House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, shown in May, 2025, ruled that the House should vote separately on the passenger rights elements and then on the bill as a whole.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia sided with the opposition Monday, rebuking the Liberal government for including airline passenger rights changes in its latest omnibus budget bill that were not clearly tied the budget.
The ruling was announced Monday in the middle of a separate debate over a government move to shut down a second reading discussion on the same budget bill and send it for a committee study.
The government has not announced a timeline for passing the bill.
The Bloc Québécois successfully argued that a section of the bill allowing the government to increase the maximum fines for airlines that violate passenger rights was not part of the November budget and should not be in the budget bill.
The measures also allow for scenarios in which third parties are hired to resolve the backlog of air travel complaints.
Mr. Scarpaleggia agreed with the Bloc, pointing out that while the government did announce further details related to this plan in the April spring economic statement, it was not in the budget.
He said the passenger rights elements in Bill C-31 are “broader in substance” than what was referenced in the budget, “introducing new mechanisms for the management of air travel complaints and changes to the related regulatory regime not substantially related to the contents of the budget document.”
The Speaker ruled that the House should vote separately on the passenger rights elements and then on the bill as a whole.
In an interview, Bloc transport critic Xavier Barsalou-Duval welcomed the ruling and said the House should go further and split the bill so that the passenger rights changes can be studied separately. He said it appears the revisions allowing airlines to use third parties to resolve complaints could weaken passenger rights and MPs should hear testimony on their potential impact.
“We’re very worried to see this going on a fast track like that without any substantial debate or study,” he said. “It’s a highly problematic change.”
Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon’s office said in an e-mail that they respect the Speaker’s decision and would have no further comment.
The ruling presents a minor procedural inconvenience for the government, but revives a long-running debate over the use of omnibus budget bills.
Bill C-31 is the second of two budget bills tied to the November budget.
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While the Senate approved Bill C-16, the first budget bill, in March, the Senate’s National Finance committee released a report around the same time criticizing the increasing use of budget bills to pass measures that are not strictly financial in nature.
The Senate report said the size of budget bills have expanded significantly since the 1990s.
Senators expressed concern that governments are adopting “a practice that undermines Parliament’s ability, and Canadians’ opportunity, to give these measures the thorough examination they deserve.”
In 2015, the Liberal Party under then-leader Justin Trudeau criticized the then-Conservative government of using “omnibus bills to prevent Parliament from properly reviewing and debating” proposals. The Liberals vowed to “bring an end to this undemocratic process.”
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne introduced C-31 on May 6, and it has only had two days of debate in the House.
On Monday, his cabinet colleague Marc Miller, the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, moved what is called a time allocation motion to limit debate on the bill and bring it to a second reading vote.
Conservative MP James Bezan pointed out that the bill creates a new Defence Investment Agency, which he said warrants close Parliamentary scrutiny.
“I have to say that I am quite disappointed that here we are again with the Liberals shutting down parliamentary debate on such an important bill,” describing it as “a giant omnibus bill of over 300 pages” with major changes to government operations.
Mr. Miller responded by saying there has been plenty of debate about the November budget and criticized the Conservatives for not supporting legislation related to defence spending.
“It is very odd, to say the least,” he said.
Bloc finance critic Jean-Denis Garon also spoke out on the matter and said the Bloc faced several weeks of delay in receiving a briefing on the legislation from Finance Department officials.
“What does that say about their level of arrogance since they secured a majority?” he asked in French.
Mr. Miller responded by saying Mr. Garon’s complaint about a briefing delay was “bizarre” given that the legislation has been public for several weeks.
“My impression is MPs know how to read,” he said.