In the news today: MPs return to House of Commons today

By Canadian Press on September 15, 2025.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed …

MPs return to House of Commons today

Members of Parliament return to the House of Commons today as Prime Minister Mark Carney has signalled the fall budget’s deficit will be bigger than last year’s — partly because of U.S. tariffs and the government’s response.

The prime minister did not cite a specific dollar figure for the projected deficit during a news conference in Ottawa Sunday.

Budget issues will likely be a key topic when Carney squares off against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in question period.

Poilievre is returning to the House of Commons after winning a seat in an Alberta byelection last month after being defeated in his longtime Ottawa-area riding in April’s general election.

Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon is set to outline the Liberal government’s fall priorities this morning.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

Who will go toe-to-toe in the House of Commons?

The return of MPs to Ottawa means Poilievre and Carney are expected to confront each other in person in question period for the first time.

Poilievre has a reputation for being quick on his feet and question period has been a strength for him.

Carney has far less experience with the back-and-forth political theatre of question period — the House sat for four weeks in the spring but Carney only attended question period six times.

Jon Dugal, a Liberal strategist and senior consultant at New West Public Affairs, said Poilievre has promised a new tone this session and Conservatives have promised to provide policy alternatives, not just opposition.

In the days leading up to the return of Parliament, Poilievre said his party planned to introduce a bail reform bill and accused the Liberals of being too lenient on criminals. He also accused Carney of moving too slowly on major projects and argued the federal government’s new major projects office is nothing more than another layer of bureaucracy.

Alberta Next panel hits home stretch in Airdrie

Premier Danielle Smith’s Alberta Next panel is in Airdrie tonight, as she marches through a final stretch of town halls surveying the public on the province’s relationship with the federal government.

It’s the eighth of 10 in-person town halls scheduled for the panel, which has been travelling across Alberta since mid-July to address grievances Smith says are fostering separatist sentiment.

The event in the Calgary bedroom community comes hot on the heels of a town hall in Lethbridge, where Smith met a mostly friendly crowd that cheered mentions of separation and widely supported the province’s proposals.

Some of the proposals include working to reform equalization payments and withholding social services from some immigrants, which has generated polarized reactions at other town halls.

The panel is set to reconvene Wednesday in Grande Prairie, followed by the final town hall Sept. 29 in Calgary.

B.C. finance minister to update books

British Columbia’s Finance Minister Brenda Bailey says the first quarterly update for the 2025/26 fiscal year will update B.C.’s economic landscape and her government’s three-year-fiscal plan.

Bailey, who will present her update this morning at the provincial legislature in Victoria, says the update will also include reporting on revenue and spending in the first quarter of the fiscal year.

The final update for the last fiscal year pegged B.C.’s deficit at $7.3 billion, $564 million lower than original projected number in budget 2024, and $1.8 billion lower than the third-quarter forecast.

Bailey’s update comes amid strike actions by members of the BC General Employees’ Union representing about 34,000 public service workers across B.C. and the Professional Employees Association, as well as rising unemployment.

Both Bailey and Premier David Eby have also spoken of “economic headwinds” caused by tariffs imposed by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg set Emmy record with ‘The Studio’

After making a career of playing lovable underachievers, Seth Rogen is officially an overachiever: his show “The Studio” set a new Emmy record for the most wins by a comedy, racking up top prizes including best series.

The Vancouver comedian and his longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg dominated the comedy categories at Sunday’s awards bash, when they also collected directing and writing trophies for their Apple TV Plus cringe comedy.

Rogen also earned best comedy acting for his role as a frazzled Hollywood studio exec who juggles corporate pressures with his dream of making genuinely good movies.

“The Studio” took home 13 awards, including nine Emmys picked up at last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremony.

With four to his name, Rogen also tied the record for most Emmys won by a single person in one night, joining Moira Demos in 2016, Amy Sherman-Palladino in 2018 and fellow Canadian and “Schitt’s Creek” co-creator/star Dan Levy in 2020.

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

The Canadian Press