Five takeaways from the first day of the fall sitting of Parliament

Housing, immigration top of mind at question period

Housing, immigration, crime and the cost of living were the hot topics in question period.

Conservative critic Scott Aitchison led the charge on the housing file, calling Build Canada Homes another level of federal bureaucracy. Aitchison blamed the slowdown in building starts on federal taxes and red tape driving up the cost of construction.

Federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson said in response that the Liberals are partnering with the private sector and various levels of government to deliver affordable homes.

Speaking on the issue of crime, Conservative MP Doug Shipley argued in the House that “lawlessness has become the norm” under the Liberal government.

Immigration was another key topic, marked by exchanges between Conservative critic Michelle Rempel Garner, Immigration Minister Lena Diab and Minister of Jobs Patty Hajdu. Rempel Garner took aim at the temporary foreign worker program, which the Conservatives have called on the government to scrap.

Conservative MPs also raised concerns about the cost of living, putting a particular emphasis on the high cost of groceries in Canada.

Protests on Parliament

Members of Parliament, journalists and visitors making their way to Parliament on Monday were greeted by packs of protesters.

Around noontime, one group lined the sidewalk on Wellington St. holding an 80-metre long banner with the names of children killed by Israel in Gaza.

Throughout the rest of the day, dozens of other protesters lined the streets, waving Canadian flags and holding signs condemning the Liberal government.

The protesters heckled people walking in and out of the protected area and chanted as members of Parliament were inside the building. At one point, the group was heard chanting “Mark Carney’s a wanker” to the tune of “Seven Nation Army,” a song by The White Stripes.

The Ottawa Police Service said on social media Monday that two people had been arrested in connection with a demonstration at Wellington St. and O’Connor St. but that no charges had been laid.

MPs share security concerns

Speaking to reporters outside of West Block while protesters yelled in the street, Liberal MPs shared their concerns about security and the threat of political violence, given recent events in the United States.

MP Taleeb Noormohamed said “somebody in this country is going to get hurt” and that parliamentarians need to put partisanship aside and stop “fanning the flames.” Noormohamed said he had received threats, as have his colleagues, and that there is “a lot more” that could be done to ensure politicians’ safety.

“All of us are supposed to be here working to build a better country together, regardless of our political views. And making one another targets for this kind of stuff is really not helpful,” Noormohamed said.

Member of Parliament Marc Miller said that the tone has worsened in recent years and that “we’re naive as a country about how safe our politicians are.”

“We’re just one catastrophic disaster away from having a reckoning as a society,” Miller said. “Sure, it’s about the safety of an individual, but it’s also about the institutions that they represent, and once that’s fractured, it’s hard to bring it back.”

Poilievre and Carney go head-to-head

The first-ever question period exchange between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre began cordially. The jabs started within a few minutes, however, with Poilievre joking about how little had changed since he was last in the House of Commons.

“When I left, there was a Liberal prime minister who was making excuses about breaking promises, running massive deficits. Costs, crime, chaos were all out of control,” Poilievre said. “Whereas today we have a Liberal prime minister breaking promises, making excuses, running massive deficits with costs, crime and chaos out of control.”

Carney rebutted with his own jab at Poilievre, saying that he was “busy” in recent months, a reference to the Conservative leader losing his seat in the general election before securing another in an Alberta byelection.

“He missed the largest tax cut for 22 million Canadians. He missed a cut on the GST for new homes. He missed eliminating all federal barriers to trade,” Carney said.

Cooperation between parties is TBD

Opposition parties were noncommittal on Monday about whether they would support the Liberals this parliamentary session.

One of the first tasks facing Carney’s government is to shore up support for the coming austerity budget, due to be introduced next month, which Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said will include a substantial deficit. He said the government is open to finding common ground with other parties on policy but won’t compromise on principles.

The Liberals hold 169 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons, meaning they only need three additional votes to pass legislation.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Monday he is willing to work with other parties as long as it benefits Quebec.

Addressing the Conservative caucus Sunday, Poilievre said his MPs will work with any party — even as he ripped into the government’s track record to date.

Quebec NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice said Monday his caucus is ready to collaborate with the government “if it gets results.”

Speaking to reporters outside of West Block, NDP MP Gord Johns said this isn’t the time for deep spending cuts and that he won’t support an austerity budget.

— With files from David Baxter and Craig Lord

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2025.