Merritt MP Caputo reacts to Prime Minister’s trip, talks desire to advance ‘Bailey’s Law’ as Parliament resumes

Members of Parliament are back in the House of Commons on Monday (Jan. 26) after a six-week-long holiday break.

The upcoming session of Parliament comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney is back from his trip around the globe to spur exports and drum up investment from new sources amid deep uncertainty about Canada’s trading relationship with the United States.

Earlier this month, Canada reached a deal with Beijing to slash tariffs on a set number of Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for China dropping duties on agricultural products. Carney also delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos that called on “middle power” countries to stick together amid economic threats.

Speaking to CFJC Today, Frank Caputo, the Conservative MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola, said he was disappointed by the prime minister’s comments regarding a “new world order.”

“We can’t forget that foreign interference continues to be a material aspect of Canadian politics,” Caputo said. “This sudden about-face, when no Canadians were really warned about that, and no input was sought, I found that to be quite surprising. I’m in favour of trade that’s appropriate. But when we start talking about a new world order that isn’t Canadian-centered, I start to get concerned.”

Regarding Canada’s relations south of the border, Caputo acknowledged that the United States can be difficult to negotiate with, although he was disappointed that a new economic and security agreement between the countries didn’t materialize in July 2025.

Caputo said Canada needs to “unleash” its natural resources and become less dependent on other nations.

On a personal note, Caputo hopes to see his private member’s bill – named Bailey’s Law – pass through consideration in committee during the latest sitting. The bill, which aims to strengthen laws around intimate partner violence, including making any murder of an intimate partner be charged as first-degree murder, has cleared second reading in the House of Commons.

“I am actively trying to get this to committee as quickly as possible,” Caputo said. “I’ve communicated with the Minister of Justice and his office and with a number of people in Bailey’s family. This is a key priority. This is a non-partisan issue. If I have to send emails, letters, have discussions every single day, we’re going to do that.”

According to Caputo, other issues that his constituents in Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola have raised include crime, housing, the cost of living, and Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act. That bill seeks to amend the Criminal Code to address hate-motivated crimes by targeting intimidation and interference with religious and cultural institutions, though it has drawn a lot of controversy.

The current session of the House of Commons is scheduled to last until June 19, with several breaks that last either one or two weeks. There are also rumblings about a spring election, though Carney has said he is not planning on calling a snap election.

Outside of Parliament, the Conservative Party of Canada is set to host its convention between Jan. 29 and 31 in Calgary, where leader Pierre Poilievre will undergo a leadership review. That review comes after two Conservative MP’s crossed the floor to the governing Liberals late in 2025 while another – Matt Jeneroux – announced plans to resign his seat in the spring.

Currently, the governing are Liberals two seats shy of a majority, following Chrystia Freeland’s resignation.

Caputo told CFJC he hasn’t heard any rumblings of any other Conservative MP’s crossing the floor.

“I know the Liberals have tried to plant the seed… I think that was an invitation and a hope,” Caputo added. “If it was going to happen, it would have happened by now. Typically, these things happen immediately within a matter of hours, otherwise people reconsider or they talk to people around them.

“When it comes to convention, I think we’re all excited to get there and meet with other Conservatives and be re-energized with common sense solutions.”