ON THE AGENDA — The Liberals will continue their push on C-30 and C-31 this week, their two big affordability bills tabled first thing this fall. Bill C-30, if you’ll recall, would double the GST credit for six months, while C-31 would provide help for low-income renters and a dental care benefit of up to C$650 for children under age 12.
House Speaker MARK HOLLAND indicated on Thursday he’s hoping to get Bill C-30 past the House this week. With the support of all parties, the bill passed second reading on Wednesday. Finance Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND will appear before the House of Commons finance committee this afternoon to discuss the legislation. — Bill C-31, on the other hand, is facing a rockier road . The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois do not support it, arguing the federal government shouldn’t be launching its own dental-care program. “Why would we trust the government to create new programs when it cannot run the programs it already has?” Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE asked in the Commons last month. The bill will have the support of the NDP, of course, who are treating this as the first step toward a federally administered dental-care plan, a key pillar of their confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals. Bill C-31 will be back at second reading in the House of Commons today. — Elsewhere: On Wednesday, MPs will debate Bill S-5, the Liberals’ proposed overhaul of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
#WELCOMETOCANADA — Roxham Road is officially back on the parliamentary agenda. The House of Commons ethics committee is meeting this afternoon to discuss a request from opposition parties to study the federal government’s expenditures on the unofficial border crossing along a rural road in Quebec.
The meeting follows bombshell reporting from ROMAIN SCHUÉ for Radio-Canada’s investigative program, Enquête. Last week, Schué reported that the federal government has spent more than half a billion dollars on the Roxham Road crossing, including on accommodations and transportation for the thousands of asylum seekers who cross the border there illegally every month. Infrastructure along the border that was once temporary is looking increasingly permanent, Schué reported. And Ottawa has refused to divulge all the details of every contract, meaning it’s impossible to know exactly how much has been spent. — One detail that grabbed the attention of opposition MPs on the ethics committee: Some of that money went to PIERRE GUAY , a businessman who owns property near the border and who just so happens to be an important Liberal donor. — According to Radio-Canada: Bloc Québécois, Conservative and NDP MPs on the ethics committee are seeking a minimum of six meetings to study the matter, and want to hear from Guay, Immigration Minister SEAN FRASER and Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO. — The background: You may recall that Roxham Road was national news for a long time after it became a popular entry point for asylum seekers in 2017. Under the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement, would-be refugees are turned back to the U.S. to claim refugee status there if they try to cross at an official port of entry. So instead, they cross illegally at Roxham Road, and are then able to claim asylum in Canada. The Conservatives made hay with the issue at the time, but it dropped off the political map when Roxham Road was closed during the pandemic. Since the crossing reopened in November 2021, however, the numbers have been higher than ever. — Different approach: This latest iteration of the Conservatives has largely kept quiet about Roxham Road. Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE’s most notable promise on immigration has been to make it easier for doctors and other professionals to practise in Canada. Lately, therefore, Roxham Road has mostly just been making headlines in Quebec. In May, Quebec Premier FRANÇOIS LEGAULT said he was asking Ottawa to close the crossing. And last week, Quebec Conservative Leader ÉRIC DUHAIME faced questions about how he’d advocated for building a border wall in 2017. — But now: Roxham Road is back on the federal political agenda. — More from Enquête: Schué also reported last month on the lucrative industry that has cropped up the American side of the border to transport asylum seekers to Roxham Road. PRE-BUDGET TIME — It’s never too early to start thinking about the budget. The parliamentary Black caucus is launching its annual pre-budget consultation today, in an effort to ensure the priorities of Black Canadians are heard. Submissions can be made here until Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. ET. | 
