The Members convened were:

The Honourable Senators

AndersonAndreychukBattersBellemareBeyakBlackBoehmBoisvenuBonifaceBoveyBoyerBussonCampbellChristmasCormierCoyleDalphondDaskoDayDeacon (Nova Scotia)Deacon (Ontario)DeanDowneDoyleDuffyDuncanDupuisDyckEatonForestForest-NiesingFrumFureyGagnéGoldGreeneGriffinHarderHousakosJoyalKlyneKutcherLaBoucane-BensonLankinLovelace NicholasMaltaisManningMarshallMartinMarwahMcCallumMcCoyMcInnisMcIntyreMcPhedranMégieMitchellMiville-DechêneMoncionMoodieMunsonNgoOhOmidvarPatePattersonPetitclercPlettPoirierPratteRinguetteSeidmanSinclairSmithStewart OlsenTannasTkachukVernerWallinWellsWetstonWhiteWoo

The Members in attendance to business were:

The Honourable Senators

AndersonAndreychuk*AtaullahjanBattersBellemareBeyakBlack*Black (Alberta)BoehmBoisvenuBonifaceBoveyBoyerBussonCampbell*CarignanChristmas*CordyCormierCoyle*DagenaisDalphondDasko*DawsonDayDeacon (Nova Scotia)Deacon (Ontario)DeanDowneDoyleDuffyDuncanDupuisDyckEatonForestForest-NiesingFrumFureyGagné*GalvezGoldGreeneGriffinHarderHousakosJoyalKlyneKutcherLaBoucane-BensonLankinLovelace Nicholas*MacDonaldMaltaisManningMarshallMartinMarwahMcCallumMcCoyMcInnisMcIntyreMcPhedranMégieMitchellMiville-Dechêne*MocklerMoncionMoodieMunson*NeufeldNgoOhOmidvarPatePattersonPetitclercPlettPoirierPratte*Ravalia*RichardsRinguette*Saint-GermainSeidman*SimonsSinclairSmithStewart OlsenTannasTkachukVernerWallinWellsWetstonWhiteWoo

The first list records senators present in the Senate Chamber during the course of the sitting.

An asterisk in the second list indicates a senator who, while not present during the sitting, was in attendance to business, as defined in subsections 8(2) and (3) of the Senators Attendance Policy.

PRAYERS

Senators’ Statements

Some Honourable Senators made statements.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

Tabling of Documents

The Honourable Senator Harder, P.C., tabled the following:

Report entitled “Office of the Extractive Sector, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Counsellor — 2018 Annual Report to Parliament (June 2017 — May 2018)”. —Sessional Paper No. 1/42-2922.

Presenting or Tabling Reports from Committees

The Honourable Senator Boniface presented the following:

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence has the honour to present its

TWENTY-FIRST REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-71, An Act to amend certain Acts and Regulations in relation to firearms, has, in obedience to the order of reference of December 11, 2018, examined the said bill and now reports the same with the following amendments:

1.Delete clause 1, pages 1 and 2.

2.Clause 2, page 2:

(a)Replace lines 4 to 10 with the following:

“2 (1) Subsection 5(2) of the Act is amended by strik-”; and

(b)replace line 32 with the following:

“(2) Section 5 of the Act is amended by adding the”.

3.Delete clause 4, pages 6 and 7.

4.Delete clause 6, page 8.

5.Delete clause 8, page 9.

6.New clause 11.1, page 10: Add the following after line 21:

“11.1 The Act is amended by adding the following after section 94:

94.1 (1) The Commissioner shall provide to the Minister, no later than February 1 of each year, a written report for the immediately preceding calendar year that sets out the decisions and recommendations made by the Commissioner regarding whether a firearm is a prohibited firearm, a restricted firearm, or a non-restricted firearm, the reasons for those decisions or recommendations, and the actual or anticipated costs to firearms owners and businesses of those decisions and recommendations.

(2) The federal Minister shall cause each report received under subsection (1) to be tabled before each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after the federal Minister receives it.”.

7.Delete clauses 15 and 16, page 11.

8.Delete clauses 18 to 21, page 12.

Your committee has also made certain observations, which are appended to this report.

Respectfully submitted,

Observations to the twenty-first report of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence (Bill C-71)

In order to ensure that businesses do not experience economic harm when firearms in their inventory are classified as prohibited, that the Government of Canada consider providing compensation for businesses that lost revenue as a consequence of the provisions enacted by this Act.

The Honourable Senator Boniface moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Pratte, that the report be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

o o o

The Honourable Senator Cormier, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, tabled the twelfth report (interim) of the committee, entitled Modernizing the Official Languages Act: the Views of the Justice Sector.—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-2923S.

