and states priorities will not be compromised while streamlining, addressing the cuts indirectly.While we are streamlining expenditures, those priorities will not be compromised.
  8. partly answered
    Parks CanadaAlexis Deschênes (Bloc) asked Yasir Naqvi (Liberal). substantive question.The answer explains modernization for sustainability and continued mandate delivery without reversing the decision.Parks Canada is currently modernizing its programs and services to ensure their long-term sustainability and provide the best value to Canadians.
  9. deflected
    Parks CanadaMarilène Gill (Bloc) asked Yasir Naqvi (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to general modernization talking points without addressing job cuts, wardens or poaching.Parks Canada is going through a process of modernization.
  10. deflected
    International TradeStephanie Kusie (Conservative) asked Yasir Naqvi (Liberal). substantive question.The answer highlights past trade growth but ignores the ratification question and associate membership focus.in the last 10 years since we signed the free trade agreement with Europe, the trade between our two economies has grown by 75%.
  11. deflected
    International TradeStephanie Kusie (Conservative) asked Yasir Naqvi (Liberal). loaded question.The answer restates trade diversification goals without addressing the carbon tariff or summit outcome.what we are focused on is making sure that we diversify trade for all Canadians and that we create opportunities for Canadian companies to be able to do business all around the world.
  12. misdirected
    FinanceKelly McCauley (Conservative) asked Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks Conservatives for casting doubt instead of explaining the debt contradiction.this Halloween, Conservatives are doing their very best to try to spook Canadians, but Canadians know that Canada has the strongest fiscal position in the G7.
  13. deflected
    FinanceKelly McCauley (Conservative) asked Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). substantive question.The answer questions the premise of government spending causing inflation without addressing the debt or interest rate query.the Conservatives are always short on details.
  14. misdirected
    FinanceDan Muys (Conservative) asked Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). rhetorical question.The answer blames external factors and dismisses the spending critique rather than engaging the debt or Halloween framing.Everybody out there in the real world knows that inflation is being driven by a U.S. trade war that was not started by the Government of Canada and conflicts in the Middle East, which were not started by Canada.
  15. partly answered
    FinanceGabriel Hardy (Conservative) asked Carlos Leitão (Liberal). substantive question.The answer explains the interest rate cause but does not address regulatory barriers or resource development.it is true that interest rates were raised because inflation was high.
  16. deflected
    FinanceGabriel Hardy (Conservative) asked Carlos Leitão (Liberal). substantive question.The answer refuses to preview budget content and pivots to specific projects without confirming the listed measures.members will have to wait a few more days for the next budget.
  17. deflected
    Artificial IntelligenceYves Perron (Bloc) asked Karim Bardeesy (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to Quebec AI efforts without addressing the Alberta gas or climate premise.on the contrary, we are very invested in the artificial intelligence sector in Quebec, especially in Montreal.
  18. deflected
    Artificial IntelligenceYves Perron (Bloc) asked Madeleine Chenette (Liberal). loaded question.The answer expresses astonishment and highlights Quebec AI and clean energy instead of addressing the moratorium request.I am truly astonished that the Bloc Québécois is downplaying the impact we are having in the field of AI.
  19. misdirected
    EthicsMichael Cooper (Conservative) asked Kevin Lamoureux (Liberal). substantive question.The answer attacks the Conservatives' motives rather than explaining why records are withheld from the commissioner.it is frankly really and truly quite shameful the way in which the Conservative Party wants to continue the character assassination of the Prime Minister
  20. misdirected
    EthicsMichael Cooper (Conservative) asked Kevin Lamoureux (Liberal). substantive question.The answer compares to Harper rules and attacks Conservative tactics instead of addressing secrecy of records.the Conservatives tend to want to be in the gutter consistently with character assassination
  21. misdirected
    The EconomyJonathan Rowe (Conservative) asked Kevin Lamoureux (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to school food programs and attacks the Conservative vote record instead of addressing catering costs.Let me give the member a tangible example.
  22. misdirected
    The EconomyJonathan Rowe (Conservative) asked Mike Kelloway (Liberal). loaded question.The answer dismisses the question as taking a week to prepare and redirects to unrelated Atlantic projects.what is quite extraordinary is that it probably took the member a week to come up with that question.
  23. partly answered
    News Media IndustryGaétan Malette (Conservative) asked Madeleine Chenette (Liberal). substantive question.The answer affirms support for local media but does not address redistributing the advertising budget.We continue to support strong and independent newsrooms.
