Canada’s Parliament Returns for the Fall 2025 Session

Canada’s Parliament Returns for the Fall 2025 Session by Maj (ret’d) CORNELIU, CHISU, CD, PMSC FEC, CET, P.Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East When MPs file back into the House of Commons this week after the summer recess, the atmosphere on Parliament Hill will be charged with expectation and uncertainty. For Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government, the Fall sitting promises to be a season of political flashpoints; issues that will dominate debate, test alliances, and potentially determine the survival of the government. This week really marks the true beginning of the Carney era. The campaign glow has faded. Now comes the grind of governing. Canadians are looking to Mark Carney to steady the country after years of drift. He has identified the urgent priorities of growth, productivity, trade, energy, defence, and sovereignty, and pushed aside the boutique progressive causes that consumed the Trudeau years. For Conservatives, the question is simple: Has Pierre Poilievre learned anything. The old Poilievre was a nimble critic, quick with zingers, more street fighter than a statesman. Perfect against Trudeau, but that act has expired. If he returns to that role, voters have already passed judgement. If a wiser version appears, one who can rise above outrage and sketch a credible plan for cost of living, growth, unity, housing, security, and defence, then he becomes a prime minister in waiting. But let us consider what is to be expected for this Fall session with several flashpoints to comment on. At the centre of the political storm is housing. The launch of Build Canada Homes, a $13-billion federal agency tasked with accelerating the construction of affordable housing, is Carney’s signature initiative. The program is designed to double the pace of homebuilding, particularly for middle-class families and low-income Canadians. But critics warn that bottlenecks, ranging from municipal zoning to labour shortages, will slow the rollout. It’s one thing to announce billions; it’s another to put shovels in the ground, which are always the tangible proof. With affordability consistently ranking as the number one voter concern, every delay will be magnified in question period. Employment figures are emerging as another political fault line. Canada’s unemployment rate has risen to about 7.1 percent, the highest in years outside of the pandemic. For Ontario manufacturers and Prairie exporters, U.S. tariffs are already biting, complicating Carney’s promise of “middle-class growth.” The government hopes that large-scale national projects — in energy, infrastructure, and critical minerals — will reassure Canadians that jobs are on the way. Yet, with wages lagging behind costs, opposition parties are ready to paint Liberals as out of touch with working families. Immigration policy, long a Canadian consensus, is becoming a wedge. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is under review, with Conservatives arguing it depresses wages and should be scaled back, while business groups insist it is vital to filling labour shortages. For ordinary Canadians facing rising rents and job insecurity, the debate has moved from policy rooms into everyday conversations. Expect heated exchanges in the Commons as parties frame immigration either as an economic necessity or as a pressure point for housing and services. Few bills promise as much controversy as Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, which would tighten asylum timelines, expand enforcement powers, and retool refugee screening. Civil liberties groups warn it risks trampling rights, while provinces are divided over costs and enforcement. For the Liberals, it is a delicate balancing act: projecting toughness on border security without alienating progressive allies. In a minority Parliament, missteps here could erode critical support. Carney’s government is also touting an ambitious agenda of “national interest” projects to spur economic growth; from LNG exports to port expansions. Environmental and Indigenous leaders argue these fast-tracked projects undermine climate commitments and ignore rights. With carbon pricing already under attack, the Liberals will have to navigate between industry demands and grassroots pressure. Canada’s prosperity and security depend on the North American system. Defence and trade are inseparable now. If Carney can navigate relations with the Trump administration, strengthening both sovereignty and security, he will spare Canadians real pain. Carney may face the most dangerous stretch for a prime minister since John A. Macdonald. Macdonald understood that national survival was not about being the smartest man in the room. It was about building relationships, compromising when necessary, and letting others take the credit if it meant holding the country together. Underlying all these debates is the fragility of a minority government. Each budget bill, each major vote, could double as a confidence test. The NDP, whose support is often decisive, faces its own pressures from progressive voters skeptical of backing Liberal compromises. The Conservatives, riding polling momentum, are eager to frame the government as failing on affordability. The Bloc Québécois is watching closely for openings to champion Quebec’s interests. A single flashpoint — a budget fight, a divisive immigration reform, a stalled housing promise — could trigger an election Canadians did not expect so soon after the last. As Parliament resumes, the Carney government faces a paradox: a broad mandate for change but little margin for error. Housing, jobs, immigration, borders, climate; each file carries the potential to become the issue that defines the fall. For a government that campaigned on stability and competence, the coming months will reveal whether it can withstand the heat of multiple flashpoints or be consumed by them. The House is back. The stakes are high. The country is no longer drifting; it is testing its leaders. Carney must prove he can steer. Let us hope for the best for Canada!