Tabling of Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations

The Honourable Senator Bovey tabled the following:

Report of the Canadian Delegation of the Canada–United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association respecting its participation in a bilateral visit to London, England, United Kingdom and Brussels, Belgium, from January 21 to 25, 2019.—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-2924.

Question Period

The Senate proceeded to Question Period.

Orders of the Day

SPEAKER'S STATEMENT

Honourable senators, yesterday evening we considered a question of privilege raised by Senator Plett. I have since received a request from him to allow further consideration of the matter. Although not common, this is not unprecedented, and I will, somewhat exceptionally, allow this in the current case.

Therefore, at the start of Orders of the Day tomorrow, I will hear further new arguments on the question of privilege. But honourable senators, let me be clear that I understand the extensive arguments raised yesterday quite well, and do not want to hear them repeated. So I wish to hear new information only, and I would ask senators to please be brief in their interventions.

Government Business

Bills – Third Reading

Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.

Bills – Second Reading

Orders No. 1 to 3 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Reports of Committees – Other

Orders No. 22 to 28 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Motions

Orders No. 1, 246 and 251 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Inquiries

Order No. 4 was called and postponed until the next sitting.

Other Business

Bills – Messages from the House of Commons

Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.

Senate Public Bills – Third Reading

Orders No. 1 and 2 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Commons Public Bills – Third Reading

Orders No. 1 and 2 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Private Bills – Third Reading

Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.

Senate Public Bills – Reports of Committees

Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.

Senate Public Bills – Second Reading

Orders No. 1 to 6 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

o o o

Second reading of Bill S-257, An Act to amend the Investment Canada Act (mandatory national security review of investments by foreign state-owned enterprises).

The Honourable Senator Ngo moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Stewart Olsen, that the bill be read the second time.

After debate,

The Honourable Senator Omidvar moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Bovey, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

o o o

Orders No. 8 and 9 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Commons Public Bills – Second Reading

Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.

o o o

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Cormier, seconded by the Honourable Senator Hartling, for the second reading of Bill C-281, An Act to establish a National Local Food Day.

After debate,

The Honourable Senator Martin moved, for the Honourable Senator Plett, seconded by the Honourable Senator Housakos, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

o o o

Orders No. 3 to 11 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Reports of Committees – Other

Orders No. 1, 5 to 7, 50, 100 to 102, and 104 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

o o o

Consideration of the thirteenth report (interim) of the Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization, entitled Reflecting the New Reality of the Senate, presented in the Senate on December 11, 2018.

The Honourable Senator Greene moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Campbell:

That the thirteenth report of the Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization entitled Reflecting the New Reality of the Senate, presented in the Senate on December 11, 2018, be adopted and that, pursuant to rule 12-24(1), the Senate request a complete and detailed response from the government, with the Minister of Democratic Institutions being identified as the minister responsible for responding to the report.

Debate.

ADJOURNMENT

At 4 p.m., pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on February 4, 2016, the Senate adjourned until 1:30 p.m., tomorrow.

DOCUMENTS DEPOSITED WITH THE CLERK OF THE SENATE PURSUANT TO RULE 14-1(7)

Report of the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, to the Prime Minister, entitled Twenty-Sixth Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019, pursuant to the Public Service Employment Act, S.C. 2003, c. 22, s. 127.—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-2925.

Summary of the Corporate Plan for the period 2019 to 2023 of the Canada Post Corporation, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, s. 125.—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-2926.

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Changes in Membership of Committees Pursuant to Rule 12-5

Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples

The Honourable Senator McCallum replaced the Honourable Senator Sinclair (April 10, 2019).

Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

The Honourable Senator Klyne replaced the Honourable Senator Bernard (April 10, 2019).

The Honourable Senator Dagenais replaced the Honourable Senator McIntyre (April 10, 2019).

Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans

The Honourable Senator Francis replaced the Honourable Senator Forest-Niesing (April 10, 2019).

The Honourable Senator Forest-Niesing replaced the Honourable Senator Duffy (April 10, 2019).

Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade

The Honourable Senator Cormier replaced the Honourable Senator Massicotte (April 10, 2019).

The Honourable Senator Ataullahjan replaced the Honourable Senator Tannas (April 10, 2019).

Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights

The Honourable Senator Moncion replaced the Honourable Senator Hartling (April 10, 2019).

The Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson replaced the Honourable Senator Brazeau (April 10, 2019).

Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology

The Honourable Senator Kutcher replaced the Honourable Senator Ravalia (April 10, 2019).