  24. misdirected
    The EconomyZiad Aboultaif (Conservative) asked Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks Conservative voting record on food programs instead of addressing the proposed tax plan.it always shocks me in the House when Conservatives pretend to care about people at food banks
  25. deflected
    The EconomyRandy Hoback (Conservative) asked John Zerucelli (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to past tax cuts and Food Banks Canada quote instead of addressing diesel tax plan.Here is what it said: "For people relying on food banks, this program [the groceries and essentials benefit, which the Conservatives voted against] will provide direct assistance to low-income households to help cover...costs such as food, rent, or childcare, as we have called for."
  26. misdirected
    The EconomyMel Arnold (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservative voting record on unrelated programs rather than addressing diesel tax proposal.Let us think about the groceries and essentials benefit that we put forward that is going to put almost $1,900 on the table for a family of four, which the Conservatives voted against.
  27. misdirected
    The EconomyScott Anderson (Conservative) asked Jennifer McKelvie (Liberal). loaded question.Answer shifts entirely to housing projects in B.C. and ignores the diesel tax question.We have committed 1,100 homes in B.C. through Build Canada Homes.
  28. deflected
    FinanceChak Au (Conservative) asked Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). loaded question.Answer defends government investments without addressing deficit reduction or Conservative plan.While doing that, we have also enhanced our social safety net with things like the groceries and essentials benefit, tax cuts and the national school food program.
  29. misdirected
    FinanceDane Lloyd (Conservative) asked Jennifer McKelvie (Liberal). loaded question.Answer discusses housing infrastructure and ignores the question on deficit spending and interest rates.We have 19,000 units under way across the country, and this is ensuring that whether people rent or buy, there is a home for them.
  30. deflected
    FinanceDane Lloyd (Conservative) asked Corey Hogan (Liberal). loaded question.Answer disputes premise on inflation causes and pivots to Alberta job numbers instead of addressing spending control.If we look at the Bank of Canada's report, it says the inflation is driven by global energy prices.
  31. partly answered
    Air TransportationDan Albas (Conservative) asked Mike Kelloway (Liberal). substantive question.Answer acknowledges rules and safety but does not commit to closing the loophole or timeline.We expect airlines to apply the rules responsibly and provide passengers with clear, accurate information about flight delays and cancellations.
  32. deflected
    Rail TransportationScott Reid (Conservative) asked Mike Kelloway (Liberal). loaded question.Answer promotes project benefits without addressing cancellation request or cost concerns for Kingston extension.it has been said time and again, because it is true, that this project is generational and transformative.
  33. deflected
    Indigenous AffairsBilly Morin (Conservative) asked Ginette Lavack (Liberal). loaded question.The answer addresses general principles of reconciliation but avoids the specific question about the Prime Minister's comments and the 1969 white paper.The discussions underscore the importance of continuing to strengthen the relationship between Canada and first nations, one that is grounded in respect for first nations' self-determination, laws and inherent rights.
  34. deflected
    Indigenous AffairsBilly Morin (Conservative) asked Ginette Lavack (Liberal). loaded question.The answer reiterates a general commitment to partnership without addressing the specific accusations about trust, Bill S-2, drinking water legislation or treaty fulfillment.to be clear, any process about how we move beyond the Indian Act must be first nations-led.
  35. deflected
    Air TransportationKurt Holman (Conservative) asked Mike Kelloway (Liberal). substantive question.The answer shifts to general human capital investment and implicitly criticizes the opposition instead of addressing the specific delay at Transport Canada.I wish the members opposite would join us.
  36. misdirected
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMichelle Rempel Garner (Conservative) asked Peter Fragiskatos (Liberal). substantive question.The answer defends the bill and pivots to attacking the Conservative record rather than addressing prioritization of Albertans' applications.Going forward, I would call attention to the Conservative record on this, not just with respect to Bill C-3 , but in general on immigration.
  37. deflected
    Indigenous AffairsLeah Gazan (NDP) asked Mike Kelloway (Liberal). loaded question.The answer discusses duty to consult and partnerships but does not address the request to withdraw Bill C-39 or pass Bill S-2.That is a key distinction in this legislation.
  38. partly answered
    Parks CanadaElizabeth May (Green) asked Yasir Naqvi (Liberal). substantive question.The answer affirms Parks Canada's mandate but does not address the comparison to military spending or the specific job cuts.Parks Canada will continue to deliver on its mandate for conservation, for visitor services and for the protection of its assigned places.